Dark Chronicle
- May 17, 2002 00:00 AM PST
The wonderful world of random dungeons, bass fishing and "Georama" returns in this sequel to Dark Cloud, due out this fall in Japan.
Dark Cloud, one of the first real RPGs for PlayStation 2, had nice enough graphics but suffered from a flat story and annoying kinks in its battle system. Fortunately for the fine developers at Level-5, the game sold well enough to merit a sequel.Set 100 years after the events of Dark Cloud, the new Dark Chronicle stars a young genius named Yuris and his friend Monica. They'll journey together in a quest that progresses much the same way Dark Cloud's story unfolded. The famous (or infamous) "Georama" system, letting you collect magical spheres and rebuild roads and buildings, will make a comeback in Dark Chronicle, along with the random dungeons that amazed (or frustrated) countless gamers in the original.
Level-5's artists have obviously been working overtime on their 3D skills. Dark Chronicle uses cel-shaded models to create a game world straight out of fairy tales, and the screenshots they've revealed already look very solid. The game is due out this fall in Japan; there's no word on a U.S. release yet, but Sony might have something to say about that at this year's E3 show. Stay tuned.
