The best series ever to hit any platform. I absolutely love and cherish this masterpiece. Brilliant in every aspect.
Literally everything: graphics, sound, game play, storyline...amazing.
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The Bad:
Nothing!
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When the major hype came about this game back in 2001, I knew I had to test this. Little did I know this was going to turn into my favorite RPG series and my most cherished game ever.
Graphics: For the GBA, it was golden. The battles are simply amazing, with lovely backgrounds and awesome summons. The scenery of the overworld is equally fabulous, and all the details of the different lands you visit, be it lighthouses, caves or towns, are very, very good.
Graphics Score: Naturally a 10.
Sound: If there was ever a soundtrack that I'd put on my iPod and iTunes library to hear time and time again, it'd be Golden Sun (and TLA).
Sound Score: 10 here.
Gameplay: So you're in command of Isaac and Garet, who leave their hometown of Vale to pursue Saturos and Menardi, of the Mars Clan, who stole the elemental stars and set out to light the beacons of the four elemental lighthouses in order to break the seal of Alchemy and unleash it onto the world. They bond together with a Jupiter Adept called Ivan in Vault, their first pit stop, and then accompany with Mia, the Mercury Clan Adept from the frozen town of Imil, and guardian of the Mercury Lighthouse.
Enough for the story intro here, let's get to the real game play focus: battles. They are turn-based, like most RPGs, and you have a plethora of options to choose from that it's best you read a walkthrough: summons, normal sword attack, Psynergy, Djinn, items, and finally, defend. The summons can only be unleashed when you attack with a Djinni and/or put one in standby mode. If you kill your enemy before your other ally has the chance to attack, they automatically defend instead of attacking the other enemy, which is a minor annoyance.
Gameplay Score: 10
Replay Value: The main story is too short, which is the downside of this game, but as it continues on with TLA, it's sequel, then I can't really complain. You have a battle mode where you can link up with friends to duel, or simply battle enemies that you've encountered during your game (including bosses).
Replay Value: 10
Overall, there are little words to describe this game apart from Masterpiece. This is a game any avid RPG fan should get, and you don't deserve the title of RPG fan if you don't play this series. It's really a game that is up there with major classics like Final Fantasy and Zelda. This is a game I cannot recommend more to you than any other. It deserves all the glory, and I still see myself playing it today.