Review: Golden Sun – The Lost Age

A little over a year ago, I posted a review for the legendary RPG, Golden Sun. Since that time, I’ve received a number of messages asking for me to talk about the sequel. Well, that time has finally arrived. Today, I’m going to be discussing Golden Sun: The Lost Age.

Before I dive in to all the details, I want to come right out and say something. This game is extremely similar to the first Golden Sun title. So much so, that it feels more like a second chapter to the original game than an actual sequel. Had I realized just how similar these two games were, I think it would have been better to simply do one review for both titles. But, at the time I wrote the first review, I wasn’t aware of this. With this in mind, I highly recommend that you read my review for the original game here: Golden Sun. This write up will assume that you’re already familiar with my thoughts on the first title.

Like the first game, Golden Sun: The Lost Age was originally released for the Game Boy Advance. Today, the game is available as part of the Nintendo Switch Online service. It is this version, that I played for this review. If you played the first game to its completion, then you probably know that you are able to import your save data into The Lost Age. Originally, this was done using the GBA Link Cable. However, today, most players will perform this import using a password system. This option was always available in the game. However, it was much more convenient to use the physical link cable to transfer the data. When using the password, there are multiple options to choose from. The more information you want to transfer, the longer and more complex the password is. Naturally, I wanted every possible detail moved from my original game, so I opted for the “Gold” password. Be warned: if you plan to do this, you are in for QUITE a long password. Fair warning: It’s a cumbersome process.

Once the transfer was complete and I started the game, I was admittedly a bit confused. The story for The Lost Age didn’t pick up where the original Golden Sun left off. Instead, this game actually starts just a little before the ending of the original Golden Sun. When this game begins, you are in control of Felix, Jenna, and Sheba – three characters that were briefly introduced in the original. If you remember the story from Golden Sun, you might recall that Felix is aligned with Saturos (one of the original game’s antagonists). Convinced that Saturos’ beliefs were correct, Felix sets out on a quest to finish what Saturos started. It is during their journey that they realize that Isacc’s party is in pursuit to stop them. Without giving away too much, I will say that eventually Isaac and Felix join forces – this is when the data import option from the first game becomes relevant. When importing data, stats, items, djinn, and even some story milestones for Isaac’s party move over and can have an effect on what happens in this game.

Being a fan of old CRPGs like Wizardry, the ability to move save data from the first game into the sequel is a nice touch. It really helps make the two chapters feel more connected. (Even if the original party members don’t show up until the very end of this new story).

As far as gameplay goes, The Lost Age is almost identical to the first title. Everything from combat, to the psyenergy system is present and works the essentially same way. The biggest change in gameplay has to do with updates to the summoning system. Djinn are still present in this game, and using them works identically to the first game. But this time around there is an entirely new system that allows you use special items to combine various Djinn and summon completely different creatures. For me, this update is probably one of the coolest aspects of the game.

Personally, I felt that the psyenergy abilities in this game are utilized a little better than they were in the first Golden Sun. For example, in the original, abilities like Mind Read seemed to be there more for flavor than for practical use. However, this time around, this ability plays a more crucial role. This is also true for other psyenergy abilities. Lots of sidequests and even main story content tend to rely on them more this time around. Putting a bigger spotlight on these abilities, just seems to make it feel like there’s more to do and it gives the player a stronger motivation to experiment.

I wish I could say more about the differences in this title when compared with the first game. But, as I mentioned at the beginning of this review, The Lost Age is very much a continuation of the original. If you go in to the game with this in mind, I think the experience is quite rewarding. Viewing these two games as companions to each other really puts things into perspective. With this in mind, I wouldn’t recommend playing this game without having experienced the first Golden Sun. They are very much companions to each other.

Version Reviewed: Switch

Difficulty: Medium –  Like the first Golden Sun, I found this game to be about middle of the road in terms of difficulty. Like many games of this type, a big part of the challenge can simply be grinded away. However, if you don’t take the time to grind out a bunch of levels, the challenge provided by the game seems to be just about right for most players.

Multiplayer: Local (GBA) or Local and Online (Nintendo Switch)

Story: The storyline in this game is rich and complex. It ties in directly to the events from the first game. Knowing this, I feel it is crucial to have experienced the original Golden Sun first. With that in mind, this game ties up a number of loose ends and sheds some light on some of the more obscure aspects of Golden Sun‘s story. Playing this title makes the story of the original game even better. Classic JRPG stuff here – and it’s done right.

Originality: The first game took a lot of classic JRPG concepts and refined them considerably. This put a fresh spin on a number of classic gameplay designs, making a lot of what was seen in Golden Sun feel new. Considering that Lost Age is very much a continuation of the original game, there’s not a whole lot here that seems particularly original. But, this isn’t always a bad thing. Knowing that these two games were originally designed to be a single title, certainly makes the lack of innovation forgivable.

Soundtrack: Golden Sun: The Lost Age features a fairly solid soundtrack. Very little music from the first game is reused, so we have a whole new soundtrack to explore. There are some pretty good tunes here. But nothing as classic as what you might find in a Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest title.

Fun: This game is just as much fun as the original, perhaps even moreso thanks to the data transfer option. To me, at least, there’s just something satisfying about seeing all of your hard work from a previous game pay off when playing a related title.

Graphics: When it comes to Game Boy Advance titles, this is about as good as it gets. The sprites are detailed and colorful and really looks great on a backlit GBA. Somehow, the Nintendo Switch version looks even better. Usually when you play a handheld game on a big screen television, you expect it to look a little off. I don’t know what Nintendo did with this conversion, but the scaling is just spot-on. No matter if I played on the Switch screen or on my living room television, this game still managed to look fantastic.

Playcontrol: As far as the button mapping goes, I have no complaints. This is a turn-based game that doesn’t rely too heavily of precise controls. The game is comfortable to play on the GBA. When it comes to playing on the Switch, personally, my hands have a bit of a problem with the Joy Cons when they are attached to the side of the Switch screen. I find my palms start to ache after a while – but that’s just me. This is always relieved by switching to the pro controller. But again, that’s a problem I have with the Switch and not with the game itself. I only bring it up because I found myself playing this title for several hours on end.

Downloadable Content: No.

Mature Content:  N/A

Value: If you want to score a physical copy of the original game be prepared to shell out a lot of money. Used/renewed copies usually sell for anywhere between $40-$100. Factory sealed copies are often in excess of $200! Thankfully, the game is now available as a part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Which means for $50 a year, you can play it and a slew of other games.

Overall score (1-100): 95 –Considering that this game is very much a continuation of the original (I know I keep saying that), my rating is also identical. Like the first Golden Sun, this game pays homage to classic 16-bit era JRPGs. Everything that players love about those types of games can be found here (and often with improvements that players never even knew they wanted). The story here is fantastic. The graphics are cute and colorful. It’s everything that JRPG lovers crave. These two games are designed to be played together and when done that way, magic really becomes apparent.

Original System: Game Boy Advance

Available today on: Switch  – (Updated as of Spring 2025)

Best Experience: Switch  – (Updated as of Spring 2025)

Other Reviews In This Series:

Golden Sun    –    Golden Sun: The Lost Age    –    Golden Sun: Dark Dawn