Golden Sun: Dark Dawn: Difference between revisions

For a list of characters in the game, refer to [[Golden Sun/Characters|the original character sheet which has Dark Dawn characters too.]]

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* [[Age Without Youth]]: Kraden is immortal due to the Golden Sun, but he still has a 70 year old's body. It's noted at least three times, twice in one conversation, that [[Who Wants to Live Forever?|this sucks]]

* [[All Just a Dream]]: Played with at the end of the Phantasmal Bog.Also, the happy, peaceful Border Town.

* [[Badass Beard]]: Isaac has grown one as a part of his "I am now the most badass man on the planet" ensemble.

* [[Badass Grandpa]]: Hou Zan, who managed to {{spoiler|protect Ryu Kou and Hou Ju from the eclipse monsters until Matthew came to rescue them, at the cost of his own life}}. This is also the same guy who shares with Tyrell the distinction of {{spoiler|actually trying to hurt Alex}}!

'''Hou Zan:''' [[Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner|Once more, apparently.]] }}

** {{spoiler|Briggs also is attacked by the immensely powerful eclipse monsters and survives long enough to be found by the heroes and die reassuring his son.}} He only disqualifies on the basis of not having any known grandkids (though with a son [[Estrogen Brigade Bait|that good-looking]]... one never knows).

* [[Bubbly Clouds]]: The area right before Craggy Peak Ruins.

* [[Buffy-Speak]]: The Djinni Pewter.

* [[Burial At Sea]]: {{spoiler|Briggs. Eoleo states it's what he would have wanted.}}

* [[But Thou Must!]]: In the same vein as the previous games' Yes/No questions, Matthew occasionally has the option of expressing which emotion he's feeling -- happy, thrilled, sad, or angry. Like the Yes/No questions, though, they only change the next few lines of dialogue at the most.

* [[Casting a Shadow]]: The [[Mana Burn|Psy Grenades]] that Tuaparang [[Mook|mooks]] use go off with this effect, to say nothing of the [[Demonic Spiders]] unleashed half-way through the game.

** {{spoiler|In fact, it turns out that Tuaparang is part of an "Umbra Clan", whose Adepts use a new type of darkness Psynergy.}}

* [[Cerebus Syndrome]]: The game gets very dark (pun intended) after the {{spoiler|Grave Eclipse}}.

* [[Chekhov's Gun]]

* [[Deus Ex Homine]]: The Wise One, mentioned in its encyclopedia entry.

* [[The Dev Team Thinks of Everything]]: Just as in the first two games, Camelot prepares for every possible contingency and every possible action that the player will take, and accounts for it in one way or another.

* [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|Did You Just Bitchslap A Bird God]]: In the wattle, twice. And then we kicked his ass and took a short walk [[Womb Level|through his insides]].

** Though to be fair, kicking its ass was only made necessary by [[We Need a Distraction|Blados and Chalis]], who had them sticking around longer than they needed to.

** Mia's husband is never identified, making this the case for Rief and Nowell.

* [[Dual Boss]]: Versus the Kaocho generals Ku-Tsung and Ku-Embra. Also, the battles with Blados and Chalis.

* [[Dude, Where's My Respect?]]: Many of the Muggles do not appreciate the efforts of the original heroes at unsealing Alchemy thanks to the [[World Sundering]] that occurred in the meantime.

** See also [[Call Back]]. The world could not have been saved without the Proxian quartet. Rather than being respected at least by the people who knew they were [[Good All Along]], their likenesses are used for target practice. Then again, set off a trap that causes a boulder to crush the local village, assault the locals, kidnap a famous sage and another local, and then proceed to make enemies out of everyone you come across in your trek across the globe and see how they remember you thirty years later.

* [[Fantastic Racism]]: With humans and the beastmen, though the human population of the beastmen's homeland of Morgal tends to tolerate beastmen better than the humans elsewhere (with Saha Town being populated by both and having a statue commemorating the unity of Morgal's humans and beastmen). However, a version of this combined with regular racism still occurs within Morgal towards humans who are ethnically Sanan due to the conflict with Sana in the (recent) past, with this pretty much being the reason for the imprisonment of a member of Sana's nobility (as opposed to how the son of the closest thing Champa has to a ruler was imprisoned for crimes committed in Morgal's territory; specifically, piracy).

* [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture]]: Angara's role as Weyard's equivalent of Eurasia is more obvious than it was in the previous games; for example the eastern part is known as Ei-Jei, which sounds similar to Asia and contains Sana (equivalent to China), Champa (named after an ancient Vietnamese kingdom), and Ayuthay (based on Siamese kingdom [[wikipedia:Ayutthaya Kingdom|Ayutthaya]]). Nihan is east of Angara and isn't even trying to sound different from Nihon (the Japanese name for, well, Japan). In addition, Kolima's new position on the world map makes it easier to make the connection with the [[Real Life]] Kolyma region of Russia, which is in the northeasternmost part of Siberia. Between the clothing influences, Sanan imperial occupation, and Volechek being based on [[wikipedia:Altan Tobchi|Borte Chino,]] an ancestor of Genghis Khan (he's explicitly named after Chino in the Japanese localization), Morgal appears to be a mixed-basket analogue of Tibet and Mongolia.

** [[The Hero]]: Matthew

** [[The Lancer]]: Amiti

* [[Giant Hands of Doom]]: The giant disembodied Psynergy hands used to manipulate field obstacles can now be used to attack enemies in battle.

* [[Giant Space Flea From Nowhere]]: This is how the battle with Saturos and Menardi atop Venus Lighthouse is portrayed in the Sun Saga books, as they portray Felix and Alex as the primary antagonists of the original game, despite the fact that it was the other way around in actuality.

* [[Gone Horribly Right]]: {{spoiler|The Eclipse Tower was designed to absorb light as a new Alchemical power source. It did its job ''very'' well...to the point that it drained away ''so much light'' that the severely light-phobic inhabitants of the netherworld [[Zombie Apocalypse|saw a prime opportunity to invade Weyard]]. The Jenei, at least, didn't realize until activation that the Tower was too effective. The Tuaparang, however, restored it because for them, the flaw ''was the main attraction''.}}

* [[Go Out with a Smile]]: {{spoiler|Volechek.}}

** Aside from their clothes, [[Mukokuseki|this doesn't seem all that visually apparent]].

*** Actually... [[Averted Trope|it is]]. Eoleo and Himi both have differences in facial structure showing that they're of different ethnicity from the rest of the player characters. {{spoiler|Amiti doesn't, but there's a reason for that...}}

** In Garet's defense, Tyrell has managed to be even more boneheaded and quick-tempered than he ever was.

** {{spoiler|Subverted with Amiti, who dresses and acts quite differently, but is still mistaken for... someone with a mask... by an NPC in Tonfon Palace.}}

** The Djinn now all have unique designs, the problem is that a number are punning off their Japanese name. For example, Rescue (English: Breath) looks like a knight's helmet and Kiss (English: Steel) now has a pair of puckered lips. <ref>Though in Steel's case, it should be noted that the description still states it kisses the foe to [[A Worldwide Punomenon|steal]] their HP</ref>.

** Tyrell instantly realizes a connection between Chalis and Blados explicitly because of their names (which is reinforced by using the same mooks). A very easy (and within character) observation to make about the names "Heart" and "Spade," not so blatant or in character with the subtler names based on historical/tarot suits.

* [[Lost Forever]]: In a major change from the first two games, about a third of the Djinn and six summon tablets can end up as this if you're not careful, due to a great majority of the locations becoming unreachable after the turning point of the plot. Make sure you have explored everything you can before {{spoiler|activating Blados's trap at the end of Konpa Ruins}}, {{spoiler|battling Blados and Chalis in the Belinsk ruins}}, and {{spoiler|leaving Belinsk after the Grave Eclipse activates}}. Special mention to the Djinni Brick, who is the only thing missed at {{spoiler|leaving on the cloud climb}}.

* [[The Lost Woods]]: The [[Noob Cave|Tanglewood]] and, later, Kolima Forest.

* [[Magic Skirt]]: Karis has the "nothing modeled above the thigh" variety (can be seen on the stats screen if wielding a sword/staff).

** Which is kind of weird since she's wearing leggings/tights underneath.

* [[Meaningful Name]]: "Matthew," the main character's name, means "gift of God." {{spoiler|This is interesting considering the Wise One, who may very well be Weyard's [[God]], attempted to kill Isaac using ''his own father'' as a tool in a [[Secret Test of Character]]... but also in terms of Isaac having been imbued with the power of the Mars Star.}} His Japanese name "Mut" can be seen as a play on mute, as he [[Heroic Mime|takes after his dad]].

** Sveta means "light," and she's the only one who can wear the Umbra Gear that protects from the light at Apollo Sanctum. Her name in Japanese, "Stella," means "star," playing on both light ''and'' darkness themes.

* [[Nigh Invulnerability]]: Isaac and Garet when they join your party for a while. Because of how strong they were when they saved the world 30 years earlier, they still retain their high defenses, high HP, and ass kicking Djinn. They can be hurt, but since everything thrown at them is pretty much [[Scratch Damage]], nothing can really touch them.

* [[Noob Cave]]: The Goma Plateau, Tanglewood, and Abandoned Mineshaft. Most of the monsters you fight are easily defeated in one strike with Karis' area of effect wind Pysnergy and the first boss fight is easily won due to its weakness to fire and the fact that Isaac and Garet's Djinn is shared with yours, allowing you to use high tier summons. Things start to kick up in difficulty a bit once you head out to the overworld map.

* [[Off the Rails]]: You thought this would be a quick run to get the feather, didn't you?

* [[Older and Wiser]]: While Isaac has always been thoughtful and intelligent, Garet plays this trope straight; his son, Tyrell, behaves much like Garet did in the first two games, and Garet doesn't hesitate to berate him for his behavior.

* [[One-Hit Kill]]: The Ice Queen's [[Kiss of Death|Icy Kiss]], certain weapon unleash techniques and Djinn, the Charon summon, and {{spoiler|Skorpna enemies' "Drag Down" attack}} all deal damage and have some chance of a one-hit kill. In addition, the Condemn powers, which effectively sicc the Grim Reaper on someone, return, but they're still [[Useless Useful Spells]] in your hands.

* [[One-Time Dungeon]]: This happens twice in the game, at first preventing you from returning to the first two towns, but the second prevents you from revisiting nearly half the world map.

* [[Papa Wolf]]: Briggs, who singlehandedly tries to storm the most fortified city on Angara with a busted ship in the effort to rescue his imprisoned son. ''Twice.'' The sheer insanity of this is lampshaded. {{spoiler|He also stays in port during the onset of the Grave Eclipse so you can get Eoleo out of there, [[Dying Moment of Awesome|even though the monsters mortally wound him]].}}

* [[Paper-Thin Disguise]]: Once you reach a certain point in Konpa Ruins, you meet {{spoiler|a masked man (which, by the way, doesn't even cover half his face) with blue hair that's helping the bad guys, and who Kraden apparently knows from the past. [[Sarcasm Mode|Nice try, Alex.]]}}

** When the {{spoiler|Magma Orb is stolen}}, Karis will ask your opinion of the situation. If you select the "angry" option, her response: "Wow...graphic!"

* [[Precursor Heroes]]: [[Arc Words|The Warriors of Vale]].

* [[Punny Name]] - Plenty: For locations there's Passaj (which was [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] accordingly), and for people there's Amiti, whose mother was Veriti...

* [[Put on a Bus]]: All of the Warriors of Vale aside from Isaac and Garet, unfortunately. Mia and Sheba's locations are not stated (Ivan and Jenna, at least, are said to be in Kalay, which doesn't appear in ''Dark Dawn''); Felix is said to have left on a journey, and no one has seen him since; Piers is apparently sailing around Angara during the course of the game, but you never cross paths with him, despite the fact that the country of Sana has been trading with Piers's homeland of Lemuria (as mentioned in the Sanan capital of Tonfon), or that he apparently {{spoiler|dropped into Port Rago to help Briggs fix up his ship.}}

* [[Red Right Hand]]: Blados has blue skin and Chalis has horns.

* [[Remembered I Could Fly]]: When confronted by {{spoiler|Chaos Hound}}, Tyrell has to remind Sveta about her power before she uses Slap on it.

** Sveta also seemingly has to remember that, as a beastman, she can scent the identity of {{spoiler|the Chaos Hound}}.

* [[Royals Who Actually Do Something]]: {{spoiler|The entire second party.}}

** Or Boreas going from giant stationary icegrinder to bigger-than-mountains train-horse causing avalanches by slamming its hooves in the ground.

* [[Running Gag]]: Everybody Kraden ever met in ''The Lost Age'' is surprised to see that he hasn't aged a day since then. ''Everybody.''

* [[Sacrificial Lion]]: {{spoiler|Briggs}}.

* [[Sadly Mythtaken]]: Same as in the previous games in regards to the elements/gods association... yet there are a couple of [[Shown Their Work|notable details]] added to the summons from the previous games, such as Procne now showing [[wikipedia:Philomela (princess of Athens)|a nightingale and swallow in flight]] as well as the old gigantic monster-bird, and [[wikipedia:Zagan (demon)#King.2FPresident Zagan|Zagan]] getting a design makeover and being shown sitting in Hell when summoned. They also remade Thor as a redhead - Norse mythology buffs rejoiced.

** Granted, [[The Stinger]] is pretty much just {{spoiler|a [[Call Back]] to what appeared to be the original plot.}}

* [[Ship Sinking]]: Inevitable due to the premise and unlikely to end well due to the series extensive [[Shipping]]. Sorry, Mudshippers [[Ship Mates|and]] Flameshippers: Isaac picked Jenna. The scene in which this is off-handidly revealed even takes place in a shipyard.

** {{spoiler|Mia*Piers is also obliquely sunk when Kraden reveals that Nowell--Mia's daughter--has a crush on Piers.}}

** There's nothing indicating that Garet's son and Mia's two children are related. Poor Steamshippers.

* [[The Night That Never Ends]]: {{spoiler|The Grave Eclipse. At least until it absorbs enough light energy.}}

* [[The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized]]: Morgal is in the late stages or aftermath of a bloody revolution against Sana and budding hostilities with Bilibin. {{spoiler|Both of which Morgal's king wants to settle via [[Superweapon Surprise]].}} [[Would Hurt a Child|A little girl is captured and condemned]] to [[Cruel and Unusual Death]] in Belinsk, just for being Sanan nobility.

* [[This Looks Like a Job For Aquaman]]: As typical for a ''[[Golden Sun]]'' game, if a party member gets a new overworld power (or if the party gets a new member with a specific power), expect to see a dungeon or two built around using that power.

** The only place Sveta's Track Psynergy is needed in the entire game is an extremely contrived puzzle to enter the final dungeon (the dungeon she demonstrates it in is pretty straightforward). Which is sad, because the idea of it is pretty cool.

** Know who else you can knock down with Slap? [[Pirate|Yeah, that's how you get him out of the bird cage.]] Small wonder he's so abrasive to the party at first.

** Another appliance of Slap is banging a gong to signal a nonexistant attack on a peaceful town, sending everyone around into a panic. And place all the blame on the guard that already did it a couple times for fun. [[The Dev Team Thinks of Everything|Yeah, Slap can be a pretty cruel Psynergy if used creatively]].

* [[Wasted Song]]: At the beginning we have the music that plays in Isaac and Garet's cabin on Goma Plateau, which is a calmer remix of the series's theme song, and shortly after that there's Patcher's Place's music, the latter of which is one of two updated versions of Vale's music from the first game (the other is used for the file select screen and thus can be heard anytime, so it isn't an example). It only plays there and since it doesn't take long to reach the first [[Point of No Return]] from there, it can't be heard again without exploiting a glitch or hacking. On the other hand, despite the fact that it plays in a town in the same part of the world as Patcher's Place, Carver's Camp's music gets a better amount of use, though, as players can hear it at any point in the game.<ref>To be more specific, Harapa uses it after the first point of no return, Border Town uses it after the second, and Harun Village uses it after the last one. (The fact that Harun Village is available permanently after the last [[Point of No Return]] allows players to sail back to it to hear its music again.)</ref>

* [[Wave Motion Gun]]: The Apollo Lens.

* [[Western Zodiac]]: The Craggy Peak Ruins houses a set of twelve zodiac-themed puzzles.

* [[Wham! Episode]]: {{spoiler|The Grave Eclipse covers Angara starting with Belinsk}}, in which {{spoiler|the monsters get ''much'' stronger and become [[Demonic Spiders]], the body count starts climbing higher than it ever has in the entire series, the soundtrack gets really depressing/horrifying}}, and worst of all, {{spoiler|Briggs, a classic character from the original games, [[Killed Off for Real|dies in his son's arms]]}}. A clear sign that the stakes have been raised.

* [[What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?]]: In the same town and brought about by the same event as the [[Light'Em Up]] example above, another NPC claims to have gained the power to {{spoiler|calculate compound interest.}}

* [[What's Up, King Dude?]]: Lampshaded a couple of times (in Ayuthay, for instance), but overall it tends to be justified. In Kaocho, [[The Man Behind the Man]] makes it happen. In Yamatai, Kraden is able to make your excuses.

* [[Who Wants to Live Forever?]]: The original eight player characters (and Kraden) barely age due to being exposed to so much elemental energy, but it's noted by their kids that the original eight might outlive their children by a significant margin. As for Kraden, he might be ageless... but he was already 70 at the time.

* [[World of Snark]]: Pretty much all the main characters get at least one or two snide remarks in throughout the game.

* [[Wutai]]: Ei-Jei, a region visited by the protagonists for a fair portion of the game, is [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|Fantasy Counterpart Asia]], with various analogues to China, Siam, Vietnam, and Japan, among others. There's a lot more attention to detail than usual, as well; the architecture and, in some cases, clothing is reflective of the real-world culture, and characters from these regions have different facial structures, indicating separate ethnicity from the "European" nations of western Angara. {{spoiler|The fact that one of your party members from this region has a face resembling Mia and others from the Imil area rather than his fellow people of Ei-Jei is a big, whopping hint regarding his ancestry.}}

* [[You Shouldn't Know This Already]]: It is impossible to leave Ayuthay after obtaining the Sand Prince Gem (an item that is required to proceed) until you acquire the Insight Glass (an item that tells you what to do next). This is to prevent players from skipping the long and convoluted sequence of events leading up to getting the Insight Glass (and therefore miss out on recruiting Amiti) because for all of that trouble, it becomes entirely useless if you're on a second playthrough or are using a guide.