Catastrophe


 * "The embodiment of destruction."

Catastrophe is a Jupiter Summon sequence found in Golden Sun: The Lost Age and Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. 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. What makes the duality between Judgment and Catastrophe is that most of Catastrophe's body is comprised of weapons, whereas Judgment's body is mostly composed of armor. Catastrophe, in the apocalyptically red sky, wields its gigantic sword to summon a four-sided pyramid of lightning that lands and unfolds on the world below, loosing the explosion of electricity within. The lightning wall 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 summon-able once one collects the required Djinn, but 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 it.

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

In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
Catastrophe makes a return appearance in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. Its tablet is found on Otka Island, guarded by the Ancient Devil.

Cultural Allusions
Origin: Greece

The word catastrophe originates from Greek. 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 Revelation in the New Testament, 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).

Extended Gallery