Nintendo just released a pair of games on their Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack’s Game Boy Advance app. Let’s have a look at them!
Here’s what I thought of each:
Game Boy Advance App
| Game | Genre | # of Players | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Sun | Turn-Based JRPG | 1-2 Competitive (Local Wireless / Online) | C+ |
tl;drI know this game is fiercely loved by a cult following of fans, but as far as I’m concerned it’s just a reasonably well-polished but otherwise unspectacular JRPG with somewhat slow pacing. Not bad, but nothing particularly special either. Note: This game has been announced for release on the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack’s Game Boy Advance App. | |||
| Golden Sun: The Lost Age | Turn-Based JRPG | 1-2 Competitive (Local Wireless / Online) | B- |
tl;drThis is essentially Golden Sun: Part Two (this game and its predecessor were originally conceived as one game and then split into two parts), meaning that players will really want to complete the first game to understand the plot of this one (and if they do, they can use a password to transfer elements of their save file over). However, players who manage to do so will discover this game’s narrative does something clever by picking up right where the previous game left off, but telling the story from the perspective of the first game’s antagonists. It’s otherwise still a fairly standard and unspectacular JRPG, but it’s an absolute must for anyone who enjoyed the first game. | |||
Yeah, I reviewed both of these games last year on the Wii U Virtual Console, and apart from this release allowing players to participate in the games’ Link Battle mode, not much has changed. These are decent games, but I feel like this is a situation where nostalgia has exaggerated how good these games are in the eyes of those who love them.
And to give credit where it is due, I think that the choice to make the sequel flip the script and have players taking the role of the first game’s antagonists is absolutely inspired, it just doesn’t make up for what I feel is a lack of anything truly extraordinary anywhere else in the games.
Still, if you subscribe to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, it’s a rare occurrence of not just one but two decent RPGs worth playing on the service that don’t star Mario. If you’re a fan of the genre, these games certainly may be worth a look.
tl;dr – The Game Boy Advance app gets two games this month, the first two Golden Sun games. And while these two RPGs are beloved by fans who played them back in the day, I tend to think that they’re overrated, although still good and worth a look if you enjoy JRPGs.
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