Catastrophe

Catastrophe is a Summon sequence of the Jupiter element found only in Golden Sun: The Lost Age. It is the ultimate Jupiter summon. When five Jupiter Djinn and three Mars Djinn are on standby, and Catastrophe’s Summon Tablet has been collected, the Catastrophe Summon sequence can be activated. It resembles a titanic, demonic knight somewhat reminiscent of (and seemingly the polar opposite to) the Judgment summon sequence’s angel knight. Catastrophe, in the apocalyptically red sky, wields its gigantic sword to summon a three-sided pyramid of lightning that lands onto the overworld below and folds out, letting loose the explosion of electricity within. The lightning wall then assumes the form of a dragon’s head, and the entire conglomeration of electricity charges through the enemy party. Fans of the game praise this summon sequence as the most impressive visual effect ever seen on the Game Boy Advance video game system.

Catastrophe has a base Jupiter power of 400 and also does additional damage equivalent to 24% of the enemy’s maximum HP. In addition, each enemy affected loses PP equal to 10% of their PP meters. Catastrophe, however, is not automatically summonable once one collects the required Djinn. Catastrophe can only be summoned once the Summon Tablet containing the sequence has been found at the end of Islet Cave near the end of the game; the fearsome optional boss Sentinel guards the summon.

Catastrophe is among Daedalus, Azul, Charon, and Iris as “ultimate” Summon sequences in the Lost Age. Catastrophe is the game’s strongest Jupiter-based attack, much stronger than the popular Thor summon sequence and stronger than Eclipse. The hefty Djinn requirement, however, causes players to use Catastrophe mostly in boss fights, rather than in random monster battles, though Catastrophe proves to be one of the best weapons against the supremely powerful and fearsome Dullahan. It can also be put to great use in the later stages of the Doom Dragon final boss fight.

Cultural Allusions

Origin: Greece

The word catastrophe has its origins in the Greek language. Catastrophe, like Judgment Day, represents a final event. In this case Catastrophe represents the Catastrophe Theory, which hypothesizes the end of the world. Just as Judgment embodies the four living creatures from the New Testament Apocalypse, so Catastrophe embodies darker versions of those creatures (in particular, the angel aspect becomes that of a demon, the lion aspect that of a dragon, and the eagle aspect that of a bat).