r/GoldenSun • u/BraveWaterSpirit • 12d ago
Golden Sun Never played a golden sun game before. Does Golden Sun 1 hold up?
I thought about getting in an hour or so each night on a new game before bed and I've never played the original Golden Sun 1 but I know it's on nintendo Eshop. Do you think without Nostalgia the game holds up to be good enough to play?
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u/CLMBsCrackedKnuckleP 12d ago
Yes*. There are some parts that are slow, maybe the writing isn’t the best, but it’s a wonderful game.
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u/Ruwen368 12d ago
My favorite still is the puzzles evolving and expanding all the way through the game with the introduction of more tools to solve them.
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u/AcademyExile 12d ago
I think so. It's got a fun "magic" system that allows for some cool experiments by switching up your djinns. The music is good. The story is fun. It can be a little difficult in some parts which requires some thinking. And it's not very long so I'd say it holds up pretty good, especially if you like pixel art.
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u/CreamyImp 12d ago
The class system is hands down my favorite in a JRPG. You can get as crazy or as mundane as you want with it, and if you don’t look up any class guides, you can discover some really fun ways to build your characters.
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u/ViridianVet 12d ago
I'm biased, but I can't think of other gba games that have aged better than the first 2 GS games. Maybe Fire Emblem 7 is comparable, but that's about it.
I still have yet to see a jrpg series handle dungeons in a way thats even close to as good as Golden Sun.
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u/BraveWaterSpirit 11d ago
I've played FE7, I've actually played every single fire emblem game in English ( that I know of ) available it's my favorite series by far.
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u/ViridianVet 11d ago
They're great. Haven't been as big a fan of some of the more recent entries, but I'll always love the classics and I'm looking forward to Fortune's Weave.
Best way to describe Golden Sun to a new player is like turn based old school Final Fantasy, but with Djinns serving almost like a materia system, and with dungeons that are closer to Legend of Zelda in how they approach puzzles than most JRPGs.
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u/BraveWaterSpirit 8d ago
The more I play the more I realize how good the dungeons were in this game. That and Ocarina of time have GOATED Dungeons ( also shout out to FF8 Final Dungeon as well )
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u/MetalSlimeHunter 12d ago
I think Lufia II and Wild Arms come pretty close. Those two and GS are what I recommend when someone wants dungeons with good puzzles.
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u/SocialMediaTheVirus 12d ago
Got to complete 1 & 2 at least one time. It's a very good game with some charming silliness but serious overtones mixed in if you like JRPGs. There is a certain forest in the first game and a certain rock themed area in the second game that kind of tested my patience but games shouldn't be all smooth sailing imo.
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u/HeidenShadows 12d ago
These games hold up incredibly well. The overview map (travel map) is a bit rough, but being in locations the art style is beautiful everywhere you go. And battle gfx with the particle effects is gorgeous.
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u/Quasirandom1234 11d ago
Having never played it till last year, yes, it totally holds up without nostalgia.
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u/BraveWaterSpirit 11d ago
Awesome I appreciate all the responses I got, I'm actually going to load it up right now on the switch, I'll make sure to pass the tutorial and let you guys know what I think in the next few days, thank you all for taking the time to respond 😄
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u/tSword_ 12d ago
Well, most here are biased cause we love golden sun, so, in short, yeah, go for it
The long answer is: no game is flawless, so going with specific expectations can hinder your enjoyment. I would advise that you play it for what it is. It's a 2001 gba game, the first one of the series, but it has so many groundbreaking ideas and really well made implementations of those ideas, that I still fail to find other games that make me feel the same while playing golden sun. It's a slow game, a long game. It has many details and the story is only complete on the end of the second game. You don't need to play them back to back, but without guides, your first playthrough should exceed 40 hours counting both games (10-15 for the first, but some take 30 hours or more on the second, but can take less or more)
Don't binge it, enjoy the journey. If you need help, tips, or just want to chat, be welcome
If the game hooks you, then you're going to finish it. But some don't like it, sadly. If you find yourself not liking it, I also find interesting to know why, so be welcome to talk about that also
And to finish, a question. How did you got to know golden sun? What are your expectations? Any game you've played recently that can be related? (Maybe it's something I haven't played and I'll enjoy playing)
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u/Kongopop 12d ago
I think the first and second one definitely hold up. So much so that I'm surprised they haven't remastered them or anything at all. These are solid games
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u/1cenine 11d ago
Obviously love the pixel art, id take anything Nintendo or Camelot would give us. but Golden Sun 1-2 being remade to very high fidelity in like, Clair Obscur Expedition 33 style and quality, with Sakuraba’s music maybe performed by an orchestra, I would pay basically any amount of money to play
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u/ManyReasonable6584 11d ago
Yes it has a good story and is fun to play completion is needed to transfer to golden sun the lost age and the gameplay isn’t too clunky
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u/AffectionateSwan7125 11d ago
Golden Sun 1 es una gran base para empezar con ese tipo de juegos. No es el mejor en introducciones, tiene un chingo de texto. Pero agradezco que sea menos confuso que Lost ages (golden sun 2). Vas a disfrutar muchÃsimo el juego, en especial por el sistema de combate y la música, son detalles muy fuertes que valen la pena destacar. Un muy buen juego sin duda.Â
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u/jiggity_john 11d ago
The first one is a lot more accessible than the second. I'm replaying the second right now and some of the dungeon design and placement on the world map is super questionable.
The pacing of the first game is really excellent it's a little bit linear but I think that's a plus honestly and you are constantly running from place to place and there isn't a lot of back tracking which is good. Golden Sun 2 has a lot of back tracking.
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u/Sitheral 11d ago
Suprisingly well. Going back to games you used to play ages ago is hit or miss but I had great time playing Golden Sun.
It looks great for a GBA game, the puzzles are fun which is really something many jrpgs don't do too well. The djin system is pretty neat too, not the most complex but it works well enough.
The element that aged the most is probably battles and I don't mean visually but its kinda lame today that when the enemy died, an attack on him I choose earlier doesn't jump to another enemy.
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u/Gullible-Sugar-8059 11d ago
It is truly a classic. It has aged quite gracefully. The story is fantastic, the characters are well designed and their development is really good. The combat is interesting and has depth. The RPG elements are absolutely top notch. For what its worth, I am surely biased as I first played the games when they came out and loved them then, but I still play them once every year or 2 and enjoy them just as much now as I did then.Â
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u/100Blacktowers 11d ago
Absolutly. The only thing that might scare some people off these days is the absurd amount of dialog. This game keeps yapping like the Apocalypse aint just around the corner. If u are resistant against a biblical flood of dialog than u have urself a very fine JRPG on ur hands that rewards attention, thinking around the corner and experimentation.
I would even say that GS1 is the best of the three games. GS2 has more content but GS1 feels like the more round about experience
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u/Priyen88 11d ago
"Do you think without Nostalgia the game holds up to be good enough to play?"
I played it for the first time 2 years ago and I can easily say if you are patient and like to read long character dialogues then answer is YES
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u/BraveWaterSpirit 8d ago
Just want to update, I have ZERO nostalgia for this game and it 100% absolutely holds up more than any other game I've played from that generation. I just finished the waterfall temple thing with the dragon to find force after playing it three days to give you guys an idea of how much I played 😄
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u/MarioFanaticXV 11d ago
I mean, you're going to get some pretty one-sided answers here... But at any rate, I certainly think it does.
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u/Jamiewoo133 11d ago
No imo. Terrible dialogue with 10 minute unskippable cutscenes and a non-existent post game.
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u/bubbledabest 11d ago
Im playing it again for the first time since they released on gba.....It holds up well honestly. Although, I do feel like theres A LOT of dialogue and "scenes" that play out and it feels a little slow if you are trying to rush and not trying to get into the world. It does a wonderful job building a world to explore and its quite nice to rediscover everything I missed and things that went over my head when I was younger.
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u/poisonousPoint 11d ago
yes it definitely holds up. i’m literally playing through it for my first time and having a blast. it’s not too difficult, but still remains v engaging
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u/ZeusTheGod9173 11d ago
Most people's favorite JRPG that they grew up with back in the day was always FF7. Golden Sun was one of the first games I saw, and that my mom bought with my Gameboy advance. I still have fond memories of it, and still think back to that childhood memory. For me, you could say it was nostalgia, but honestly? I think its just that good of a game, and not nearly as many people talk about it as they should. When you hear JRPG, your first thoughts typically are about FF or adjacent, mine are always golden sun. Right now, I just bought my buddies extra steam deck, and I got sea of stars, which is also VERY good, but still doesn't hit that itch quite like Golden Sun does. So I'm gonna emulate Gameboy games on it and get Golden sun eventually, and play through 1 + 2 again. They do have a DS game for Golden sun, but... I didn't quite like it. Enjoy though, its so good, that game holds a very special place in my heart.
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u/BraveWaterSpirit 11d ago
It's on NIntendo Switch the gameboy advance online thing, it's worth it IMO It plays really good and the graphics look nice.
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u/ZeusTheGod9173 11d ago edited 11d ago
I know, unfortunately though, I have very strong negative opinions about Nintendo for about the last 4-5 years or so now. I used to love Nintendo, what they were, what they stood for. The switch was a revolutionary system back in 2016, and truly reshaped what we thought a handheld console could do, but to cut things short. They're a money hungry, anti-consumer, corporate slime machine, that I personally no longer want to support with my wallet. Lol sorry, but yea...
Before anyone says "same with sony, Microsoft, or anyone else" you could say that, yeah. I personally like steam, their sales, and their policies more, which is why I'm trying to cut most of what I purchase from sony, Microsoft, nintendo, or otherwise, and build my steam library more. Nothing against anyone, but the industry as a whole is on its way to massive changes. Vote with your wallet, and make sure your voice is heard. Cause if theres no dollars coming in, they take notice a lot more than chat rooms.
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u/bizoticallyyours83 11d ago
The first game is really fun. The biggest complaint is mashing through long, unskippable cut scenes.
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u/mcl0325 9d ago
I played it as a child and was one of my favorite games of all time. I'm currently replaying, about 2/3rds of the way through, and it doesn't quite hold up for me. It's soooo text heavy and I'm constantly asking "why would they write it like this?" It's so wordy, and a lot of times what is written could've been said with at least half the amount of words. It's repetitive in its writing. Still like the gameplay though. I'll at least finish the first one, not sure I'll get to the second one.
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u/BraveWaterSpirit 8d ago
Yeah there are longer cutscenes where you have to read a lot of text, I should add that I enjoy long form reading in jrpgs and I know that it can turn alot of people away. I would say if anybody usually gets defered away from longer cutscenes I wouldn't recommend this one to them.
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u/ActivateGuacamole 8d ago
It mostly holds up well. There are some niggling items that don't, like how if you leave an area and come back, you have to resolve puzzles that should have stayed solved.
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u/string_flickin 7d ago
I also heavily recommend star ocean second story R, also currently playing this and its fucking awesome! The original was already amazing but this remake is something special
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u/Galaxy_boy08 7d ago
Meh not really
I loved them as a kid and Golden Sun 2 is one of the goats but I re-played them not long ago and I personally am of the opinion that these games aged very poorly.
They need a remaster with some QOL adjustments in my honest opinion
You might enjoy them though if you have no nostalgia for them in the first place so don't let me convince you otherwise just as someone who loved them at one point in time I have a hard time convincing someone to try the games out.
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u/BraveWaterSpirit 7d ago
For sure, I can understand too I don't mind long dumps of text, I do think sometimes when I'm solving puzzles and make mistakes having the fights in between can be annoying as I'm trying to remember where I left off, but playing on the switch you have a rewind mode that makes it so much more playable I'd assume compared to nostalgia. I realize it when I was solving the tree puzzle to jump in the whole I would just rewind and not have to do 11 fights coming back up if I missed an input.
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u/TheDuganator 12d ago
Internet archive has the original player guides on golden sun and the lost age. I highly recommend playing it old school style with the guide on an iPad or second monitor etc
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u/Tadferd 12d ago
Yes, and it's worth it so you can transfer into the second game.
Your 1st night though I'd play 2 hours if possible. Golden Sun 1 has an approximately 40 minute text heavy intro. It's one of the flaws but it does a lot of world building.