Dark Chronicle
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| Dark Chronicle | |
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| Developer(s) | Level-5 |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Aspect ratio | 480i (SDTV) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release date | JP November 28, 2002 NA February 17, 2003 EU September 10, 2003 UK September 12, 2003 |
| Genre(s) | Action RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | ELSPA: 11+ ESRB: Teen OFLC: G8+ PEGI: 12+ |
| Media | DVD-ROM |
| Input methods | DualShock 2 |
Dark Chronicle (ダーククロニクル) (released as Dark Cloud 2 in North America) is a critically acclaimed console 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 future, respectively, to foil the maniacal plot of Emperor Griffon.
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[edit] Gameplay
The core gameplay of Dark Chronicle is an action RPG with some elements from dungeon crawl games. The player procedures through a series of randomly created dungeon rooms, which are periodically interrupted by set rooms where they either witness a cutscene or fight a boss. In the dungeons the player will find various materials to use in item construction and Geostones, which are necessary for the Georama.
Outside of dungeons the main focus is the Georama system, where the player is tasked with rebuilding certain locations in order to restore the future. By retrieving Geostones from the dungeons the player is given guidelines for the town as well as plans to make objects (such as houses, bridges and sushi stands) required for filling said guidelines. Along with rebuilding the infrastructure, the town must be populated with inhabitants from Max's home town of Palm Brinks.
The goal for each Georama map is to complete as many of the ten objectives for each map as possible. 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, although this time using a large machine named the Carpenterion instead of the magical stone Atla. compleation of each Georama map in the present also repairs the future as well, unlocking new items and cutscenes which help with the overall gameplay.
Three of the most widely known features of Dark Chronicle are fishing, Spheda, and the 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. 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.
- in the game, the robot is referred to as the "Ridepod", however he has the informal nickname of Steve.
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 behavior. Outside of dungeons (in the train and in Georama locations), some of these characters sell items.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Reappearing characters
- Master Utan
- Jurak (known as Trent in Dark Cloud)
- Osmond
- Dark Genie
[edit] Story
The story centers around Max, a young inventor who lives in the town of Palm Brinks. Max works at Cedric's workshop where he spends time away from his father when he receives a ticket to the carnival. While at the carnival, he is attacked by the ringleader, Flotsam, after overhearing a conversation between him and the mayor about the "outside world" and the Atlamillia stones. Discovering that Flotsam has been threatening and bribing the mayor, Max runs from Flotsam and his clowns who try to take the Altamillia pendant that Max has with him. Max escapes, concerned about Flotsam and the mayor's conversation about the outside world, a place he previously had no knowledge of. Max manages to get away from Flotsam's henchmen by hiding in the sewers, where he tells his friend Donny that he believes that this is the opportunity to see the outside world that he was previously ignorant of. By fighting his way through the sewers and escaping monsters, Flotsam's circus troops, and a huge robot named Halloween, Max quickly gathers together his mechanic partners and his mentor Cedric and boards a train out of Palm Brinks. Flotsam chases them down, and attempts to blow up the train, but he is almost killed by a young girl called Monica. She tells Max her story about how an evil emperor is attempting to destroy the world of the past so that he can rule the future. Together, they journey through many worlds, rebuilding each of them and ultimately restoring the past in order to defeat Griffon.
While saving Monica's armies, Griffon manages to steal Max's pendant and uses it to summon the red moon, known as the Moon of Destruction or Star of Oblivion, to destroy the world. Upon defeating him, it is revealed that Griffon is in fact a young moon person named Sirus, who has been possessed by the Dark Element, the less powerful equivalent to the Dark Genie. Max and Monica are able to retrieve the pendant, defeat Dark Element, and deflect the meteor in time to save the world. The defeat of the dark element also unlocks the spheda practice area, and several other extras.
There is then a bonus chapter where Max, initially without the aid of Monica, enters the old mines , the Zelmite mines, in Palm Brinks. It is there that he meets up with Monica again and together after several other bosses, including Metal Flotsam find the lair of the final boss - the Dark Genie. It is after that final victory that the mayor is able to expand the Blackstone railroad.
[edit] Music
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[edit] 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 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 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]
[edit] 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.
