References to popular culture
From Golden Sun Universe
Golden Sun, The Lost Age, and Dark Dawn contain a number of hidden references to popular culture.
Outgoing References
Disney
- After the party completes the episode at Kibombo in The Lost Age, the Kibombo warriors stationed at Kibombo Mountains will disappear. A purple-dressed woman near the central campfire in the village of Naribwe south of the mountains, clearly relieved about this shift in the status quo, will be revealed to be thinking the following line when Mind Read: "I'm so glad the Kibombo aren't lurking over us in the hills anymore... They were here, they were there, they were everywhere!" The second half of this line is likely a reference to lyrics in the song "Pink Elephants" in Disney's animated feature, Dumbo ("They're here and there/Pink elephants everywhere!").
Marvel
- Once Master Hammet is taken captive at the village of Lunpa early in Golden Sun, telling the right guard at the front gate that your party is "from Kalay" but then denying that you are trying to save Hammet will lead to an incredulous response that ends with the guard warning, "You don't want to make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." This is a practically verbatim repeating of an iconic line that had been associated with the Marvel comic book superhero, the Incredible Hulk, since the Lou Ferrigno TV series' debut in 1978.
Monty Python
- In Kolima Village in Golden Sun, after freeing the villagers from the curse laid upon them by Tret, a muscle-man in the second floor of the inn is thinking this line, which can be seen with Mind Read: "I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay with that." This is a reference to "The Lumberjack Song" featured in the British comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus, the first line of which is, "I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay."
The Proclaimers
- When entering Alhafra for the first time early in The Lost Age, when the Madran mayor and elder's traveling company arrive at the town shortly after Felix, the old man makes the following remark: "Haaa hoo hooo... Are we...here? I feel like I just walked 500 miles. I'm fine... I feel like I could walk 500 more!" This is a reference to the lyrics of "I'm Gonna Be (500 miles)".
Scooby-Doo
- While Briggs and his crew are incarcerated within Alhafra's jail for much of The Lost Age thanks to the previous efforts of Felix and his party, one of Briggs' crew mates sharing the cell with him spouts, "Everything would have been fine if it hadn't been for you meddling kids!" This is a reference to the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, in which every episode ended with the villain of the day uttering some variation of the now-famous catchphrase: "And I would have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for you meddling kids!"
Shining series
Camelot Software Planning, prior to the Golden Sun series, created the well-known series of RPGs/Dungeon Crawlers with the term Shining in their titles, such as Shining Force. Games such as Shining Force II share many aesthetic similarities with Golden Sun, such as character facial portraits next to text boxes, icon-based menu navigation, and battle scenes where the playable characters' backs are visible on the foreground while they battle the enemies facing them from the background. In addition, there are some Easter eggs hidden within Golden Sun games that reference Shining:
- The superboss Deadbeard in Golden Sun is named "Talos" in the Japanese version, which is used by a recurring enemy in various Shining titles.
- When you first come into Madra in The Lost Age, go to the cave house behind the item shop to see the normal shopkeeper injured in bed. Cast Mind Read to hear her think "Eyes... Shining in the darkness... No! Go away!!!" Shining in the Darkness is the first title developed by Camelot Software Planning (then "Sonic! Software Planning"), and it was one of the first RPGs on the Sega Genesis and began the celebrated Shining Force series.
- The original Shining Force, released after Shining in the Darkness on Genesis, featured a character named "Darksol" as the primary villain, whose signature attack is "Demon Breath" and whose goal is to resurrect a monster named "Dark Dragon", which serves as the game's final boss. In The Lost Age, the final boss, also a dragon, has an offensive enemy ability named "Darksol Gasp". This monster skill is also present on the final boss of Golden Sun: Dark Dawn.
- The fairy seen when casting the Ply Psynergy on certain objects in Mercury Lighthouse in Golden Sun is a reused asset of the character Primula from Shining Force III.
The Legend of Zelda
- Hidden in the code of The Lost Age is a full sprite set for Link, the protagonist of The Legend of Zelda series, also published by Nintendo.
- The Search Psynergy's visual effect is similar in appearance to the Lens of Truth item from The Legend of Zelda series. Furthermore, the Lens of Truth in these games is also used to allow the player to see the unseen.
The Sixth Sense
- When Matthew, Tyrell, and Karis are able to explore Belinsk during the epilogue sequence, one of the surviving female beastmen at the pier describes what her newfound Light-based powers allows her to perceive: "I... I can see people who shouldn't be here...walking around. Sometimes they call out to me..." This references the iconic lines of the character Cole from the 1999 supernatural thriller film The Sixth Sense, who can see ghosts when others can not, and explains himself by saying "I see dead people", "walking around like regular people."
References to Golden Sun in other media
Animal Crossing
- In Animal Crossing for the GCN, Gulliver — an NPC who regularly gives the player an item — sometimes mentions he found the item in the Karagol Sea.
Hyperdimension Neptunia
- Near the beginning of Megadimension Neptunia VII — an installment of a franchise that is predominantly focused on satirical depictions of the video game industry and its trends — the eponymous heroine Neptune says the following line: "So, that means our first quest is to find a boat, just like that one famous RPG!"
Super Smash Bros.
- The long-running Nintendo crossover fighter franchise has steadily expanded the scope of its representation of every Nintendo-owned intellectual property with each installment (plus iconic characters from some rival companies), with less prominent Nintendo properties often receiving cameo representation even in the cases where their main characters are not included as part of the main roster of playable characters. As a matter of course considering the series' premise, Golden Sun characters, assets, and music have been featured in small doses starting with the third game in the Smash series. For full coverage of every Golden Sun-related piece of content in these games, see the articles on Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
