Dark Cloud 2 heavily refines the approach of the original. Level-5 improves their genre-crossing dynamic to overwhelming heights, with its strengths - all mechanical, displaying a truly rare talent of JRPG gameplay ideas feeding into practically everything.
Even if its predecessor's tense dungeon crawling is virtually non-existent here, it compensates by introducing several ideas that grant degrees of replayability to each dungeon floor while avoiding monotony. New combat options, dungeon achievements and specific enemies/loot on each floor (and even a golfing minigame!) all contribute, while the revamped build-up/spectrumize system basically turns each equipped weapon into a separate party member; continuously evolving organisms, constantly mutating, building and inheriting traits freely. The new invention system demands environmental awareness from the player while providing additional value to each town, player-made or otherwise. Even outside of those, the mechanics are smartly woven together, from the crafting system to fishing, from city-building to time travel, each concept connecting to one another in various ways.
Story-wise: the revamped style, setting, better production values and cutscenes certainly helps its whimsical, intrepid adventurer attitude. However, the final dungeon succumbs to the same tired genre stereotypes, both in the more-tedious-than-tense gameplay and the predictable story sequences. The plot is hardly revolutionary, but it at least feels like an honest attempt this time around, and not a goofier, verbose Zelda clone. Regardless, the sheer value and depth in its gameplay makes Dark Cloud 2 a milestone of 6th generation dungeon-crawlers.
Even if its predecessor's tense dungeon crawling is virtually non-existent here, it compensates by introducing several ideas that grant degrees of replayability to each dungeon floor while avoiding monotony. New combat options, dungeon achievements and specific enemies/loot on each floor (and even a golfing minigame!) all contribute, while the revamped build-up/spectrumize system basically turns each equipped weapon into a separate party member; continuously evolving organisms, constantly mutating, building and inheriting traits freely. The new invention system demands environmental awareness from the player while providing additional value to each town, player-made or otherwise. Even outside of those, the mechanics are smartly woven together, from the crafting system to fishing, from city-building to time travel, each concept connecting to one another in various ways.
Story-wise: the revamped style, setting, better production values and cutscenes certainly helps its whimsical, intrepid adventurer attitude. However, the final dungeon succumbs to the same tired genre stereotypes, both in the more-tedious-than-tense gameplay and the predictable story sequences. The plot is hardly revolutionary, but it at least feels like an honest attempt this time around, and not a goofier, verbose Zelda clone. Regardless, the sheer value and depth in its gameplay makes Dark Cloud 2 a milestone of 6th generation dungeon-crawlers.