Dark Cloud 2

"One of the Best Sequels Ever"

When the original Dark Cloud was released, it was advertised by Sony to be a ''Zelda Killer.'' Though it did not succeed, it was an interesting game that brought a new idea to the RPG realm: re-create towns and eventually the entire world from devastation. Unfortunately it was a dungeon crawler, and while many find these games entertaining, they get repetitive after a short time to others. Dark Cloud 2 takes this concept in a new direction, with new gameplay ideas, more customization for almost everything and more variety than its predecessor. Though it is a dungeon crawler at its core, in all aspects, it is a much more deeper game that will provide you with hours of enjoyment.

Gameplay - Describing the gameplay in Dark Cloud 2 as ''similar to Zelda'' barely scratches the surface of this game. Yes the basic idea of the game revolves around you going into dungeons and fighting monsters, but there has been so much added to this concept. Unlike the first Dark Cloud, there are two main characters that work to restore the world, both which use a primary weapon and a secondary weapon. Max, who uses a wrench as his primary weapon and a gun as his secondary; and Monica, who uses a sword as her primary weapon and magical armbands as her secondary weapon. You start off with Max, and pick up Monica shortly on in your quest. Max is usually slower in his attacks with the wrench, but he has great power. He also can use a ridepod (robot) named Steve, yes the name is goofy but the ridepod will be a great asset in your battles. Monica's sword takes a little work to strengthen, but she attacks faster than Max does. She also can transform into different monsters and gain their abilities, though you aren't required to use it as much as the ridepod, it adds to the depth of the game. Battle is simple to pick up, but requires a little practice to allow yourself to become a powerful fighter. Both characters' secondary weapons are long range and are useful for flying enemies and fighting enemies that you are wary about getting close to. As you fight, you gather small blue orbs from defeated foes that ''level up'' your weapons. This increases their Weapon HP (WHP) which is a fancy way of talking about your weapon's durability. As you use your weapon it will wear out, it doesn't effect it's strength, but you should be watchful, because if the WHP is used up, your weapon can't be used until you repair it with it's type of repair powder. Though this may seem as a little unfair, but think about this: in the original Dark Cloud, if any weapon besides your original dagger breaks, you lose it FOREVER. However, as your weapon levels up you can use items to enhance it's abilities, such as attack power, durability and elemental strengths. Enhancing these abilities allow you to build up your weapon and create new, more powerful ones.
As you can see so far, the combat and weapon usage in Dark Cloud 2 has more depth than your average Zelda style game.
While combat makes up a lot of Dark Cloud 2, the Georama system is practically equal in importance and also has been given a complete over hall from the first game. In the original Dark Cloud, you recovered entire houses and people from little pods in dungeons. In Dark Cloud 2, you recover the ability to create specific buildings, trees and other objects using Georama items. These items range from normal materials like logs and odd ones such as ''Sticky Clay.'' One slight problem I found about this new system, is that it can become very complicated at times. I'll explain why: in Dark Cloud 2, you recreate the future by restoring towns in the past. The complicated part is that you need to do everything perfectly in order to trigger events in the future. You sometimes need to place trees in certain places, paint house roofs certain colors or place specific people in the town to get the desired effect in the future. For this part, I recommend buying the strategy guide because I got very confused very quickly. Another factor is your culture points, which increase depending on the amount of buildings, trees, lamps, etc. that are placed in the town. Sometimes you need a specific amount of Culture Points to recreate things in the future and you may have a problem doing so. However, the game does give you an example of what must be done after you acquire more and more geostones.
Acquiring people to live in the houses is also a factor, as you will sometimes need to perform a side quest to get them. These range from simple jobs, such as getting a certain item, to complex ones such as solving a puzzle. You can also place these people in your team and though they are not playable, they give you bonuses in certain areas, such as added attack power against plant monsters or extra points when upgrading a type of weapon.
As I said, Dark Cloud 2 contains an extremely deep gameplay system that, though is very complicated at times, will provide you with hours of enjoyment.

Graphics - The graphics in the original Dark Cloud were basic 3D graphics found in most games and weren't mind blowing. Dark Cloud 2 takes a different approach and uses cel-shaded graphics that gives the game's characters a cartoony look. The lands and dungeons are rendered in normal 3D graphics, but they look amazing, from a forest to the core of a volcano, they are terrific. The character design is great and you can even buy new costumes for the two main characters. Also, as you build up and create new weapons, their appearance changes and they look incredible. Overall, the graphics in Dark Cloud 2 are perfect and give the game a light-hearted look.

Sound - The music in Dark Cloud 2 is simply amazing. Early dungeons' music carry a type of light-hearted tune, while later ones are dark and foreboding. The final level of every dungeon contains the same tune, but it is fast paced and gives the theme of the victory of almost completing the dungeon and the desperation of the need to get to the end. After clearing the monsters in each dungeon level, you are treating to a peaceful tune before delving into the next unknown stage. The voice acting is top notch and each character is perfectly portrayed in every scene.

Story - The story of Dark Cloud 2 starts off simple: you take control of a young boy named Max who loves to invent things. However, after a trip to the circus, he is sent on an adventure that he will never forget. After you meet Monica, you learn about the future and how it has been destroyed due to a being known as Emperor Griffon. The story contains lovable characters, comedic scenes that will make you fall to the floor laughing, dramatic scenes that will bring a tear to your eye and intense fight scenes that will bring you to the edge of your seat.

Replay - Almost infinite as every dungeon level is randomly generated and there are so many weapons to use for both characters. Plus upgrading Max's ridepod and gaining new monster transformations for Monica add to the game's massive depth. This is a game you will enjoy again and again.

Buy or Rent - Personally I rent almost every game before I buy it. However, if you are a fan of the first Dark Cloud or RPGs in general, you will love this game and I suggest you buy it as soon as you can.

In summary, Dark Cloud 2 is an amazing game that not only improves upon the formula started by its predecessor. But also provides you with a very deep gaming experience that you will enjoy from beginning to end...

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/22/04