| Dark Chronicle | |
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European box art for Dark Chronicle
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| Developer(s) | Level-5 |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Released | JP November 28, 2002 NA February 17, 2003 EU September 10, 2003 UK September 12, 2003 |
| Genre | Action RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Ratings | ESRB: T (Teen), ELSPA: 11+, PEGI 12+, OFLC: G8+ |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Media | DVD-ROM |
| Input methods | DualShock 2 |
Dark Chronicle (released as Dark Cloud 2 in the U.S. and Canada) is a critically acclaimed Computer role-playing game developed by Level-5 and released by Sony Computer Entertainment on November 28, 2002 in Japan, February 17, 2003 in North America, September 10, 2003 in Europe and September 12, 2003 in the United Kingdom. It is the sequel to the game Dark Cloud, also for the PlayStation 2, and features some of the same "world-building" mechanics. New to Dark Chronicle, however, is the concept of time travel, which plays heavily into the game's storyline. Players control two main characters, Max and Monica, who come from the "present" and the "future", respectively, to foil the maniacal plot of Emperor Griffon.
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Gameplay
Three of the most widely known features of Dark Chronicle are Fishing, Spheda, and Georama. Players can eat the fish they catch, or bring them in to weigh-in contests, or raise them in a fully-fledged "fish tank" feature and enter them in races. Spheda, the name of Dark Chronicle's version of golf, is the Italian word for "challenge" (sfida). The engine for Spheda takes cues from the Hot Shots Golf series, though nuances such as the "golf ball" changing color with each bounce add an extra challenge to Spheda. The town-building mechanic, called "Georama," tasks players with rebuilding destroyed towns using objects (such as houses, bridges and sushi stands) made from materials they buy or find in dungeons. Along with rebuilding the infrastructure, the town must be populated with inhabitants from Max's home town of Palm Brinks. The goal is to complete as many of the ten objectives for each map as possible for each Georama map. While some objectives are requisite for advancing the plot, most are optional and provide bonus items when completed. The theme of "rebuilding a decimated world" is carried over from Dark Cloud, but instead of using a magic stone, you use a large machine. Other features include photography, an invention system, a powerful and customizable robot that can be used for a limited amount of time in battle, and the ability to recruit an NPC to aid you with various bonuses in dungeons (although it should be noted that these characters never "fight" alongside you in the traditional sense). Another notable feature of Dark Chronicle and Dark Cloud is the focus upon weapon growth instead of the traditional focus on character growth (in terms of statistics). When monsters are defeated, they drop Absorption Points (ABS), which, when collected, raise the experience of the weapon that dealt the final blow. When a weapon accumulates enough ABS, it will level up and gain Synthesis Points. Synthesis Points are used to infuse a weapon with an item that has been "spectrumized," which results in the weapon gaining specific stats depending upon the item(s) that were spectrumized. Almost every item in the game can be spectrumized and synthesized to weaponry. Weapons themselves can also be spectrumized, but the resulting spectrumized weapon won't carry over much of its stats unless it's level 5 or higher. In this way it is possible to level-up one weapon, synthesize several things to it to boost desirable stats, and then spectrumize the weapon and synthesize it to another one. Weapons also have the capability to be "Built-Up." In order to be built-up, a weapon must meet certain criteria. In most cases, a weapon just needs to have at least a certain number of several stats in order to be built-up, though some weapons also require you to have defeated certain types of enemies. Some weapons can be built-up into more than one new weapon. When a weapon is built-up, it gains strength and starts over at level 1. Built-up weapons are much stronger than weapons that have not been built-up, and tend to earn more synthesis points when they level up. Weapons also have a durability. Every time a melee weapon hits a monster, or every time you fire a ranged weapon, the durability of the weapon decreases. If it hits 0, then you can no longer use the weapon until it is repaired. In the original Dark Cloud, the weapon was destroyed and you could not get it again. This was lightened in the sequel - if the weapon breaks completely, you only lose some ABS. Max and Monica, the protagonists of the series, can recruit non-player characters into their team by performing certain tasks in Palm Brinks. The characters are not controllable and do not appear on the battlefield, but through the Characters portion of the menu, the player can access a party member's special abilities. Some party members also have an influence on the battle, for example increasing certain drops or adjusting enemy behaviour. Outside of dungeons (in the train and in Georama locations), these characters sell certain items.
Characters
Story
The story centers around Max, a young inventor. While at a carnival, he is attacked by the owner, Flotsam, and his clowns, who try to take the pendant that Max has with him. Max manages to get away from them, and boards a train to escape them. Flotsam boards the train as well, threatening to destroy the train if Max does not hand over the pendant. In the end, Max is rescued by a girl from the future named Monica. Monica needs Max's pendant to fight a war against a warlord named Griffon, who has been traveling to the past to erase his enemies from existence. Max and Monica team up to stop Griffon. While saving Monica's armies, Griffon manages to steal Max's pendant and uses it to summon the red moon to destroy the world. Max and Monica are able to retrieve the pendant, defeat Griffon, and deflect the meteor in time to save the world.
Music
Development
Graphically, Dark Chronicle departs from the style of Dark Cloud completely by using cel-shading. Other effects such as bloom are used, as well. The character models shared similar basic bone structures. Though the main characters had a higher polygon count than the supporting characters; 2500 to 3000 polygons as opposed to 1500 to 2000. Monster models had to be cut down in size because of memory limitations on the PlayStation 2. The game's graphics were created with Softimage 3D. Event scenes utilized the same models that were used in the normal gameplay, both of which were generated in real time. Because of this, even costume changes could be carried over from gameplay to events. Akihiro Hino, a Level-5 producer, stated that smooth transistions 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 minimize the computer generated appearance of the cel-shading. Texturing was also occasionally used to emulate lighting. The game's production took almost two years. The CG production and game development occurred concurrently.[1]
Reception
Dark Chronicle has been widely praised by reviewers from sites and magazines such as Official Playstation Magazine, GameSpot, and GamePro for its wide array of features, minigames, and gameplay elements. The game's graphics were generally well received, earning a 9 from GameSpot.com and IGN says "Dark Cloud 2 is arguably the best looking PS2 game out there, period".[2] Dark Chronicle also won the GameSpot Editor's Choice Award, which is only given to the best of the best games. Other titles with this award are "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic", "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time", and "Halo 3".
References
- ^ (2004) "Dark Cloud 2", in ed. Rico Komanoya: Japanese Game Graphics: Behind the Scenes of Your Favorite Games (in English). New York, NY: Harper Design International, pp.98-103. ISBN 0-06-056772-4.
- ^ Kaiser Hwang (2003-02-14). Dark Cloud 2 Review. IGN. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
