Golden Sun: Dark Dawn -- Final Opinion.

I have completed Golden Sun: Dark Dawn with a total time of forty and a half hours. In the end the game turned out to be as good as I was hoping it would be. Dark Dawn picks up the story thirty years after the events of Golden Sun: The Lost Age and remains heavily connected to the preceding games. One of the brothers who founded Camelot has said a few times that Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age were just a prelude to the real event. Dark Dawn is the beginning of that event. And just like how Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age functioned as a pair telling one story from different perspectives, it's clear that Dark Dawn is only one half of the tale. They teasingly hint of previous characters and their current actions in Dark Dawn. I really hope the game sells well enough here to see the other half of the story told. Because it's still a charmingly told tale just like everything Camelot has ever done. I don't want to see another Shining Force III situation where we didn't get to experience the whole thing. I liked Dark Dawn's story and its characters. Golden Sun's battle system is still lightning fast for a JRPG. It's still as deep as you want it to be, even though it's rarely necessary for you to really have to use it to its fullest. Only a handful of boss battles will force you use some strategy. The game looks great, even with the Nintendo DS and it's less than appealing 3D capabilities. The control is perfect. The soundtrack is on par with the previous entries in the series. The game's puzzles are still great. And the game is still packed with them. Finding and figuring out how to collect every last treasure and djinn will take some effort. I really like Golden Sun's puzzle structure. It's almost like the original Zelda and one secret on every screen. They're that prevalent. I thoroughly enjoyed Golden Sun: Dark Dawn and am giving the game a 9. I just hope we don't have to wait another seven years for the sequel.