Dark Cloud

[Nidoking's iconNidoking]

Can we have a general Dark Cloud thread? I don't think these games get talked about enough and I know they've both got a pretty devoted fanbase. They're just such charming, unique experiences.

What's your favorite of the two? Favorite characters, weapons, areas?
Which one had the better main villain? The chubby genie that's basically Satan, or tyrannical Mark Hamill?

How about the music? I feel this in particular goes criminally under discussed.

DARK CLOUD!

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

I loved the first one and was dying to play the second one... but it was impossible for me because Android doesn't really allow you to decompress files larger than 4GBs, which happens to be the exact size of its ISO.

 

[VampireLord1024VampireLord1024's icon]

I actually played a very little bit of both games a few weeks ago and I mean like just a few minutes with the games, just running around that first cave a little in the first game and getting past the circus tent in the second game, which is as far as I got since I haven't played the game lately. Someone might say I should play both games more, but I'm not sure when that'll be, as I simply don't know as of currently.

 

[Nidoking's iconNidoking]

I loved the first one and was dying to play the second one... but it was impossible for me because Android doesn't really allow you to decompress files larger than 4GBs, which happens to be the exact size of its ISO.

Shame, the second one is really great. It IS a bit different, especially at first, but it keeps the most important elements and expands on a lot of things in really strong ways.

 

[medisinn]

I adore the first game. Played the hell out of it when it came out, bought it at some point when it got ported to PS4, loved it. Didn't beat the super long end-game dungeon, and I don't think it's very well balanced in the sense that not every character feels as good to play as the others, but it's still a great game. Probably my introduction to roguelike elements in maps, unless the bonus dungeon in Lufia II counts.

I haven't played a whole lot of the second game, although I liked what I played. Got it several years after release on PS2, put in a handful of hours and then got distracted by something else. Same thing with the PS4 rerelease. I owe it another chance, there's just too many things on the backlog at the moment.

I think the series is ripe for another entry, I'd love to see what they could do with the Georama system with better technology. I don't think it'd need to be anything crazy, just made a good-looking lower-budget game that could run on PS4 or PS5. Kind of like they did with the MediEvil remake several years ago. I'd love to see it elsewhere but I believe Sony owns the rights so the odds are slim.

 

[Aziamuth]

I've had it on my backlog for quite a while. I'm interested on it because it was made by Level 5 who also made

Rogue Galaxy and Dragon Quest VIII

 

[MrFabulous]

Level 5 who also made

Rogue Galaxy

Weirdly enough I just replayed Rogue Galaxy a few weeks ago (after kind of forgetting about it when I was still playing it new on the PS2) and it's a total gem, far ahead of its time. Looking into the background a bit it turns out it began life, and much of its develpment, as a Dark Cloud sequel. Quite a few assets on the discs even share the naming conventions of Dark Cloud stuff. It's strange to think that something that could easily have been the start of a series was born out of an even more deserving (and mostly forgotten) series like DC.

The original Dark Cloud is one of those 'whoa' titles I remember from the early days of the PS2 that really made me feel like we were all in new territory. It's kind of quaint now to look back on it but coming from the PSX era it felt like some wild new frontier.

 

[King Koopa's iconKing Koopa]

We need another one.

 

[Num]

How about the music? I feel this in particular goes criminally under discussed

one of my favorite tracks of all time it permeates through my very being

 

[Melir]

I absolutely love both. Dark Cloud 2 being the favorite. Replaying it now the combat does feel a bit clunky. But still, that game has so much love put into it.

If there's one thing I don't like about the game is that the combat music gets really tiring. And it resets every 20 seconds as you move from enemy to enemy! I'd wish the dungeon music would just keep playing.

 

[Nidoking's iconNidoking]

We need another one.

To be honest it's been so long since I thought about the possibility of a Dark Cloud 3 I sort of forgot it was even something I wanted. I would love to see it happen, though.

 

[Yousef]

Have a soft spot for Level-5. They never underdeliver. So many unique ideas and games! Rogue Galaxy is worth checking out if you loved Dark Cloud.

 

[Nidoking's iconNidoking]

Have a soft spot for Level-5. They never underdeliver. So many unique ideas and games! Rogue Galaxy is worth checking out if you loved Dark Cloud.

I've been pretty curious about it, I've just never really had the chance to play it. But at this point it's probably the closest I'm ever going to get to another Dark Cloud.

 

[Yousef]

I've been pretty curious about it, I've just never really had the chance to play it. But at this point it's probably the closest I'm ever going to get to another Dark Cloud.

It’s a good Star Wars clone. Decent action rpg.

 

[Aziamuth]

It’s a good Star Wars clone. Decent action rpg.

There's one segment at the end that I'm really fond of. It's a dungeon where each character faces their past and accept it and it's really cool (it's also accompanied by a really good song:

)