Puzzle based traditional JRPG returns from Camelot and is still great to this day.
Story: 7/10 (going to assume you're familiar with the first two Golden Sun games)
30 years have passed since the events of the Golden Sun, and the world is still in a state of recovery. Strange events start occurring due to the presence of the Golden Sun and Isaac and Garet need to set off to Sol Sanctum to figure out what it wrong. In order to get there, they need to use Soarwings (a flying device invented by Ivan that is extremely difficult to make due to very rare component needed), problem is Tyrell (Garet's son), takes off with the Soarwing, intent on proving Karis (Ivan's daughter) that he can also use one, breaking it in the process. Soon after, Karis, Tyrell and Matthew (Isaac's son) are sent on a journey to obtain a Roc feather (the rare component needed for the Soarwing).
The game's story quickly shifts away from this objective and of course, turns into a "save the world" mission. One thing I didn't like was how painfully obvious who the "main antagonist" was. Also compared to the original Warriors of Vale, Tyrell, Rief and Karis are kind of immature, Tyrell just being flat out stupid or annoying at times. As for Matthew, well he doesn't talk, at all, instead you can control how he reacts to certain situations (not that it does much). The story is still very interesting, with a lot of interesting dialogue, but it's not as strong as the first two Golden Sun games. Take note that this game will end on a cliffhanger, so expect that, meaning this game is long overdue for a sequel.
Visuals: 8.5/10
I absolutely loved the pseudo 3D visuals the original Golden Sun had and while it matches the game better, the 3D visuals of this game were still really well done (makes me all the more excited for how the 3DS entry will look). Due to the limitations of the DS, all the character models are done in a chibi fashion, the environments are nicely done and the world map is pretty huge (although there are some areas you'll never get to visit).
Sound: 9/10
Like most Nintendo games in general, the music is awesome, the opening song sounds epic, and the overall tone has a very classic fantasy vibe to it.
Gameplay: 9.5/10
Golden Sun a traditional JRPG in which battles are turn based. What's unique to Golden Sun are Djinns as well as the way puzzles are built into the game. Djinns serve to improve the abilities of adepts as well as grant you special moves, the more Djinns you use (and have set), the more powerful summons you can unleash. Keep in mind that summons should be used wisely as setting Djinns will lower your overall stats as well as remove certain useful psynergy (like Wish and Revive). Each character has their own specific element, Matthew - Earth (Venus), Karis - Wind (Jupiter), Tyrell - Fire (Mars), and Rief - Water (Mercury), you can change up their elements by switching around Djinns, but they are most effective utilizing their own element, but if you can find the right combinations, your characters will have some pretty powerful moves at their disposal, but at the cost of a weaker stats.
The puzzle aspect of the game is what truly makes Golden Sun challenging. Some of your psynergy can be used on the field for specific actions like moving an object, growing a vine, or burning an object. The game will challenge you to utilize these abilities in order to progress, as well as analyzing the environments so you can plot your course. There will be times where it can get confusing which psynergy must be used so remember that up until the end, almost every dungeon will most likely use the psynergy you most recently obtained, unless it's an element based dungeon.
One thing I don't like about Golden Sun in general is that the game kind of forces you to be a completionist, exploring every single area and talking to every single citizen and checking every barrel, pot, box for items if you want to have all of the best items as well as every Djinn. Advice for hunting down Djinns in the world map, if you come across a small island (or spit) that seems to serve no purpose, most likely a Djinn is present there. It's important that you hunt down every single one because an imbalance of Djinns could lead to your characters being forced to carry a Djinn of a different element.
Value: 9/10
Golden Sun has always been a huge RPG but handheld standards and this one is no different. I clocked in around 32 hours when I beat the game and that's not counting the optional dungeons that open up after the game is finished. Although since this game isn't as strong as the previous ones, I don't feel as compelled to go back and replay it but it's hard to not call a handheld game that can last you up to 30 hours a bad value when console games hardly last that long.
Overall: 8.5/10
Golden Sun Dark Dawn is a solid sequel to the critically acclaimed GBA titles, while the story and characters aren't as strong, the solid gameplay still remains. Hopefully we see a 3DS title soon since the game did end on a cliffhanger.