Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, known as Ōgon no Taiyō: Shikkokunaru Yoake (黃金の太陽 漆黒なる夜明け) in Japan, is a fantasy role-playing video game for Nintendo DS. It's developed by Camelot and published by Nintendo. First shown Dark Dawn's official games was in E3 2010. Game was released in October 28, 2010 in Japan and in November 29, 2010 in North America; It is 8 years since the previous game, Game Boy Advance game Golden Sun: The Lost Age, was released.

The game picks up 30 years after the first two games of the series. The main characters are the children of the character in the previous game. In the game, player will control Matthew and his friends to fix the "soarwing".

System 

Like its predecessors, Dark Dawn similay as the traditional role-playing video game. In game, players control characters travel in fantasy-themed world, chat with other characters, battle with monsters, learning powerful magic spells, finding equipment, and take part in a building, do given tasks. Unlike the previous games, some locations don't allowed return once player left. One change of game is the encyclopedia system. For players who don't familiar with the plot of the first two games, the encyclopedia explains location, role and other words.

Much of the time are not spend in battle, instead, it takes place either in the game's overworld or solve puzzle for dungeons, caves, and other locales. Like The Lost Age, Dark Dawn have a ship that can help player across a large sea, visiting continents and islands.   To solve puzzles or complete the tasks, player usually need to use magic spells that named Psynergy, besides, player also has to find items that can teach character new Psynergy.

Unlike many role-playing video games that magiac can only use as attack or defending in battle, Psynergy spells are also have important usage for solve puzzles and searching. While some Psynergy can only be used in battle, some are only used in the game's overworld and in non-battle place. Instead, some Psynergy can also be used for both situations; for example, the “Cold Snap” ability can be used to attack enemies in battle, or changed water to ice as part of a puzzle. While using Psynergy in non-battle place, a light ring appears around the character and players can decide the direction of the ability by using the touch screen or buttons. Psynergy comes in four elements: Venus (rocks and plants), Mars (fire and heat), Jupiter (wind and electricity), and Mercury (water and ice). The player gains more and more Psynergy spells as the game progresses, either through levelling up or acquiring and equipping, or using special items, and with each "utility" Psynergy spell the party gains access to more locations and secrets hidden within the game world.

Battle 

Dark Dawn have two kinds of battle: random monster encounters and battles which BOSS that can advance the story. Battles take place on the lower screen of DS, enemy party and player's party are shown face to face. During battle, the camera rotates around the characters and backgrounds in 3D, unlike the pseudo 3D effect used in the previous games. The upper screen is used to view characters' stats and Djinni information.

In battle, the player is required to defeat all the enemies by attacks with weapons, using Psynergy spells, or other ways. At the same time, player needs to keep his or her own party alive by using items and supportive Psynergy that heal and support. If all the player's characters are defeated by losing all their hit points, the party is returned to the last village that the player visited, and the player loses some money. A battle victory, players will get experience points, coins, and sometimes can get special items.

Djinn system 

One of the most special feature in Dark Dawn is the Djinn system, where the player collects and cortrols elemental product called Djinn (singular: Djinni), and Dark Dawn use some Djinn that appeared in previous games. They can be found in different place of the game. Each element have 18 Djinn, so 4 elements Djinn have 72 totally, and any character can have each one.  Different Djinn can changed different character's classes differently, that besides hit points, Psynergy points, general stats, and Psynergy that character could use.

Once Djinn got, player can decide which character get it. Each Djinn have three modes: Set, Standby, or Recovery. When a Djinni is Set, that Djinni will change character's class, stats and Psynergy. Psynergy that who can used is depending on both the character's and the Djinni's element. In combat, player use character's set Djinni during that character's turn. Each Djinni has its own special effect when called upon during combat. These effects include attacking, buffing or debuffing, healing and many other effects. After using a Djinni, it goes into Standby mode. While on Standby, Djinn can't affect character class, but can be used for Summoning, where the player summons a powerful elemental spirit. This is the game's most powerful way of attacking, and also the riskiest. As it requires Djinn to be on standby, it woulden't strong a character like set Djinni. Once a Djinni on Standby has been used for a Summon Sequence, it spends some turns recovering before it restores itself to Set mode on a character. There are 30 Summon Sequences in Dark Dawn; 16 from the first game can be used alongside, 13 multi-elemental sequences introduced in "The Lost Age", and 1 new sequence in "Dark Dawn". Each of these must be earned individually; they are usually find in dungeons that not must to visit.

In "Dark Dawn", 83 Djinn are introduced. 72 Djinn are obtainable by the player, and 11 are only apper in the plot that can't really got. Djinn allow for a large array of possible class setups for all eight playable characters. This allows for a large kind of combat ways.

Game World 

In the past of Weyard, Alchemy was used for developing culture. However, use Alchemy as a wrong way would destroy the world, so Alchemy was sealed in Mount Aleph. In the beginning of first game, Alchemy was released, so a group of heroes travel to reseal Alchemy. In the second game, it is find that without Alchemy, the ancient culture began to lost, and the world will disapper without the powers of Alchemy. In the predecessors, Isaac and Felix let Alchemy return to the world. The story of Dark Dawn begins thirty years after the end of The Lost Age. Due to Isaac and the others bringing the power of the Golden Sun to Weyard, continents have moved, new countries have set up, and new species have appeared. However, Psynergy Vortexes, which take the elemental Psynergy from both the earth and the Adepts (who can control Alchemy), are appearing all over Weyard.

Character 

In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, player can control eight characters totally. Venus Adept captain Matthew is the son of Isaac and Jenna, he is silent but strong-willed. Mars Adept Tyrell is son of Garet, though he likes to play tricks, he is the best friend of Matthew. Wind Adept Karis is the daughter of Ivan, usually visits and plays with Matthew and Tyrell who live in Lookout Cabin. Mercury Adept Rief is the son of Mia, he is travelling with tutor Kraden. Mercury Adept Amiti is the prince of Ayuthay and his lot is a mystery. Beastman Sveta is the sister of the ruler of Morgal, she can incarnat a beastman to protect friends in a battle. Mars Adept Eoleo is the son of Briggs, he also appeared in The Lost Age and now he is a pirate. Venus Adept Himi is the daughter of Susa, who is a seer with powerful Psynergy. Blados and Chalis are from Tuaparang, a mysterious country where they have science and military power, and a masked man named Arcanus actions with them together.

Plot 

The story of Dark Dawn begins thirty years after the conclusion of The Lost Age. Due to Isaac and the others bringing the power of the Golden Sun to Weyard, continents have changed, new countries was set up, and new species have appeared. However, Psynergy Vortexes, which absorb the elemental Psynergy from both the land and the power-wielding Adepts, are appearing all over Weyard. The children of the previous games' heroes – Matthew, Karis, and Tyrell – set out to solve the mystery of the vortexes, and cross a world that is succumbing to a new evil.

Tyrell destroyed soarwing that made by Ivan, so Isaac sends him out with Matthew and Karis to find a feather of the Mountain Roc to make a new one. Along the way, they met the bad person Blados, Chalis, and Arcanus. After Rief left Kraden and his sister Nowell, he joins Matthew's party to meet Kraden. After making two Alchemy Machines (a Forge and a Well) running they come to the country of Morgal, where beastmen live. They get the Roc feather quickly, however, they were tricked into activating the Luna Tower, the Grave Eclipse cover much parts of earth and takes death and pains. The children then fight to end the eclipse by activating Apollo's Lens, an alchemy machine powered by the Alchemy Forge and Alchemy Well. For this, they and defeating Blados, Chalis and a dark monster who changed by Sveta's brother. After activating the Apollo's lens and stopping the Grave Eclipse, they and new friends return to their own homes. However, when they return to the home, a unusually large Psynergy Vortex greeting them.

History 

After previous Golden Sun: The Lost Age was released in 2003, there are many players talk about a third entry in the Golden Sun series. In 2003, developer Camelot said "the current status of a third game ... is still up in the air",. In a 2004 interview about the studio's founding brothers Hiroyuki and Shugo Takahashi, they said the first two games is for "prologues to the real event yet to come". At this time, someone said third title might pubilshed on the Nintendo GameCube.

Due to less update information about new game, there were some hoaxes. One of hoax is a Nintendo DS game called Golden Sun: The Solar Soothsayer, which said that would shown at a small pre-E3 2007 shown. Official said this information is no really, and the hoax's author explain that he wants to make more talks for new game.

There are also many talks about the third Golden Sun title. In October 2007, Takahashi brothers said they still wanted to and "have to" make a third game, and Nintendo also asked them to make another. They said they just wished to give the title time to developing, so they didn't make a game now. In April 2008, Nintendo Power magazine interviewed Shugo Takahashi on one of his latest games. When they asked about a third Golden Sun, Takahashi replied "A new Golden Sun? Well, I personally think that I want to play a new RPG, too..."

Golden Sun DS was finally announced during Nintendo's press conference at E3 2009, with a release date set for the 2010 holiday season. Media shows that elemental Djinn (likely it previous, earth, fire, wind, and water, also refer to Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Mercury) and certain summons will return from the previous games in the series. At E3 2010, the title's name was public as Golden Sun: Dark Dawn and a playable demo was made available to who join E3.

Reception 

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn had mixed reviews from critics. It is ranked 79% on Metacritic and 80% on GameRankings. The game was not as well received as its predecessors: Golden Sun received a 91% and a 90% on Metacritic and GameRankings, and The Lost Age received an 86% and an 87%.

Reviews usually praise the game's graphics and Djinni system. While GameSpot said "the visuals have brought the 2D world of the GBA games into full 3D on the DS to good effect", 1UP.com praises the game's battle graphics are "vivid [and] never grow tedious or overblown". GamesRadar said the game's unusual Djinni system let "veteran RPG players won't be bored with the gameplay". Game Revolution praises the game's puzzle setting like its predecessor that "are rarely very difficult, but the sense of satisfaction you get after grabbing your elusive reward is still like crack for the exploratory player". Besides, the game's encyclopedia system can let a new player get familiar with the previous games, gaming blog Kotaku said it's "extremely newbie friendly".

Criticism of the game is that battle is easy and cut-scenes dialogue is too long. Game Revolution said battle can "[use] the Djinn and subsequently summoning monsters ... pound on your enemies with attacks instead". 1UP.com said the game's long dialogue is just like its predecessors that "heroes and villains have an uncanny knack for saying incredibly simple things with about three or four times the words they actually need to convey those ideas". This entry adds a emotion system that can silence other characters' replies, however, reviews think it's unnecessary and can't really effect plot.

According to Media Create, 46,516 copies were sold in Japan in first four days.

References 

2010 video games
Nintendo DS games
Nintendo DS-only games
Nintendo video games
Golden Sun video game series