As a rule, the period that brings together
the late Eighties and the entire following decade is considered the golden age of JRPGs, the role-playing games
“in the Japanese style” as they are commonly called around here. Distinctive titles
that make turn-based and strictly, or almost, random battles
their calling card. The truth is that the genre has never faded away
over the years: the arrival of new handheld consoles capable of
hosting and elevating them, and the successive generations of home
entertainment systems geared toward graphics capabilities that are now
photorealistic, have given new life to the genre, but it is equally true that,
thanks to handhelds and effective writing in terms of plot and characters, we have
been able to enjoy small great gems.
It is the case of the
Golden Sun series, which we have already
talked about here and which with its official sequel, known as
The Lost Age in Italian, returns forcefully to Nintendo’s house and more precisely on the
Game Boy Advance.
Released in 2002
and Developed by Cameloft Software
Planning, known to younger players for the
Mario Tennis series (though an old top player like the writer has loved them for decades for having given rise to the role-playing saga
Shining Force, about which I will tell you one day!), Golden Sun 2 does not present itself narratively exactly as a sequel, even though it picks up the story right from the closing scenes of its predecessor.
Sparing spoilers, a nasty ailment
that even the alchemy of Golden Sun cannot cure, we will find ourselves in the shoes of Felix, just before the events that
will bring the story of the first game to an end: the more attentive among you may perhaps remember
that Felix is nothing other than one of the antagonists seen in the first Golden
Sun, and that here instead he undergoes a cinematic-style retcon. What we thought was a full-fledged villain turns out to be something quite different: the game’s “magical” protagonist is still Alchemy and its
elemental system, on which the entire combat package will be based
against the enemies who will line up against us at every turn outside the
villages and cities of the world of Weyard.
I found it interesting that the writers chose to show us Felix’s point of view and that of his companions,
diametrically opposed (apparently) to Isaac’s perspective in the first game,
devoid of gray areas and perhaps limited in its embrace of the moral question behind the possible
disappearance of Alchemy in an almost fanatical way.
Al contrario, Felix turns out to be a decidedly more nuanced character and, in my opinion, written with greater inspiration. It is evident right from the start that The Lost Era becomes the perfect opportunity to fix the plot holes of its predecessor, few but significant contrivances, so this second chapter takes on capital importance for the saga.
Benché the gameplay structure is
very similar to that of the first title, Golden Sun 2 expands the main plot
with a series of sub-quests that help
to streamline the typical sense of heaviness and monotony that a broad role-playing game risks bringing with it.
Certo, the fans of the genre are looking for
exactly this type of gameplay experience, made up of dialogues with every
non-player character present on the screen and a plethora of monsters of every
race and size scattered across the game map.
Apropos, even in
this sequel the architecture of the dungeons
explorable deserves praise, in my opinion among the most beautiful as far as
strictly two-dimensional role-playing titles are concerned, but as I always say, tastes
are tastes, right?
Con the transformation of Felix from
bad to good, tormented by moral dilemmas, “The Lost Era” demonstrates that it is
possible to tell a new story by taking up familiar elements and narrative
structures, thus giving a cult saga, especially in Japan,
a new life.
Just like the philosopher’s stone, shining gold born from rough iron thanks to Alchemy, so Golden Sun The Lost Age is ready to be reborn today for Advance owners in search of a great role-playing game.
Fascinating retcon operation that expands the plot of both titles
Characterization of the main and secondary characters: the empathetic connection with Felix is noteworthy
Beautiful dungeons to look at, tough to explore—what more could you ask for?
Increase in side missions: on the one hand, longevity increases significantly, but the risk of repetitiveness is always lurking around the corner
Perhaps we would have wanted to see something more innovative in the combat and magic system
