Lubaris's Top Ten Golden Sun (1&2) Summon Animations

These are lubaris's Top Ten Golden Sun (1&2) Summon Animations ranked for Ed Bellis's What Would You Do.

Top 10 Golden Sun (1&2) Summon Animations
Golden Sun and its sequel were awesome RPGs for the Gameboy Advance. Its graphics were amazing on a handheld at the time, and the summons were the top of the line. Here are what I consider the top ten summon animations, based on awesomeness.

10 - Haures

Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DgLzHJGkwbQ

Haures comes from demonology, in which he is a Great Duke of Hell. In Golden Sun, he's a Venus/Mars summon. Quite appropriately, when summoned his hand rises from the black muck before attacking the enemy. Rating: 8/10

9 - Tiamat

Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=i8IPqe4aWtA

Tiamat's origins lie in Babylonian mythology, in which she was a goddess associated with salt water. More recently, she is more often depicted as a dragon. I'm not quite sure how one goes from salt water to fire, but that's what she scorches the enemies with in Golden Sun. Dragons are pretty awesome, and this isn't the last one on this list. Rating: 8.1/10

8 - Ulysses

Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=s-ypinlBDuI

Ulysses comes from Greek legend, being involved in the Trojan War. Golden Sun calls him a "wandering mage" and has little resemblance to the original. Why he's #9? He attacks the enemy with man-eating pieces of paper. Bad-ass. Rating: 8.3/10

7 - Thor

Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=LfGduYM-MxY

Thor, obviously, comes from Norse mythology as the god of lightning. His Golden Sun appearance strays little from his origins- his hammer Mjollnir, his lightning powers, and his awesome Viking helmet. Rating: 8.4/10

6 - Charon

Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ab5b80Gtf8I

In Greek mythology, Charon was the deity that ferried the dead across the river Acheron/Styx. As a summon, he appears cloaked and skeletal as he engulfs the enemy in a purple ball of... something. To be honest, I always thought he looked rather like an insect in Golden Sun. Rating: 8.5/10

5 - Daedalus

Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=tD5VL7R2pAY

Daedalus, in Greek myth, was a great inventor who created a giant robotic guardian (Talos). The name of the summon is a misnomer, but that doesn't make it less awesome. Giants that shoot missiles are always welcome! Rating: 8.7/10

4 - Eclipse

Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=o_AHqpBspYw

Eclipse, in Greek mythology, was the dragon believed to block out the sun during... an eclipse. Creative. Anyway, a dragon large enough to block the sun from view would have to be really large, but the Greeks would have much more to worry about if a nuke-esque explosion occurred every time an eclipse did. Rating: 8.9/10

3 - Judgment

Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VMFb4Yr-bpE

Surprisingly, this one isn't from Greek mythology. Judgment refers to the final day in Christianity, when God judges men and rewards them with salvation or damnation. The figure shown in the video features four symbols associated with judgment day- eagle, boar, lion, and angel. Apparently God has chosen to damn everyone in a ten-mile radius of your party, though. Rating: 9.2/10

2 - Catastrophe

Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZaaqdplbVOo

Catastrophe isn't an allusion to any mythical being, but instead represents the end of the world. The demonic knight and dark red sky contrast with Judgment's angel and bright sky. This summon probably represents one of the most graphically intense sequences on the GBA. Rating: 9.7/10

1 - Iris

Link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=OeYvRVQBeXQ

It's probably no surprise that Iris takes the first spot. It's the ultimate summon, dealing the most damage as well as completely reviving and healing all eight party members. Iris, in Greek myth, is the goddess of rainbows and the messenger of Hera. The reason she's first is made clear in the video- she casts the enemy into outer space, and flies them directly into the sun.

...Which explodes. This made me go "holy crap" the first time I summoned her, and it's still epic today.

I played the hell out of the two Golden Suns when they came out. They remain my most-replayed games that I own, and are my favorite games for the GBA. The summons are part of the reason. And, as a lesson to other developers, you can skip the animations. *cough*