Regulus Tera
Romanes Eunt Domus
(Many thanks to the people at Golden Sun Realm and Golden Sun Universe for letting me steal their crap.)
Platform: Nintendo DS
Developer: Camelot Software Planning
Publisher: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
Official Websites: Japan/North America/Europe/Australia
Release Dates
Japan: October 28th, 2010
North America: November 29th, 2010
Europe: December 10th, 2010
Australia: TBD
Previously on Golden Sun...
Weyard on the brink of collapse. After the sudden turn of events atop the Jupiter Lighthouse, Felix and company decide it is for the better of the world to light the Mars Lighthouse. When they reach the top the company finds an obstacle in their path -the Wise One, trying to prevent the rebirth of alchemy, puts in front of them their most challenging battle yet...
Alchemy is revived. Alex, a Mercury Adept and Mia's apprentice, tries to harness the power of the Golden Sun, but is in turn buried underneath the rubble of Mount Aleph. With their home destroyed, the journey of the Warriors of Vale comes to an end when they finally reunite with their parents.
Thirty years later...
The Golden Sun has changed nearly everything. Continents have shifted. New countries have emerged. New species have appeared. But the world is now imperiled by a new threat: Psynergy Vortexes, which suck the elemental Psynergy from both the land and power-wielding Adepts alike, are spreading across the world. The new generation of heroes - the children of those from the previous games - are drawn into the mystery behind the vortexes, as they cross a chaotic world that is succumbing to a new evil.
Cast
Matthew (Mut)
Isaac's son and a Venus adept. He's the protagonist of the story, and as such, a mute character. Unlike his predecessors, he has more to choose than a binary response to queries from other characters: you can select one of many distinct emotes (joy, sadness, anger, etcetera) to respond to certain situations. This does not change the plot, but makes you feel more engaged in the drama.
Tyrell (Terry)
A Mars Adept and Garet's son, he's Matthew's best friend. Just like his father, he enjoys mischief and is a loud-mouthed individual.
Karis
A Jupiter Adept and the daughter of Ivan. She's a strong-willed individual and seems to be much more courageous than her father was at her age.
Rief (Crown)
A Mercury Adept who travels around the world among a renowned scholar of Alchemy.
And more!
Overworld (towns included!)
Have you ever wondered why, in JRPGs, you need to find a key to open a wooden door instead of just blasting it out with a fireball? Golden Sun addresses this problem by letting you use most of your Psynergy (magic) spells out of battle. There's a rock blocking your path? Move it to the side! Need to reach a high ledge? Grow vines from the earth and use them as a ladder! Dungeons are constructed to test your puzzle-solving abilities as you use your Psynergy to try to reach the boss in a very Zelda-like manner. Thankfully, you will never find yourself stuck in a place, since your Psynergy Points get replenished by simply walking around.
Everything else is standard JRPG-fare. Go to town, upgrade equipment, unravel the plot, fight random battles-
Eugh, Random Battles
Oh, shut up, we don't want your kind here.
Golden Sun battles play out similarly to Dragon Quest's: choose your party's actions in quick succession and watch them unfold immediately after. Unlike the previous two games, if you eliminate an enemy before landing out another strike on it, you will now switch to an adjacent foe. Certain weapons will still unleash powerful magic or enhancements, so be aware of your weapon's side effects at all times.
For the first time, Psynergy can be conbined with other Psynergy to create more powerful or effective attacks. There's also a new mechanic involving the training of weapons - using a certain weapon subtype several times will yield better mastery of that weapon type. For example, if you give Matthew more Maces than Swords, he'll be better with Maces. Specialising in certain weapons lets you unlock certain abilities too, like Multishot for bow and arrow training.
Gotta catch 'em all!
Ah, Djinns, the true flavour of the Golden Sun experience. Djinns are fluffy wuffy lovely elemental critters that are scattered around the world. You can use their abilities in battle to damage foes, heal your party, or even cause status ailments/enhancements. When not in use, however, Djinns will grant you special bonuses: health, attack, defence, everything-goes upgrades.
(Japanese Djinn trailer!)
Having certain types of Djinns equipped in a character will even change his or her class. Ninja? Sage? Astrophysicist Rock God? We have them all! Your spell list will change depending on your class, so be careful when using a Djinn. Nothing sucks more than no characters with resurrection spells in a boss battle.
(Japanese Class trailer here!)
Finally, Djinns can be fused together. With their powers combined, they will call to battle powerful entities that will deal huge raw damage to your foes. Some summons have to be unlocked through tablets found in the overworld.
(Click to see some awesome Djinn Fusioning here!)
Different Djinns will now have different appearances. Nothing major, but that's pretty cool!
More Graphix and stuff
And a trailer to hype you up!
[URL="http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-golden-sun-dark-dawn/17-3534/"]Giant Bomb Quick Look
US Commercial[/URL]
Reviews
- Official Nintendo Magazine: 92/100
- Gametrailers: 8.5/10
- 1UP: B
- Famitsu: 33/40
- Nintendo Power: 8.0/10
- IGN: 7.5/10
- Gamekult: 7/10 (French)
Anything else?
POINTS OF NO RETURN WARNING
Varion said:
JRPG OF THE YEAR MOFOS
