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RATING: (weak) 1 2 3 4 5 (awesome)
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IN BRIEF
Pros: Many challenges -- from combat readiness to puzzles -- await you in this world. A host of enemies, levels, and, and tactics will test your mettle. Cons: You'll have to quit your day job to finish this game. In a nutshell: Welcome to a new world and get ready to save it. As the only able-bodied man left in the village, it's up to you to brave the dungeon and save the day. Multiplayer: No *ESRB rating: T |
FACTS
Game Title: Dark Cloud Platform: PS2 Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Accessories supported: Vibration Release Date: 6/2/01 Price: 49.99 |
THE REVIEW by David Daniels for Gamers Today
If they changed the rules of baseball so it was full contact and played on ice, would it still be baseball? How you answer that question may decide whether Dark Cloud is for you or not. Here is a gaming experience that borrows an element from just about every game you've ever played and delivers it's own unique experience.
In a very good looking but very long (twenty minutes!?@#?) opening, you learn how evil forces have kidnapped everyone in your village and how it's up to you to find them and then restore their tranquil way of life. If you're starting to think "ah, just another role-playing game," you're wrong.
No sooner do you start Dark Cloud's quest when a friendly wizard appears to set you straight about a few things. Real juicy stuff like how to accumulate power, health, and stronger weapons. These turn out to be simple concepts, which entail some dizzyingly complex details. Mixing powers, learning what magic works on which creature, and knowing when to run and when to fight all complicate the mix.
Now maybe it's starting to feel like an old-fashioned round of Dungeons and Dragons, but at the risk of sounding like a Ginsu Knife commercial, "Wait, there's more." Any game that has weapons must have fighting. And the fights aren't a typical roll of the dice. They're Mortal Kombat style arcade action -- and there's plenty of them.
Then in no particular order there are puzzles to solve (what makes that damn railcar go), controller challenges (of all things, under the guise of fishing), and the big daddy of them all...a variation of Sim City as you reclaim pieces of your town from the dungeons and restore them to their former glory.
With so much going on it would be easy to make game controls a complicated affair, but great attention has been given to making things simple. Which button to push in any given situation is usually described on-screen before it's needed, and then is pretty intuitive. Other characters in the story also give good advice on how to succeed, so pay attention.
Some of the simplicity that went into making the game fun to play gets carried over in its look. Dark Cloud is carefully drawn on screen, but in a manner that most reminded me of a Pokemon cartoon. Nothing to be ashamed of, but just don't expect to be blown away by anything you see.
The same can be said for the sound. To tell the truth, none of it really matters. The background music is light but repetitive and none of the alert sounds are critical to the gaming action. My advice? Turn the game volume down and the stereo up.
When I was a kid I was humored that certain games claimed to be appropriate for wide-ranging age group -- for instance, "for ages eight to eighty." Dark Cloud fits in this game category because it has something for everyone. But if you're looking for very specific thrills, consider something beyond the nether worlds of Dark Cloud.
*For a complete explanation of ESRB ratings, check out the official ESRB Web site.
