Systems: PlayStation 2
ESRB Rating: T (for Teen)
As video gamers around the world have eagerly begun sinking their teeth into the newest Halo release title Halo Wars, one would think that it should be the obvious choice for this review. However, as popular as this title is, I can honestly and shocking confess that I could not find Halo Wars to buy at a local retail store or rent it from rental stores. Shocking me to the core, I swore to myself that the next game review would be spent on finding out just how appealing and great Halo Wars was. Until I can find it, readers will have to settle for another video game flashback.
As the PlayStation 2 hit shelves in late 2000, the sixth generation console by Sony game with a few titles that still sit in most game collections today. From the hack and slash stylized journey of a hunter in Devil May Cry to the rough streets of fictional Liberty City where a nameless protagonist seeks revenge in Grand Theft Auto III, PlayStation 2 brought to light titles that would be cited in future lists of games to own once the system eventually gets retired. One of the lesser known games released in 2000 submersed players into a fantasy world drawing elements from game series Final Fantasy and Sim City. Creating one of the most original cast of characters in the PlayStation 2 era, Dark Cloud is a shining gem hidden among many pebbles.
Centralizing of the small fictional town Norune Village, the central character Toan seems to be a typical teenager living on a farm. With just his mother to help raise him, Toan’s characteristics as a caring and compassionate individual comes to light through character dialogue and interactions with individuals. Though known as the silent protagonist throughout the game, story developer Akihiro Hino takes the reigns and leads gamers through the sudden changing of a young man’s life and how he rises to the challenge to face it. As Toan’s village is suddenly destroyed by the mysterious dark clouds residing overheard, players begin exploring a vivid world that is theirs to customize.
Featuring the concept of Georama, Akihiro Hino and Kenji Matsue incorporate customizing villages, weapons, and landscapes as part of the game play. Allowing players to have the ability to create the world Toan and the cast of characters interact in paying attention to elements that the town people want and wish for resembles the game play of Will Wright’s Sim City. Success in the town’s people’s happiness reflects the level of ability that the characters can use in dungeon exploring and weapon leveling up.
Yet another crowning feature of Dark Cloud resides in the differences of leveling up. Rather than having the protagonists run through dangerous dungeons and fight monsters to level, Dark Cloud features the evolving of the weapons and their abilities rather than the characters getting stronger. From tiny daggers, magical armlets, mighty war hammers, and poised pistols, the number of enemies fallen by the weapons adds to the strength of them for future usage. Having the ability to break down the weapons and evolve them with additional features, the only downfall to this battle system is the amount of time players can spend on one weapon and then be expected to do the same to others.
Graphics for the time of Dark Cloud’s programming still stand out as one of the most fluid and smooth games on the PlayStation 2 to date. With the random hitching of time lapse while battling in the dungeons every now and then, players have the ability to execute multiple commands on the game without feeling hindered by graphics capability and processing time. Interactions with the surroundings of Dark Cloud also prove spectacular as using objects such as rocks or bombs for attack items prove invalid through many of the dungeons. Rather than attracting dozens of enemies at once with the repercussions of throwing objects at a certain boss, allowing distance between enemies allows new players to experience the battle system without causing frustration.
However, as important as backgrounds and battle systems are, music compositions and artwork also play an important role in the overall experience of a game. Musical composer Tomohito Nishiura creates wide ranges of scores from the lively tunes of Norune Village to the dark, haunting, and foreboding piano compositions of the dungeon exploring throughout the game. Seeming to go hand in hand with Nishiura’s compositions, artwork designer Takeshi Majima spans from beautiful mountainous landscapes to treacherous and damning dungeons.
At the end of it all, Dark Cloud earns a spot as a game not to be missed no matter what generation console gamers are introduced to. Though being known as one of the launch release titles for the emergence of the PlayStation 2 era, like game giants before it, deserves a place on the plague of game immortality. Though not nearly as immense as gaming legends Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, or Super Mario, Dark Cloud is a crowning achievement for game developer Level 5. Spawning a sequel and future games following the same pattern, Dark Cloud just may go down in history as “The Silent Contender.”
Overall Rating: 9 out of 10
