Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

Golden Sun: Dark Down
Developer	Camelot Software and Planning
Publisher	Nintendo
System	Nintendo DS
Release Date	JP October 28, 2010 US November 29, 2010 AU December 2, 2010 EU December 10, 2010
Rating	ESRB: E 10+

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn is a continuation of the Golden Sun series that was developed for the Nintendo DS.

Plot

Thirty years after the events of the first two games, the presence of the Golden Sun has caused Weyard to change dramatically. But new problems begin to rise starting with a series of Psynergy Vortexes which suddenly appear and drain energy from the land as well as the various Adepts whom manipulate Psynergy. A new band of heroes lead by Matthew, son of the hero Isaac, sets off on a quest to initially retrieve a mountain roc feather, only to be caught up in a deeper plot with the fate of the world in peril.

Gameplay

This installment features gameplay similar to the previous two Golden Sun games, but highly expanded with the DS's capabilities. The touch screen can now be used to guide the characters, operate the menus and direct Psynergy. The Psynergy and Djinn system have also been refined, with one example being all of the new Djinn having individualized appearances. Psynergy vortexes present in the early areas of the game act as obstacles towards the usage of Psynergy.

The game features various characters and locations from the previous two games, as well as new ones. One new race is that of the beastmen, Adepts that can transform into animals in combat. As in The Lost Age, the party eventually reaches a maximum of eight players from which four can be chosen for use in battle at a time, and the players spend a portion of the game at sea. The graphical style is also changed to a 3-D style in order to utilize the DS's advanced graphics, which results in a larger amount of cinematic scenes.