Dark Cloud

"A Fun Mix of RPG, Action, Adventure, and Simulation"

Dark Cloud was said to be the Zelda Killer, and although I disagree, it is an excellent game that is very deserving of all of it's praise.

The game starts out with a very long (and boring after the first viewing) dance show. They are trying to revive the Dark Genie that is in the huge urn. They succeed, followed by a few silly actions, they get on with their plan of destroying the world. The target? The village of Norune, home of Claude, the Macho Brothers, and our hero, Toan.

The Dark Genie attacks at a festival taking place in Norune. Toan, who is late to the celebration, tries to save his best friend Paige but finds himself instead in a strange place. The Fairy King appears before him, he is very sad. He tells Toan what happened to Norune, about the Dark Genie, and about Atla. Right before Norune was destroyed, The Fairy King had preserved the town in Atla to fool the Genie. Because of his good heart, Toan is given the task of restoring the town, which he must do by collecting the Atla using the Atlamilla that was given to him by the Fairy King. In order to do this, Toan must fight his way through the Divine Dragon Cave, a dungeon that is now filled with monsters.

The story goes on from there. Toan decides to help rebuild more towns using his Atlamilla. He and allies that his picks up along the way, eventually decide to go after the Dark Genie himself.

That are a few aspects of this game that I must point out because it's what makes this game so amazing.

The Characters. There are more characters than just Toan. Besides the Fairy King, the inhabitants of the towns, and other NPCs, there are Xiao - a strange girl from Norune, Goro - a chubby hunter from Matataki, Ruby - a genie out of her bottle from Queens, Ungaga - a strong warrior from Muska Lacka, and Osmond - the boss of the Moon People. Of course, true to the RPG style, you have the option of naming these characters anything you like.

The Dungeons. All the fighting takes place on floors. They aren't all dungeons, there is a forest, and even the moon, but they are generally all referred to as dungeons. You can switch Toan with one of your allies at any time, except on some limited floors. The battles do not take place Final Fantasy style, where you walk around a random map until you encounter a random battle. With Dark Cloud, what you see is what you get. There are no random battles. You can see all of your enemies as soon as you walk into a room, and you can fight them at your leisure (if they allow it!). You can also see them as dots on your maps, provided you have found the map and the crystal for the floor.

Leveling up. In Dark Cloud, you don't level up. Not in the way you probably think of leveling up, anyway. You don't get exp. points for battles. Instead, your weapons level up, and become stronger over time. Your defense increases by providing the character with his favorite food (fluffy donut for Toan, witch parfait for the genie, etc.) And your thirst meter increases by using gourds.

The Weapons System. In my opinion, the weapon system is the best part of the game. Each character has a different type of weapon. Toan uses daggers and swords, Xiao uses slingshots, Goro uses different types of hammers, Ruby uses magical rings, Ungaga fights with spears, and Osmond wields guns. In Dark Cloud, your weapons can evolve into better weapons, eventually becoming an ultimate weapon. You gain the ability to upgrade your weapon with Abs, which you acquire through fighting monsters. You can also put gems or attachments on your weapon to gain better stats. The weapon system is complex and challenging to a new player, but you'll get the hang of it soon.

The Towns. The towns in Dark Cloud are unique...they aren't there! In order to have shops to shop at or people to talk to (and to complete the game), you must rebuild the towns yourself. All the parts of the town are scattered in a dungeon nearby, they have been in encased in Atla (an orangish orb) to save them from the wrath of the Dark Genie. Using the Atlamilla, which is a magical object worn around Toan's wrist, you must find the pieces of the town and recreate the village. You get to place the houses and shops, rivers, road, and trees anywhere you want to make the town look how you want it to look! Of course, the residents do have a few requests...it's your choice whether to listen to them or not.

This game is a fun mix of RPG, Action, Adventure and Simulation.

Gameplay - 7/10 It gets a little repetitive but is still fun.

Story - 6/10 The story could be a lot better. Actually there isn't much of a
story at all except for a few sequences here and there.

Graphics/Sound - 9/10 The graphics in some of the story sequences could have
been a lot better, but the rest were outstanding.

Play Time/Replayability - 10/10 You could put lots of hours into this if you
wanted to. Or you can just speed through if you would rather.

Final Recommendation - Buy this game, if you haven't already. It's very fun and
entertaining and will take up a lot of your free time.

Final Score - 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/29/02, Updated 10/29/02