fbpx
Wikipedia

Dark Chronicle

April 27, 2023

Dark Chronicle,[3] released as Dark Cloud 2 in North America, is a 2002 action role-playing game developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 (PS2). It was released in Japan before releasing in English in 2003. An emulated version of the game was released for the PlayStation 4 through the PlayStation Network in 2016.

Dark Chronicle
European cover art
Developer(s)Level-5
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Director(s)Akihiro Hino
Producer(s)
  • Akihiro Hino
  • Kabayashi Yasuhide
Designer(s)
  • Akihiro Hino
  • Yasuhiro Akasaka
  • Yoshiaki Kusuda
Programmer(s)Kenji Matsusue
Artist(s)
  • Takeshi Majima
  • Jun Sonobe
Writer(s)Akihiro Hino
Composer(s)Tomohito Nishiura
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

The game is a spiritual sequel to 2000's Dark Cloud, with which it shares the same basic game mechanics but features new characters and plot. Players control two main protagonists, Max and Monica, who must work together to stop the game's main antagonist, Emperor Griffon, from destroying the world. The game features themes of time traveling, with Max and Monica trying to prevent Griffon's destruction by altering the past to change the future.

The game was met with positive reviews from critics, who praised the improvements over Dark Cloud, in particular the graphics and variety of gameplay styles. Dark Chronicle won several awards, and sold roughly 250,000 copies in Japan within a month.

Gameplay

 
Combat in Dark Chronicle. Monica lifts up a rock to throw at an approaching enemy.

Dark Chronicle is an action role-playing game played from a third-person perspective. The player moves through procedurally-generated dungeons, battles monsters and collects items.[4] Throughout most of the game, players control characters Max and Monica; Max fights with a wrench as his melee weapon and a gun as his ranged weapon. Monica uses a sword and a magical bracelet.[5] Combat in the game uses real time hack and slash techniques.[6]

Unlike most action role-playing games in which the characters level-up, weapons in Dark Chronicle attain absorption points (ABS) with each kill; once a certain number of points have been gained, the weapon is automatically leveled up. As weapons level up, their number of "Synthesis Points" increases, determining how many "spectrumized" items can be attached to it. Most items in this game can be broken down, or "spectrumized", which turns the item into a "SynthSphere" that can be attached to a weapon to raise specific stats, depending on its properties.[7][8] Attachments cost synthesis points; when the weapon's points are depleted, no more attachments can be made until the weapon is leveled up and more synthesis points are attained. Weapons can also be spectrumized but the resulting SynthSphere will be unstable unless the weapon is level five or higher. When attached, instability will result in minimal stat growth. A spectrumized level-five weapon will result in considerable stat growth.[9]

Weapons can be "built-up" into a more powerful weapon if it has a certain number of specified stats; some weapons also require the player to have defeated particular types of enemies. Built-up weapons gain strength and revert to level one; building up is the only way to acquire each character's most powerful weaponry.[10]

As in Dark Cloud, weapons wear out over time and must be repaired to avoid breakage. In contrast with Dark Cloud, broken weapons do not disappear from the players' inventories but become unusable until repaired and lose some of the ABS they have accrued.[5] As in the previous game, characters can only grow stronger by consuming particular items that increase their health points and defense.

 
Georama mode in Dark Chronicle. Here, the player places a house on a previously placed hill in Sindain to affect events in the game's future world.

A major component of Dark Chronicle's gameplay involves special items called "Geostones" which are used to rebuild the world outside the dungeons.[7] When removed from the dungeon, Geostones can be placed into the database of a machine called the "Carpenterion", which turns them into plans for building objects, including houses, trees, lights and rivers, which the player may build once the plans are available and the player has the necessary materials.[5] At this point, the player can enter "Georama mode"—a gameplay mode similar to city-building games—and arrange the pieces on the landscape. Buildings can then be populated with villagers recruited from other levels throughout the game. Certain conditions must be met for each village; when each condition is completed, something significant in the future changes. The player's completion of these conditions is recorded as a percentage. Each Georama map must complete as many of the conditions for that map as possible; it is not necessary to achieve 100% to advance the plot in any map, but doing so earns the player bonus items.[11]

The player can recruit non-player characters (NPCs) onto their teams at various points in the game by performing specific tasks. These characters are never controllable and do not appear in battle, but players can access a party member's special ability through the "Characters" portion of the menu. Each character has a different ability and only one can be active at a time. Some characters can influence a battle, such as increasing item drops and adjusting enemy behavior; others can produce certain items inside or outside dungeons.[7]

Fishing is another feature of the game; players can catch fish to breed and train in their fish tanks. Later in the game, players' fish can be entered into weigh-in competitions and races.[12] The game also has an invention system with which players take photographs of various items and combine them to generate ideas for inventions, which can be created if players have the required materials.[5][13] Players can also build a customizable robot called the "Ridepod" that can be used by Max in battle, and transform Monica into monsters by collecting badges,[14] also used to play "spheda"—a sport similar to golf—in completed dungeons.[15]

Plot

A princess runs to her father's room in a castle in a panic. She arrives finds a man standing over her dead father's body. The man disappears in a ball of light.

Elsewhere, a boy called Max from the town of Palm Brinks attends a circus. By coincidence he overhears a conversation where ringmaster Flotsam pressures the town mayor Need to find a special stone located in the town. Max makes a loud noise and unintentionally gets Flotsam's attention - who notices Max is wearing the special stone as a pendant. Max escapes, and embarks on an adventure by leaving the town via the sewers.

After leaving the town, Max is told that 15 years ago Emperor Griffon destroyed the world but spared Palm Brinks because he wanted a special stone - Max's pendant - and that Flotsam is one of Griffon's henchman. Flotsam again finds Max but is interrupted and defeated by the princess, who we learn is called Monica. Monica lives in the time 100 years after Max's present. Like Max, she has a special stone. Their two stones - called atlamillia - allow them to travel between Max's time and Monica's time.

Max and Monica use their new ability to time travel, as well as the reopening of the railroad by Mayor Need to go on a mission rebuilding areas of the world that Griffon destroyed. In doing so, they fix the future - Monica's time - allowing them to get the help from the future they need to beat Griffon.

During these adventures, they learn that Emperor Griffon possesses a gold atlamillia - the most powerful of the three - but desires the other two to make him all powerful. Upon Paznos's completion, Max and Monica use it to help defeat Griffon's army in Monica's time. During the battle, Max and Monica receive word that Ixion has also been completed at Luna Lab.

Max and Monica use Ixion to head 10,000 years into the past to face Emperor Griffon, a young moon-person who lives in Moon Flower Palace. He tricks them into thinking they had defeated him; stealing their atlamillia and reveals his real form. Griffon plans to summon the Star of Oblivion, which will destroy all life on Earth and allow a new, better world to grow in its place. He starts by moving his palace into the sky of Max's time to destroy the world.

Max and Monica return to Max's time with Ixion, and travel to Kazarov Stonehenge - a place that can act as a time portal - allowing them to bring Paznos to Max's time. They activate it, and Paznos arrives in Max's time and sends the Moon Flower Palace crashing to the ground.

Once again, Max and Monica face Griffon at the Palace. They instead meet a woman named Alexandra, who tells them she owns the Palace and that Griffon was once an orphan child called Sirus, whom Alexandra adopted. Sirus has forgotten his childhood because of the evil inside him. Alexandra asks them to restore the palace's garden to remind Sirus of his old life.

They do so and confront Griffon. These old memories weaken Griffon and Max and Monica manage to defeat him - turning him back into Sirus, who is mortally wounded. A Dark Element rises from Sirus' body and calls the Star of Oblivion. The Element reveals it was born from Sirus' hatred of humans and plans to rule over the destroyed Earth. Max, Monica and Sirus defeat the Element. Sirus stops the Star of Oblivion, dying in the process.

Development

 
An early cutscene showcasing the cel shading on Max, along with Level-5's "tonal rendering", which applies smooth shaded foreground characters on detailed backgrounds.

Rumors about Dark Chronicle first appeared in April 2002, when Level-5 Inc. updated its website with an image of a silhouette from its newest game, although no other details were made available at the time.[16] The game was officially announced on May 16, when Level-5 launched a full website that revealed the new game would include Dark Cloud's Georama mode and had more features than its predecessor. The site also demonstrated the cel-shaded graphics and featured pictures of the two protagonists.[17]

You can fill your world with anything you want to invent. But there are things that we can not create - the unquestionable truths of today, and of course our own memories and even history itself.

—promotional blurb for Dark Chronicle[18]

More information was revealed at E3 later in May, when Sony Computer Entertainment announced the game would be released in Japan and Europe as Dark Chronicle and in North America as Dark Cloud 2, with a release date of late 2002 to early 2003.[19] The invention system, which according to Sony would feature over 100 hours of gameplay, was also demonstrated for the first time.[20] IGN and GameSpot both featured previews of the game based on the E3 demo; IGN focused on the improved Georama system and praised the cel-shaded graphics,[21] and GameSpot looked at the dungeons, finding the combat improved from the first game.[22]

The visual style of Dark Chronicle departs from that of Dark Cloud by using cel shading. Level-5 referred to the graphic style as "tonal rendering"; the main characters have a smooth, shaded look and the backgrounds have detailed textures and lighting.[18] The main characters have a higher polygon count than the supporting characters and are composed of 2,500 to 3,000 polygons. Supporting characters are composed of 1,500 to 2,000 polygons. The game's graphics were created with Softimage 3D. Cutscenes use the models that are used in normal gameplay, both of which are generated in real-time, thus costume changes are carried over from gameplay to cutscenes. Akihiro Hino, the game's writer, director, designer and producer, said that "smooth transitions between gameplay and event scenes help increase the empathy for the game". Soft textures were used to create a uniform feel for the visuals and to minimize the computer-generated appearance of the cel shading. Texture mapping was used occasionally to emulate lighting. The game's production took almost two years; the CG production and game development occurred simultaneously.[23]

An emulated version of the game for the PlayStation 4 through the PlayStation Network was released in January 2016. It features 1080p resolution, trophy support, Remote Play, and Share Play compatibility.[24][25]

Music

The game's music was composed and produced by Tomohito Nishiura. A two-disc album, Dark Chronicle Original Sound Tracks, was released in Japan by Scitron on February 19, 2003. GameSpot's Brad Shoemaker wrote that "Dark Cloud 2's music ranges from good to excellent", and said that "generally there are enough tunes that you won't get too bored of hearing any particular one".[7] IGN's Kaiser Hwang wrote that "the music in Dark Cloud 2 ranges from really good, to really really good, to exceptionally good".[5] A remix album, Dark Chronicle Premium Arrange, was published in Japan by Team Entertainment in April 21, 2004. It consists of 12 arranged tracks from the game by Yasunori Mitsuda, Shinji Hosoe, Motoi Sakuraba, Yoko Shimomura, Noriyuki Iwadare, Kenji Ito and The Black Mages.

Sequel

A sequel, potentially titled Dark Cloud 3, was first rumored to be in development for PlayStation 3 in an alleged leak published in 2006 by PSMania [it], which said Level-5 was aiming for a March 2009 release.[26] In 2009, Level-5 manager Yoshiaki Kusuda said that although the company did not have a "specific plan for a sequel", it would "seriously consider making it" if fans asked for it often enough, leading Kotaku writer Stephen Totilo to encourage readers to request the game.[27] Totilo reported in 2010 and again in 2012 that several people had misread the original 2009 interview, were emailing him and asking him to make it.[28][29] Reporting on a 2017 interview that Hino gave to Nikkei Business Publications,[30] Rolling Stone lamented that a Dark Cloud 3 was not among Level-5's plans for the Nintendo Switch.[31] Hino told Polygon that Level-5 could not produce a new Dark Cloud game on its own because the license was co-owned by Sony.[32]

Although Level-5 has never officially released a Dark Chronicle sequel, there is some evidence that Rogue Galaxy was originally developed as Dark Cloud 3. Inside the NTSC-J version of Rogue Galaxy, two images named DC3-Title can be found.[33] One of the graphics presents the game as "Dark Chronicle Rogue Galaxy". Two launcher files also name the game as "DC3-Project".[34][35]

Reception

Dark Chronicle received generally favorable reviews, with an aggregate score of 87 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on forty-one reviews.[36] GameSpot's Brad Shoemaker scored the game 9 out of 10, calling it "one of the finest games released for the PlayStation 2 so far" and "an aesthetic masterpiece". He praised the variety of the gameplay, writing that "there's so much to do that it's almost overwhelming" and concluded that "Dark Cloud 2 is simply a class act all the way. Every element of the game, from the georama system to the weapon upgrading to the interaction with a large cast of characters, displays a polish and attention to quality that you find only in real classics".[7] The publication named Dark Chronicle the best PlayStation 2 game of February 2003.[45]

IGN's Kaiser Hwang also scored the game 9 out of 10, calling it "arguably the best looking PS2 game out there". He concluded that "Dark Cloud 2 takes the standard sequel road and gives us everything that made the original Dark Cloud great, only bigger and better... The leap in quality between the two games really is amazing. From the incredible graphics, to the great sound, to the refined gameplay, Dark Cloud 2 just oozes of quality and polish".[5] Eurogamer's Ronan Jennings also scored the game 9 out of 10, writing "it deserves credit for making us focus on actually doing things. Its qualities aren't designed to bring quick gasps from casual gamers—they are designed to keep people like you playing for hours on end. Add great graphics, decent music and quality voice acting to the mix and there's not much to say against it".[8][40] GameSpy's Christian Nutt scored the game 4 out of 5, saying it fell just short of being a classic: "The biggest and most obvious problem with the game has to be its story. There was not a single, solitary moment during the game where I was even the slightest bit interested in or entertained by its copious, well-voiced, cinematic sequences. His conclusion was: There's no question in my mind that Dark Cloud 2 is one of the most solid RPG adventures for the PS2; but... it doesn't quite live up to its potential. If Level-5 had worked out all of the kinks, it'd be one of my favorite games for the PS2. Sadly, it's not. While it has my grudging respect, there are many games that I prefer, thanks to DC2's idiosyncrasies".[39]

Game Revolution's Johnny Liu awarded the game a B, praising the graphics and variety of gameplay but said it became somewhat repetitive towards the end: "Dark Cloud 2 is very serial in nature. It's a game you can pick up and play for a few hours, stomping though a few dungeon floors, trying to solve a problem or two, but after a while it meanders towards repetition. In truth, the game is filled with innumerable challenges, likable characters and a high production value. But beneath the surface, the lightweight story and characters combined with the almost rigidly episodic game flow still hold it back".[38]

Sales and awards

Dark Chronicle sold 235,917 copies in Japan by the end of 2002.[46]

The game won "Best PlayStation 2 Game" (2003) from GameSpot,[42] and nominated for "Console Role Playing Game of the Year" (2003) from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.[43] It was also nominated for "Best Adventure Game" at the 1st British Academy Games Awards, losing to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.[44] It received a "Silver Award" from Electronic Gaming Monthly and a "Bronze Award" from PSM.[47] Dark Chronicle was named "Game of the Month" for February 2003 and given an "Editor's Choice" award by IGN, which in 2010 placed it at #31 in their "Top 100 PlayStation 2 Games".[48]

References

  1. ^ a b "Dark Cloud 2". Level-5. from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  2. ^ "Dark Chronicle". Eurogamer. September 30, 2003. from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  3. ^ ダーククロニクル, Dāku Kuronikuru
  4. ^ Holding, Sam (2003). "Playing the Game". Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual (UK). Sony Computer Entertainment. p. 8. SCES-51190.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Hwang, Kaiser (February 14, 2003). "Dark Cloud 2 Review". IGN. from the original on August 13, 2007. Retrieved July 5, 2007.
  6. ^ Holding, Sam (2003). "Combat". Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual (UK). Sony Computer Entertainment. pp. 22–23. SCES-51190.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Shoemaker, Brad (February 18, 2003). "Dark Cloud 2 Review". GameSpot. from the original on October 31, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  8. ^ a b c Jennings, Ronan (September 20, 2003). "Dark Chronicle Review". Eurogamer. from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  9. ^ Holding, Sam (2003). "Upgrading Weapons". Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual (UK). Sony Computer Entertainment. p. 16. SCES-51190.
  10. ^ Holding, Sam (2003). "Upgrading Weapons". Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual (UK). Sony Computer Entertainment. p. 17. SCES-51190.
  11. ^ Holding, Sam (2003). "Georama System". Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual (UK). Sony Computer Entertainment. pp. 26–27. SCES-51190.
  12. ^ Holding, Sam (2003). "Bonus Activities". Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual (UK). Sony Computer Entertainment. p. 29. SCES-51190.
  13. ^ Holding, Sam (2003). "Invention System". Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual (UK). Sony Computer Entertainment. pp. 18–19. SCES-51190.
  14. ^ Holding, Sam (2003). "Bonus Activities". Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual (UK). Sony Computer Entertainment. p. 28. SCES-51190.
  15. ^ Holding, Sam (2003). "Bonus Activities". Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual (UK). Sony Computer Entertainment. p. 30. SCES-51190.
  16. ^ Varanini, Giancarlo (April 9, 2002). "New Level 5 game announcement". GameSpot. from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  17. ^ Lopez, Miguel (May 16, 2002). "Dark Chronicle site launches". GameSpot. from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  18. ^ a b Smith, David (May 16, 2002). "Dark Chronicle". IGN. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  19. ^ "E3 2002: Dark Cloud 2". IGN. May 21, 2002. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  20. ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (May 21, 2002). "E3 2002: Dark Cloud 2 announced for US release". GameSpot. from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
  21. ^ Smith, David (May 22, 2002). "E3 2002: Dark Cloud 2 Impressions". IGN. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  22. ^ Lopez, Miguel (May 23, 2002). "E3 2002: Dark Cloud 2 impressions". GameSpot. from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  23. ^ Komanoya, Rico, ed. (2004). "Dark Cloud 2". Japanese Game Graphics: Behind the Scenes of Your Favorite Games. New York: Harper Design International. pp. 98–103. ISBN 9780060567729.
  24. ^ Osborn, Alex (January 14, 2016). "Dark Cloud 2 Comes to PS4 Next Week". IGN. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  25. ^ Hussain, Tamoor (January 15, 2016). "Dark Cloud 2 is the Next PS2-on-PS4 Release". GameSpot. from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
  26. ^ [Again Level 5!]. PSMania (in Italian). Play Media Company. July 2006. ISSN 1828-0277. Archived from the original (JPG) on April 27, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2018. Une dei nostri infiltrati, ci ha rivelato a un nuovo Dark Cloud esclusivamente per la PlayStation 3. Questo titolo uscirà il Marzo 2009, è sarà sviluppato usando una nuova tecnologia stile cel-shading chiamata "Kumo Engine". "One of our infiltrators revealed us to a new Dark Cloud exclusively for the PlayStation 3. This title will be released on March 2009, and will be developed using a new cel-shading style technology called "Kumo Engine".
  27. ^ Totilo, Stephen (October 2, 2009). "Level 5: More People Need To Ask For A Dark Cloud Sequel". Kotaku. from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  28. ^ Totilo, Stephen (March 23, 2010). "Nine People Want Me To Make Dark Cloud 3". Kotaku. from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  29. ^ Totilo, Stephen (December 12, 2012). "Sorry, I Still Haven't Made Dark Cloud 3. Despite Your Requests". Kotaku. from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  30. ^ Taro Uehara (May 23, 2017). "レベルファイブ、ゲームと玩具連動で再びブーム作れるか" [Can Level 5 find success again by connecting toys and games?]. Nikkei Business Publications (in Japanese). from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  31. ^ Davison, John (May 23, 2017). "Level 5 Working on a Switch Game, Sadly Probably Not 'Dark Cloud 3'". Rolling Stone. from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  32. ^ Frank, Allegra (August 22, 2017). "Level-5 wants another Dark Cloud as much as you do". Polygon. from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018. There has been a lot of requests and voices to create a Dark Cloud 3 or some form of Dark Cloud. That IP is co-owned or managed by Sony Computer Entertainment, so it's not something that we can do or act upon on our own.
  33. ^ Level-5, Japan Studio (December 8, 2005). Rogue Galaxy (PlayStation 2) (in Japanese) (NTSC-J ed.). Sony Computer Entertainment.
  34. ^ "TCRF Rogue Galaxy Page". June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  35. ^ "Dark Cloud 3 Title Pictures". YouTube. June 6, 2021. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  36. ^ a b "Dark Cloud 2 (PlayStation 2)". Metacritic. from the original on December 30, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  37. ^ "プレイステーション2 - ダーククロニクル". Famitsu. No. 915 Pt.2. June 30, 2006. p. 82.
  38. ^ a b Liu, Johnny (February 1, 2003). "Dark Cloud 2 Review". Game Revolution. from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  39. ^ a b Nutt, Christian (March 6, 2003). "Dark Cloud 2 Review". GameSpy. from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  40. ^ a b Bedigian, Louis (February 24, 2003). . GameZone. Archived from the original on May 7, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  41. ^ "Dark Cloud 2 Review". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. March 2003. p. 108.
  42. ^ a b . GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2014.
  43. ^ a b Heller, Benjamin (March 6, 2004). . RPGamer. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  44. ^ a b "Games: Adventure Game in 2004". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. from the original on April 7, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  45. ^ The Editors of GameSpot (March 8, 2003). . GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 23, 2005.
  46. ^ "2002 Top 50 Best Selling Japanese Console Games". The-MagicBox.com. from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved May 25, 2009.
  47. ^ "Level-5: History and Products". Level-5. from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  48. ^ "Top 100 Playstation 2 Games". IGN. Retrieved November 16, 2011.

April 27, 2023
dark, chronicle, released, dark, cloud, north, america, 2002, action, role, playing, game, developed, level, published, sony, computer, entertainment, playstation, released, japan, before, releasing, english, 2003, emulated, version, game, released, playstatio. Dark Chronicle 3 released as Dark Cloud 2 in North America is a 2002 action role playing game developed by Level 5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 PS2 It was released in Japan before releasing in English in 2003 An emulated version of the game was released for the PlayStation 4 through the PlayStation Network in 2016 Dark ChronicleEuropean cover artDeveloper s Level 5Publisher s Sony Computer EntertainmentDirector s Akihiro HinoProducer s Akihiro HinoKabayashi YasuhideDesigner s Akihiro HinoYasuhiro AkasakaYoshiaki KusudaProgrammer s Kenji MatsusueArtist s Takeshi MajimaJun SonobeWriter s Akihiro HinoComposer s Tomohito NishiuraPlatform s PlayStation 2ReleaseJP November 28 2002 1 NA February 17 2003 1 EU September 12 2003 2 Genre s Action role playingMode s Single playerThe game is a spiritual sequel to 2000 s Dark Cloud with which it shares the same basic game mechanics but features new characters and plot Players control two main protagonists Max and Monica who must work together to stop the game s main antagonist Emperor Griffon from destroying the world The game features themes of time traveling with Max and Monica trying to prevent Griffon s destruction by altering the past to change the future The game was met with positive reviews from critics who praised the improvements over Dark Cloud in particular the graphics and variety of gameplay styles Dark Chronicle won several awards and sold roughly 250 000 copies in Japan within a month Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Plot 3 Development 3 1 Music 3 2 Sequel 4 Reception 4 1 Sales and awards 5 ReferencesGameplay Edit Combat in Dark Chronicle Monica lifts up a rock to throw at an approaching enemy Dark Chronicle is an action role playing game played from a third person perspective The player moves through procedurally generated dungeons battles monsters and collects items 4 Throughout most of the game players control characters Max and Monica Max fights with a wrench as his melee weapon and a gun as his ranged weapon Monica uses a sword and a magical bracelet 5 Combat in the game uses real time hack and slash techniques 6 Unlike most action role playing games in which the characters level up weapons in Dark Chronicle attain absorption points ABS with each kill once a certain number of points have been gained the weapon is automatically leveled up As weapons level up their number of Synthesis Points increases determining how many spectrumized items can be attached to it Most items in this game can be broken down or spectrumized which turns the item into a SynthSphere that can be attached to a weapon to raise specific stats depending on its properties 7 8 Attachments cost synthesis points when the weapon s points are depleted no more attachments can be made until the weapon is leveled up and more synthesis points are attained Weapons can also be spectrumized but the resulting SynthSphere will be unstable unless the weapon is level five or higher When attached instability will result in minimal stat growth A spectrumized level five weapon will result in considerable stat growth 9 Weapons can be built up into a more powerful weapon if it has a certain number of specified stats some weapons also require the player to have defeated particular types of enemies Built up weapons gain strength and revert to level one building up is the only way to acquire each character s most powerful weaponry 10 As in Dark Cloud weapons wear out over time and must be repaired to avoid breakage In contrast with Dark Cloud broken weapons do not disappear from the players inventories but become unusable until repaired and lose some of the ABS they have accrued 5 As in the previous game characters can only grow stronger by consuming particular items that increase their health points and defense Georama mode in Dark Chronicle Here the player places a house on a previously placed hill in Sindain to affect events in the game s future world A major component of Dark Chronicle s gameplay involves special items called Geostones which are used to rebuild the world outside the dungeons 7 When removed from the dungeon Geostones can be placed into the database of a machine called the Carpenterion which turns them into plans for building objects including houses trees lights and rivers which the player may build once the plans are available and the player has the necessary materials 5 At this point the player can enter Georama mode a gameplay mode similar to city building games and arrange the pieces on the landscape Buildings can then be populated with villagers recruited from other levels throughout the game Certain conditions must be met for each village when each condition is completed something significant in the future changes The player s completion of these conditions is recorded as a percentage Each Georama map must complete as many of the conditions for that map as possible it is not necessary to achieve 100 to advance the plot in any map but doing so earns the player bonus items 11 The player can recruit non player characters NPCs onto their teams at various points in the game by performing specific tasks These characters are never controllable and do not appear in battle but players can access a party member s special ability through the Characters portion of the menu Each character has a different ability and only one can be active at a time Some characters can influence a battle such as increasing item drops and adjusting enemy behavior others can produce certain items inside or outside dungeons 7 Fishing is another feature of the game players can catch fish to breed and train in their fish tanks Later in the game players fish can be entered into weigh in competitions and races 12 The game also has an invention system with which players take photographs of various items and combine them to generate ideas for inventions which can be created if players have the required materials 5 13 Players can also build a customizable robot called the Ridepod that can be used by Max in battle and transform Monica into monsters by collecting badges 14 also used to play spheda a sport similar to golf in completed dungeons 15 Plot EditA princess runs to her father s room in a castle in a panic She arrives finds a man standing over her dead father s body The man disappears in a ball of light Elsewhere a boy called Max from the town of Palm Brinks attends a circus By coincidence he overhears a conversation where ringmaster Flotsam pressures the town mayor Need to find a special stone located in the town Max makes a loud noise and unintentionally gets Flotsam s attention who notices Max is wearing the special stone as a pendant Max escapes and embarks on an adventure by leaving the town via the sewers After leaving the town Max is told that 15 years ago Emperor Griffon destroyed the world but spared Palm Brinks because he wanted a special stone Max s pendant and that Flotsam is one of Griffon s henchman Flotsam again finds Max but is interrupted and defeated by the princess who we learn is called Monica Monica lives in the time 100 years after Max s present Like Max she has a special stone Their two stones called atlamillia allow them to travel between Max s time and Monica s time Max and Monica use their new ability to time travel as well as the reopening of the railroad by Mayor Need to go on a mission rebuilding areas of the world that Griffon destroyed In doing so they fix the future Monica s time allowing them to get the help from the future they need to beat Griffon During these adventures they learn that Emperor Griffon possesses a gold atlamillia the most powerful of the three but desires the other two to make him all powerful Upon Paznos s completion Max and Monica use it to help defeat Griffon s army in Monica s time During the battle Max and Monica receive word that Ixion has also been completed at Luna Lab Max and Monica use Ixion to head 10 000 years into the past to face Emperor Griffon a young moon person who lives in Moon Flower Palace He tricks them into thinking they had defeated him stealing their atlamillia and reveals his real form Griffon plans to summon the Star of Oblivion which will destroy all life on Earth and allow a new better world to grow in its place He starts by moving his palace into the sky of Max s time to destroy the world Max and Monica return to Max s time with Ixion and travel to Kazarov Stonehenge a place that can act as a time portal allowing them to bring Paznos to Max s time They activate it and Paznos arrives in Max s time and sends the Moon Flower Palace crashing to the ground Once again Max and Monica face Griffon at the Palace They instead meet a woman named Alexandra who tells them she owns the Palace and that Griffon was once an orphan child called Sirus whom Alexandra adopted Sirus has forgotten his childhood because of the evil inside him Alexandra asks them to restore the palace s garden to remind Sirus of his old life They do so and confront Griffon These old memories weaken Griffon and Max and Monica manage to defeat him turning him back into Sirus who is mortally wounded A Dark Element rises from Sirus body and calls the Star of Oblivion The Element reveals it was born from Sirus hatred of humans and plans to rule over the destroyed Earth Max Monica and Sirus defeat the Element Sirus stops the Star of Oblivion dying in the process Development Edit An early cutscene showcasing the cel shading on Max along with Level 5 s tonal rendering which applies smooth shaded foreground characters on detailed backgrounds Rumors about Dark Chronicle first appeared in April 2002 when Level 5 Inc updated its website with an image of a silhouette from its newest game although no other details were made available at the time 16 The game was officially announced on May 16 when Level 5 launched a full website that revealed the new game would include Dark Cloud s Georama mode and had more features than its predecessor The site also demonstrated the cel shaded graphics and featured pictures of the two protagonists 17 You can fill your world with anything you want to invent But there are things that we can not create the unquestionable truths of today and of course our own memories and even history itself promotional blurb for Dark Chronicle 18 More information was revealed at E3 later in May when Sony Computer Entertainment announced the game would be released in Japan and Europe as Dark Chronicle and in North America as Dark Cloud 2 with a release date of late 2002 to early 2003 19 The invention system which according to Sony would feature over 100 hours of gameplay was also demonstrated for the first time 20 IGN and GameSpot both featured previews of the game based on the E3 demo IGN focused on the improved Georama system and praised the cel shaded graphics 21 and GameSpot looked at the dungeons finding the combat improved from the first game 22 The visual style of Dark Chronicle departs from that of Dark Cloud by using cel shading Level 5 referred to the graphic style as tonal rendering the main characters have a smooth shaded look and the backgrounds have detailed textures and lighting 18 The main characters have a higher polygon count than the supporting characters and are composed of 2 500 to 3 000 polygons Supporting characters are composed of 1 500 to 2 000 polygons The game s graphics were created with Softimage 3D Cutscenes use the models that are used in normal gameplay both of which are generated in real time thus costume changes are carried over from gameplay to cutscenes Akihiro Hino the game s writer director designer and producer said that smooth transitions between gameplay and event scenes help increase the empathy for the game Soft textures were used to create a uniform feel for the visuals and to minimize the computer generated appearance of the cel shading Texture mapping was used occasionally to emulate lighting The game s production took almost two years the CG production and game development occurred simultaneously 23 An emulated version of the game for the PlayStation 4 through the PlayStation Network was released in January 2016 It features 1080p resolution trophy support Remote Play and Share Play compatibility 24 25 Music Edit The game s music was composed and produced by Tomohito Nishiura A two disc album Dark Chronicle Original Sound Tracks was released in Japan by Scitron on February 19 2003 GameSpot s Brad Shoemaker wrote that Dark Cloud 2 s music ranges from good to excellent and said that generally there are enough tunes that you won t get too bored of hearing any particular one 7 IGN s Kaiser Hwang wrote that the music in Dark Cloud 2 ranges from really good to really really good to exceptionally good 5 A remix album Dark Chronicle Premium Arrange was published in Japan by Team Entertainment in April 21 2004 It consists of 12 arranged tracks from the game by Yasunori Mitsuda Shinji Hosoe Motoi Sakuraba Yoko Shimomura Noriyuki Iwadare Kenji Ito and The Black Mages Sequel Edit A sequel potentially titled Dark Cloud 3 was first rumored to be in development for PlayStation 3 in an alleged leak published in 2006 by PSMania it which said Level 5 was aiming for a March 2009 release 26 In 2009 Level 5 manager Yoshiaki Kusuda said that although the company did not have a specific plan for a sequel it would seriously consider making it if fans asked for it often enough leading Kotaku writer Stephen Totilo to encourage readers to request the game 27 Totilo reported in 2010 and again in 2012 that several people had misread the original 2009 interview were emailing him and asking him to make it 28 29 Reporting on a 2017 interview that Hino gave to Nikkei Business Publications 30 Rolling Stone lamented that a Dark Cloud 3 was not among Level 5 s plans for the Nintendo Switch 31 Hino told Polygon that Level 5 could not produce a new Dark Cloud game on its own because the license was co owned by Sony 32 Although Level 5 has never officially released a Dark Chronicle sequel there is some evidence that Rogue Galaxy was originally developed as Dark Cloud 3 Inside the NTSC J version of Rogue Galaxy two images named DC3 Title can be found 33 One of the graphics presents the game as Dark Chronicle Rogue Galaxy Two launcher files also name the game as DC3 Project 34 35 Reception EditReceptionAggregate scoreAggregatorScoreMetacritic87 100 36 Review scoresPublicationScoreEurogamer9 10 8 Famitsu35 40 37 GameRevolutionB 38 GameSpot9 10 7 GameSpy 39 GameZone8 4 10 40 IGN9 10 5 Official U S PlayStation Magazine 41 AwardsPublicationAwardGameSpotBest PlayStation 2 Game 2003 42 Academy of Interactive Arts amp SciencesConsole Role Playing Game of the Year nominated 2003 43 1st British Academy Games AwardsBest Adventure Game nominated 44 Dark Chronicle received generally favorable reviews with an aggregate score of 87 out of 100 on Metacritic based on forty one reviews 36 GameSpot s Brad Shoemaker scored the game 9 out of 10 calling it one of the finest games released for the PlayStation 2 so far and an aesthetic masterpiece He praised the variety of the gameplay writing that there s so much to do that it s almost overwhelming and concluded that Dark Cloud 2 is simply a class act all the way Every element of the game from the georama system to the weapon upgrading to the interaction with a large cast of characters displays a polish and attention to quality that you find only in real classics 7 The publication named Dark Chronicle the best PlayStation 2 game of February 2003 45 IGN s Kaiser Hwang also scored the game 9 out of 10 calling it arguably the best looking PS2 game out there He concluded that Dark Cloud 2 takes the standard sequel road and gives us everything that made the original Dark Cloud great only bigger and better The leap in quality between the two games really is amazing From the incredible graphics to the great sound to the refined gameplay Dark Cloud 2 just oozes of quality and polish 5 Eurogamer s Ronan Jennings also scored the game 9 out of 10 writing it deserves credit for making us focus on actually doing things Its qualities aren t designed to bring quick gasps from casual gamers they are designed to keep people like you playing for hours on end Add great graphics decent music and quality voice acting to the mix and there s not much to say against it 8 40 GameSpy s Christian Nutt scored the game 4 out of 5 saying it fell just short of being a classic The biggest and most obvious problem with the game has to be its story There was not a single solitary moment during the game where I was even the slightest bit interested in or entertained by its copious well voiced cinematic sequences His conclusion was There s no question in my mind that Dark Cloud 2 is one of the most solid RPG adventures for the PS2 but it doesn t quite live up to its potential If Level 5 had worked out all of the kinks it d be one of my favorite games for the PS2 Sadly it s not While it has my grudging respect there are many games that I prefer thanks to DC2 s idiosyncrasies 39 Game Revolution s Johnny Liu awarded the game a B praising the graphics and variety of gameplay but said it became somewhat repetitive towards the end Dark Cloud 2 is very serial in nature It s a game you can pick up and play for a few hours stomping though a few dungeon floors trying to solve a problem or two but after a while it meanders towards repetition In truth the game is filled with innumerable challenges likable characters and a high production value But beneath the surface the lightweight story and characters combined with the almost rigidly episodic game flow still hold it back 38 Sales and awards Edit Dark Chronicle sold 235 917 copies in Japan by the end of 2002 46 The game won Best PlayStation 2 Game 2003 from GameSpot 42 and nominated for Console Role Playing Game of the Year 2003 from the Academy of Interactive Arts amp Sciences 43 It was also nominated for Best Adventure Game at the 1st British Academy Games Awards losing to The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker 44 It received a Silver Award from Electronic Gaming Monthly and a Bronze Award from PSM 47 Dark Chronicle was named Game of the Month for February 2003 and given an Editor s Choice award by IGN which in 2010 placed it at 31 in their Top 100 PlayStation 2 Games 48 References Edit a b Dark Cloud 2 Level 5 Archived from the original on March 14 2014 Retrieved May 31 2012 Dark Chronicle Eurogamer September 30 2003 Archived from the original on September 24 2015 Retrieved May 1 2015 ダーククロニクル Daku Kuronikuru Holding Sam 2003 Playing the Game Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual UK Sony Computer Entertainment p 8 SCES 51190 a b c d e f g Hwang Kaiser February 14 2003 Dark Cloud 2 Review IGN Archived from the original on August 13 2007 Retrieved July 5 2007 Holding Sam 2003 Combat Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual UK Sony Computer Entertainment pp 22 23 SCES 51190 a b c d e f Shoemaker Brad February 18 2003 Dark Cloud 2 Review GameSpot Archived from the original on October 31 2013 Retrieved July 1 2012 a b c Jennings Ronan September 20 2003 Dark Chronicle Review Eurogamer Archived from the original on March 14 2014 Retrieved February 16 2014 Holding Sam 2003 Upgrading Weapons Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual UK Sony Computer Entertainment p 16 SCES 51190 Holding Sam 2003 Upgrading Weapons Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual UK Sony Computer Entertainment p 17 SCES 51190 Holding Sam 2003 Georama System Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual UK Sony Computer Entertainment pp 26 27 SCES 51190 Holding Sam 2003 Bonus Activities Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual UK Sony Computer Entertainment p 29 SCES 51190 Holding Sam 2003 Invention System Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual UK Sony Computer Entertainment pp 18 19 SCES 51190 Holding Sam 2003 Bonus Activities Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual UK Sony Computer Entertainment p 28 SCES 51190 Holding Sam 2003 Bonus Activities Dark Chronicle Instruction Manual UK Sony Computer Entertainment p 30 SCES 51190 Varanini Giancarlo April 9 2002 New Level 5 game announcement GameSpot Archived from the original on October 31 2017 Retrieved February 1 2014 Lopez Miguel May 16 2002 Dark Chronicle site launches GameSpot Archived from the original on October 31 2017 Retrieved February 1 2014 a b Smith David May 16 2002 Dark Chronicle IGN Retrieved February 1 2014 E3 2002 Dark Cloud 2 IGN May 21 2002 Retrieved February 1 2014 Gerstmann Jeff May 21 2002 E3 2002 Dark Cloud 2 announced for US release GameSpot Archived from the original on October 31 2017 Retrieved February 1 2014 Smith David May 22 2002 E3 2002 Dark Cloud 2 Impressions IGN Retrieved February 2 2014 Lopez Miguel May 23 2002 E3 2002 Dark Cloud 2 impressions GameSpot Archived from the original on October 31 2017 Retrieved February 2 2014 Komanoya Rico ed 2004 Dark Cloud 2 Japanese Game Graphics Behind the Scenes of Your Favorite Games New York Harper Design International pp 98 103 ISBN 9780060567729 Osborn Alex January 14 2016 Dark Cloud 2 Comes to PS4 Next Week IGN Retrieved January 20 2016 Hussain Tamoor January 15 2016 Dark Cloud 2 is the Next PS2 on PS4 Release GameSpot Archived from the original on January 17 2016 Retrieved January 20 2016 Ancora Level 5 Again Level 5 PSMania in Italian Play Media Company July 2006 ISSN 1828 0277 Archived from the original JPG on April 27 2014 Retrieved March 6 2018 Une dei nostri infiltrati ci ha rivelato a un nuovo Dark Cloud esclusivamente per la PlayStation 3 Questo titolo uscira il Marzo 2009 e sara sviluppato usando una nuova tecnologia stile cel shading chiamata Kumo Engine One of our infiltrators revealed us to a new Dark Cloud exclusively for the PlayStation 3 This title will be released on March 2009 and will be developed using a new cel shading style technology called Kumo Engine Totilo Stephen October 2 2009 Level 5 More People Need To Ask For A Dark Cloud Sequel Kotaku Archived from the original on March 7 2018 Retrieved March 6 2018 Totilo Stephen March 23 2010 Nine People Want Me To Make Dark Cloud 3 Kotaku Archived from the original on March 7 2018 Retrieved March 6 2018 Totilo Stephen December 12 2012 Sorry I Still Haven t Made Dark Cloud 3 Despite Your Requests Kotaku Archived from the original on March 7 2018 Retrieved March 6 2018 Taro Uehara May 23 2017 レベルファイブ ゲームと玩具連動で再びブーム作れるか Can Level 5 find success again by connecting toys and games Nikkei Business Publications in Japanese Archived from the original on October 17 2017 Retrieved March 6 2018 Davison John May 23 2017 Level 5 Working on a Switch Game Sadly Probably Not Dark Cloud 3 Rolling Stone Archived from the original on March 7 2018 Retrieved March 6 2018 Frank Allegra August 22 2017 Level 5 wants another Dark Cloud as much as you do Polygon Archived from the original on March 6 2018 Retrieved March 7 2018 There has been a lot of requests and voices to create a Dark Cloud 3 or some form of Dark Cloud That IP is co owned or managed by Sony Computer Entertainment so it s not something that we can do or act upon on our own Level 5 Japan Studio December 8 2005 Rogue Galaxy PlayStation 2 in Japanese NTSC J ed Sony Computer Entertainment TCRF Rogue Galaxy Page June 25 2021 Retrieved June 6 2021 Dark Cloud 3 Title Pictures YouTube June 6 2021 Archived from the original on December 21 2021 Retrieved June 25 2021 a b Dark Cloud 2 PlayStation 2 Metacritic Archived from the original on December 30 2012 Retrieved June 20 2013 プレイステーション2 ダーククロニクル Famitsu No 915 Pt 2 June 30 2006 p 82 a b Liu Johnny February 1 2003 Dark Cloud 2 Review Game Revolution Archived from the original on March 14 2014 Retrieved January 25 2014 a b Nutt Christian March 6 2003 Dark Cloud 2 Review GameSpy Archived from the original on March 14 2014 Retrieved January 25 2014 a b Bedigian Louis February 24 2003 Dark Cloud 2 Review GameZone Archived from the original on May 7 2010 Retrieved March 10 2014 Dark Cloud 2 Review Official U S PlayStation Magazine March 2003 p 108 a b Year in Review Best PlayStation 2 Game GameSpot Archived from the original on November 7 2012 Retrieved January 25 2014 a b Heller Benjamin March 6 2004 The AIAS Presents its Awards RPGamer Archived from the original on March 4 2016 Retrieved February 15 2014 a b Games Adventure Game in 2004 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Archived from the original on April 7 2015 Retrieved May 12 2014 The Editors of GameSpot March 8 2003 GameSpot s Month in Review February 2003 GameSpot Archived from the original on January 23 2005 2002 Top 50 Best Selling Japanese Console Games The MagicBox com Archived from the original on July 7 2009 Retrieved May 25 2009 Level 5 History and Products Level 5 Archived from the original on December 15 2013 Retrieved February 16 2014 Top 100 Playstation 2 Games IGN Retrieved November 16 2011 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Dark Chronicle amp oldid 1150879833 Music, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.