Dark Chronicle
Encyclopedia
Dark Chronicle released as Dark Cloud 2 in North America
, is a role-playing video game
for the PlayStation 2
video game console
. It was developed by Level-5
and published 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 Dark Cloud
, and features similar action role-playing and city-building game mechanics. Returning from the original game is the concept of time travel
and world rebuilding. Players control two main protagonists
, Max and Monica, who come from the present and future, respectively, to stop the main antagonist
, Emperor Griffon who is destroying the present from the past.
of Dark Chronicle is of an action RPG with some elements from dungeon crawl
games. The player moves through a series of randomly-created dungeon rooms or levels which are periodically interrupted by set rooms where either a cutscene is shown or the players fights a boss. In the dungeons, the player will find various materials to use in item construction and Georama.
Outside of dungeons the main focus is on the Georama system where the player is tasked with rebuilding particular locations to restore the future. By retrieving Geostones from the dungeons the player is given guidelines for the town and plans to make objects (houses, bridges, shops) required for filling those guidelines. After rebuilding the infrastructure, the town must be populated with inhabitants by completing mini-games.
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
, but this time while using a large machine named the 'Carpenterion'. Completion of each Georama map in the present repairs the future, unlocking new items and cut scenes.
Three of the features of Dark Chronicle are fishing
, spheda (a sport similar to golf
) and Georama. Players can bring their fish to weigh-in contests, or raise them in a fish tank feature and enter them in races. Other features include NPC
recruiting, photography
, an invention
system and a powerful and customizable robot
that can be used in battle.
Another notable feature of Dark Chronicle is the focus on weapon growth instead of the traditional focus on character growth. When monsters are defeated, they drop absorption points (ABS), which, when collected, raise the experience of the weapon that dealt the final hit. 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 on 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 will not carry over much of its stats unless it is level five or higher. Weapons also have the capability to be "built-up." To be built-up, a weapon must meet certain criteria. In most cases, a weapon needs to have at least a certain number of several stats to be built-up, while some weapons also require the player to have defeated particular 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 one. Built-up weapons are stronger than weapons that have not been built-up, and tend to earn more synthesis points when they level up.
Weapons also have durability. When a melee weapon hits a monster, or a ranged weapon is fired, the durability of the weapon decreases. If it reaches zero, the player can no longer use the weapon until it is repaired with an item or for no cost from an NPC.
The player, controlling either protagonist, can recruit non-player characters into their team by performing different tasks. The characters are not controllable and do not appear in battle, 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 item drops or adjusting enemy behavior. Outside of dungeons (in the train and in Georama locations), some of these characters sell items.
. Although never explicitly mentioned, it can be presumed it is also set on the planet Terra by the presence of the same two moons.
The game takes place on one continent
of many different settlements, but with the destructive ways of Emperor Griffon, most of the once civilized villages are abandoned and empty.
in the English version) - A young aspiring inventor living with only his father (his mother having disappeared) in the 'present'. Max comes from a wealthy family, but has no interest in privileged living with his father, preferring instead to work with an elderly friend, Cedric (voiced by Paul Eiding
), in his mechanic shop. After coincidentally overhearing Flotsam - a homicidal circus ringmaster - pressuring the town mayor to produce a valuable stone, Max is soon caught up in a serious conflict, spanning both time and space. Working with Monica and other characters, Max must 'rebuild' the past to ensure a prosperous future. His weapons of choice are various wrenches, hammers and hand-held guns. He also has the ability to pilot the Ridepod, a steampunk
-inspired mech named "Steve". Max has one of three special amulets, or Atlamillia, that enable travel through time, his red amulet allowing movement from the past into the future.
(voiced by Hiroko Taguchi
in the Japanese version and by Anndi McAfee
in the English version) - A young princess, adept at both swordsmanship and magic, who hails from 100 years in the future. After the murder of her father at the hands of an enigmatic figure named Gaspard, she sets out on a journey through time to search him out. Her travels take her into the past, where she helps Max in a battle against the evil clown Flotsam, who, like her nemesis Gaspard, is a servant of Emperor Griffon. Afterwards, she joins Max on the quest to rebuild time and put an end to Griffon's scheme. Her weapons of choice are various swords and special brassards that enable her to use elemental magic. She also has the unusual ability to change into monsters using special badges, which gives her new combat options, and enables her to talk to other monsters of the same type. Monica has one of three special amulets, or Atlamillia, that enable travel through time, her blue amulet allowing movement from the future back into the past.
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 Flotsam has been threatening and bribing the mayor, Max runs from Flotsam and his clowns who try to take the Atlamillia pendant 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 he believes this is the opportunity to see the outside world. 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 is nearly killed by a young girl called Monica.
Princess Monica Raybrandt travelled back through time when her father, King Raybrandt was assassinated by the Dark Assassin Gaspard. Monica is much more informed of the situation than the less-worldly Max is at that time. She tells Max an evil emperor is controlling time by using his Atlamillia, the Sun Stone, and is also attempting to destroy the world of the past so that he can rule the future. Together, they journey through many towns, rebuilding each of them and ultimately restoring the past to defeat Emperor Griffon. There are four areas: Sindain, Balance Valley, Veniccio and Mount Gundor. Each area has a "dungeon" the player must defeat and retrieve stones from. Once all the stones have been collected, Max and Monica travel 10,000 years into the past to face Griffon with the timetrain Ixion. After a battle with Griffon in his palace, he steals both Atlamillia from Max and Monica and takes the Moon Flower Palace to Max's time. The only thing that can stop the Moon Flower Palace from destroying the world is the battle palace Paznos, which will not be completed until Monica's time. Max and Monica are able to trigger a chrono-union at the Kazherov Stonehenge, which allows Paznos to travel to Max's time, allowing the two to return to Moon Flower Palace for another battle with Griffon.
Griffon can summon the Star of Oblivion when he has acquired the Sun Stone (which he already possesses) the Earth Stone (Max's Atlamillia) and the Moon Stone (Monica's Atlamillia). The Sun Stone is much more powerful than the Earth and Moon Stones, as it can travel 10,000 years into the past and future, while Max and Monica's stones can only travel 100 years into the future or past, respectively.
Upon defeating him, it is revealed Griffon is a young moon person named Sirus, who has been possessed by the Dark Element. Max and Monica are able to retrieve the pendant, defeat Dark Element and deflect the meteor in time to save the world.
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 sometimes used to emulate lighting. The game's production took almost two years. The CG production and game development occurred concurrently.
ese market in late 2003. The soundtrack, composed by Tomohito Nishiura
, consists of seventy-seven tracks. In 2004, a tribute album was made, "Dark Chronicle Premium Arrange", consisting of remixes
of some of the more famous tracks from the game. Many Japanese video game industry composers worked on the recordings, from people like Chrono
series composer Yasunori Mitsuda to Nobuo Uematsu
's former band The Black Mages
.
The game has an aggregate review score of 88 at GameRankings and 87 at Metacritic.
Total PlayStation gave the game 8 out of 10.
Gaming Target gave the game a 9.5 out of 10.
Gamespot gave the game a 9.0 out of 10. Gamespot would also go on to name Dark Chronicle as the Best PlayStation 2 Game of 2003.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, is a role-playing video game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. It was developed by Level-5
Level-5
is an independent video game developer and publisher based in Fukuoka, Japan. The company, which currently employs about 200 individuals, was founded in October 1998 by Akihiro Hino after he departed from the now defunct Japanese developer Riverhillsoft...
and published by Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
on November 28, 2002 in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, February 17, 2003 in North America, September 10, 2003 in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and September 12, 2003 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
It is the sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to Dark Cloud
Dark Cloud
is a role-playing video game for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2000 and 2001 in Japan and American/PAL regions respectively. The gameplay of Dark Cloud combines action role-playing with elements of city-building...
, and features similar action role-playing and city-building game mechanics. Returning from the original game is the concept of time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
and world rebuilding. Players control two main protagonists
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, Max and Monica, who come from the present and future, respectively, to stop the main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
, Emperor Griffon who is destroying the present from the past.
Gameplay
The gameplayGameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
of Dark Chronicle is of an action RPG with some elements from dungeon crawl
Dungeon crawl
A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment, battling various monsters, and looting any treasure they may find...
games. The player moves through a series of randomly-created dungeon rooms or levels which are periodically interrupted by set rooms where either a cutscene is shown or the players fights a boss. In the dungeons, the player will find various materials to use in item construction and Georama.
Outside of dungeons the main focus is on the Georama system where the player is tasked with rebuilding particular locations to restore the future. By retrieving Geostones from the dungeons the player is given guidelines for the town and plans to make objects (houses, bridges, shops) required for filling those guidelines. After rebuilding the infrastructure, the town must be populated with inhabitants by completing mini-games.
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
Dark Cloud
is a role-playing video game for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2000 and 2001 in Japan and American/PAL regions respectively. The gameplay of Dark Cloud combines action role-playing with elements of city-building...
, but this time while using a large machine named the 'Carpenterion'. Completion of each Georama map in the present repairs the future, unlocking new items and cut scenes.
Three of the features of Dark Chronicle are fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, spheda (a sport similar to golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
) and Georama. Players can bring their fish to weigh-in contests, or raise them in a fish tank feature and enter them in races. Other features include NPC
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
recruiting, photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, an invention
Invention
An invention is a novel composition, device, or process. An invention may be derived from a pre-existing model or idea, or it could be independently conceived, in which case it may be a radical breakthrough. In addition, there is cultural invention, which is an innovative set of useful social...
system and a powerful and customizable robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
that can be used in battle.
Weapons also have durability. When a melee weapon hits a monster, or a ranged weapon is fired, the durability of the weapon decreases. If it reaches zero, the player can no longer use the weapon until it is repaired with an item or for no cost from an NPC.
The player, controlling either protagonist, can recruit non-player characters into their team by performing different tasks. The characters are not controllable and do not appear in battle, 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 item drops or adjusting enemy behavior. Outside of dungeons (in the train and in Georama locations), some of these characters sell items.
Setting
Dark Chronicle, like its predecessor, is set within a fantasy worldFantasy world
A fantasy world is a fictional universe used in fantasy novels and games. Typical worlds involve magic or magical abilities and often, but not always, either a medieval or futuristic theme...
. Although never explicitly mentioned, it can be presumed it is also set on the planet Terra by the presence of the same two moons.
The game takes place on one continent
Continent
A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
of many different settlements, but with the destructive ways of Emperor Griffon, most of the once civilized villages are abandoned and empty.
Characters
(voiced by Megumi Kubota in the Japanese version and by Scott MenvilleScott Menville
Scott David Menville is primarily an American voice actor, actor, musician, and comedian.-Early life and career:The son of Chuck Menville, he was bassist for the Southern California rock band Boy Hits Car, which released three albums until he left the band in 2006. He was with the group since...
in the English version) - A young aspiring inventor living with only his father (his mother having disappeared) in the 'present'. Max comes from a wealthy family, but has no interest in privileged living with his father, preferring instead to work with an elderly friend, Cedric (voiced by Paul Eiding
Paul Eiding
Paul Eiding is an American voice actor, voice instructor, and actor, perhaps best known as the voice actor behind Perceptor in the original Transformers cartoon, Roy Campbell in the Metal Gear series, the narrator in Diablo, Judicator Aldaris in StarCraft, and Max Tennyson in Ben 10, Ben 10: Alien...
), in his mechanic shop. After coincidentally overhearing Flotsam - a homicidal circus ringmaster - pressuring the town mayor to produce a valuable stone, Max is soon caught up in a serious conflict, spanning both time and space. Working with Monica and other characters, Max must 'rebuild' the past to ensure a prosperous future. His weapons of choice are various wrenches, hammers and hand-held guns. He also has the ability to pilot the Ridepod, a steampunk
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
-inspired mech named "Steve". Max has one of three special amulets, or Atlamillia, that enable travel through time, his red amulet allowing movement from the past into the future.
(voiced by Hiroko Taguchi
Hiroko Taguchi
, is a Japanese voice actress from Kanagawa Prefecture who is attached to Haikyo. She sometimes goes by several pseudonyms, including , , and .-TV Animation:*ef: A Tale of Melodies. as Miyako Miyamura*ef: A Tale of Memories. as Miyako Miyamura...
in the Japanese version and by Anndi McAfee
Anndi McAfee
Anndi Lynn McAfee is an American actress, voice actress and the older sister of Scott McAfee.-Biography/Career:McAfee was born in Los Angeles, California. She started performing on stage when she was 7 years old and began working on film projects a year later...
in the English version) - A young princess, adept at both swordsmanship and magic, who hails from 100 years in the future. After the murder of her father at the hands of an enigmatic figure named Gaspard, she sets out on a journey through time to search him out. Her travels take her into the past, where she helps Max in a battle against the evil clown Flotsam, who, like her nemesis Gaspard, is a servant of Emperor Griffon. Afterwards, she joins Max on the quest to rebuild time and put an end to Griffon's scheme. Her weapons of choice are various swords and special brassards that enable her to use elemental magic. She also has the unusual ability to change into monsters using special badges, which gives her new combat options, and enables her to talk to other monsters of the same type. Monica has one of three special amulets, or Atlamillia, that enable travel through time, her blue amulet allowing movement from the future back into the past.
Story
Princess Monica Raybrandt travelled back through time when her father, King Raybrandt was assassinated by the Dark Assassin Gaspard. Monica is much more informed of the situation than the less-worldly Max is at that time. She tells Max an evil emperor is controlling time by using his Atlamillia, the Sun Stone, and is also attempting to destroy the world of the past so that he can rule the future. Together, they journey through many towns, rebuilding each of them and ultimately restoring the past to defeat Emperor Griffon. There are four areas: Sindain, Balance Valley, Veniccio and Mount Gundor. Each area has a "dungeon" the player must defeat and retrieve stones from. Once all the stones have been collected, Max and Monica travel 10,000 years into the past to face Griffon with the timetrain Ixion. After a battle with Griffon in his palace, he steals both Atlamillia from Max and Monica and takes the Moon Flower Palace to Max's time. The only thing that can stop the Moon Flower Palace from destroying the world is the battle palace Paznos, which will not be completed until Monica's time. Max and Monica are able to trigger a chrono-union at the Kazherov Stonehenge, which allows Paznos to travel to Max's time, allowing the two to return to Moon Flower Palace for another battle with Griffon.
Griffon can summon the Star of Oblivion when he has acquired the Sun Stone (which he already possesses) the Earth Stone (Max's Atlamillia) and the Moon Stone (Monica's Atlamillia). The Sun Stone is much more powerful than the Earth and Moon Stones, as it can travel 10,000 years into the past and future, while Max and Monica's stones can only travel 100 years into the future or past, respectively.
Upon defeating him, it is revealed Griffon is a young moon person named Sirus, who has been possessed by the Dark Element. Max and Monica are able to retrieve the pendant, defeat Dark Element and deflect the meteor in time to save the world.
Development
Graphically, Dark Chronicle departs from the style of Dark Cloud completely by using cel-shading. The main characters have a higher polygon count than the supporting characters, composed of 2500 to 3000 polygons as opposed to 1500 to 2000. The game's graphics were created with SoftimageSoftimage
Softimage, Co. was a company located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that produced 3D animation software. Their flagship products, Softimage 3D and Softimage XSI, are used in the creation of computer animation for films, television advertisement, and video games...
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 sometimes used to emulate lighting. The game's production took almost two years. The CG production and game development occurred concurrently.
Audio
The 2-disc Dark Chronicle soundtrack was released to the JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese market in late 2003. The soundtrack, composed by Tomohito Nishiura
Tomohito Nishiura
Tomohito Nishiura is a Japanese video game music composer. He works primarily on games developed by Level-5.-Works:*Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva *Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box...
, consists of seventy-seven tracks. In 2004, a tribute album was made, "Dark Chronicle Premium Arrange", consisting of remixes
RemixeS
RemixeS is a compilation of French singer Mylène Farmer's singles by various famous DJ's, including JXL, Felix Da Housecat and Paul Oakenfold.-Brackground, writing and release:...
of some of the more famous tracks from the game. Many Japanese video game industry composers worked on the recordings, from people like Chrono
Chrono series
The series is a video game franchise developed and published by Square Enix . It began in 1995 with the time travel console role-playing game Chrono Trigger, which spawned two continuations, Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross. A promotional anime called Dimensional Adventure Numa Monjar and two...
series composer Yasunori Mitsuda to Nobuo Uematsu
Nobuo Uematsu
is a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community...
's former band The Black Mages
The Black Mages
The Black Mages were a Japanese instrumental rock band formed in 2002 by Nobuo Uematsu, Kenichiro Fukui and Tsuyoshi Sekito - three composers for Square Enix. The band arranged Uematsu's Final Fantasy video game series-based compositions in a rock style often similar to progressive metal, achieved...
.
Reception
Dark Chronicle sold 235,917 copies in Japan by the end of 2002. The game has been widely praised by reviewers. At the time of its release, IGN said "Dark Cloud 2 is arguably the best looking PS2 game out there, period".The game has an aggregate review score of 88 at GameRankings and 87 at Metacritic.
Total PlayStation gave the game 8 out of 10.
Gaming Target gave the game a 9.5 out of 10.
Gamespot gave the game a 9.0 out of 10. Gamespot would also go on to name Dark Chronicle as the Best PlayStation 2 Game of 2003.