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Dark Cloud ps2 Game Reviews
Dark Cloud
Critic Score
Metascore: 80 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.1 out of 10
based on 27 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 38 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

Sony's long-awaited first-party title which mixes several existing genres and game ideas, Dark Cloud puts the player into the role of young Toan, who is chosen by a Fairy King to help bring the world back into order after it had destroyed by the recently summoned "Dark Genie" or "Black Demon."

PUBLISHER: Sony Computer Entertainment
DEVELOPER: Level Five
GENRE(S): Role-Playing Game
PLAYERS: 1
ESRB RATING: T (Teen)
RELEASE DATE: May 29, 2001

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)
A stunning visual banquet, masterfully blending all the necessary ingredients for a cracking fantasy RPG. We're not likely to see many better PS2 titles this year.
91
Absolute Playstation
Crawling through hoards of dungeons in search for more, and more pieces to your missing world never got old for me. I was always driven to go on.
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91
Gaming Age
One of the rare games that takes the best from lots of games, adds random dungeons, and a dash of its own originality, and ends up being a really great game.
Read Full Review
89
TotalGames.net
Simply put, if you don’t like the genre previously known as an RPG then there is nothing here to shine you on, but what there is has been created with such a level of craft that there’s no denying its artfulness. It’s a beauty and as near (yet far) to a Zelda release as we’re going to see.
Read Full Review
89
netjak
While it can be tough at some points and a bit difficult to master everything in the first hour, it’s a great gaming experience and besides, that genie Ruby is kinda cute.
Read Full Review
85
TotalPlayStation
What it does well, however is mixes them into a delicious stew of action, RPG and strategy elements that end up tasting better than if they were eaten by themselves.
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84
IGN
What Dark Cloud offers is a splendid mix of several existing genres and game ideas that when merged together brings forth a delightful and extremely addictive adventure role-playing game that's easily one of the best we've yet seen on PlayStation 2.
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84
Gaming Maxx
With the PS2 RPG release list suffering, Dark Cloud could easily be named the best offering in this genre to date.
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81
GameSpot
Dark Cloud successfully blends adventure, RPG, simulation, and strategy elements into one incredibly addictive game.
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80
Hot Games
It’s a captivating run for about the first ten hours of play, then dungeon levels become too mechanical. Still, for all its shortcomings, the game also has its share of charms.
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80
Cincinnati Enquirer
Isn't for everyone. The game lacks speech and some of the Japanese-to-English translations don't read welI. What's more, the music repeats too often. But after a while depth of this RPG grows on you. That said, it's probably not for people with short attention spans.
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80
Happy Puppy
While the task of rebuilding the village is fantastically addictive, the repetitive gameplay is a bore.
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80
Total Video Games
The idea of creating your own world is welcomed, and the graphics are good at times, but do falter at certain stages especially throughout the dungeon levels.
80
Yahoo! Games
We have no problem at all with awarding Dark Cloud a Console Domain highly recommended award.
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80
GamerWeb Sony
The controls are simple, but the weapon system and town building program will take time to master, and this should appeal to RPG fanatics.
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80
Electric Playground
Those who want more than a clone will be disappointed, those just looking for a good game will be pleasantly rewarded.
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80
GMR Magazine
Pays homage to RPGs past while establishing its own unique identity. [Feb 2003, p.92]
79
GameSpy
There is about 30 hours of play contained within Dark Cloud, but the title does not contain the type of epic storyline needed to drive the player through those hours.
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78
Da Gameboyz
The sound is fairly lackluster. But overall the game is rich and inviting, with a great storyline, lots of playable characters and an abundance of items for you to collect.
75
Gamezilla!
Stepping in the right direction to make RPGs a bit more varying. However, it does tend to bog down at times and you'll feel like you’ve done the same thing more than twice, making it a little mundane at points.
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75
Core Magazine
An adeptly designed adventure game that effectively combines elements of several other titles into a highly entertaining - if imperfect - package.
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75
GamePower
It has buried within other commonplace RPG elements the most innovative approach to game storytelling I have seen in years.
75
Game Revolution
Despite its obviously derivative mechanics and gameplay, Dark Cloud offers a solid, fun experience and at least tries something interesting with its village building system.
Read Full Review
70
All Game Guide
The game could not have survived as a dungeon crawler alone, and thankfully the many side diversions offer hours of fun by themselves.
Read Full Review
70
GamePro
A spotty story and monotonous gameplay keep Dark Cloud from rising to new heights.
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70
GamePen
Music is a mixed bag, ranging from tolerable to downright painful. Music should enhance the mood set by the game, or, at worst, should fade into the background.
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60
PSX Nation
If you have the patience to endure all that dungeon crawling, and a bothersome camera, there's a very addicting game underneath. Don't expect a Final Fantasy caliber story-line, or Zelda-esque adventure gameplay.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 8.1 (out of 10) based on 38 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ando T. gave it a2:
Boring and repetitive. Definately one to steer well clear of. It's so dull that it makes Runescape look inspired.

Fed G. gave it a10:
This game is the best.

Matthew I. gave it a 2:
Can people please stop judging this game on the demo as only with the real game can you grasp the true monotony of it. The randomly created dungeon levels are dull and exactly the same as the one before it, and the one before that, and the one before that, and the ten more before that and even when you reach the bottom of the dungeons (if you have the patience to get there) bosses consist simply of choosing the character with the weapon that can stun the boss and then hitting it with your strongest one. The weapon system is drab and anoying, never giving you enough repair powders with which you acxn repair your swords so that you're eventually forced to sell anything good that you have in order to buy repair powders. And after putting so much work into "training" a sword for it to suddenly break and you loose everything is one of the most annoying things I've ever experinced. For some reason your character cannot go five minutes without a drink. Literally. If he doesn't have a drink he starts to loose health, meaning you either have to stock up on expensive water or constantly trek back across the levels to get to a spring. It gets two marks only for the village building part, which is also flawed. There is no storyline that I can see. Never ever ever get this game. Get Dark Cloud 2 instead.

Naomi M. gave it a 10:
Its great!!! I love rebuilding the villages! I just wish they talked!

[Anonymous] gave it a 10:
I'm sorry, I don't have any comments about the game...Only thing I can say is that Dark Cloud is a fun game.

The imminent 26 gave it a 5:
I give this pathetic piece of "entertainment" five merely for the georama and the deep weapon system. However every single other aspect except for the usually entertaining music is worthless and should be eternally forgotten the day this game is someones favorite is the end of the world. Plus since the combat is inept it cancels out the deep weapon system. Maybe if you enjoy going to teh exact same dungeon over and over with different "random" floors over and over and over and over for every dungueon you might enjoy this waste of time. ANd as a last note to many characters with useless purposes......I hate this game but you are entitled to your .....opinion...i guess.

Mark W. gave it a 9:
V good game, gunna buy the sequel.

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