Golden Sun: The Lost Age

Released in Japan on June 28, 2002 and North America on April 14, 2003 for Game Boy Advance, Golden Sun: The Lost Age is the direct sequel to Golden Sun, developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo. It completes the narrative of the originally planned single Golden Sun title that was split due to hardware limitations.

Narrative Perspective Shift

The Lost Age employs a unique storytelling approach, allowing players to experience the story from the first game's antagonists' perspective. Players control Felix—the presumed-dead brother from the original—along with Jenna, new ally Sheba, and sea-faring Mercury Adept Piers. Their mission is to complete what Isaac's party tried to prevent: lighting the remaining Elemental Lighthouses to restore Alchemy to Weyard, while being pursued by the original game's heroes.

Expanded Exploration

The sequel significantly expands the world with Piers' magical ship enabling oceanic exploration across Weyard's vast seas, islands, and continents—a major departure from the first game's land-based travel. The game emphasizes greater non-linearity, allowing players to tackle objectives in their preferred order and frequently revisit locations. Puzzles are more complex than the original, while retaining the Psynergy magic system and Djinn collection mechanics. Players can transfer their party and items from Golden Sun via password system or Game Link Cable, with bonuses for completing both games.

Technical Achievements and Reception

The Lost Age builds on the first game's foundation with more varied graphics, additional tilesets, and spectacular pseudo-3D battle effects. Composer Motoi Sakuraba's soundtrack combines returning tracks with new compositions featuring tropical instruments and diverse arrangements. The game offers 40-50 hours of content—among the GBA's longest experiences.

The game received positive reviews, ranking as IGN's eighth-best GBA title of 2003 and earning "Game of the Month" honors. It sold over 680,000 units and ranked 78th in IGN's Readers Choice Top 100 games. Critics praised the expanded world and enhanced puzzles but were divided on whether it surpassed the original. Common criticisms included combat AI issues and excessive dialogue carried over from the first game.

The duology is considered among the Game Boy Advance's finest achievements, later re-released on Wii U Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online.