Dark cloud

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Dark cloud
Original title ダ ー ク ク ラ ウ ド
transcription Dāku Kuraudo
Studio Level-5
Publisher SCEI
Erstveröffent-
lichung		 JapanJapanDecember 14, 2000 May 29, 2001 September 21, 2001
North AmericaNorth America
EuropeEurope
platform PlayStation 2
genre RPG , action-adventure , simulation
Subject Fantasy
Game mode Single player
control DualShock 2
medium DVD
language English, German, French, Italian, Spanish
Age rating
USK released from 6
PEGI recommended for ages 12+
information The successor is Dark Chronicle

Dark Cloud ( Japanese ダ ー ク ク ラ ウ ド , Dāku Kuraudo ) is the first video game from the Level-5 development studio . It combines the genres of action adventure , role play and simulation . A sequel to the game, Dark Chronicle , was released in North America under the title Dark Cloud 2 . In 2004, E3 was named another successor Dark Cloud 3 at the game fair , but it is not known whether the project was actually implemented. It is therefore speculated that in the course of the development of the game Rogue Galaxy it should be released as Dark Cloud 3 .

Gameplay

Dark Cloud is a role-playing game in which the player fights monsters in randomly generated dungeons and collects items . In contrast to most RPGs, however, the level of the player does not increase through increasing experience, but that of his weapons (similar to e.g. in Blade Dancer ). The character only gets stronger by eating certain foods. The weapons increase in level the more often they are used. The player has to observe the condition of a weapon, because the more often it is used, the greater its wear and tear and ultimately it becomes unusable. To ensure that this does not happen, it must be constantly repaired. This option was initially rejected by many critics and gamers.

After playing through it is possible to play the previously hidden dungeon Demon Shaft with 100 levels. The elements change every 20 levels and other monsters have to be defeated. The final boss is the Black Knight . After this has been defeated, the player receives the Chronicle 2 sword , the most powerful sword in the game.

The game also includes a fishing game to pass the time . There are various things to be won there, but they are not relevant for progress in the further course of the game.

Georama mode

The Georama mode occupies a large place in the game . Certain items are needed that can be found in the dungeons (so-called Atla ) to display the overworld similar to ActRaiser or in a construction simulation such as B. SimCity to redesign. These items are special houses of residents of a place, plus trees, streets, fountains, bridges etc. After the residents have returned to the city (these are also to be found as items), they must be addressed in order to find out what their ideas are in terms of the appearance of the city. These include B. special items that should be near certain houses, or one of the NPC would like to live near another or not. The better these tasks are carried out, the higher the progress. If the player has succeeded in fulfilling all wishes in a city 100%, he will receive a special, usually particularly powerful item as a gift or a fancy fighting technique will be available from now on.

Characters

The game includes some playable characters, as is the case with all role-playing games. Any character can be renamed. Each figure has its own special skills and combat techniques that must be used individually when exploring the dungeons.

  • Toan is the protagonist of the game, who fights with daggers, knives and swords. Toan is from the village of Nolune and does not speak during the entire game. After the intro he is commissioned by the fairy king to rebuild the destroyed world. He gives Toan the stone Atlamillia , with which it should be possible for him to pick up and repair the hidden and scattered parts of the world. During the game Toan gets to know other comrades-in-arms who support him in his project.
  • Xiao is a cat girl who only assumed her half-human form through a convertible potion. She is extremely affectionate and very skilled with the slingshot.
  • Goro is an aggressive boy from the village of Poacher. Initially seen as a stubborn child, his life maxim changes when Toan presented him with the amulet of his deceased father and decides to go with him in order to also become the strongest hunter of all time. Giant hammers are his preferred weapons.
  • Ruby is a lovely girl from Queens who goes into battle with a magic ring. She was kept in a magic lamp by the city's mayor because she was supposed to be a pain in the ass.
  • Ungaga is a grumpy man from the town of Muska Lacka, who lost his courage because he thinks it is his fault for not being able to protect the village back then. The staff is his weapon of choice.
  • Osmond is a strange moon-man who is armed with an extensive arsenal of weapons.
  • The dark Djinn is the main antagonist of the game, who was freed by Colonel Flag , in anticipation of being able to conquer the world with him (not playable).
  • Seda is the former ruler of an ancient kingdom (not playable). Seda negotiated a treaty with the evil one to kill his enemies. When his fiancée Sophia was murdered, his hatred gave birth to the dark Djinn.
  • Dran , the god of all beasts, is the guardian of the village of Nolune and at the beginning of the game is still under the influence of the dark Djinn (not playable). He reappears later in the game when the group makes their way to the Heavenly Castle .

action

The game begins with a group led by Colonel Flag holding a ceremony to free the Dark Djinn. Colonel Flag plans to use the Djinn for military action. While the residents of the village of Nolune celebrate a harvest festival, the Dark Djinn begins to destroy the city. The Fairy King conjures up a protective wall around the city and others around other cities in different parts of the world. This spell causes the constituent parts of the city and its inhabitants to be scattered and hidden instead of being destroyed and killed. Toan, a resident of Nolune, receives the Atlamillia stone from the Fairy King and learns that he has to travel through various dungeons around the world to find the lost inhabitants and rebuild the cities.

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