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A 3D Real Time Rogue-Like for the PS2.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 18, 2008
Author: Amazon User

First thing to get out of the way is that Dark Cloud is nothing at all like Zelda. Zelda isn't even an RPG, it's an action-adventure game, Dark Cloud is much more like Diablo or Phantasy Star Online. Dark Cloud is basically a Rogue-Like.

A big rule of Rogue-Likes is randomization and Dark Cloud secures this, random dungeons, random items, random enemies and random rewards. Also in most Rogue-Likes there are really two areas of gameplay, the Town and the Dungeon. The Town is the safe zone where the player will purchase items, obtain quests, manage facilities and so forth. The Dungeon on the other hand is purely combat focussed and the player must delve deeper and further away from the town into ever more difficult areas. The only thing keeping Dark Cloud from being a pure Rogue-Like is that it is played in Real-time and is in 3D but really these things do not omit it from being like a Rogue-Like. It should also be noted that while Dark Cloud lacks permanent death found in most Rogue-likes it does have permanent weapon destruction which is perhaps just as lethal!

Dark Cloud also adds it's own innovations to the sub genre, such as interchangeable characters, a town design system and a Pa-Rappa esque duel mini-game. The game however is not without its faults, for one the graphics are very 'Post N64' era, the initial dungeon has a rather dreary & repetitious tileset and the battle music is rather minimal. However despite these faults the game's quality is far above average and the amount of detail and variety is rather refreshing compared to the army of Final Fantasy Clones.

That really is the deal breaker, if you don't at all like Rogue-Likes or think you don't then you will probably not like Dark Cloud. If however you do like them or games like PSO or Diablo then I think you owe it to yourself to play it.

Awsome Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 18, 2008
Author: Amazon User

It was a blast from the past. It was awsome. Its a little frustrationg but thats what I remembered from it.

OK

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: October 25, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Dark Cloud is fun, but it is a little more challenging than Dark Cloud 2. If you are a serious RPG fan and love challenges then this game is right up your lane! But don't expect first person shoot ups and high tech graphics. This is an intellectual game with challenging puzzles and teamwork.

Dark Cloud is a great game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: October 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game has everything you want from a retro game. Customization of weapons and that RPG element that is so fun in an action game. Long story short: buy this greatest hits game.

Great For Kids

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 23, 2007
Author: Amazon User

OK, so I bought this game on a whim, my collection was getting boring. I put the game in, played for a little while and thought the game was alright. I can't tell you too much of the story, but the object of the game is to go into these dungons, fight monsters, get the items in the sphere things, leave the dungon and rebuild the town that you are in. The first town and dungon is pretty fun. You are able to rebuild the town anyway you'd like. However, if you listen to the townspeople when ever you start to rebuild, they will give you hints on where to put things. OK, so I finished the first town and went on to the second. That's were it became repetitios. Same old thing, just in a different town. Go into dungon, fight monsters, get items to rebuild town... BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.

What makes it even worse is that when you are in the dungon, you have to keep an eye on your water supply. When you run out of water, you start to lose health. And, your weapons only have a few attacks before breaking. Keep an eye on your weapon also, when it's about to break, you have to use a Weapon Recovery to fix it. If you're too late and it breaks, your SOL.

The characters in the game are rather annoying. Especially the main guy, whom you can name whatever you'd like. He doesn't talk which I don't like. And has anyone else noticed he looks just like the main character from Dragon Quest VIII? I know the two games are from the same company, Level 5 I believe, but come on, show some originality.

Anyway, this is a game that kids will really enjoy. There is nothing complicated to it, just really repetitious.

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention. When you are in the dungons and you decide to leave with out killings all the monsters, you'll lose half your money. Same thing happens when you die in the dungon. That really is lame.

Too much dungen

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 8
Date: January 24, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Ukiah Northern California ,
too much dunen fighting, not much adventure, I fought 40 dungens & there really hard, u always run out of water & die. I want more adventure, less spending time in dungen levels, nintendo 64 ( The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask) Terrible Game too,waste of time.

Zelda + SimCity = Dark Cloud

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: May 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I've been out on the loop when it comes to console gaming for nearly a decade. When I finally got back into the swing of things with the purchase of a PS2, this game was among the first dozen or so I've thrown into my library.

It was a launch release when the PS2 first came out, so I wasn't expecting much in terms of graphics, but who cares. This is a suprisingly fun little dungeon romp. Dark Cloud reminds me a bit of the old SNES games like "ActRaiser" I used to rent and play a lot. Not unlike "ActRaiser", the thing that sets this game apart from most other PS2 adventure and RPG games, and just other action / RPG games in general, is that this is sort of like two games in one. You must first dive head-first into the dungeon, clearing away monsters and gathering parts of the town that were sealed in spheres called "Atla" which are scatterd throughout the dungeon's floors. Battles are in real-time, making this more of an action-RPG or adventure akin to the popular 'Zelda' series. Upon exiting the dungeon then, you can switch to the so-called 'Georama' mode, where you can get as creative as you wish, placing down buildings, trees, bodies of water, and roads (a-la 'SimCity"), so long as you meet NPCs' requests. Example: In Norune Village, your (Toan's) mother wants you to place your house in such a way that the rising sun can be seen through the window. Meet requests such as this, and you'll aquire needed items to continue your journey.

Other reviewers have probably already elaborated on the story end of the game, so I'm just going to run down technical bits:

- Graphics -

Again, as stated, this was a launch release, so these are first-generation PS2 models here. Nothing spectacular to write home about, but for what it is, and when it was released, Dark Cloud does offer a fair amount of detail. Toan's (your main character in the game, I'm using default names) clothes move as you move...little details like that, along with the (to my eyes), realistic-looking water and waterfalls that go with them. Because the dungeons are randomly generated maps that use the same graphic sets, things can get a little redundant here, especially for longer dungeons, but at least they keep to the themes presented. Caves look like caves, castles look like castles, and so on.

- Play Control -

Controlling your character is fluid. Tilt the stick a little, Toan walks. Tilt it all the way, and he runs. it took me a bit of time to get used to the fighting mechanics, but after a few battles, it comes easier to you. The annoying part is the camera, which I wish had a little more control especially when locked onto an enemy. When I lock onto an enemy and I am attacking, sometims the view swings around to where I can't even see my playable character, forcing me to 'unlock' from the enemy, and swing the view back around. This can make boss battles insanely difficult. "Georama" mode is explained in the game itself, though it's just simple 'point, pick up and drop' simplicity here.

- Sound -

There's no voiceover work here, but then again, not many PS2 games that came out in the first wave of releases at least up until Final Fantasy 10, had voiceacting in them. The only things hinting at a characters 'voice' would be the grunts or squeals you hear when attacking enemies, or being hit. Ambient noises sound like they should....running waterfalls, torches along the walls, and out in the towns you hear the wind, the birds, and (at night) crickets chirping. Other sounds (the clashing of swords, bombs blowing up, etc) are your standard fare.

- Music -

A few early PS2 games brought over MIDI sequencing techniques used in older (pre- Year 2000) PC games, the SNES, and PSOne. Most, if not all games today use CD (also known as "RedBook") audio, or in the case of most PS2 games now, DVD-Audio. Dark Cloud is one of the few that used an 'old-school' approach to the music, which while the indidual songs can get a little repetitive, there are some enjoyable tracks in here.

- FMV's -

This is sort of a new category for me. Old-school RPGs didn't have the technology avaliable until the PSOne, to go beyond just various sprite movements and LOTS of text to lay out the story. Final Fantasy VII, as we all know, broke that barrier and brought some of the first use of Full-Motion Video (FMV) intertwined into the overall game story. It seems no RPG developers have looked back since.

The same here is true for Dark Cloud. The minute I booted up the game, chose my options, and hit "Start", I was Wow'ed by what I saw. Though voice acting would have made things flow better like how they do in FF 10 or other-like games, for a first-gen PS2 release, this isn't bad at all. Fluid movements, cel-shading, and not in Dark Cloud, but rather in other games, bits of anime cutscenes. Technology for FMVs has really taken leaps and bounds in advancement since the mid/late 1990s and it shows even in an older game like this.

- Overall -

Dark Cloud, taking into account when it was released, is a title worth having. It's not the longest of RPGs out there.....you can probably clean house in under 30 hours if you just blaze straight through without getting any extra items other than those you need to complete the game, but length doesn't always make a great game. Shorter games are more concise and quicker paced. The battles and dungeons can get repetitive for some, and they did for me, so that may diminish the 'fun factor' a bit, depending on tastes. Otherwise, this is an overall, very good, and very underrated PS2 title. I recommend it to those getting a (late) head start with the PS2 RPGing experience, or those looking for a little break away from the redundancy of the Final Fantasies and Kingdom Hearts of the RPG world.

The best game i've ever played!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 7
Date: December 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This has got to be the best game ever!!It has a very good fighting system(similar to Zelda).The best character design.

It has very good gameplay I do not know why they rated it teen because it is perfect for children actully!Witch is good because i'm 8 myself!!!!!So anyway this is the best game ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoyable game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: November 12, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I really liked this game. I was bright and colorful but not too childish. I liked the fact that the point of the game was to retrieve parts of the world and reconstruct it with clues from the inhabitants. The weapon ungrade options were inovative and highly creative. I liked that you could switch between the characters, all of which have different abilities and weapons. Then, there is the fishing. I like that you can take time out to fish and win point that can be exchanged for gems and attribute stones. I played this game for DAYS on end. The monsters got a little repetative, and the maps were all the same, but I still found this game highly enjoyable.

A Fun Game...but it has some killer flaws.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 13, 2005
Author: Amazon User

STORY-

You play as a character with the default name of Toan, a young boy who grows up in a small village, living a relatively peaceful life (we're already off to a bad start with that statement, but it gets worse). Suddenly, out of nowhere, an evil dark genie is summoned up by a man with vague origins and even vaguer motives. Well, at the very least, it looks like he wants to blow up some stuff. So Toan's village is attacked for no particular reason on the night of their annual festival and thrown into panicked-villager chaos. He attempts to save his childhood friend Paige from a falling windmill (?) and then everything whites out. When Toan wakes up, he meets the Fairy King who explains that everything in his village was about to be destroyed, but he miraculously managed to fit all the buildings, people and landmarks in the village into small, walnut-shaped capsules called Atla. Furthermore, he goes on to tell you that only YOU, _insertnamehere_ can save the world. The Fairy King gives you a shiny blue stone called the Atlamillia, which can absorb and restore Atla. Being the nice guy he is, Toan doesn't object and somehow has become both responsible for and capable of saving the world...

BATTLE SYSTEM-

Toan starts out with just one default weapon that can't be broken, but that's it. This lack of artillery leaves one thing clear: this ain't no Ratchet & Clank. Sadly, the only way for you to get new weapons at this point in the game is to look for large treasure chests which hopefully contain something of value that can be equipped. Weapons are upgraded once they reach a certain level of experience which is accumulated through defeating enemies. Weapons also have certain items that can be attached so that they will have a certain elemental advantage or stat boost. It's an interesting idea, but the system isn't explained well enough at the beginning of the game and will no doubt leave new players confused. Enemies can be locked onto and attacked, and the real-time combat is executed quite well. However, each attack causes your weapon to take damage. Meaning that the more you strike the enemy, the more likely it is that your weapon will break. And although you can't break your default dagger, weapons you earn later on can. Breaking a weapon doesn't just render it unusable for a period of time, it makes it disappear entirely. Despite the fact that this game tries to act `real' by forcing you to drink water and consume bread, this is perhaps the most ironic fault I've spotted in Dark Cloud so far. Yes, you must eat and drink. But weapons magically vanish when they break and cannot be repaired. Somehow, a certain type of powder can make a weapon as good as new, yet it has no effect on a broken weapon. What, did all the blacksmiths go out of business? This system of constantly having to repair weapons means that unfortunate accidents can occur when a weapon is used by mistake and consequently vanishes. The feeling of frustration when a leveled-up sword shatters in front of your eyes can't be compared to any other gaming experience I've gone through so far.
There are other characters that can be played as you progress through the story, but there can only be one person on the field at a time. Switching back and forth can become tedious, annoying, and generally anything but fun. The allies you have are so unbalanced that you'll end up playing simply as Toan most of the time. Really, there's almost no use for the allies you gain over the course of the game.
Dark Cloud ends up forcing you to use each new `friend' you gain anyway by making each consecutive boss battle suited just for one character's needs. So even if you'd rather not use one of your allies, the game laughs in your face and throws an enemy at you that can only be brought down with a slingshot, hammer or some other weapon that Toan doesn't possess. All in all, the combat is smooth but fighting dozens of enemies with weapons that threaten to break is just too much.

GAMEPLAY-

There are basically two parts to Toan's quest. The former is trekking through hopelessly long dungeons to find Atla...among other items. The latter is the Georama section where you can place the buildings, structures, rivers and people you have found back in their respective places. First I'll go over the good news. Laying out your town just the way you like it is a pleasant diversion from scrambling through floor after floor of dungeon. It actually feels rewarding to get someone's house just right or to fix a building by making it exactly as it was before. Along with placing things throughout the town, you can also move around as Toan and speak to the various inhabitants. This aspect of Dark Cloud is enjoyable and satisfying. If you cater to everyone's needs, you can gain special abilities or equipment for your characters.
But unfortunately, that doesn't account for even half the gameplay in Dark Cloud. The other part of the game deals with entering a dungeon and fighting your way through levels and levels of monsters, all of which leads up to a big boss at the end. There are several problems with this dungeon system, first of which is Toan's neediness. He needs water, he needs repair powder, he needs escape powder...is there anything in this game that doesn't put a burning hole in your wallet? Dying because of `thirst' isn't exactly realistic or particularly fun to deal with. A real human can survive three days without water. That isn't very much time, but you can bet it's more than the few minutes that it takes Toan to dry up. In each dungeon level there is a random assortment of monsters that will attack you upon sight. None of these are exactly original or interesting. You've got your bats, your club wielding `Bashers', your obligatory skeleton warriors, etc. Everything feels used, as if it's already been done before. And that's my point here: Dark Cloud brings nothing new to the table in terms of the dungeon sequences. The developers don't seem to have bothered improving on anything, and, as a matter of fact, it seems they took away some of the fun of dungeon trolling with their system of constantly drinking water, repairing weapons and healing Toan.
To advance in the dungeon levels, you must find a certain key or talisman that will open a door/passageway into a different area. Unfortunately, you're getting a raw deal with this system, because you must defeat monsters to gain the key. It is entirely possible that you will have to go through every last enemy in the level to get a single key item. Players low on health or items will find this a maddening experience as they try to implement a hit-and-run strategy. Randomization of the dungeon levels is also fairly annoying because they entire layout of previous levels will change. What Dark Cloud lacks in quality, it apparently tries to make up with quantity. There are well over fifteen levels in every dungeon and while none of them are particularly challenging, they eat up time and are almost exactly the same regardless of which floor you're on. A feature that the Fairy King tries to emphasize in the beginning of the game is `Mind Connect' ability, in which he can instantly teleport you out of a floor and back aboveground. However, you'll have to defeat every single monster on the level to connect with him, rendering it thoroughly useless. What's the point of escaping from a dungeon with nothing in it? It makes no sense when compared with Escape Powder, which lets you get out instantaneously. Yeah, thanks a bunch, Fairy King.

VISUALS, CHARACTERS and CHARM-

Amazon.com's review listed `sub-par' graphics as a con for Dark Cloud. Well, they couldn't be more right. With a sub-par story and sub-par gameplay, I'd at least hope to have stunning visuals to make up for it. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. Toan may look charming at first, but his facial expressions rarely change. The same goes for every other character in this game. The townsfolk look like wooden dolls that can't do anything but walk around and stand dumbly outside their house until the sun sets. There are no voiceovers in Dark Cloud, merely speech bubbles. Peoples' mouths appeared to be glued to their faces and in general, it looks like a sloppily designed game that could have been done much, much better. What century are we in and how can Dark Cloud's developers claim that this is a title for the PS2? You're not getting your money's worth here, folks. If the story and characters had been more engaging, I'd be willing to overlook the obviously low framerate, such as I did with Okage: Shadow King. But there's no excuse for a game filled with plot devices and unimaginative storylines as well as archaic character models. Not only that, but spelling errors and messed up text bubbles appear in the game as well. Couple that with the allies who don't do anything plus bland townsfolk who don't distinguish themselves in any way, and you've got yourself something that is sorely lacking in a variety of departments.

OVERALL-

Dark Cloud would be a decent dungeon crawler with a solid base if it weren't for the ridiculous amount of items that need to be used on Toan along with dozens of similar floors for each dungeon and weapons that threaten to break after five minutes of use. The Georama and town segments are entertaining, but unfortunately they don't make up for the long hours wasted scouring dungeons. No, this is not the second coming of Zelda. At best, it is something to rent to pass the time.

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