Nintendo's Golden Sun left gamers in the lurch in a lot of ways, with a cliffhanger ending that made players even more eager for the already-announced sequel. The end sequence also featured a save file that left little explanation for it's purpose except for the indication that your saved file will end up being very handy when the next Golden Sun arrives...

The next Golden Sun has arrived in Japan, and indeed, that file contains a code that is your connection between your past journey and your new adventure in The Lost Age. Though we have not been able to find out whether or not the quest of the sequel changes in any way by how you played the previous game, we do know that the game will carry over items and stats from the original for use in this second quest.

SPOILER WARNING: Some of the information discussed below may spoil elements of the game's story. If you wish to keep the surprises unknown until the American version is in your hands, do not read on...

At the very beginning of the import version of the game (or when you start a new quest), players will be prompted to transfer the code from their copy of the original Golden Sun before starting the next quest. As seen in this menu, you can choose to either send the code over Link Cable or else manually enter the code. Notice that transferring the code by hand sends over a GIGANTIC mess of variables to enter, stretching up to six screens and over 250 characters to imput in the Japanese version (our office copy isn't available for us to test, but it's sort of a moot point -- saved files from the American game will not work on the Japanese import. Also, the code option seems to have been mostly disabled for the US version, possibly because the text requirements of the smaller english-language character set would have stretched the code much longer still, although there is apparently a cheat to bring the code up on the US version if you don't have a buddy to transfer your data.) Most of the code refers to stats and items from the previous characters, but with so much data being sent over within the code this big, it's possible that other flags are being sent that will refer back to the past for your continuing journey.

Carried over within the code (either way you transfer it) are stats, weapons, items and active Djinn carried by your original party that can be made use of when the first group joins the new band of heroes. To save some time, there are three levels of input available -- you will be prompted by a medal system that will ask you how much data you want to transfer. The Gold medal transfers everything -- that's why the code is so long. The Silver and Bronze and much shorter (just under 100 characters and about 60 characters, respectively). A Silver-level code doesn't bother to tranfer your coins or items -- just stats, experience level, and Djinn -- and the Bronze skips the character's stats.

Also transferred over are the named you gave to your original characters. If you renamed Isaac to the original Japanese name of Robin, he will continue on as Robin in the sequel. If you've spend a great deal of time combing the game world for rare items that got little use in the first Golden Sun by the time you tracked them down, you'll get a chance in the sequel to do some special things with those rare items. The stats, in particular, will become critical to your progress in the game -- apparently, when the second party joins with you, they will stay with your crew, and you will be able to use all 8 characters in battle (four at a time, swapping out ala FFX.)

source Pocket IGN