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| Source // MobyGames |
There are games on this 1001 list that, for whatever reason, fill me with a sense of dread. Most of the time it's a game or genre that I just can't be bothered to play, but I push through it and probably come out the other side a more knowledgeable, less judgemental person.
Then there's Dark Chronicle, a randomly generated dungeon crawling, village building, steampunk mech constructing RPG that just overwhelms me. How on Earth am I meant to tackle this game? Where do you begin with a story that takes 50 hours to finish, and for that to not be everything the game has to offer?
Well, the likes of Final Fantasy X takes that long to finish, but I started playing that without any moaning. Why does Dark Chronicle cause me to stop and think?
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| Source // MobyGames |
Fond Memories
A long time ago, I was told of an unusual RPG that had randomly generated dungeons full of building materials which you then used to create RPG villages, Sim City style. I don't know who or what told me of this game, but Dark Cloud intrigued me enough to pick it up and give it a go.
Being on the PlayStation 2, however, in the early days of the console, meant that my time with Dark Cloud was cut short by pretty much everything else I played. The RPG genre wasn't high on my list of favourites, and I wasn't as ready to devote tens of hours to fiddling with character stats and weapon upgrades as I was to, say, blowing everything up in GTA III or whatever.
I never finished Dark Cloud - never got close to finishing - but I was still interested in the ideas it had. A couple of years later, and a cel-shaded sequel (though not of the story, thankfully) emerged in the form of Dark Chronicle. It was bigger, better looking, and jam-packed with more ideas and distractions and things to do. I got it. I played it. I enjoyed my time with it. I think you might know where this is going.
I never finished it. I never got close to finishing it. Dark Chronicle is just too much. I didn't know where to start with it, I didn't know how to approach it, and I didn't want to get frustrated with its many mechanics. I had to let it go and stick with playing whatever else caught my eye and was suited to my playstyle.
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| Source // MobyGames |
Fun Times
Dark Chronicle is a story about - and this is coming from what little memory remains of my time with it 16 years ago - a kid who is some kind of engineer/inventor helping a Princess from the future to deal with a Circus' Ring Master. I think.
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| Source // MobyGames |
It starts off in a sort of fantasy retheme of Paris, a little like Broken Sword, only rainier. I've no idea of how you go from a circus into the sewers, but you do, and it's your first introduction to the dungeons.
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| Source // MobyGames |
Armed with a ranged and a melee weapon, you (whose name escape me), need to navigate the level looking for the exit door, and probably a key to that door carried by one of the many enemies down here.
There are no turn-based fights here, which is probably why I was interested in getting hold of it, so you run around and slap your opponents senseless by whatever means you can. However, weapons degrade with repeated use and will need to be repaired and upgraded over time to increase their usefulness. Naturally, some enemies are better dispatched from range and others up close, so making sure to mix up your style will stretch out the time between repairs.
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| Source // MobyGames |
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| Source // MobyGames |
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| Source // PlayS |
At some point, our hero (Max, I think) notes that he needs more muscle in order to deal with the denizens of the sewery dungeon, and with the aid of a camera and notebook, you are able to run around town jotting down ideas for a mech that you can pilot to face the stronger enemies of the dungeon, switching between the characters largely on the fly.
Steampunk setting or not, the idea of constructing my own mech, with my own weapons, method of travel, and so on, was an appealing mechanic. Sadly, I don't think I got to do much of it before abandoning Dark Chronicle, but the desire to do so lives on a little bit.
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| Source // MobyGames |
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| Source // MobyGames |
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| Source // MobyGames |
The dungeons don't have to look like dungeons, and you don't have to go through them as the same character, either. The Princess, if I'm still assuming she's a princess, has her own equipment, but she doesn't pilot any mechs, unfortunately.
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| Source // PlayStation |
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| Source // Wikipedia |
The building blocks of the dungeons are the same, but the various skins applied on top make them feel unique. A sewer corridor, a forest trail and a cliff path are all effectively the same thing, littered with enemies and dotted with treasure chests, but they look so different that you'll forget they're all classed as dungeons. You might even forget they're all randomly arranged, as well.
Cel-shading as a style helps give games a timeless look. Dark Chronicle could pass itself off as a game from more recent console generations with no problems. In fact, forget about the graphics, because even the gameplay stands out against the competition. It's an action RPG, sure, but it's not just that. Not by a long shot.
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| Source // MobyGames |
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| Source // MobyGames |
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| Source // MobyGames |
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| Source // Wikipedia |
Frustrations
If Dark Chronicle was only about trawling through dungeons looking for the exit, I might have played more of it. Diablo might have been a slog, but a colourful Diablo with the option to play as a wooden Mech... I can get behind that.
But Dark Chronicle is so much more. The dungeons are full of bits and pieces to recreate entire villages, and not only do you need to rebuild everything that once existed (I've no idea why the town is now just a flat patch of grass, but that's what we're here to change), you have to rebuild it to the specifications of the villagers.
That means you've got to talk to such and such, who remembers a river near his house, for example, so you build his home and then create a stream nearby, and then you find that someone else was living on the other side of the river, but you've not left enough room on the other side of the river, so you've got to remap the village to accommodate this new layout...
I don't think the entire village had to be recreated perfectly, but I remember that it couldn't just be slapped down in whatever way pleased you as a city planner. It always had to be according to the villagers. Maybe Dark Cloud was harsher in that respect, perhaps I'm merging the two games into one. I should probably get around to playing Dark Chronicle again.
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| Source // MobyGames |
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| Source // MobyGames |
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| Source // PlayStation |
But then I remember all the Japanese RPG bits and pieces that go into it. Weapons with their own individual stat blocks and upgrade trees, material that you could fuse with weapons to enhance them in some fashion, a gosh darn fishing minigame...
There's even a golf-minigame (I never got this far) where you can apparently play golf in the middle of a dungeon level to upgrade your weapons without grinding for materials. You just have to grind a golf course instead.
To be fair, that interests me, if only for the fact that grinding doesn't, and therefore anything else is better. But it is yet another mechanic on a game full of mechanics. Taking photos of objects to later form an idea of an upgrade to your steampunk death Mech? Excellent idea! Having some ideas be missable, or literally forming the attack of an enemy? Taxing!
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| Source // Wikipedia |
Final Word
There are two things I know: Dark Chronicle is worth tens upon tens of hours of playtime. I can, have, and probably will devote tens and tens of hours to multiple games. So why can I not do so with Dark Chronicle?
I had to recently uninstall Cities Skylines because I grew increasingly frustrated at how my cities looked nothing like they did in my head. To be fair, I never gave them the chance to grow and develop over time, and I wanted instant results, but because I had a vision in my head that looked nothing like that which was in front of me, I was disappointed.
I don't want to be disappointed. I'm well aware that the only person to blame in this situation was myself, but I still don't want to be disappointed, and I fear that I've got a vision of Dark Chronicle in my head that will not match the Dark Chronicle that I'll see in front of my face.
Now I didn't get far 16 years ago. I doubt I even finished my first village. I have no idea on the characters names, let alone the plot. I could treat Dark Chronicle as a blank slate like I seem to be able to do with every other game on this 1001 list, but I'm hesitant.
I don't have my original disc anymore, but I could emulate it. I could use savestates to make my life easier. I could follow a guide. If I was inclined, I could get it on the PS4, complete with trophy support. I don't know if that'd put me off or spur me on...
I've got a list of games from the 1001 list that I need to get back to. Dark Chronicle is on it. I need to get back to it. I need to see what I saw all those years ago. What I was interested in, what I was attracted to, what I was missing out on, even.
I just don't know when I'll be able to get around to it.
Fun Facts
Despite fans and developers alike wanting a sequel, there's been no movement on that front since Dark Chronicle released, and by the looks of it won't be any for the foreseeable future either.
Dark Chronicle, developed by Level-5, first released in 2002.
Version played: PlayStation 2, 2003, via teenage memories.