Received this game for my GBA back around 2001-2002. I've dug it up and found my handheld's old AC adapter to play it through once more. What a delight! The story is engaging and adorable, and the level of detail to the quest and to the visuals stands up even in 2020. You can beat it in a handful of 5 hour travel days and enjoy the whole ride. Made my way all the way through only missing a couple Djinn and even perusing some of Crossbone isle.
For people who like:
- Random encounter, "open world" RPGs on a small scale
- Anime style universe
- engaging and interesting story
- RPG elements: leveling up characters, equipment, magic, etc.
- Dont mind GBA-level graphics (but they are indeed the best the system offers)
If you enjoy Golden Sun, the story continues with Golden Sun: The Lost Age. I recommend playing through Lost Age if you really enjoyed the first game. I played it to the conclusion and although I couldn't get the gold upload data code to work (so painful) I was successful with silver. The follow up is a much longer and more expansive game.
Some years later, a third game was made, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. This third installment was released for the DS. I would only recommend Dark Dawn to those who loved the original two games, for nostalgia and some fun graphics upgrades to the Djinn summons and Psynergy. However, I think its the weakest entry in the series.