With new Djinn, summons, and a bigger area to explore than the first Golden Sun, the above mentioned is a challenge all on it's own, without the plot. The plot is compelling, if you can stand the ranting of some of the characters throughout; there are twists in the story that lead these characters into something further than what they had originally expected.
Golden Sun is rather interesting, as it is one of the few games that let the player experience both sides of the coin- assuming that the player has already played the first installment. The first game takes the side of four young people on a journey to stop villains from lighting lighthouses (or risk destruction of the world, and to save dear friends taken hostage by these villains.
The Lost Age takes the role of the so-called villains, as well as the hostages, and the player learns as they play (along with the characters in the game) that lighting the beacons of the lighthouses may be better than not lighting the beacons at all. Especially since the first game ends with the first two of four lighthouses lit (and TLA refreshes players, new or old of this), and this has disrupted the balance of the world.
If one has not played Golden Sun, they may find themselves lost in the plot of Golden Sun: The Lost Age; as TLA constantly refers back to the first game's story quite often.
Though not all the twists are shocking, and many downright predictable, The story, battles, and all the little side quests along with the huge map give all RPG players enough incentive to go along with the game. Despite the long conversations within the game, I, being a seasoned RPG player found this game to be extremely fun and innovative, with its little quirks and a healthy dose of comic relief every now and then. With a wondrous musical score, it is as good as Golden Sun, and may be even better, so I give the game 9.5/10. The .5 missing is the silly little flaws I mentioned that kept the game from being truly perfect. -not actually made by Steven Walsh, but by his sister.
