Dark Cloud 2

"Better than Dark Cloud in all possible ways, yet not as satisfying"

After being left a tad disappointed by Dark Cloud, yet somehow addicted to it, Dark Cloud 2 inspired me mixed feelings. On one hand, I was expecting the game to be just like the first one; highly praised yet not that good. On the other hand, I was excited about it being really great, since that's what everyone was saying. "One of the best RPG on PS2" was almost everywhere. While this may be a bit exaggerated, I can now say that unlike the first game, Dark Cloud 2 didn't disappoint me. It didn't surprise me either, and it's not the best RPG, but Dark Cloud 2 underwent such good amelioration compared to the first Dark Cloud that it does deserve praise for this sheer fact.

Dark Cloud 2 makes the first Dark Cloud feel like a beta version of the game. However, no matter how great Dark Cloud 2 is compared to the first game, it still isn't perfect, and there is still place for improvement. Now let's take a look at what makes Dark Cloud 2 so much better, yet not as perfect as some have claimed it to be.

Past, Present and Future

Dark Genie? Forget about that. The first Dark Cloud game had a shameful storyline about a genie eating up villages, and no-personality protagonists saving the world. This time around, no stereotypical villain, no bland characters. The storyline in Dark Cloud 2 is so different and so much more developed that there would be no way to relate both games if it wasn't of the title. In Dark Cloud 2, Max lives a normal life until he steps out of town and realize the world outside his city was completely destroyed. He meets up with Monica, a girl from the future, and together they must rebuild the world in the present so they can save the future from Griffon, the new villain of the game.

This is obviously only the backbone of the storyline, as there is much more to it. The two protagonists each have their own personality and background, the side-stories are pretty good and the present to future link is interesting. Dark Cloud 2 remains a light-hearted game just like the first one, but it has a level of depth the first game didn't have. The villain, Griffon, isn't any more threatening than the Dark Genie, but at least the rest of the story holds the road extremely well and keeps the game going.

Dwelling into GEORAMA

Dark Cloud's most liked feature, the GEORAMA system, is back and better. To re build the destroyed villages, you'll need to find GEORAMA parts scattered around the dungeons. It's then up to you to create the new village. This time around, the GEORAMA system was greatly improved and has new features. You now have to build the town parts yourself, so if you want a tree, a river, a house, or anything, you'll need to buy the necessary elements (light, water, fire, earth, etc) to create it. It makes the GEORAMA more real, but at the same time it's a bit annoying to constantly have to make sure you have enough elements to build what you need.

Another difference is that you are no longer restricted in anything; you can now build as many trees or houses as you want so you can build unique villages. Each village has a limit of what you can put into it, but it takes a while to reach this limit so it's not a problem at all. There are many more things you can arrange in the village, such as adding some decorative objects to the houses and also painting them a different color. The village parts can also now be used anywhere, so parts from one village can be used in another village as well. Want palm trees in the forest and pine trees by the beach? Go ahead.

It's tons better than in Dark Cloud 1, but it's still not The Sims. Although the GEORAMA system is now very open-ended, you are still very limited in how you build the villages. Because everything you do in the present changes the future, you'll need to keep an eye for that. The game sets conditions that you must respect in order to re build the future. For example, you'll be forced to put two trees lined up with a river between them, a brick house on a hill near the windmill, a well between two torches, etc. So many conditions, that in the end, you're almost restricted to build the villages as the game intends it.

Once you've cleared the conditions, you're free to set the rest of the villages as you please, but the problem lies in that the conditions take up more than half of the allowed space, leaving little place for more. Indeed, the space you're given to build the villages appear big at first, but once you start placing the first houses and trees, you'll realize it's very small, so it's a shame you can build so much yet place so little of it. The present to future aspect also is extremely appealing, as you can always move to the future to see the changes that occurred from what you built in the present, but it's really nothing very exciting. The changes are pre-set and only happen if you meet the conditions, so you already know what to expect. The "goal oriented" village building will appeal to some, but it personality turned me off.

Regardless, it's still as addictive as in the first Dark Cloud game, but it didn't feel as engrossing to me, somehow. Perhaps because of the conditions, considering that instead of focusing on building a village of your own, you need to focus on building it the right way. It feels satisfying finishing up a village, then walking through it, but Dark Cloud 2 focuses on so many other things than the GEORAMA that it's easy to loose track - and even interest - in the feature. I just felt carried away, like once I was done with a village, I had to move on to the next one and not come back to it. It's obvious the GEORAMA system still needs more work -- the villages don't feel lively enough, the restrictions don't allow enough freedom, and the game still only has four small villages to work on, but it's a lot more flexible than in Dark Cloud 1.

Same ol' dungeons, new features

Just like in the first Dark Cloud, each village has a nearby dungeon that you'll need to explore in order to find the GEORAMA parts. The formula unfortunately hasn't changed: you still hack 'n slash your way through good old dungeon-crawling fun. The dungeons are more open than the ones in Dark Cloud 1, so don't worry about claustrophobia this time around. Still, even though the dungeons are a lot less bland, they weren't improved in any other way. Chests are laying around randomly generated floors roaming with monsters, over twenty floors that all look the same. Fight the same enemies over and over, trek through endless empty hallways, head out to work on the village, head back in, fight some more, and repeat. It gets very tiresome and tedious, and that's probably why many sidequests were added so it feels less monotonous. You can now complete objectives like clearing a floor without healing, clearing it with a certain character, or by using items only, etc. Doing so will award you medals, which you can use to buy new clothes for your two characters. It doesn't make the dungeons any better, but it gives a sense to the dullness.

The dungeons are also a lot less frustrating thanks to altered features. The thirst meter is gone, thirst now being considered as a status ailment that prevents you from healing, and that can quickly be cured with a simple item. The WHP of your weapons now lasts a lot longer, and finally, the weapons don't disappear anymore when they break. There is no consequence to weapon breaking, but you'll need to repair it or it will deal no damage while it's broken. It makes the whole WHP aspect obsolete and quite pointless, but as long as there is no disappearing weapons anymore, everyone should be happy. Combat is still the same, real-time and on the go; circle your enemy, take a hit, avoid it, and that's it -- very simplistic. You can still switch between characters, but the annoying dungeon obstacles are gone, so your characters no longer have a special ability. The bosses have taken a step down from the first Dark Cloud, they're even easier and unimpressive, but at least no more character switching during battles.

The first Dark Cloud had too many playable characters for nothing, all of them being mere rehashed versions of the two first characters. Sure it's fun to have a lot of characters to choose from, but the problem lied in that the game forced you to use them. In Dark Cloud 2, this issue was solved by only offering two characters to play as: Max and Monica. Instead of being forced to use one specific weapon, your two characters can each use two different types of weapons, a short range one, and a long range one. In this case, Max uses tools and guns to fight, and Monica uses swords and magic. And that's not all. You also get to fight aboard the Ridepod, a robot built by Max. Parts and weapons can be bought or made for the Ridepod, so you can partially customize it to your liking. The Ridepod can be used inside dungeons, and while not my favorite mean of battling since he's slow and clunky, he has a great attack power for these times you're in a bad situation.

Then there's the monster transformation, which only Monica has the power of. By buying gift capsules and placing items inside, you can capture some of the enemies to obtain a badge that allows you to transform into that monster, in a similar fashion to Kameo. These monsters can obviously evolve and there's a fairly decent selection of monsters to choose from. Different evolution paths lead to different monsters, so it's up to you. Don't think of this as Pokemon though, the feature being very limited. You probably won't start using the monsters until very late in the game (if ever) as they are pretty useless in combat. They also take too long to raise, so unless you're going to waste 20 hours on a pretty pointless feature, the monsters are only there for completionists.

Since Monica and Max are now the only characters, optional party members have been added to the game. Don't get too excited though, as these characters are not playable. You can recruit townspeople from Max's hometown to join your team by completing little quests for them. There are around 20 characters to recruit, but only one can join your party at a time. This character will not actively participate in the adventure, but he or she will give you some boosts or sell you items. Depending on the character, you'll get a different extra bonus while in the dungeons.

As for the weapons, they can be built up just like in the first game, but with a slightly different method. Your weapons will absorb ABS, which is basically the same thing as experience points. Gather enough and your weapon will go up in level. With each level, your weapon collects synthesis points, which can be used to absorb the essence of pretty much anything. Every single item in your inventory can be turned into an essence that can be absorbed by the weapon. Different items will give specific attributes to your weapons, namely fire, lightning, ice, wind, light, etc. By raising the right amount of attributes, your weapon can level-up into one of its evolved forms. There are many paths of evolution your weapon can take until it reaches its final form. It takes a while to build up weapons, but the feature is pretty rewarding.

And all the rest...

It's not over yet. Dark Cloud 2 has far more to offer than most other games. If the GEORAMA system is your thing, then you'll like the new "making" system, which allows Max to create his own inventions. The game puts at your disposal a camera that can take pretty much everything in picture. You'll need to search the environments and nab shots of everything that you think could be used for an invention. The pictures can then be selected from the idea book to create new things. New costumes for your characters, new weapons, items, Ridepod parts... plenty of stuff to help you on the quest. This feature is obviously optional but it shows Dark Cloud 2 has a lot of side stuff to do to break from the monotony of dungeons.

Dark Cloud 2 also brings back fishing, and introduces fishing competitions. Fishing in the game is very simplistic, and I for one am not too fond of it, but it's a nice side feature for those who enjoy it. You can even build an aquarium for your fish and raise them so they can participate in fish races. The second mini-game, and that is totally new to the series, is Spheda, which is basically like golf. After clearing a floor of a dungeon, a time distortion will appear somewhere and you'll be given the choice to get rid of it by hitting a ball right into it. To make things more complicated, the distortion will either be blue or red, and depending on its color, you'll need to make sure the ball is the opposite color. To change the ball's color, it needs to be hit against a wall first. A lot of strategy is required, since you'll need to consider where the ball should bounce in order to hit the distortion and be the right color at the same time. This makes Spheda extremely hard, but it's a one of a kind fun.

Starting to sound like a lot, huh? Well that's the main problem with the game. There is too much. A lot is good in a large scope, but the game is too small to hold so much, and I'm not even done with all the game has to offer. Unless you're ready to spend 200 hours on the game, there is no way to level-up fully both of the two characters' weapons, get all the Ridepod pieces, all the monster evolutions, and all the rest. And don't forget about the village building. This is how the GEORAMA system in Dark Cloud 2 gets swallowed by everything else. There are so many other things to do in the game that you'll forget about that feature, which used to be the main thing in the first Dark Cloud. Now it's just there, somewhere in-between the rest. None of these many features really are great though, because the game revolves too much around the irksome dungeons. They're the center of the game, and they're bad. Everything else is great, but it doesn't have any purpose if the core of the game isn't good enough.

Two Sides of the World

At first glance, it's hard to tell Dark Cloud 2 is a sequel to the first Dark Cloud. Both games look entirely different. Dark Cloud had a more realistic feel to it, giving it a darker and more moody atmosphere, despite the light-hearted storyline. Dark Cloud 2, on the other hand, takes place in a bright world with very colorful and appealing graphics. While not the best celshading on PS2, unlike what's being said, there is no denying Dark Cloud 2 looks great. The areas are visually attractive, the character animations are top-notch and the game has its moments of awe. However, the number of invisible walls the game has set in the most odd emplacements is slightly disappointing. While exploring the villages, you'll sometimes see inaccessible paths and just ram into an invisible wall that shouldn't be there. It makes the game's world feels very stiff, with no little effects or any more details that it needs.

Thankfully the game still has an amazing soundtrack, with fitting music that is a lot more entertaining than it was in the first Dark Cloud. The tunes are catchy and the game finally features voice acting, giving the characters a lot more personality. I was surprised that it's actually one of the best voice work I've heard recently. The voices are perfect and the lines are believable in their intonation.

Last Words

Dark Cloud 2 does everything better than the first Dark Cloud, yet for some reason I had a greater time playing through Dark Cloud than I did with this sequel. Dark Cloud's depth, yet simplistic nature was what made it so enjoyable. Dark Cloud 2 has too many features that shouldn't be there, or should be part of a larger game. It becomes over bearing to keep up with everything outside the dungeons, while these dungeons are downright tedious after a while, yet without them the game wouldn't work. It shows Dark Cloud relies on something that has become old and needs changing. If Dark Cloud 3 ever sees the light of the day, the dungeons should undergo a lot of tweaking, or the game would benefit from taking another direction in this regards. It's too bad though, because everything else about the game really is brilliant, but it gets lost along the way.

Other than that, Dark Cloud 2 should please fans of collecting, item fetching and customizing. The game can last anywhere from 80 to 100 hours for perfectionists, and will either be completionists's dream game or worst nightmare. With all the features Dark Cloud 2 has in store, it's definitely worth the price, but the real question is, is it worth your time?

Presentation 8/10
Gameplay
-Inside Dungeons 5/10
-Outside Dungeons 8/10
Graphics 8/10
Music 8/10
Replay Value 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/15/07

Game Release: Dark Cloud 2 (US, 02/17/03)