Golden Sun | Dawn of a Beloved Series (Retrospective)

Golden Sun & its sequel are fondly remembered as terrific RPGs for the Game Boy Advance. In this video, I'll take a look at the first game in the series and see how it holds up to an outsider's scrutiny.
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00:00 - Introduction
6:29 - Prologue & Premise
13:15 - Visuals
17:46 - The Adventure Begins
21:57 - Djinns
25:52 - Ivan & Psynergy
32:51 - Music
35:54 - Progression & Mercury Lighthouse
41:40 - Pursuing Saturos & Menardi
47:17 - Gondowan & Colosso
52:17 - Various Gripes
55:33 - Crossbone Isle
58:10 - Mercury Lighthouse
1:01:00 - Story Finale
1:04:11 - Final Thoughts
1:06:29 - Credits
Music used in this video
--Shining Force 3 OST--
The Bustling Wilderness
Main Theme
Main Menu
City Theme
Sorrow
Flowing River, Light of the Moon
World of Mysteries
A Slightly Drunken Mood
--Shining The Holy Ark OST--
Desire Village
--Golden Sun OST--
Lunpa's Hideout
Vale & Vault
The Sanctums
Prox In Trouble
Sol Sanctum
Lama Temple
Babi's Lighthouse
Venus Lighthouse
Babi's Theme
Lighthouse Theme
Colosso
Tolbi-Bound Ship
Deserts
Contigo
--Various Other Tracks--
Metal Gear Solid OST - Warhead Storage
PREY - Everything Is Going To Be Okay
Various Original Tracks (Incl. Venus Lighthouse Cover)
Thanks to my brother for composing tracks for this video!

[@itisgarrison]

I had always thought Golden Sun was a hidden GBA gem when I played it as a kid, because I only knew like two other people that had heard of it. Later in life came to find it's regularly on lists of best GBA games and best RPGs lol.

[@j.2512]

the internet effect. My favorite game was Majoras Mask, i never met anyone who even played that one and the ones who did didn't like it, most people i know skipped it but now on the internet its everyone's favorite Zelda, like it is the most normie take ever smh . If people are not bandwagonning and legit got to experience it and realized they loved it thanks to the internet then great though

[@DSan-kl2yc]

I remember it was always well regarded when it came out. That's why I tried the sequel. Not saying it sold like pokemon. Don't know how it sold. But it had a strong reputation for gameplay and visuals ECT. Even back then on mags.

[@thatguy-dh1qh]

Golden Sun was THE RPG that got me into RPGs. I spent over a hundred hours exploring every corner of the world and grinding all my characters to max level in TLA when I was a kid. I loved it.

[@turismofoegaming8806]

I’ve been playing Golden Sun again on my Vita & 3DS!! I loved the game when it first came out but lost my GBASP Shortly thereafter and never got to to play it again until just recently so I am happy that emulation with better graphics/visual can easily be enjoyed! Also Golden Sun runs Flawlessly on my 3DS, But GSTLA Has the Screen scrolling effect and as such you have to Fix it every time you play it, which is still worth it to be able to play, just a tad annoyance to Deal with each time.. Either way, I have always loved Golden Sun!! I never really thought much about legend of Zelda majora‘s mask?! But then again I’ve only ever played about 15 minutes of it and I’ve still not beat ocarina of time which I’m going to get around to doing eventually I have that on my new 3DS as well- Etc.. Lol

[@erock2331]

Waiting to play this gem again on the NSO on the big screen!!! I'll prolly cry

[@azuredreamer7136]

the game, especially when you factor in the sequel, *does* actually sorta explain why you go to mercury lighthouse firs; it is both the closest lighthouse to mount aleph and also probably the easiest to get to. i don't think they ever explicitly *tell* you that "the order they visit the lighthouses in is based on how convenient it is to walk to it" though.

[@Msoulwing]

This. Consider how many of the lighthouses require a ship to reach, and it becomes immediately apparent why they went to Mercury first.

[@farmcat_23]

If you use mind read on villagers, there's also plenty of mentions of saturos and menardi's actions and hints at where they went next. It gives the impression that your party is actively chasing them instead of just happening to stumble upon them, but it can be missed entirely if you don't use Ivan's powers often.

[@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819]

Yeah, Mercury is on Angara (the continent where the game starts), and it's relatively easy to walk, which in-game universe, would probably take a few weeks. Venus is on the northern part of Gondowan, that could also be reached on foot, but environmental conditions forced the party to find alternate routes, but is still manageable. It's the two remaining lighthouses that require seafaring means.

[@isenokami7810]

@@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819Ah yes, the two Lost Age lighthouses. The ones that take 80% of that game to even reach because the western half of Weyard is that closed off.

[@sbfh014]

Golden sun was one of the first jrpgs I played that wasn't pokemon, and even to this day remember the unique art style and god tier ost, and it sucks we more than likely won't get anymore games of it, but at least we can appreciate them for what we got

[@edwinantunez9722]

I wouldn’t count on that yet. It seems to be making a slight comeback. Hopefully Nintendo is cooking something with this beautiful franchise.

[@couchalmark675]

40:00 There is actually a broken bridge that keeps anyone from going past Kolima because the guy who should lower the bridge from the other side was turned into a tree, so both the party and Saturos's team have no option but to go to Mercury first. They similarly more or less had to go to Venus next because that's next to the only seaport. In the second game they could have gone to Mars third instead of fourth, but they figured it would be the easiest one for them so they should do it last as basically a victory lap.

[@spacedoyster7686]

Also, I'm pretty sure NPCs in Vault and Bilibin mention seeing Saturos and Menardi. Also, also, when arriving in Bilibin, the group can go north instead to the Mercury Lighthouse before going to Kolima.

[@LightHawKnight]

Not to mention distance. Why go to a random lighthouse, when the closest one is closest?

[@lets-mosey]

@@LightHawKnight Yup. The original GBA game also came with a map of the continent, so you could very easily tell the Mercury lighthouse was the closest one and most likely where Saturos and Menardi would be headed.

[@Mordy.]

It's also one of the rare points in those games where you DO have choices of order of actions. You can ignore the tree people side entirely and aim for the lighthouse straight. This gives you Mia for the tree portion making it somewhat easier too. So in a way, it is up to the player to decide how urgent they want to see their mission or not.

[@meganmartin3373]

Based on the prologue section I wouldn't actually be surprised if Saturos and Menardi were capable of just leaping across the river, though. I guess maybe they couldn't bring their hostages with them if they tried that...? But Alex can straight-up teleport, so that also doesn't seem like it would be an issue...

[@cutespooky]

I really loved that if you declined to set out on an adventure after shit goes down in Sol Sanctum, the game ends after telling you the world is headed down a path of destruction now. I thought this was cool when I was younger, because I was used to games having a fake 'no' option that really only insisted you hit 'yes' if you selected it.

[@couchalmark675]

The second game actually does something that's even kind of cooler: it actually keeps track of what answers you pick even though they never matter, and if you pick the contrarian answer every single time up until about the halfway point, there's a hidden scene where Kraden explodes at you.

[@cutespooky]

@@couchalmark675 Ahah that's awesome. I haven't played through the 2nd game, but I really need to.

[@j.2512]

If you like criptic hidden stuff that can make every playthrough change radically then Ogre Battle 64 person of lordly caliber might be the game for you. You can play it 10 times and still miss 80% of the stuff in the game

[@cutespooky]

@@j.2512 that sounds wild, I'ma have to look into that

[@j.2512]

@@cutespooky Oh yeah, one of the best jrpgs ever than no one talks about. Its a hidden masterpiece.

[@treebush]

Something cool that people don’t talk about is you can skip the forest dungeon to do the mercury light house first which saves time as well you get unique dialogues with Mia and this happens for other locations as well if you do things out of order

[@SuPeRbOoMfAn]

I ended up doing mercury lighthouse first because I didn't notice the vine on the side of the tree lmao. Saturos was a lot harder than he was supposed to be.

[@darknephilim3248]

I was about to comment that. The run through that cave and the tundra is RNG hell, but its so worth it to get Mia sooner. I was just a kid when I first played it, so I thought I was supposed to go north because I couldn't figure out the barricade... 4 year old me wasn't that smart...

[@scrub_jay]

@@SuPeRbOoMfAn Yea, as a kid I was stuck for a LONG time because I saved right before the Saturos fight, and didn't understand that I could just let myself lose to go back and grind.

[@jimimcmahon4522]

Yeah it's actually recommended to do that too

[@stinkypitz0005]

​​​​​@@SuPeRbOoMfAn For any future runs of the games, lvl 11 before saturos makes him so much easier. I suggest actually going through the forest first to get those levels. (Give Ivan your venus Djinn for cure since he has the pp to spam it) Put your two mercury djinn on Isaac and Garret and at lvl 11 they learn cutting edge, an effective move on Saturos. Spam those, give the healing ring you find somewhere before the boss to ivan, put your venus djinn on mia for cure and some stats on her. As a side note, use your jupiter djinni (breeze i think it's called?) that increases the party's resistance turn 1 to dull his opening party wide attack. Saturos gets whipped with this set up. Side side note: don't forget the elven rapier you can get in the cave on the way to Imil, put a Mars (fire) djinni on Isaac (or you first earth djinn on garret) to have access to growth to get it. Note that cutting edge works off of your attack stat, so the rapier buffs that psyenergy.

[@rustyfe]

I thought I couldn't love this channel any more, but I was wrong. Golden Sun was so huge for me as a kid. Super excited.

[@Sapient_Pearwood]

Same. It was the first real RPG/JRPG that I played as a kid.

[@Zinlain]

Golden Sun 1 was one of the first games i played so nigh-continuously as a kid I was surprised at how quickly i reached the end. Every single thing made me want to see want came next until I ran out of 'next'. Got hype for the sequel ESPECIALLY when my brothers and I found out we could transfer save data using that pass-code system!

[@erk6427]

Same, my grandma got it for me from a garage sale when I was a kid. It had the label ripped off so I didn't know what game it was until I booted it up, good times.

[@ASMCourtney]

Fucking same, been waiting on something like this for 10 years

[@Q-gf8vb]

At least until the 3rd entry.

[@VladDascaliuc]

Day by day we get closer to that Breath of Fire retrospective. I can feel it.

[@scrappy2082]

YESSS breath of fire is so good ;w;

[@niteriemcfarlane5285]

​@@scrappy2082I beaten the first one on NSO LOVED IT A lot

[@scrappy2082]

@@niteriemcfarlane5285 hell yea!!! time for BoF 2 :D

[@niteriemcfarlane5285]

@@scrappy2082 let me just say BOF2 is kinda way hard to get used to its mechanics ngl but still I like it

[@camerongranger6301]

The streets need it

[@An00bisX]

I sincerly hope you make a part 2 for The Lost Age, as you've stated the series really isn't complete without seeing both sides of the tale. Golden Sun to me was the peak of RPG's at their finest and I remember spending hours upon hours in the Battle Mode playing against waves of Monsters during long car rides. I still have have both of my physical copies sitting on the shelf behind me and I wouldn't give them up for anything.

[@IraessRanza]

Ive played Golden Sun many times and never knew there was a sequel, I'm definitely going to go find it now

[@shiniesglitters5424]

@@IraessRanza The sequel has roughly 10x the content of the original. It's all good content too.

[@IraessRanza]

@@shiniesglitters5424 That's good to hear I had assumed it was just going to be a Felix Pov from what happened in the main game so this is great news

[@user-vu7on5gf3w]

​@@IraessRanzalink part one to two. It's worth it.

[@IsaacGS774]

@@IraessRanza playing the sequel will be like a whole new world opening up to you. just do it! 😄

[@solidskullz5736]

Definitely one of my favorite games on the gameboy advance. I love the art style, the music, and the simplicity yet charming world. I’m hoping that one day it makes a comeback, but I’m also glad that it was popular enough to get a trilogy

[@jogymogy3691]

Only problem: third game ended with a cliffhanger and a lot of unresolved arcs

[@Rrrafael.00]

Is the third game any good?

[@jogymogy3691]

@@Rrrafael.00 it's ok. Not good, but no fail either. Not a worthy part 3

[@VictorHernandez-cz1be]

Hey Majular, you forgot to mention that you can decline when the village elder asks you to save the world. And you then try to exit the temple, you get a bad ending, a game over screen, and get sent back to the title screen

[@j.echevarria8630]

Golden Sun 2 was one if the greatest games of all time. Insane how big that game was for GBA.

[@Rainhands22]

In reality Golden Sun one and 2 are the same game, they just couldn't fit it all on one cartridge so spaced it out then decided to change the characters for the sequel.

[@kwaddell]

I loved how cryptic and puzzly Golden Sun felt to me as a kid, and I enjoyed my time with it, even when I got stuck because I didn’t actually read where I was supposed to go-I do however recall learning of a secret island I almost accidentally discovered, but my current save file at the time was saved beyond a point of no return for the final boss, so it kinda bummed me out

[@AishiYoutube]

Remember to input the 260 character Gold code to Golden Sun:TLA to unlock some secret goodies when you play through. Was pretty memorable to do as a kid. Secret codes like this and Megaman X for saving progress were cool.

[@sillycrow]

I think he should use a 100% complete code, because not having every psyenergy item and Djinns locks you out of an optional dungeon later, which he will probably want to talk about (and raise this point). If he forgot, it would be best to use a cheat codes (gameshark, cheat engine, etc) to add what is missing.

[@danielwatson7386]

Also, the section on "why did they go to the Mercury lighthouse first?" Its because of the fact that the Mercury and Venus lighthouses are on the first major continent. Lost age requires travel by boat in order to reach the other two. The venus lighthouse is also blocked the Desert. Needing the skill reveal to get through the desert means that the party has to go the Mercury lighthouse first.

[@Spookybluelights]

It takes a lot of talent for a video to pull my eyes away from my book when usually I just have KZbin on as background noise. Granted, Golden Sun holds a really special place in my heart, it’s the first turn based RPG I ever played and Paper Mario wasn’t far behind after that and I’ve been in love with turn based RPGs ever since.

[@XXXXX8]

Are you hype for the Mario rpg remake?

[@deerscream3476]

I remember begging my parents to take me to a Gamestop in the middle of vacation to buy Golden Sun 2 because I'd beaten the first one during the trip and couldn't wait until we had gotten home to play the next.

[@WisconsinCheesy]

This brings back so many memories of playing this game on my GBA in the back of my moms car. I also got stuck for hours because I didn't know you had to use a healing item on the damn tree

[@angusmcphail7031]

The recent love for this series is crazy. I have never heard of this channel, but watched the whole thing because of it.

[@noisepollution4473]

Okay, so I assumed both parties wound up at the mercury lighthouse around the same time because it was literally physically closer than all the others. So naturally both groups would end up there first. Now, sure, the timing being so close down to the hour was still a wild leap to make, but the idea that they both choose to go there first makes sense to me.

[@Mantorok12]

also since half their party is fire adepts, it would be the hardest one for them to do. Especially since Alex is...unreliable

[@Thaiyren]

Alex is also Mia's relative (brother i think). Its explained in game that you need a water adept, and the only majour group of water adepts are the adepts that train near Mercury Lighthouse, where Mia is from. Saturos and Menardi had a direct source of access through Alex, making it both the easiest to access, and conveniently the closest to reach.

[@cantbehelped]

A man after my own heart reviewing all these classic childhood games. I also happened to play the Lost Age first, in my case I borrowed my cousin's copy and didn't know it was a sequel until after. I didn't get very far back then. I went back and beat the original many years later but ironically I never ended up finishing the Lost Age... Those dungeons are so freaking long.

[@sagen06]

You have to finish Lost Age. Missing out big time.

[@tj3495]

Absolutely LOVED Golden Sun and Golden Sun 2, felt like it flew under the radar for many, my brother and I bonded over these games, very memorable!

[@BusterDrew]

A new Majuular videos means a great day for the subscribers. I have zero experience with this series and to be honest most of the games you cover but God damn am I going to watch all of it. Perhaps one day Majuular will cover the infinity engine games and make my dreams come true.

[@Shamax0]

I spend A LOT of time on youtube I just wanted to let you know that ever since I discovered your channel semi recently, the thing I get excited the most on this platform are your videos, you rock dude! But please don't feel pressured from me and others saying this - whatever you put out we'll dig!

[@wolffster25]

One the first rpgs I played on an emulator I was hooked from the word go. The plot was simple yet incredibly captivating. One aspect of this game I love is the commercial for it in the US it does an incredibly poor job showing of what the game is about yet it’s still incredibly epic and iconic. It’s so iconic the devs created a summon from the commercial for a certain third game.

[@RoninCatholic]

One detail done so well that I didn't even notice when playing, but loved when it was pointed out to me in online discussions a decade later: Dungeon rooms with puzzle elements don't have random battles, and vice-versa. Your block pushing, log rolling, etc. won't be interrupted by invisible monsters popping out and attacking you as you walk.

[@MrFutago87]

46:25 Boat scenes are some of my favorites in JRPGs, going on a voyage across the ocean in a game gives the world a certain sense of scale which I always highly appreciate in a JRPG.

[@davidwhidden9337]

Rogers Video. God. What a throwback. This series needs it's conclusion. This game explains monsters in such a fantastic way. The start is absolutely insane. The music is god tier.

[@DreadnoughtFiend]

I have the most weird relationship with this game. Due to some gap in my child hood logic, i could never level the starting area, and I basically started and stopped playing this game like 7 times because of this. Figured it out later in life and it was that super simple jumping puzzle in the first desert. Problem is now all i can remember of it is that frustration i can even tell you how good the story was. Eitherway i like this game, thanks for going over it

[@zotanica]

I remember I was playing Valkyrie Profile Lenneth and it was really uncanny how familiar the music sounded. Later found out it was the same composer. I wonder how Golden Sun would've sounded on a more powerful sound chip

[@westonmeyer3110]

Valkyrie Profile is Sakuraba’s best work

[@planescaped]

@@westonmeyer3110 It and Shining Force 3 IMO.

[@MASJYT]

Sakuraba is a good composer but he's pretty one note in my opinion. That being said the guy is a workaholic, the amount of games he has worked on is insane.

[@iantaran2843]

❤ Puzzle Dungeons ❤ I didn't realize this till later but most of my favorite games are full of Puzzle Dungeons. Golden Suns dungeons and how you interact with them through Psy Energy. So fricken good Reminds me of the tools in Wild Arms 2

[@SallionMang]

I rarely like videos before watching them but I'm so stoked for a Maj video on Golden Sun 🙏

[@lordlink1]

Thank you man. I don't know you, but you are a perfect video dude maker for my specific tastes.

[@Noz_FGC]

Oddly enough, the same for me lol. I'm seeing the most surprising stuff pop up on this channel like Skies of Arcadia and Koudelka. Glad to see games like these get some nicely detailed retrospectives.

[@mauricioalonso2157]

The Mercury lighthouse is the closest one to the start of the game and you learn at the end of the game that you need a ship to reach the Mars and Jupiter lighthouses. The party didn't know much about where to go, but the game railroads you towards there, either you reach it by going there after Bilibin or you follow the story and go there after the trees talk (both are possible, there's extra dialogue if you have Mia). The enemy party does know where to go and for them it's the most logical destination, Venus is on the other side of the continent and they already have a Mercury adept, as to why you arrive at the same time, in the story you leave a day behind, it's plausible that they delayed one day for whatever reason to fit the dramatic scene. As for the story in general I always saw it like an anime season of something like Pokemon, where every story beat starts and ends very markedly, even the dialogue and clichés remind me of an anime, every town has a "town of the week" feel to it, there's rarely overlap and except for the big backtracking for Hammet you are always moving forward. Oh yes, the games were designed as one long story but it had to be cut due to the size of the game, GS2 is huge. Loved the video btw.

[@neighandwhinnymchorse2100]

Oh fuck yeah- Seeing a new one of these pop up is such a treat, discovering your channel exposed me to every jrpg you've covered, including golden sun, for the first time!

[@rowlandc1]

This is an amazing look at a game I haven’t played in 20+ years. Thank you so much. I want to play it again so bad now! Golden sun forever.

[@WhattaM00k]

One of my favorite games covered by one of my favorite KZbinrs!

[@NightmareOni]

When he was calling out the lordly calibre names, his breath quivered at mine and at that point, felt like he wanted to give me a rogering. Now I understand the dynamic of Dart and Lavitz.

[@Nafferoni]

A GOLDEN SUN featuring BABBY'S FIRST LIGHTHOUSE! Seeing all this Golden Sun footage really takes me back to a different time in my life. That Venus Lighthouse theme music is a hot one - it kinda sounds like something you would hear during an 80's training montage. *footage of Isaac running up a Russian mountain and screaming to the heavens* Excellent video like always my friend, you perfectly articulated what you found to be the real strengths of the game and where it could've been a lot better. 🍻

[@gaminggoddess85]

Something that would be fun to mention in the eventual Dark Dawn video (if it happens) is how the random crystal chandelier dragon from the Golden Sun 1 TV commercial became a summon in Dark Dawn for some reason.

[@sagen06]

I kind of think Dark Dawn is underrated. Id give it a 7/10 but by no means was it a bad experience.

[@robinmattheussen2395]

Wow, I had completely forgotten about that commercial. Over where I live, we almost never see video game commercials, let alone back in those days. I had a decision coming up about which GBA game I would buy on my birthday next, and it was always a big shot in the dark. Golden Sun really looked right up my alley from what I had seen from posters and the little box in the store, but all of a sudden they showed a commercial for the game on TV as well? At that point, I knew I had to have the game.

[@andresdeleon9697]

I always thought Mercury Lighthouse was the obvious first choice since it was the nearest one. Remember Alex is the true mastermind being the whole series, so it became obvious (at least for me) for them to go to Mercury since Alex is a Water adept. Golden Sun is one of my favorite games, it's nice to see people are still giving it a lot of love and time. I kept saying to myself he hasn't talked about a very specific and relatively hidden part of the lore and boom you talk about it in the next minute. Awesome video.

[@fernandozavaletabustos205]

I hope this series gets remade / remastered at some point. Excellent video as always!

[@allyward8327]

I’m so glad that my boy Mads knew I needed something good to listen to while enjoying a new game. Let’s GOOOOO

[@MachFiveFalcon]

Golden Sun was my gateway drug of choice into the world of JRPGs as a kid. I still remember how Nintendo Power always raved about it in their "Epic Center" RPG section every issue for months haha And thanks for telling me about the remastered soundtrack! It does an incredible composition like Sakuraba's some justice! I can't get enough of those pan flutes, too. I already loved the remix of the main battle theme in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

[@davidwhidden9337]

Don't forget those whacky commercials.

[@backlogrob8358]

Wait, remastered soundtrack?!

[@MachFiveFalcon]

@@backlogrob8358 Yup, he touches on it briefly at 33:32. Looks like the KZbin channel "Coaltergeist" has done a great job with it - I just subscribed!

[@JohnDoe-uf3lj]

I’ve only recently subscribed, but your Legend of Dragoon video got my attention and the Xenogears one got my heart. I’m so happy to see you talk about any game, especially the RPGs that I’ve always thought were neat, but don’t have the time to play through. Both you and Brando SP are the chill JRPG gods of KZbin and it’s so cool to see these long form videos!

[@SpiritStoneWarrior94-yx3gs]

Have you watched Erik Landon I think he's called? He does some amazing JRPG top 10's/hidden gem videos and has some amazing knowledge as well 😊

[@JohnDoe-uf3lj]

@@SpiritStoneWarrior94-yx3gs will give him a look 😊

[@SpiritStoneWarrior94-yx3gs]

@@JohnDoe-uf3lj he's one of my favourites 😊 alongside majulaar

[@BoomExca]

on god i love you, golden sun : dark dawn was sadly my introduction to the series but it immediately made me go and play the first game

[@pussymaster9517]

One of my all time favorite games / series, and a new favorite content creator covering it: heaven-sent and massively appreciated

[@adamshalashaska5698]

That frame rate example was on point. Never thought about that way

[@quanquin3822]

For those of you who like Golden Sun, Camelot made an earlier RPG called Beyond the Beyond, which feels like a proto-Golden Sun.

[@gaminggoddess85]

I've heard that game was pretty terrible.

[@quanquin3822]

@@gaminggoddess85 I've played Beyond the Beyond in its entirety several times. "Terrible" couldn't be further from the truth, but it is very difficult and doesn't have a strong plot or character development.

[@bigjohnsbreakfastlog5819]

@@quanquin3822 Like, the opening dungeon kicks your ass. It's that bad and unbalanced.

[@Ceratisa]

You gotta be kidding! Found your channel last week and binged most of it. Now you're on that series I've always been interested in

[@DDRWakaLaka]

I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS AHHHH MAJUU DID A GOLDEN SUN THING

[@androtaz2621]

I have very fond memories of this game. I remember somehow I managed to soft lock the game. I forget exactly how as I havent played it basically since the year it came out but I still remember how much I enjoyed it. Great job on the frequency of videos lately. Keeping me awake during night shift.

[@SaberCompany]

Man I loved the shit out of Golden Sun when I was younger. Absolutely enthralled by that game. Great retrospective and can't wait to see more! Your videos are always bangers.

[@Maelael]

Fun tidbit at around the 31:00 mark: You can choose to go and get another character, and there is even more diolauge in this part

[@eidoleon]

This is like christmas, halloween, easter and my birthday all roled into one. Ive dreamed of this day for eons. I could cry of happiness! Finally. Finally!

[@karlklein2263]

When I was a kid, my parents took my sister and I on a road trip from Oklahoma to Southern Texas every year. One year they got me golden sun to play on the way. I beat that game while riding in the car and man. Just a really great memory. Love this game

[@talkingviolin]

To be fair, it makes sense for the Mercury lighthouse to be the first: it's the closest and Alex is a Mercury adept.

[@SynodicScribe]

Another banger my friend. Golden Sun was one of my all time favorite games growing up and I'm glad I'm not alone in that boat. It's a pretty good boat!

[@UltaFlame]

Yo hey, didn't expect to see an xiv lore dude posting under a golden sun video... but glad to! GS:TLA is still in my top 5 games

[@SynodicScribe]

@@UltaFlame If I had the time and resources I'd cover the lore of ALL my favorite games. Golden Sun likely included. haha

[@AkioLX]

Found your channel today and listened to 3 videos today at work. Love it !

[@urbncampr]

In my wildest dreams I would never imagine Majuular going over some of my favorite gba games of all time. Golden Sun is just such an incredible game

[@danielwatson7386]

The greatest RPG series of all time. Motoi Sakuraba slayed with this series' OST.

[@BlackMoonHowls]

Yes.

[@svperuzer]

The greatest? Really? Wow!

[@planescaped]

@@svperuzer It's.... _an_ opinion.

[@svperuzer]

@@planescaped I know that sounded patronizing but I was genuinely intrigued.

[@IsaacGS774]

@@svperuzer yeah man, I can confirm it's the greatest! - written by a totally biased fanboy with a Golden Sun pfp 😁

[@MysticBGaming]

Man, this video gives me so much nostalgia. I played this back in 2001 when it came out, on a trip to see my grandparents for Christmas. I remember playing the whole game on the ride there. That final boss gave me so much shit.

[@seanscarborough4023]

My absolute favorite games, so much wonder and happiness playing these as a kid. I would love a remake, or even an HD2D remaster for the switch. Thinking about pulling them off of my shelf for another go around.

[@isorophuscincinnatiensis1316]

That intro always puts a smile on my face

[@Syastsk]

Majuular literally never misses

[@j.2512]

except with the gay shit

[@yungoldman2823]

its genetically impossible for him at this point

[@CaptmagiKono]

Btw, the game "Lufia 2" on the SNES also has a heavy emphasis on the puzzle-dungeons.

[@gaminggoddess85]

One of the best ones too. And a big plus is that you can play it without having to play Lufia 1 since it's a prequel and Lufia 1 is honestly not a very good game.

[@tempyst409]

Your channel was suggested to me after getting my power back on from storms raging through Springfield, Illinois. I'm still currently stuck in my house till the power line is removed from my roof. So I've been binging your vids. Love your humor, style, & genuine balance of constructive criticism. I don't know if you've heard, or played it? But Legend of Legaia is my favorite game of all time. I don't feel it gets enough love, & sadly will never get the remaster it truly deserves. But I think you might like it & it be a worthy video review. Thank you and take care 💖

[@sonyslyer9946]

I love this channel so much, and having a video on Golden Sun makes me happy! I still got my copy from an old family friend and it’s the best, underrated game on GBA frfe

[@XstickbuddyX]

Your videos have always been good, but this one was golden son.

[@Majuular]

Ayy lmao

[@hoggo3789]

You're an absolute legend for covering Golden sun. I hope you know that.

[@NAETEMUSIC]

It is so crazy you released this because recently I have just been looking up that triumphant title screen theme music and listening a lot recently. THANK YOU

[@fmsyntheses]

Thank you for leading me to discover that there are not just 1, but 2 games for the GBA based on the greatest film ever made, Ecks vs. Sever

[@Alurkerdood]

I remember that there are some weapons you can get that are based on RNG. Some of them were kinda OP and could be used as items to cast certain spells.

[@KalaamNozalys]

Regarding the coincidence of showing up at the mercury lighthouse, I don't think it's that random. The road to the other lighthouses are blocked anyway because of the kolima curse, the only bridge south is innaccessible. So both parties are stuck in the same region with a single objective in reach. And it's the closest one from the starting point, and for Saturos' party, it's just the most optimal route. Go north to mercury, then south to venus where their boat is waiting, then leave for the next one. For Isaac's group it's kind of a coincidence indeed, the timing is lucky but well, gotta have some of that in your story.

[@thebigpicture4372]

I remember playing the intro on the way home from the store in the car with my glacier purple gba and wormlight. I scared my mom driving because i was like "oh my god!" when stuff in the game started getting crazy.

[@bluenitriletouch2842]

I have been blessed with a Majuular video covering Golden Sun. It's gonna be a great day.

[@Jakokokoroko]

Mind Read is a literal game changer, no joke. When I first saw the game the only reason I wanted to play it myself was because I thought the mechanic was so damn cool and as an endlessly curious person to a fault I wanted to go around the world and read EVERYONES thoughts. It also helped that the little animation for Mind Read is just so neat to look at. I really wish more games had this mind reading power because it does soooooo much to enhance the world and the characters and it also serves as a natural way to explore characters or explain things without it feeling weird or forced. Why would hostile guard X tell me about controversial topic Z? That doesn't make any sense, they wouldn't just quickly open up to random outside adventurers coming through. But Mind Read just fixes that by allowing you to literally peek inside their heads for a bit and learn more things about them that they wouldn't normally share so openly. It's by far the best mechanic in the whole game and again... I really wish more RPGs just straight up yoinked this mechanic and used it themselves, it's just way too good.

[@justink8156]

You're totally right, more RPGs should have some sort of system like that. Not even a RPG but the only example that comes to mind for me is the Heart you can use in Dishonored to get insight into people. Cool mechanic, cool visual and it fits neatly into the world building.

[@mewmeister8650]

@@justink8156 Divinity 2 (the original, not OS 2) has a mind reading mechanic. It incurred a XP debt to use, but it was routinely either useful or funny.

[@AssHandler]

The moment when you break into the western sea in The Lost Age, and the soundtrack changes will always be a classic. Really put the sense of scope into you.

[@DarknessIsTheTruth]

Majuular, I don't know how you're able to crank out all these feature-length videos, but man, I salute you.

[@ElysiumTan]

i'll admit i really love the way you review a game. I hope you someday get to the Lunar series

[@fenrirlives2226]

Another Majuular Banger! Great job especially breaking down the combat system btw, explanations always went over my head when friends described it to me. I remember trying to play Golden Sun very early on in my high school career, but something about the premise failed to grab me unfortunately. Still, it's nice to see all this context for the game I missed out on! While I don't think I'll play it, I can definitely see what fans appreciate about it! Have a good one dude, and here's hoping this vid gets some sweet sweet traction!

[@SirNithen]

"Will you spend your first couple of turns wasting every Djinni you have trying to get them all on standby to summon as quick as possible? 80 percent of you probably just said yes." screw you for calling me out like that

[@matthewdyck5503]

This is one game I've always wanted to play, I'll get around to it one day. Great stuff as always.

[@Mr16emmanuel]

I love Golden sun so much that i named my son Isaac. I have so many great memories with Golden sun and it was one of the first rpgs that I actually finished. I even finished part 2 i miss those days

[@novemberbravo6194]

Damn son, almost 40k views in less than 24 hours! Look who’s moving up in the world :D I just started a new gig so my spare time to catch up on awesome content like yours is somewhat limited at present, but I’m putting this at the top of my to-watch list. As always, thanks for being an inspiration, both in terms of your work ethic and the quality of your output! I’m dealing with a protracted battle against content ID for my latest project, but I think I’ve finally found a way around the issues I’ve been having...I hope. Anyways, just wanted to drop in and say hi, and that I hope life, work, etc are all treating you well. Cheers, all the best! -NB

[@theonlybilge]

I know that Etika loved Golden Sun.

[@StriketheSunMD]

I have been thinking about replaying the GBA Golden Sun again for some time. This video is incredible!!

[@wulfyaeger2327]

Oh hell yeah Golden Sun baybeee! I always loved this game, the music has always stuck with me. And when I learned that the composer also was like THE guy for the Tales series it just made so much sense to me and just made me love both series so much more.

[@silvarian]

Reserving my comment spot for later. Maybe I'll play it first...but I probably wont.

[@danalbers2193]

Shame the third game turned out to be such a boring PoS that failed to capture the appeal of the OGs

[@MintyDragonfly]

You can’t imagine how thrilled I was to see this video pop up in my sub feed! One of my fave essayists and one of my fave games, you’re really knocking them out of the park bud! Thank you!

[@egonrl]

That's a really well put together video. Mixing information about the game conception with the actual in-game plot/gameplay elements was really well done here. Congrats!

[@rope435]

Finally back to RPG videos. This is what I watch you for

[@zephyr4ever]

This channel as single handed gotten me into watching these retrospective type videos for all my old beloved game series. Brings back so many memories, angry moments and definitely helps shine new lights on things i might have missed as a child. A genuine thanks and well done for reigniting my love for some of these old games I grew up with.

[@metalpanic8181]

holy crap, I also first played the Franchise after renting the sequel from a Rogers as a kid, thanks for that core memory back.

[@kirby12390]

Oh no, guess I gotta clear my plans and play Golden Sun now that one of my favorite youtubers made a retrospective lol. Love your videos, can't wait to see this one after I play through it!

[@crumpettrashgoblin]

I'm very glad I stumbled upon your channel. I'm a big RPG head and I love hearing about these games I missed out on as a child. Keep it up, Majuular!

[@Coffeewings334]

The venus lighthouse track so unbelievably good. It’s a literal formative memory for me because it shows up so early in Lost Age, and I spent ages in that area (I couldn’t read english at the time, so progression was extremely difficult)

[@Coaltergeist]

Golden Sun is one of my favorite games of all time (with The Lost Age being my favorite), and I absolutely love to see newcomers to the franchise and their reactions. I absolutely love the presentation of these games, the music especially. It was a big inspiration for me as a kid, and I really appreciate the shout-out for the remastered soundtrack. The game is not without its flaws; I agree the pacing is not great (even worse in the sequel), and the characters do really feel pretty bland, but the positives greatly outweigh the negatives imo. I feel like the puzzle solving in these games is unparalleled, and the battle system is extremely unique. Great video! Looking forward to the sequel.

[@Skywalker9690]

As someone who grew up with a GBA and tmThe Golden Sun series, i greatly enjoyed this retrospective. 9/10! Thank you so much, i greatly enjoyed hitting that subscribe button!