Summary
The regular updates and additions to the classic game libraries included with the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service have set a high bar for 2024 with the addition of the first twoGolden Sungames. BothGolden SunandGolden Sun: The Lost Agewill arrive next Wednesday as part of theNintendo Switch OnlineExpansion Pack tier, entering the ever-growing library of classic Game Boy Advance titles available on the system. Both titles are criminally underappreciated JRPGs that many fans have been clamoring for Nintendo to bring to modern platforms in some way, and their arrival on the Nintendo Switch Online service could, and should, just be the first sign of more to come for the languishing franchise.
Coming from talented developer Camelot,theGolden Sunserieswas Nintendo’s flagship JRPG franchise that would prove to be a massive hit in Japan but somehow fail to find a mainstream audience in the West. The last game in the series to release was 2010’sGolden Sun: Dark Dawnfor the DS, and since then, fans have continually expressed interest in Nintendo continuing the franchise without that desire ever bearing fruit. The arrival of the first twoGolden Sungames on the Nintendo Switch Online service comes after the series conspicuously got a shoutout at The Game Awards and could be a means for Nintendo to gauge interest in a franchise revival.
Golden Sun’s Arrival on Switch Underscores 2024 as a Year for JRPGs
The surprise addition of the first twoGolden Sungames onto Nintendo Switch Online is yet another notch in the JRPG genre’s belt for 2024, joining several high-profile games set to release in just the first few months of the year. With new entries in thePersonaandFinal Fantasyfranchises, twonew IPs from Atlus, and the spiritual successor to theSuikodenseries all arriving in 2024, it’s safe to say that fans of the genre will have plenty to look forward to. TheGolden Sunseries' arrival on a modern platform not only helps to further underscore 2024 being “The Year of the JRPG,” but it could be a chance for genre fans who missed out on the games initially to finally experience what makes them so highly regarded.
That’s without even mentioning that their arrival comes just over a month after Abubakar Salim gave the series a shoutout on the stage of The Game Awards while announcing his debut titleTales of Kenzera: Zau. The timing ofGolden Sun’s presence on the Nintendo Switch is perfect for Nintendo to gauge interest in a franchise revival, building on the momentum of the games reaching a new audience all while the JRPG genre is at the forefront of the gaming conversation in 2024. The quality of theGolden Sungames places them right alongside the genre’s greats despite being a languishing franchise, and Nintendo can and should build on the series' reintroduction to players as a means to have it joinPokemonandXenobladein the company’s JRPG franchises.
Interestingly, Nintendo has already revealed that players will be able to facilitate theGolden Sungames' Link Battle and Data Transfer mechanics using the Internet rather than the GBA Link Cable previously required, which is also great news for the future addition ofGame Boy Advance-eraPokemongamesarriving on Nintendo Switch Online with full functionality.Golden Sundeveloper Camelot has continued to make games for Nintendo since the series' last entry on the DS, focusing mainly on theMariosports titles that the studio is primarily known for. And, with Camelot’s last Switch game beingMario Golf: Super Rushfrom 2021, the January update to Nintendo Switch Online could be a hint of things to come.
Nintendo Game Boy Advance
The Game Boy Advance was Nintendo’s handheld offering in the sixth generation of consoles and was the successor to the Game Boy Color. It offered upgraded graphics and allowed developers to pack even more complex games into the handheld space.
