Pretty fun. It's definitely a game living in the shadow cast by its predecessors. It tries to innovate, by making the in-universe terms into wiki type links in dialogue so you can choose if you want to read the info dumps. But then it feels like an old game again, trying to conform to the previous games. Battle mode is exactly the same, right down to having to click A for every line of text for damage dealt, attacks, experience, levelling up etc. which can get a bit tiresome.

Isaac's son is the main character, and he's mute. Just like Isaac was in the first game. It's odd, though. These characters can talk when they're not the main character. In his few minutes of screen time, Isaac is a much more interesting character in Dark Dawn than he ever was back in the first game. None of the other characters have shown much character development, yet. Got the buffoon sidekick, the levelheaded chick, the smart guy... hopefully they go through some sort of development before the game is up.

I like it, but Golden Sun felt like an old RPG when it was released, which makes Dark Dawn seem even older now. It's fun, but with one foot in the present, and the other foot rooted firmly in the past, it's an odd game. I am enjoying the meta-ness of the story, since the characters travel the world, known only because of their parents, unable to escape their vast shadow to become what they want to be.

Review when I finish the game.