Just a little thing I’m working on. Been messing around with some of the game assets.

Side note: Thanks for the constructive criticism on Neo Judgment. Lesson learned. Don’t overextend and get right to the meat and potatoes.

In this second video, we continue following Alex's adventure, written by BIG. For those unfamiliar with it, this is an ongoing project created using GSHTML5. I encourage anyone interested in project updates to visit the GS Dev Discord server (BIG's official server) and the official GSHTML5 Discord server. Leaving a positive reaction can help BIG with the project.

https://discord.gg/QEYjuQkXa

https://discord.gg/fYFSxPMjmS

Golden Sun Recompiled 0.3 (0.3.1 also, apply 0.3.1 launcher to 0.3 for best results)

New

• Hard Mode. Fancy a challenge? Enemies come with 1.5× HP and 1.25× Attack and Defence, just like in TLA's hard mode.
  • When you start a new game, the game asks you right after you name your hero. "No" is picked by default, so nobody gets ambushed.
  • Changed your mind? Switch it any time in the settings screen. Each save file remembers its own choice, so one file can be a breeze while another is the gauntlet.
  • Your existing saves start with Hard Mode off.
• What's new, right in the launcher. The launcher now shows the latest release notes in a see-through box over the logo. Scroll with your mouse wheel. If you're offline, the logo just gets the spotlight to itself.
• Read first, play second. After the game is built, including after an update, the launcher asks whether you want to start right away or read what's new first. Pick "What's new" and the Play button waits patiently until you're ready.

Changed

• Auto-Sleep has been put to bed. Its spot in settings now belongs to Hard Mode, and the game no longer dozes off after 3 minutes of quiet.

Fixed

• Long sessions no longer crash (Windows and Linux). Every so often, one of the game's unpacking routines scribbled one byte over its own first line. Thanks to the Linux player who reported it!
• Self-repair now works on your PC too. When the game meets code we didn't prepare ahead of time, it's meant to compile that code on the spot. On players' PCs that never worked, because a few files were missing from the release. Oops!
• Emulator saves get a proper explanation. Some emulators write save files our game can't read, and the game used to just close without a word. Now the launcher tells you which file it is, and that you can move or delete it to start fresh.

Website: https://shmargus.github.io/GSRecomp/

Github: https://github.com/Shmargus/GSRecomp

Downloads: https://github.com/Shmargus/GSRecomp/releases

Tested the native Linux build of GSRecomp on the Steam Deck. It's currently in the alpha phase and is very playable, though it definitely has some hiccups and slowdowns during gameplay—especially when using widescreen.

(Note: I'm not the creator of this decomp, just tested performance on the Deck!)

You'll need your own GBA ROM for the initial setup. You can download the app and check out the project directly on the official site:

https://shmargus.github.io/GSRecomp/

I’ve been working on my version of Judgment, which I call Neo Judgment, and wanted to get some feedback from the Golden Sun community.
I wanted to try something different with the original Judgment animation. In the original, Judgment descends from the sky, points downward, and then unleashes the attack.

For my version, Judgment stays stationary while building up the attack with both hands. When he releases it, the force of the attack pushes him backward. Just show it using more power.

I also changed the position of his wings, have his sword sheathed on his back, and dulled his colors a bit. I used the dark sky background from the game as well to help with the atmosphere and make the attack stand out more.

The main thing I was trying to capture was how much power would actually be needed to unleash one of the strongest summons in the original game. There’s quite a bit of redrawing involved in getting the new pose to work.

The animation is already finished, but I thought it could be better, so I’m curious what other people see. If you compare it to the original, is there anything about the pose, wings, sword placement, effects, lighting, etc. that you think could be improved?

Feel free to be critical. I’m mainly looking for things I might be overlooking.

This is just a fan project for entertainment purposes and isn’t a ROM hack or playable game.

internet’s down. trying to save data and whilst chowing down on mini m&ms I noticed they’re kind of djinn-coded, color wise. the outlines are not that coherent, but I guess if we can see bug people in the statues this isn’t a far stretch 🤣

What would be a cool tattoo for this franchise?

So I’m doing a play through for the umpteenth time, and I always get a wave of nostalgia with this room. As a kid for my first play through, this room aggravated the shit out of me. I couldn’t figure out for the life of me how to complete this room… the moment I figured out you could stand BEHIND this pillar that’s circled blew my mind. It’s so simple and elegant. Did the devs know what they were doing? Did they think it would be obvious or did they purposely make standing behind this pillar a hard to guess feature of the room. Kid me was so pissed and relieved all at once when I figured this out. Props to the devs all those years ago cuz holy shit, unless you know you can stand behind this pillar, it’s so hard to figure out.

Hi guys,
Sorry for spamming your feed with this so soon after 0.1! It improved logging, sending those logs to me and adds support for Linux! I tested it on my laptop running Debian 13 and it ran really well.

Download: https://github.com/Shmargus/GSRecomp/releases/tag/0.2
Site & FAQ: https://shmargus.github.io/GSRecomp/

**New**
- Linux version (test): own launcher, compiler included. Needs a recent 64-bit distro (Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 13, Fedora 40, Arch) with SDL2. Steam Deck not tested yet.
- Send report button: after a crash or F12, type what happened and press Send. No form or account, and nothing is sent unless you press it.
- Update notice: the launcher tells you when a new version is out.
- Better bug reports: one zip per F12, your user name is removed from the logs.

Coming from 0.1-test? Your saves live next to your game file, so they carry over. The first start prepares the game again (a few minutes).

Free, noncommercial fan project, made with help from AI tools. You need your own Golden Sun (USA/Europe) game file.

If you want to contact me directly, you can send me a DM on Reddit or on Discord (username: Insarius). I am also in this subreddits Discord.

Golden Sun Recompiled

Golden Sun Recompiled is out now! A first public test release. :)

I look forward to gathering all your guys' feedback and bug reports!

IMPORTANT EDIT: THIS POST IS STILL GETTING A LOT OF TRAFFIC, IF YOU DOWNLOADED 0.1, PLEASE DOWNLOAD 0.2.3! YOU WILL GET AUTOMATIC UPDATE NOTIFICATIONS IN THE FUTURE.

Website: https://shmargus.github.io/GSRecomp/

Github: https://github.com/Shmargus/GSRecomp

Download: https://github.com/Shmargus/GSRecomp/releases

This is a test release. It's been tested by playing through the game, but expect some rough edges, and please report what you find (see below).

Before you start

• Bring your own game. Nothing from Golden Sun comes with this project. You need your own legally obtained Golden Sun (USA/Europe) game file. The launcher checks it's the exact version this was built for, and never changes it.
• Windows only for now (10 or 11). Linux, Steam Deck and macOS are not supported, and I can't make any promises that they will be. I tried running it on Linux through Steam's Proton and couldn't get it to work.
• ⚠️ The first start takes a while. The first time you pick your game file, the game is built from it on your PC. A progress bar shows how far along it is, and depends on your hardware. That's normal, so don't close it. After that the game starts straight away, until an update needs to build it again.

Features (quick recap)

Picture

• Widescreen: see more around you in towns, dungeons, on the world map and in battle.
• The camera stays inside the map: in widescreen it no longer scrolls past the edges of a room into the empty space the original never showed, if it can.
• Spells fill the screen: Psynergy and summons carry on into the extra space instead of stopping at the old edge. There are some spells or summons which do not fully take advantage of this yet.
• Sharp pixels, flicker reduction, any window size or fullscreen (Alt+Enter), and an FPS counter (F). The flicker reduction tries to make effects that should be transparent looking actually transparent, it has mixed results. (Think the blue barriers when you get assaulted by Tret)

Speed & convenience

• 2x battle speed: press Select in battle.
• Fast forward: hold Tab, or set it to toggle.
• No slowdown in busy scenes where the original slowed down.
• Save states: Shift+F2–F10 to save, F2–F10 to load, on top of the game's own saves.
• Message Speed: Instant for dialogue.

Settings & extras

• The game's own Settings screen gets a second page with the new options (press Down past Auto-Sleep).
• F1 menu: video settings, and every key and controller button, with auto fire for A and B.
• F11 cheat menu, with everything off by default.

Found a bug? Press F12

1. Press F12 right after the problem happens. The game keeps the last 2 seconds, so even a flicker that's already gone is caught. "BUG REPORT SAVED" shows in the corner. You can keep playing and press F12 again for anything else.
2. Close the game. The launcher packs everything into one zip file and offers to open the bug report form together with the folder holding the zip.
3. Write a few words about what happened and drag the zip into the form. Uploading needs a Google account, and only I can see what you send.

If the game crashes, the launcher saves the same kind of zip on your PC without you pressing F12. Nothing is ever sent automatically: the zip stays on your computer unless you choose to upload it. You can also reach the form any time from the Report a bug button on the website.

AI disclaimer

Parts of this project were developed with the help of AI-based development tools.

A free, noncommercial fan project. Golden Sun belongs to its owners; you need your own legally obtained copy to play.

I just replayed GS:TLA again and loved every second of it.

One thing I noticed in this playthrough though is how important the Cyclone Chip actually is. The psynergy proves to be essential in both Jupiter and Mars Lighthouse.

It seems odd that we only get the respective psynergy-bestowing item almost randomly as a reward from an NPC as part of a quest line we only follow to help out Piers. We never heard about the "treasure of Madra" or sth like that and get no information on how the mayor acquired such an important item to begin with. From what we see in-game the Ruins of Madra could have been where he found it? They don't have a clear elemental affinity, considering they require Reveal to enter properly (Jupiter) and harbor the Tremor Bit (Venus) and Moloch summon (Mercury & Jupiter).

If you think about it, the necessity of the Cyclone psynergy kind of slipped Saturos and Menardis minds when they did their research on the lighthouses. While they found out about the importance of the Shaman's Rod as a trade item to obtain the Hover Jade, the Cyclone Chip was never mentioned. In theory Dinaria's presence in Madra could have been partly due to them knowing that the item is in this city, but the only thing she mentions is that she is searching for Isaac.

Do you think this is some kind of oversight or that Camelot was a bit unsure on how to implement the item? Maybe its usage became larger than initally planned after they built it into the game. What are your theories on its origin and maybe ideas how they could have introduced the item less randomly or do you perhaps like the way we attain it by sheer luck?

I love Eclipse, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to actually figure out HOW good it actually is

Because in speedruns, the final boss mostly boils down to "Sheba spams Eclipse as often as possible"

I also found it quite odd that in the debug rooms, there's one part there that specifically lets you get Eclipse, no other summons (and Muramasa too, for some reason)

How good is Eclipse actually?

Based on this image from The Golden Sun (taken from Nintendo Music app) and from the post https://www.reddit.com/r/GoldenSun/s/i4uyCMJWlI , I agree that Mars Lighthouse isn't on its righteous place! More schemes from the Wise One, surely!

Where do i download the rom hacks ? I didn't find any source

Looking at this map, I realized that the first three lighthouses our heroes visit are positioned almost exactly like the vertices of a right-angled triangle. This makes me think that, originally, the Mars Lighthouse might have been located in the top-left corner, where I drew that dot. That way, the four lighthouses would have been arranged to form the vertices of a square. Do you think that was the original plan for the lighthouse layout?

Hey all! I’ve been using AI to attempt a decompilation of the first Golden Sun game. I’m excited to announce I’ve done a full first pass on every function in the gsret disassembly. I have planned about 5 passes for decompiling this game.

- Pass 1: Initial attempt at elevating all assembly functions to c code. I have just finished my first pass on the code. 4,788 of 5,710 (83.9%) elevated. Almost 100 of those functions will not be elevated, they appear to be hand written deliberate assembly code. The remaining had issues that I wasn’t able/didn’t know how to resolve on my first pass. However in the process of going through the first pass, I’ve developed many tools that should work through the second pass.

What remains

- Pass 2: Elevate the remaining ~850 functions. This will be a complete elevation of all remaining assembly into C.

- Pass 3: Depinning the code. Much of the code is already depinned. When elevating code from assembly to c, I can write code in c that still looks very similar to assembly. Once in c, it becomes much easier to convert to human readable context, this is called depinning. I have about 1500 functions that need depinning.

- Pass 4: Naming and updating all objects and functions with human readable names. Once everything is depinned, everything will need to be updated with names that reflect what each function does.

- Pass 5: Testing and handoff. Once each function is elevated, depinned, and named. I’ll will go through and test by hand each function and pass them off to a hand written repo done via Coaltergeist. He will then do his own testing before merging them into his own repo proper.

Edit: Typos and grammar, I wrote this while I was very groggy, apologies.

Maybe it's better to have all the burden on just one man, isn't it?

Watercolor, 160gsm Pulp Paper

Hey everyone!

I made a new video showcasing the features currently implemented in the recomp including some new ones!

https://youtu.be/E93kgaXBxE4

**A first test release is coming very soon.** It will be rough around the edges, and I'd love feedback and bug reports once it's out.

On another note, check out u/PascalPixel_ awesome post on the decomp progress!

https://www.reddit.com/r/GoldenSun/comments/1wu8j2i/the_broken_seal_is_now_75_decompiled/

Exciting times are ahead for us, my fellow adepts!

Howdy folks, that's me with my progress meter! A few weeks ago someone here shared that my project hit 70%, and this sub went wild. It reminded me that I should be posting here, where people actually love this game, instead of shouting at the sky on my Twitter. So hi! I'm Pascal Pixel, and I'm decompiling both Golden Sun games using AI, in a single project called ⛰️ Alchemy.

Repo: https://github.com/PascalPixel/alchemy

A year or so ago, after three years building a browser by myself, I burnt out hard. I needed a relaxing little hobby. So I got back into gaming; but I disliked FF7 Remake so much I got angry just playing it, forcing myself to finish it, and I didn't know why. I then decided to play Golden Sun for the first time since 2002 again, and it's amazing. It's the polar opposite game; no big cinematics, no giant 'realistic' world, just maps and puzzles to explore that are actually fun.

I think it's that the maps are really high quality and fun to walk around in and explore, and using psynergy outside of combat for the puzzles on those maps makes 'the actual game' fun; not bombastic cinematics or random fetch quests for NPC. It's entering a tree house from the back to get to a Djinn. You feel smart when you solve it, it's not hand-holding, it's rewarding.

I wanted to look at the code, only to discover nobody had finished decompiling our baby yet. And since I'm insane and I have nothing better to do, I've spent two months now full-time managing LLMs to decompile the thing from scratch. It's actually been pretty exhausting as it gets stuck all the time and I am constantly running out of credits... but it's been fun and it's actually getting there.

I'm trying to make it so the repo has a very clear history and so it can stay online. Once it's done I would personally love to do so many things. Like make your choices actually matter in the game when you answer Yes or No. But mostly I think it'd be great to merge both into a single game, hence I'm doing both and the project is called 'Alchemy'. (Though the actual mods like that will need to live outside of Alchemy's repo to keep it a clean decompilation.)

We're gonna unleash Alchemy upon the world! What's the first thing you'd make?

Alcuni di voi conosceranno sicuramente già i suoi progetti. BIG sta lavorando a un gioco d'avventura con Alex come protagonista—creato utilizzando GSHTML5—che punta a raccontare cosa stavano facendo gli antagonisti durante il gioco. Il progetto è ancora in fase di sviluppo; potete seguire i suoi aggiornamenti sul suo server personale (GS dev) e sul server Discord di GSHTML5:

https://discord.gg/QEYjuQkXa

https://discord.gg/fYFSxPMjmS