0.3.1 - Launcher only update

0.3.1 — launcher update APPLY THIS TO 0.3!

Widescreen runs much faster, especially on the Steam Deck.
The game no longer draws a hidden backup copy of every frame. On the Steam Deck this backup used up most of each frame in widescreen and caused slowdown. It is also lighter on every other machine.

How to install
This update is the launcher only. Your game, saves and settings stay as they are, and nothing needs to be rebuilt.

• Windows: unzip GoldenSunLauncher-windows-0.3.1.zip and replace GoldenSunLauncher.exe in your Golden Sun Recompiled folder.
• Linux / Steam Deck: unzip GoldenSunLauncher-linux-0.3.1.zip and replace GoldenSunLauncher in your Golden Sun Recompiled folder.

Good to know
Very rarely (about once in many hours of play), a single frame may flash pink. That's a frame the new drawing can't handle yet. It's harmless and the game carries on. If you see it often, press F12 right after it and send a report from the launcher.

0.3

New

• Hard Mode. Fancy a challenge? Enemies come with 1.5× HP and 1.25× Attack and Defence.
  • 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. A real GBA shrugs that off; we used to panic and crash. Not any more. 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. They're in now, along with the compiler to use them. The first time you reach something new you might feel a tiny hitch. After that it's remembered.
• 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.

0.2.3

Launcher

• The launcher now remembers where your ROM is. After the first time, the button says Play and the game starts without picking the ROM again. The ROM itself is never moved or copied.
• New "Start the game automatically" option. After the first build, the launcher asks whether you want it. When it's on, the game starts as soon as the launcher has checked for updates. If an update is available and you choose not to download it now, the game still starts. It doesn't start by itself when you go to download an update or when the game needs to be built again. You can turn it on or off any time with the checkbox above the Play button.

In-game

• Quit Game can now be bound to a key or controller button in the F1 menu's Hotkeys tab. It starts unbound.

Bug reports

• Reports now include your save file, so we can play from the spot where the problem happened.
• Your Windows user name is now always removed from reports, including when your user folder's name differs from your account name.

Crash logging

• A crash report sent in after a battle unfortunately didn't contain enough to find the cause, so we've expanded the crash logging a little. The next report of this kind should tell us what went wrong.

Tip: your save file sits next to your ROM, with the same name ending in .sav. If you move your ROM, move the save with it.

0.2.2

Small fix release.

Fixed

• Black borders again. When the window shape doesn't match the game's, the empty space around the picture was sometimes blue. It is black now.

Everything else is as in 0.2.1 and 0.2: the Linux version (test), the Send report button, the update notice and the 2x battle spell effect fixes.

How to play

1. Download the zip for your system below and unzip it anywhere: GoldenSunRecompiled-0.2.2-windows.zip (Windows 10/11) or GoldenSunRecompiled-0.2.2-linux.zip (test).
2. Start GoldenSunLauncher and pick your own Golden Sun (USA, Europe) game file. Nothing from the game is included. No BIOS needed.
3. The first start takes a few minutes: the game is prepared from your game file. After that it starts straight away.

Your saves are stored next to your game file, so they carry over from earlier versions.

Found a bug?

Press F12 right after it happens: the game keeps the last 2 seconds. Close the game, write a few words and press Send report.

Features and FAQ: https://shmargus.github.io/GSRecomp/

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.

Golden Sun Recompiled 0.2.1 - fix release (2026-10-02)

Fix release for 0.2. If you have 0.2, please update: its Send report button didn't work.

Fixed

• Send report now sends. In 0.2 the bug report window appeared, but its buttons did nothing.

Everything else is as in 0.2: the Linux version (test), the Send report button, the update notice and the 2x battle spell effect fixes.

How to play

1. Download the zip for your system below and unzip it anywhere: GoldenSunRecompiled-0.2.1-windows.zip (Windows 10/11) or GoldenSunRecompiled-0.2.1-linux.zip (test).
2. Start GoldenSunLauncher and pick your own Golden Sun (USA, Europe) game file. Nothing from the game is included. No BIOS needed.
3. The first start takes a few minutes: the game is prepared from your game file. After that it starts straight away.

Your saves are stored next to your game file, so they carry over from earlier versions.

Found a bug?

Press F12 right after it happens: the game keeps the last 2 seconds. Close the game, write a few words and press Send report.

Features and FAQ: https://shmargus.github.io/GSRecomp/

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.

Golden Sun Recompiled 0.2 - second test release (2026-10-02)

Second test release. Expect some rough edges, and please report what you find.

What's new

• Linux version (new, still a test): its own launcher, and the compiler it needs comes in the download. Needs a recent 64-bit Linux (for example Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 13, Fedora 40 or Arch) with SDL2. Not tested on Steam Deck yet.
• Send report button. After a crash or an F12, write a few words about what happened and press Send report. No form or account needed, and nothing is sent unless you press it.
• Update notice. The launcher tells you when a new version is out and opens its download page.
• Better bug reports. One zip per F12 press, very long logs trimmed, and your Windows user name is taken out of the logs.

Fixes

• Spell effects such as Mist, Aqua and Heat Flash could go missing or break with 2x battles on.
• Launcher messages (like "not the right ROM") always show in front instead of hiding behind the window.
• The launcher keeps its own log (logs/launcher.log), so a "nothing happened" report always has something to look at.

How to play

1. Download the zip for your system below and unzip it anywhere: GoldenSunRecompiled-0.2-windows.zip (Windows 10/11) or GoldenSunRecompiled-0.2-linux.zip.
2. Start GoldenSunLauncher and pick your own Golden Sun (USA, Europe) game file. Nothing from the game is included. No BIOS needed.
3. The first start takes a few minutes: the game is prepared from your game file. After that it starts straight away.

Coming from 0.1-test? Your saves are stored next to your game file, so they carry over. The game is prepared once more on the first start.

Found a bug?

Press F12 right after it happens: the game keeps the last 2 seconds. Close the game, write a few words and press Send report.

Features and FAQ: https://shmargus.github.io/GSRecomp/

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.

Golden Sun Recompiled - first test release (2026-10-02)

First test release. Expect some rough edges, and please report what you find.

How to play

1. Download GoldenSunRecompiled-2026-10-02.zip below and unzip it anywhere.
2. Start GoldenSunLauncher.exe and pick your own Golden Sun (USA/Europe) game file. Nothing from the game is included; your game file is never changed. No BIOS needed.
3. The first start takes several minutes: the game is built from your game file on your PC. A progress bar shows how far along it is. Don't close it. After that it starts straight away.

Windows 10 / 11 only. Linux, Steam Deck and macOS are not supported, and there are no promises that they will be. It did not run on Linux through Steam's Proton.

Found a bug?

Press F12 right after it happens: the game keeps the last 2 seconds. Close the game, and the launcher packs a zip on your PC and offers to open the bug report form. Nothing is sent automatically.

Features and FAQ: https://shmargus.github.io/GSRecomp/

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.