Overworld exploration is made more interesting by the use of the character's Psynergy abilities – Isaac's telekinetic powers, for example, can be used to shift certain objects in the environment to solve puzzles, giving Golden Sun a Legend of Zelda meets Final Fantasy setup. Battles are commenced entirely at random on the world map and follow a standard turn-based regime, enriched with an impressive variety of attacks and abilities at the party's disposal. The gameplay itself is fairly standard RPG fare, for the most part - the protagonist and his eventual cohorts traverse the world, exploring varied landscapes, unearthing ancient dungeons and pilfering any objects not nailed to the ground. Golden Sun also loves to make the player feel included in the many exchanges, constantly throwing Yes/No questions into the mix, but these never feel important to the plot and rarely fit naturally with the dialogue itself, instead feeling more akin to contrived interactivity. It can be a little hard to keep tabs on what's going on at times, an issue largely caused by its tendency to talk perhaps a little excessively and drown out important information with extraneous chatter, but the patter does make for a more endearing experience on the whole. It's a gamble that ultimately pays off, allowing it to craft interesting characters to which you can relate, but those easily frustrated with such a stifling pace may find themselves turned off before it even truly begins. Without spoiling much of the plot, Golden Sun takes a leisurely attitude to establishing an overarching narrative, instead prioritising character introduction and explanation of the game's rich setting. The village is ultimately spared (though not without casualties), and begins in earnest once these events have unfolded. The residents of Vale are able to harness a powerful energy known as Psynergy, a supernatural force that manifests in a variety of ways such as telekinesis, and are in the midst of doing so to stave off a giant boulder when the game begins. The game opens with protagonist Isaac awaking to the sound of a terrible storm threatening to destroy his hometown of Vale (that's two RPG clichés in the opening minute - sleeping protagonist AND village destruction, for those keeping score at home).

It also gives some Wii U owners, potentially, their first experience of a franchise that has a loyal following whether it'll return with a new title will be a hot topic for those fans in the coming months and years. The more formulaic counterpart to RPG oddball Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Golden Sun expands on proven genre archetypes to deliver an experience that both pays tribute to and refines the classic role-playing adventure.

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