The lazyhandheldman’s weekly handheld game recommendation is inspired by subreddit SBCGaming’s “Game of the Month”. Today, my recommendation is Golden Sun – The Lost Age.
Release: 2002
Original console: Game Boy Advance
Developer(s): Camelot
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Series: Golden Sun
Recommended handhelds to play: Miyoo Mini Plus, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 2DS
Best for
- People who love Golden Sun
If you enjoy the first part of Golden Sun, make sure to continue the story of Golden Sun – The Lost Age. It will conclude the epic story of our Adepts, saving the world with Golden Sun.
People who’re looking to use Psynergy to solve puzzles will enjoy the second part of the series a lot more, because you will experience different types of Psynergy, as well as bigger, way bigger dungeons in Golden Sun – The Lost Age.
It is certainly my most favorite JRPG game when I was in my childhood. It is still one that I love playing back with my Game Boy Advance SP.
- People who love beautiful artstyle and emotional soundtrack
Again, Golden Sun – The Lost Age is perhaps the finest presentation of a Game Boy Advance game.
Also, if you love the GBA system, you should check this game out.
Worst for
- People who think second game will be as linear as the first
If you like the first part because it is a bit linear to make progress, you will be disappointed with Golden Sun – The Lost Age. The world is a lot bigger, and it takes you plenty of time to travel from each map point.
Though the world of Golden Sun – The Lost Age is open, it hides too many secrets that it is really impossible to catch all Djinnis without the help of online guides. Moreover, wandering aimlessly in a world full of monsters is not really a good experience, even for a Golden Sun fan like me.
- People who skip the first part of Golden Sun
Seriously, The Lost Age requires a playthrough of the first Golden Sun. If you want to dive in the series without knowing Isaac, well, you will miss a lot of good things.
Recommended handhelds to play
I always recommend using the native handheld for its own system, unless you want convenient features like save states or fast forwarding. A Game Boy Advance and EZ-Flash Omega combination can give you the convenient save states, and I always consider using them as the top-tier handheld selection for a GBA game.
Otherwise, I recommend to try the Miyoo Mini Plus, because of convenient save states and great display. However, if you happen to own a more expensive retro handheld emulator, you don’t need to replace with the Miyoo Mini Plus. GBA is a fairly easy system to emulate, so you can even spend for a cheaper device. However, the trade off in display and Miyoo custom firmware is usually not worth it.
You can also try Golden Sun – The Lost Age on a Nintendo 2DS, but you must get an Ambassador program to convert the game file, then you need homebrew system on your 2DS. A Nintendo 2DS is my favorite handheld experience for GBA, thanks to both its form factor and C-Pad utility. I’m looking forward to play Golden Sun – The Lost Age on a Nintendo Switch using NSO, but it seems the game is still out of spotlight.
