Dark Cloud 2

Gaming Age

Not only does this version of Dark Cloud look beautiful, but it has a little something for everyone, action and exploration, character customization and development, magic and technology, city building, and a wonderful captivating story... [and] it does them all exceptionally well.

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

Pure fun... With so much variety, the game has more than enough absurdly addictive elements to keep you busy for untold hours. [Mar 2003, p.108]

Into Liquid Sky

Dwarfs the first game in every single aspect including those tiny little details only microscopes can see. [Grade = A+]

Yahoo! Games

One of the best console RPGs you'll ever play... The sort of masterpiece that could only be made by people with a preternatural insight into what makes gamers tick.

GameShark

No matter how you look at it this game rocks. It offers the action-style of "Wind Waker" with light character & weapon building, world building and a handful of mini-games and quests that make it an RPG experience that PS2 owners shouldn't pass up.

GameNow

The game throws a seemingly endless array of activities at you - all of them fun. [Apr 2003, p.49]

Four Fat Chicks

Dark Cloud 2 has a great story, lots of adventure, unique characters and monsters and Spehda! What's not to love? This one is a keeper!

netjak

Don't let Dark Cloud 2's mediocre predecessor deter you from experiencing this masterpiece which is about as close to a genuine work of art you can get from a video game... Easily one of the most addictive, most fun games available for the PlayStation 2.

Gamers' Temple

Simply a terrific RPG that is so well polished you might need sunglasses to play.

Game Over Online

An amazing game. I mean, seriously, wow. Expect to invest an absurd amount of time getting to the end of the game.

Gamer's Pulse

The most amazing thing about Dark Cloud 2 is the fact that so much can be fit into one game like this, all of which is used effectively, and still have room left over for awe-inspiring graphics.

Game Informer

The complete package for RPG enthusiasts. The exhilarating heights of the story are equaled by great gameplay depth. [Mar 2003, p.80]

TotalGames.net

If you’re even remotely interested in RPGs, you have to bury yourself in this – it takes a bit of time to grow on you, but once Dark Cloud 2 has you, it won’t let go for a very long time.

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

We've marvelled at the luscious visuals, wept at a tragic twist in the plot (true), slaughtered untold numbers of evil minions and after 60 hours of adventuring, still haven't tired of it. [GamesMaster]

GamingTrend

The storyline and acting is superb. I would call Dark Cloud 2 a classic.

GameSpot

Every element of the game, from the georama system to the weapon upgrading to the interaction with a large cast of characters, displays a polish and attention to quality that you find only in real classics... DC2 could very well be the PlayStation 2's Zelda.

Electric Playground

A game for people who want a nice, long haul game, not a game that lasts a few bowls of chips. Such games risk repetitiveness and boredom, but Dark Cloud 2 stared these dragons down.

PSX Nation

It’s no "Wind Waker" (then again, what is?) but, in its own quiet and subtle way, developer Level-5’s dungeon-clearing RPG is as amusing and polished an entry into the genre as anything Miyamoto has designed for the past two generations of Nintendo consoles.

IGN

From the incredible graphics, to the great sound, to the refined gameplay, Dark Cloud 2 just oozes of quality and polish.

GamingWorld X

You will be busy for months fooling with the invention system, building newfound lands with the Georama system, arming your characters to the teeth, with the best upgrades and equipment money can buy.

GamerWeb Sony

Takes the ideas presented in the original game and expands and improves upon its predecessor in every imaginable way, and by leaps and bounds at that.

Eurogamer

A bitch of a game to review. But for the same reasons it's a joy of a game to play. There's just so much to it. It's a town-builder, a compelling dungeon-crawler, a fishing game, a golf game and, in short, a great RPG.

GamePro

Most importantly—and this will make Dark Cloud fans very happy—Level-5 has fixed nearly everything wrong with the first game.

GMR Magazine

The invention-building feature, which lets you create new weapons by combining photos of different found objects is nothing short of genius. [Mar 2003, p.68]

eToychest

This sequel magnifies everything the original did right, and corrects nearly everything it did wrong.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

You can call an RPG a lot of things - compelling, cinematic, thought-provoking - but rarely addictive. Dark Cloud 2 is completely, utterly addictive. [Mar 2003, p.111]

GameZone

I am more surprised by Dark Cloud 2's disappointments than I am its achievements. I expected it to be great. I assumed I would enjoy it a lot. But I never once dreamed that its story would be so annoying!

GameSpy

It's a lot like going to your favorite restaurant, ordering your favorite dish, taking a bite and finding a hair in it.

Armchair Empire

Visually the game is absolutely stunning with its use of cel shading in comparison to the presentation used in the first game.

PSM Magazine

Immensely more satisfying, deep, and involving than its predecessor. [Mar 2003, p.40]

G4 TV

Just about everything good about the original has improved. The repetitive dungeon crawling, however, will not appeal to everyone.

TotalPlayStation

Sure, the game is infinitely more impressive when each piece is broken down, but with an experience that begs to be played ad infinitum, yet quickly screams to be over long before it finally ends, the whole experience can feel a little flat.

Gamestyle

Problems aside though, Dark Chronicle is a truly captivating game. A great story coupled with decent controls, features and more extra bits than anyone could ever think of.

GameCritics

The definition of what a perfect sequel should be, and an excellent game in its own right.

Cincinnati Enquirer

Just be sure not to make any plans until the summer - it may very well take you that long to finish this elaborate role-playing game.

Gamezilla!

I thought the real time battles and weapons upgrade system was pretty good, but didn’t like the fact that you need to repair your weapons so often.

Game Revolution

Filled with innumerable challenges, likable characters and a high production value. But beneath the surface, the lightweight story and characters combined with the almost rigidly episodic game flow still hold it back.

Play Magazine

A game like Dark Cloud 2 would, I argue, be much more effective if the emphasis was placed on a more flowing, cohesive world structure, but for what it sets out to accomplish, it deserves minor criticism. [Mar 2003, p.48]

Cheat Code Central

This is the game that "Dark Cloud" should have been. Dark Cloud 2 is truly a fantastic RPG though it really should have been entitled Dark Cloud One-and-a-half.

Edge Magazine

When the game eventually gets going, it's almost as much fun as it's predecessor. It's just that it takes several hours to kick off. Dark Cloud 2 still has merit, but it's simply not as enjoyable as the first game. [May 2003, p.95]

NTSC-uk

Sadly, Dark Cloud 2’s shining moments are outweighed by the mediocre inclusion of the random dungeon, and the tragic design decisions the developers chose to implement.