Golden Sun: The Lost Age

Where Golden Sun set the stage, The Lost Age cranks everything up to 11: bigger world, deeper mechanics, and a story that flips the script by making you play as the previous game’s antagonists. You take control of Felix, a former villain (or misunderstood hero, depending on your perspective ), as he continues the quest to light the Elemental Lighthouses and restore Alchemy to the world. The narrative is more ambitious this time, with moral gray areas, bigger lore reveals, and a plot that directly ties into the first game’s cliffhanger. The writing still has that classic JRPG stiffness at times, but the expanded scope makes it way more engaging.  

Gameplay-wise, this sequel refines what made the original great. The Djinn system returns with even more strategic depth, letting you mix and match between eight party members, once you recruit the original crew. The class customization is insane, some of the late game combos are downright broken in the best way. Puzzles are also more complex, with Psynergy abilities getting creative upgrades (hello, Sand and Frost ). The dungeons are longer and more intricate, though a few can feel like a slog if you’re not in the mood for brain bending block puzzles.

The world design is where The Lost Age truly shines. The map is massive, with entire continents to explore, hidden dungeons, and optional superbosses that’ll test your Djinn setups to the limit. Sailing the open seas (once you get the ship) gives the game a Zelda-like sense of adventure, and uncovering secret areas like Anemos Sanctum feels incredibly rewarding. That said, the pacing isn’t perfect, early on, the game railroads you a bit before finally opening up, and some players might find the lack of direction overwhelming later.  

Visually, it’s still a GBA masterpiece. The sprite work is just as gorgeous, with new environments like the floating Lemurian ruins and the fiery Mars Lighthouse pushing the hardware’s limits. The summon animations are even flashier, and Motoi Sakuraba’s soundtrack delivers more bangers, Jenna’s Battle Theme and The Sea are absolute standouts.  

The difficulty is better balanced this time, tho some bosses will wreck you if you’re unprepared. The game also expects you to remember mechanics from the first one, so newcomers might feel lost. And while the ending is satisfying, it leans hard on nostalgia for the original, if you didn’t play Golden Sun first, some emotional beats won’t hit as hard.  

Now let's talk patches, the Anniversary Mod gives The Lost Age a modern polish while keeping its core gameplay intact. Designed for replayability, it smooths out backtracking, tweaks puzzles, and improves inventory management, making the adventure less tedious without dumbing it down. The big draw is the dynamic battle themes, which change based on your lead party member. Felix kicks off with his iconic theme, Jenna brings the heat with her battle track, and even side characters like Piers or Sheba get their own unique flair. It’s a small touch, but it adds personality to every fight.

Just like with the first game, The Lost Age’s soundtrack suffers from inaudible bass. The Bass Patch swaps the original bass samples for ones with stronger harmonics, making the basslines actually audible without headphones.

Also, The Lost Age (and most GBA games) is overly bright, faded colors, a side effect of the original hardware’s unlit screen. The color correction patch meticulously revamps the game’s visuals, deepening contrasts and enriching hues for your 3DS. Towns, dungeons, battle backgrounds, and even the title screen get a little glow up, making the world feel more vibrant and immersive.  

A few elements (like character portraits and the Contigo minigame) remain untouched due to technical hurdles, but the difference is still night and day. Sadly, these patches only works with the English cersion, and there’s no equivalent for the first Golden Sun, yet.

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