Line #152 VideoGame/DarkChronicle


1	[[quoteright:227:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/darkchronicle_6583.jpg]]
2
3	->''"There was a time when our world was blanketed in darkness. The people of that time fought back and reclaimed their future. But their story could never be passed down to future generations. Did this amazing adventure really happen or not? No one knows for sure, but if you can walk out into the night sky and speak to the moon, I'm sure it would tell you all about our strange adventure."''
4	-->--'''Maximillian'''
5
6	''Dark Chronicle'' (known as ''Dark Cloud 2'' in North America) is the sequel to ''VideoGame/DarkCloud'' developed by Creator/{{Level 5}} and released on 2003.
7
8	Maximillian (or just Max) is a boy who resides in Palm Brinks, which is [[CityInABottle mysteriously cut off from the rest of the world]]. Max loves to create a myriad of inventions while working in the local repair shop, run by an old man named Cedric. While attending a circus in the town square, Max is attacked by the ringmaster Flotsam and his goons, who are after the red jewel that Max wears around his neck. Upon escaping, he discovers an abandoned railroad, which connects to "the outside world". With Cedric's help, Max restores the trains and leaves the town, and quickly runs into Monica, a female knight from 100 years into the future. She carries the same jewel as Max, except hers is blue and worn as a bracelet. She tells him that the forces of evil (Emperor Griffon and his servants) are erasing things from her time period as well as Max's, but with the power of the Atlamillia (the jewels), they can fix the time periods by recovering their "origin points".
9
10	Unlike in the original game, there are only two primary playable characters, although Max and Monica have secondary abilities of attack; Max is given "Steve the Ridepod", a machine built by Cedric, and Monica can collect monster badges, which allows her to morph into monsters. They are also given two weapons each to compensate. Max uses blunt items--mainly wrenches and hammers--and a gun, while Monica uses swords and magic-casting armlets. Many of the weapons are repeated from the previous game: Monica uses a lot of the same swords and armlets as Toan and Ruby, and Max uses some of the same hammers and guns as Goro and Osmond.
11
12	On January 2015, the game was re-released on the [=PS4=], complete with trophies and upscaled graphics.
13
14	Despite any rumors which may still be floating around, a third game is not in development. However, the Georama system made a comeback in ''VideoGame/WhiteKnightChronicles I'' and ''II'', making the games something of a SpiritualSuccessor to the ''Dark Cloud'' series.
15
16	----
17	!!This game provides examples of:
18
19	* AbandonedMine: The Zemite Mines, the game's BonusDungeon.
20	* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: The very first dungeon, the Underground Channel, is large enough for people and Flotsam's ''elephant'' to walk in. You can even play golf in it!
21	* ActionGirl: Monica Raybrandt is a powerful princess and even more capable than Max at the beginning of the game.
22	* ActorAllusion: Creator/MarkHamill voicing a character named Emperor Griffon. Twenty-odd years earlier, he played a character named [[Film/TheBigRedOne Private Griff]].
23	* AlasPoorVillain: Gaspard, responsible for killing Monica's father and ruining the timeline on Griffon's behalf gets a very sympathetic send-off when [[spoiler:he opposes Griffon's command to kill the heroes]] and finally gets a flashback to his DarkAndTroubledPast.
24	** Almost the same thing happens to [[spoiler: Griffon, of all people. It's a little confusing, since it's hard to tell where Griffon ended and the Dark Element began, but Max's example led to a complete 180 in Griffon's attitude, and he died saving the world in a big way after being mortally wounded when trying to defend Max and Monica from the Dark Element.]]
25	* AncestralWeapon: The Holy Daedalus Blade, King Raybrandt's sword is passed down to Monica if you complete Gundorada Workshop.
26	* AndYourRewardIsClothes:
27	** You can go to Mayor Need to trade your very hard-earned Medals for outfits not sold in stores, such as a clown suit, Monica's princess gown, or a CatGirl FurBikini. Try not to think too hard about why [[DirtyOldMan Need would have these]].
28	** Beating the game allows you to choose Monica's starting outfit as well as Max's.
29	* [[AnInteriorDesignerIsYou An Exterior Designer Is You:]] Like its predecessor, the other half of the game, other than DungeonCrawling, is the Georama: build towns according to its inhabitants' needs or wishes --such as painting their roof black, putting their house next to a tree, or placing three people as neighbors. Although it is not necessary to advance, each town has specific requirements, and very good rewards, for achieving OneHundredPercentCompletion.
30	* AnthropomorphicPersonification: [[spoiler:The Dark Element]] represents hate, resentment and evil.
31	* AntiFrustrationFeatures: The Seal-Breaking Scroll, available fairly early in the game, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin breaks the seals on certain dungeon floors]] so that you aren't locked into using just one character. They cost a bit, but players quickly find themselves making enough money to carry a few on them at a time.
32	** Unlike in ''Dark Cloud'', broken weapons don't disappear. They simply become nigh-useless until repaired. This was a ''huge'' source of relief from folks who'd had weapons break after spending hours and hours leveling them up.
33	* ApatheticCitizens: Double-subverted. At the start of the game, the citizens aren't even the slightest bit concerned about the fact that [[CityInABottle there hasn't been any contact from the outside world in over ten years, as well as the fact that the mayor hasn't allowed anyone to leave the city]]. But when the truth about the world's end is finally brought out into the open... [[EasilyForgiven they take it quite well, actually]].
34	* ArtInitiatesLife: Parn's wife Julia was a painting he brought to life using gold paint made from gold eggs.
35	* AwesomeButImpractical:
36	** Steve's [[MacrossMissileMassacre Missile Pod Arms]]. Sure, it looks awesome... but good luck hitting anything. They work a lot better if you're in a wide-open area, with a lock on your target. However, it also suffers from chewing through WHP ridiculously fast, like the Machine Gun Arm.
37	** Monica's Monster Badges allow her to shapeshift into different monsters. Which is very cool, but these monster forms need to be leveled up individually, which can take an incredibly long time, and they start out being much weaker than the weapons you'll have by the time you get them. And most of them have pretty poor attacks to work with.
38	* BadassNormal: Max, who can beat monsters to death with just a wrench and shoot them with a gun.
39	* BackTracking:
40	** In Chapter 2, you're required to return to one of the first few floors of the Rainbow Butterfly Wood and use the Himarra Badge to talk to a monster for a quest item.
41	** In Chapter 6, you have to return to four of the dungeons you previously visited, and take paths you previously couldn't.
42	* {{Baku}}: Starlight Canyon features a mini-boss called the Memo-Eater, an obese monster with a tapir's nose that possesses a girl and eats her memories.
43	* BeastMan: The Moon People are all vaguely anthropomorphic rabbits (more rabbit than human) and there's plenty of ducks, apes, and other humanoid animals living together with humans as completely ordinary citizens.
44	* BigBadWannabe: Subverted with [[spoiler: Griffon's true form]]. Despite his cute appearance, he really is [[{{KillerRabbit}} that]] [[NotSoHarmlessVillain dangerous]].
45	* BigDamnHeroes: The Firbits pull this off by [[spoiler:flying the Carpenterion into Griffon's palace]] to whisk Max and Monica to safety.
46	* BigFancyCastle: Griffon's castle, which itself is a dungeon.
47	* BlindIdiotTranslation: The grammar-- if you can call it that --in the explanation of Polyn in ''Chronicle''.
48	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Yay! The day is saved! But Monica and Max's mom, whom he's been pining for the entire game, won't come stay in his time period, and time travel becomes illegal in their future. ]]
49	* BodyguardCrush: Responsible for Max's existence. His mother [[spoiler:was sent from the future to protect his dad, the owner of the red Atlamillia. She ended up falling in love with him, but had to leave both him and his son because she really didn't belong in their time.]]
50	* BonusDungeon: Zelmite Mine is unlocked after you finish the game and it is ''brutal''.
51	* BossRush: [[spoiler:The Spiral of Dreams features five boss fights leading to the final boss of Chapter 7.]]
52	* BossSubtitles: Many bosses have this, though some major story bosses lack this.
53	* BreakableWeapons: Weapons slowly break the more you use them. Unlike its predecessor, broken weapons don't completely disappear. They are disabled until you hit them with a Repair Powder.
54	* BrokenBridge: Pretty much all the time, there's something oh so conveniently at the station where you stop that prevents the train from going further. (Even a ''literal'' example of this trope!) Justified in that the railroad was not used in what is implied to be at least one or two decades.
55	* CallBack: A few to the [[VideoGame/DarkCloud first game]]:
56	** The line, "So, you hate me too." Said by both [[spoiler:Seda]] and [[spoiler:Gaspard]], both white-haired villains.
57	** At the end of each game: [[spoiler:Destruction of the Atlamillia(s)]].
58	** Intense emotion of the [[spoiler:assumed main villain becomes personified as the real main villain]].
59	** Steve the robot is a call back to Steve the talking slingshot (one of Xiao's possible weapons). He can even talk if you decide to get the voice box for him!
60	** Being able to get a CatGirl outfit for Monica may be a nod to Xiao (tenuous, as the outfit bears no strong resemblance to the character).
61	** One or two characters from the first game show up here: notably Osmond and [[spoiler:possibly Seda]]. The latter is strongly hinted at, but never explicitly stated.
62	* CampGay: King Mardan is a giant purple flamboyant fish who really likes taking care of his looks. He has enlarged lips with lipstick applied, and a ''faaaaabulous'' voice - Monica can't believe he's a guy! Also likely the only work ever in which the flamboyant gay is a ''fish''.
63	* CantCatchUp: Very easy to invoke. Fortunately, you can avoid it by beating a monster to an inch of its life with a strong character, then having a weaker character finish it off. Unfortunately, it's very easy to kill a monster by accident if you're in the middle of a combo. This matters less here, where you have to physically pick up XP. Switching off splits it between both of the character's current weapons. If you want to level up only one of the weapons, you must use the above method, landing the killing blow with the weapon you want to grow.
64	** Once the experience spills out, you can actually pick it up with any weapon of the same type that you used to kill the monster. So there's always a way to level up even the weakest weapons if you have a strong weapon of the same type. Sadly, the frequency with which you'll be using this tactic means you have to pause and switch weapons ''a lot'', since there isn't a button dedicated to switching weapons.
65	* CapRaiser: Fruits of Eden, which are applied to increase a chosen character's life meter.
66	* CastingGag: The clown taking the tickets for Flotsam's circus is voiced by Creator/MarkHamill. And, unsurprisingly, he has the exact same voice as The Joker.
67	* CelShading: The graphics are beautifully cel-shaded.
68	* ChargedAttack:
69	** Many of the Ridepod's weapons, especially the missile arms have a charge time.
70	** Monica's [[BuffySpeak magic-armband thing]] takes some time into charging her magic until she releases it.
71	* {{The Chessmaster}}s: Max and Monica's whole plan to defeat Griffon involves meticulously altering the future mostly by building up strategic settlements and placing key figures in specific positions. All of this pays off in no less than a hundred years. Granted, the Geostones give them the requirements for restoration, but Max and Monica have to incorporate them into their planning, and they end up not only repairing the future but improving it in subtle ways.
72	* ChestMonster: The Mimic and King Mimic return in this game as well, though not as strong as in the previous game.
73	* CityInABottle: Palm Brinks is closed off the outside world and no one knows why. Max's curiosity for the outside world is one of his defining traits.
74	* CloseEnoughTimeline: Creating one is the whole point of the game. But instead of [[TimeTravelTenseTrouble putting things "close enough" to how they were supposed to be in the future]], Max and Monica end up bringing about even ''better'' futures. [[spoiler:Max speculates that this was necessary all along, and even Griffon plays an important role in creating a better future.]]
75	* CollapsingLair: Defeating [[spoiler: Griffon the second time]] causes the Moon Flower Palace to be inaccessible going forward, as [[spoiler: It's overtaken by the Dark Element and its Spiral Of Dreams; the FinalBoss]]. Any Medals, Ideas and Scoops from the Palace go with it!
76	* ColonyDrop: [[spoiler:The Moon Flower Palace that nearly crashes into Palm Brinks, and then the [[WeirdMoon Star of Destruction]] meant to [[AbusivePrecursors destroy civilization]] if the {{Cosmic Keystone}}s were ever [[GottaCatchEmAll collected in one place.]]]]
77	* ColorCodedForYourConvenience:
78	** Monica carries the Moon Atlamillia, colored blue. Max carries the Earth Atlamillia, colored red. Time Gates, Sealed Floors, and even the attack patterns of the FinalBoss and the OptionalBoss use these motifs.
79	** Invoked when the player picks up a floor's Magic Crystal - All collectible locations are added to the map (whether it's incomplete or not) with colors to distinguish them: Red dots for enemies, Orange dots for chests, Yellow dots for Angel / Devil Coin chances and Purple for Geostones.
80	* CoolOldGuy: Galen Agaris. Just listen to that kick-ass voice!
81	* CoolTrain: The Blackstone One early on is a train that hasn't run for many years. In the last quarter of the game, it is replaced by the time-traveling Ixion. Once she sees the interior, with its seizure-inducing neon lighting and gaudy yellows and purples, Monica quickly disputes its cool factor, much to Max's disappointment.
82	* CoolShip: Death Ark.
83	* ContinuityNod: [[spoiler: Dark Genie]], the previous game's BigBad, [[spoiler: is the boss of the Bonus Dungeon]]. In addition, the music from the first game's intro plays [[spoiler: in the battle.]]
84	* ContrivedCoincidence: There's always some kind of obstacle keeping the train from leaving a station until the player has finished the storyline in that area (at which point the obstacle just happens to get cleared out). This is even true in places like Veniccio Coast, which the main characters specifically intended to go to, and thus have no reason to leave until the job is done anyway.
85	* CosmicKeystone: The Atlamillia Stones are said to control the power of the sun and can bring [[spoiler:the Moon down to earth.]]
86	* CrutchCharacter: The Ridepod is capable of dealing far more damage than either Max or Monica at the start, and gets some hefty upgrades over the course of the game. It starts to fall behind quite a bit in the later levels, however, due to its best weapons having far lower DPS than Max and Monica's [[InfinityPlusOneSword fully maxed out weaponry]].
87	** He's also a bigger target and, if he's using a ranged weapon, has no way to block damage. In a game where you aren't meant to tank ''anything'', this makes him very costly to use.
88	** According to various walkthroughs, a maxed out Steve is supposedly superior to a maxed out Monica or Max (who have significantly higher damage output), and he's the first choice for speed-running through the game, start to finish. Though that probably has more to do with his upgradeable speed and maneuverability and the fact that he can attack while moving.
89	* DeathMountain: Mount Gundor, an active volcano with swarms of monsters.
90	* DiscOneNuke:
91	** Through the mayor, you can get tickets that let you rename any piece of gear. Normally it just lets you add a cosmetic flair to your weapons, but due to a bug if you rename a weapon to the name of another weapon, it'll turn into that weapon. This can give you rather powerful weapons much earlier than you are supposed to get them. But on the downside, they will only have the base stats that the weapon can have, so they will be lacking in any substats that you may have given a weapon while grinding it up the proper way. So ultimately, weapons attained the proper way will be more powerful than ones attained through the glitch, but early on that won't particularly matter with the raw base stats they'll have.
92	** The Jurak Gun is a much more straightforward example. Obtained from fully completing Chapter Two, it comes in pretty early in the game. And it's a ''huge'' step up from whatever Max has at the time (Legitimately that is, see above). Your guns are no longer used for CherryTapping after this.
93	** If you save to your Photo Album then start a New Game, you can load from that Album and make various strong items early.
94	* DiscoTech: Aeroharmonics Technology, which uses sound and music to make things fly. Originally developed (and weaponized) by Dr. Jaming, [[spoiler:later used to develop flying vehicles, including the time-travelling locomotive Ixion]].
95	* DistressBall: Subverted when Monica ends up being kidnapped by Gaspard. She eventually regains consciousness and helps Max defeat Gaspard's second form.
96	* DistressedDude: Ironically enough, Max ends up being saved by Monica after Flotsam tries to blow him to smithereens.
97	* DualWielding:
98	** Max always wields either a [[SwordAndGun wrench or a hammer in one hand, and some manner of gun in the other]].
99	** Monica [[MagicKnight swings her sword with her right hand and uses her magic bracelet with her left hand.]]
100	** [[spoiler:Griffon]] also [[OneWingedAngel tears off his own wings]] and magically transforms them into dual swords during a boss battle.
101	* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Monica procures a starglass which sends the holder to where- and whenever their most important thing is, and gets dumped right in Max's lap, to her delight.]] Also, after the bonus dungeon, the epilogue shows [[spoiler: everyone in Palm Brinks working together to restore the train-lines and colonize the region.]]
102	* EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler:Gaspard. Monica burst in on him killing her father, he was a thorn in the sides of Max and Monica for three whole chapters, and yet when Monica hears his tragic backstory, she forgives him instantly.]]
103	* {{Elopement}}: One interpretation of [[spoiler: Monica's]] actions in the epilogue. [[spoiler: She's the princess/Queen of her kingdom, and time traveling is completely outlawed after the plot of the game. Nevertheless she gets a starglass--which ''lets the holder travel to the time and place they find most important to themselves''--and gets sent on a one-way trip to Max's ''exact'' coordinates, and never looks back. The ending of the epilogue shows her still with him, so in all likelihood she's sticking around for good.]] Of course, there's no ''actual'' marriage, but considering how inseparable the two kids are, it fits the spirit of the trope.
104	* EquipmentBasedProgression: You can increase your characters' Health meter, but you can only increase damage by adding enhancements to their weapons and, eventually, building them up into bigger weapons. You do find new weapons occasionally, but after you've built up one weapon a couple times, even the mightiest new weapons start to pale.
105	* EvilLaugh: [[spoiler: The Dark Element. [[DieLaughing Especially its defeat]].]]
106	* EvolvingWeapon: Experience goes to weapons instead of the characters. They can level up and turn into better weapons, which culminates in the so-called [[InfinityPlusOneSword Terminal weapons]], at the end of the weapon evolution branches.
107	* {{Expy}}:
108	** [[StockNessMonster The Shiguras]], big blue sea creatures bear an uncanny resemblance to [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Lapras]].
109	** Gaspard resembles TheRival of [[VideoGame/DarkCloud the first game]] Seda, just with a BadassCape.
110	* FinalBossNewDimension: [[spoiler:The Spiral of Dreams, which appears after Griffon is defeated and leads to Dark Element, the final boss.]]
111	* FirstPersonSnapshooter: Max takes pictures of almost anything, which can be used to create inventions.
112	* FirstTown: Palm Brinks.
113	* FishingMinigame: Of two flavors:
114	** You can use a lure or a bait rod to fish in the lakes or ponds. The Fishing Contest requires catching the heaviest fish and weighing them in Palm Brinks.
115	** You can place fish you catch in an aquarium to feed, raise and breed them. The Finny Frenzy is a race of speed between aquarium fish.
116	* FlavorText: The "floor episode" names for every non-plot-critical dungeon floor. For the most part, these are simply pointless descriptors; they do actually occasionally tell you what to expect on a given floor ("Sweet Scary Treasure Chest" is your first encounter with a [[ChestMonster King Mimic]]), or describe a floor in relation to another floor ("Entrance To Rainbow Falls" is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin), but all in all, the floor names are just there for kicks. Additionally, many items, fish, and so forth in the game have flavor text that's just there to be there.
117	* ForWantOfANail: The game depends on this. How will the future change if you build the past a bit differently?
118	* {{Foreshadowing}}: During the first fight with [[spoiler: Emperor Griffon]], you can see the pictures in the background that you use as reference for the final georama.
119	* ForcedIntoEvil: The Rainbow Butterfly is hostile because it was corrupted by Griffon's powers in Sindain forest.
120	* FramingDevice: It's not revealed until later. [[spoiler: The game is being laid out in a letter Max is writing to his mom for her to pick up in the future. It neatly explains why the game focuses more on him and than Monica, and also why he has so many mommy-issues--its the the first and final communication he'll ever have with his mother, so it only makes sense that he makes her a part of it.]]
121	* FreudianExcuse:
122	** Griffon [[spoiler:was mistreated for not being human and lost the only person who was kind to him in war.]]
123	** Gaspard [[spoiler:was mistreated for being only half-human and was forced into a life of stealing until his mother became terminally ill and died.]]
124	** Dr. Jaming [[spoiler:was mistreated for being human but with an extreme deformity]].
125	* FrothyMugsOfWater: In the English release, what is clearly a bottle of wine is referred to as "grape juice".
126	* FunnyAnimal: Dr. Dell, Palm Brinks's doctor, is a walking, talking ''duck''.
127	* FurBikini: A bonus outfit, which, combined with the boots and bell, makes Monica look like a CatGirl.
128	* GadgeteerGenius: Cedric's workshop is full of gadgets and inventions, and his creation, the Ridepod, is no slouch. Max, being his apprentice, is slowly developing into one by inventing items through the use of photography.
129	* GameplayAndStoryIntegration:
130	** Early on, you'll notice star-emblem paths of dungeons you cannot enter yet. This is because [[spoiler: those paths lead to the Altars containing the elemental jewels that summon Paznos to the present in Chapter 6]].
131	** After [[spoiler: Griffon snatches the Atlamillias off Max and Monica]], the trinkets are actually removed from the duo's models when gameplay resumes.
132	* GameplayAndStorySegregation:
133	** [[spoiler: Ixion]]'s ability to "Move" to both Present and Future locations only applies when you're jumping forward; "Move" remains disabled in the future, thus you still have to hike over to the Time Gates to get back despite not having [[spoiler: the Blue and Red Atlamillia at that point]].
134	** You can still tinker with the Georama in Chapter 6 despite [[spoiler: the Firbits manning Carpenterion against Griffon's fortress]].
135	* GatlingGood: Steve's Gatling Gun attachments and Max's Last Resort, a handheld minigun and terminal stage of the [[EvolvingWeapon machinegun path]].
136	* GlassCannon: Even at the end game with maxed out Defense and Health enemies will be taking out large chunks of Max and Monica's health if they don't guard. Some enemies and bosses will be able to damage them regardless of whether they're blocking or not; in these cases getting hit with their attacks with no defenses will more often than not end in a OneHitKO on the character in question. In turn, if their weapons are adequately leveled they'll be taking out enemies in a single combo or a few ranged shots. Most of the strategy with end game bosses rely on killing them quickly before they inevitably whittle your health down.
137	* GoodShepherd: Priest Bruno is the exceptionally kind cleric of Palm Brinks.
138	* GottaCatchEmAll: Every single "important" citizen in Palm Brinks can be recruited, hauled aboard the Blackstone One, added to the party as a "support character" with a non-combat skill, and dropped off at the towns you create. Said recruitment can involve either {{Fetch Quest}}s or minigames.
139	* GuideDangIt: The invention system. There are literally hundreds of objects that can be used in the invention system, but many of them don't actually go into any inventions. You get hints from some [=NPCs=] and also from anything that could have something written on it. Unfortunately, some of this reading material exists in sites in the future. Thankfully, most of the items you can invent can also be gained either through upgrading or buying if you just wait long enough.
140	** Many of the scoops are from one time boss battles, and thus are [[PermanentlyMissableContent unobtainable]] after the fight. Luckily, the scoop guide tends to give you hints about most boss scoops, letting you know they are there. Except for "Brave Little Linda", only available for the very first fight after getting your camera, in a fight you are expected to stay in your ridepod for, and before the concept of scoops is even explained. If you don't already know about it, there is little chance you'll get it.
141	* HavingAHeart: Monica asks Dr. Osmond to lend a hand when she and Max travel to the Lunatic Wisdom Labs. After a moment's hesitation, he pops off one of his hands and offers it to her.
142	* HeelFaceDoorSlam: [[spoiler:Gaspard]] is driven mad by Griffon the minute he defects, forcing the heroes to kill him.
143	* HeelFaceTurn: Dr. Jaming realizes the error of his ways when the Shiguras he controlled didn't bear him any ill will and even helped him wake up after the beating he received. It results in his descendant becoming a good guy in Monica's time.
144	* HitAndRunTactics: A viable tactic. Be careful, though; every time an enemy is hit, no matter how weakly, it takes a point off its rage meter. When it's raged, it temporarily becomes stronger.
145	* HolyBurnsEvil: Just like the last game, undead monsters will receive notably more damage from weapons with points invested in Exorcism, and will suffer massive damage/die instantly if Holy Water is thrown at them.
146	* HyperactiveMetabolism: Food and water are used to restore health, and naturally, NobodyPoops. Giving Max and Monica their favorite food increases their HP and some stats.
147	* ICallItVera: The Ridepod. "I call it ''Steve''." Also, for an exorbitant price you can rename your own weapons. Can be useful when you realize that you can actually change the weapon's name into the name of another weapon and have it ''become'' that weapon (presumably due to a programming bug.) This allows you to change even a throwaway weapon into the most powerful weapon of a class.
148	* IdiotBall: Max and Monica letting Griffon [[spoiler:steal their atlamillia. You'd think that at least by the time he grabbed the first one, the owner of the second one would react in time to stop him]]. They even stand around mindlessly while Griffon [[spoiler: uses their power to bring his Palace to the present]].
149	* ImprobableWeaponUser: The heroes can wield giant, frozen tunas as blunt weapons, golf clubs, Tiki masks, slingshots...
150	* InASingleBound: Monica Raybrandt has suicidally long ones in cutscenes, especially an impossibly long one to the Death Ark when it's above the crater of an ''active volcano.''
151	* InexplicableTreasureChests: Your favorite food will somehow appear within these treasure chests as you continue rebuilding the world.
152	* InMediasRes: The game opens with Monica fending off an invasion by Griffon's troops in her own castle. We then switch to the actual timeline where Max is preparing for the circus.
153	* InterfaceSpoiler: In just about every dungeon after the first, there is an obvious branching path that is sealed off. By the time you make finish Gundora volcano, you've not yet gotten an item that unlocks them. So obviously, when Chapter 6 has no dungeon in itself, guess what you're going to do!
154	* InstantAwesomeJustAddMecha: Paznos is a huge mechanical fortress designed to fend off Griffon's army with giant laser beams.
155	* InUniverseGameClock: Game time is much faster than real time (one real-time minute = one game-time hour).
156	* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: During their first confrontation, Monica swears to make Gaspard pay for ransacking her kingdom, helping Griffon to destroy Max's timeline, and killing her father. Gaspard's response?
157	-->''Murdered? Now, that hurts. Your father and I fought fairly... he just wasn't good enough to beat me.''
158	* ItsAlwaysSpring: It rains in Palm Brinks in the opening cutscene, and sometimes rains at various frequencies in outdoor dungeons, but it never snows or rains anywhere else.
159	* ItsPersonal: Monica's vendetta with [[TheDragon Gaspard]] started because [[YouKilledMyFather he killed her father]] at the end of the opening scene.
160	* JumpedAtTheCall: Max eagerly dives into the adventure headfirst. Because he's been confined within Palm Brinks all his life, he wishes to see the outside world and live a great adventure.
161	* KatanasAreJustBetter: Several of Monica's swords are katanas. The most powerful melee weapon for the Ridepod is the Samurai Arm, which [[DualWielding dual wields]] katanas.
162	* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown:
163	** Flotsam gleefully enjoys kicking the Mayor whom he is basically coercing.
164	** Max will kick enemies that have been knocked onto the ground using his melee attack.
165	* KidHero: Although the game only gives hints as to Max's age, [[WordOfGod according to the]] [[NoExportForYou official Japanese]] [[AllThereInTheManual artbook]], he is 13, Monica is 15.
166	* KingMook:
167	** The guardians of the Chapter 6 shrines (as well as the enemies of the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon's BossRush) are bigger, palette-swapped versions of regular enemies.
168	** Several midbosses are also palette/model swapped versions of regular enemies. Linda and Memo-Eater are unique in this regard, being palette-swaps of regular enemies [[DegradedBoss you haven't encountered yet.]]
169	* LastLousyPoint: Want to get every Scoop in the game? Hope you have a guide or remember when to take the Chapter-specific photos! If you don't take every possible photo you can before the FinalBoss of Chapter 7, you'll never be able to get anything from that chapter's locations (or any of the future areas) again.
170	* LethalJokeItem: The Island King, the sword with the highest attack rating, looks like... a surfboard-sized tiki mask with a pinwheel attached to the end. And banana leaves for a handguard.
171	* [[LickedByTheDog Licked by the Giant Sea Dragon]]: The inspiration for [[spoiler:Dr. Jaming's]] HeelFaceTurn is the Shiguras helping him recover even though he mind controlled them.
172	* LuckBasedMission: The Spheda courses are randomly generated; they can range from trivially easy to really challenging, and even completely impossible at times. The player can always try again with a different course, though.
173	* MacGuffinDeliveryService: Max and Monica confront Griffon while still wearing their Atlamillia. The obvious happens.
174	* MacrossMissileMassacre and {{Roboteching}}: Steve's Missile Pod weapons. And yes, it is ''just as awesome'' when fired from a mech made from an old refrigerator (and [[AwesomeButImpractical about as accurate as you'd expect]], sadly.)
175	* MadeOfEvil: The Rainbow Butterfly states that [[spoiler: being a monster, it was corruptible by Griffon's influence]], making it and all monsters this.
176	** [[spoiler:The Dark Element, a literal ElementalEmbodiment of evil that formed in Sirus as he gradually became Griffon. When Griffon comes to his senses, the Element physically manifests and tries to destroy the world himself.]]
177	* MagicKnight: Monica, who has mastered a variety of swords as well as elemental magic.
178	* MarketBasedTitle: ''Dark Chronicle'' is called ''Dark Cloud 2'' in the United States and Canada, for some reason.
179	* MechaExpansionPack: Ridepod, of course.
180	* AMechByAnyOtherName: The Ridepod, also known as Steve.
181	* MeaningfulName: [[EvilGenius Dr. Jaming]] from ''Chronicle'' dedicated his life to DiscoTech, most of all, making objects float by sound alone.
182	* MineralMacGuffin: The Atlamillia jewels, which Griffon wants, and Max and Monica have.
183	* MiniGame: Fishing, Finny Frenzy and Spheda (which is basically golf).
184	* MiniMecha: Again, Steve the Ridepod.
185	* MissingMom: Max's mother disappeared when he was very young. He's made it one of his major objectives to find her. Monica's mother is never even ''mentioned.''
186	* MonsterClown: Flotsam and to a lesser extent his Circus, and strangely one of Max's costumes is even creepier.
187	* {{Mordor}}: The place Moon Flower Palace exists in, ten thousand years ago. Heim Rada has shades of this because of Mt. Gundor spewing ash across the sky.
188	* MoreDakka: The Ridepod has machineguns you can make/equip to him; Max has his own possible machineguns.
189	* [[{{MrFixit}} Mr. Fixit]]: Max is an inversion of the BunglingInventor, as he can [[HomemadeInventions turn some milk cans into fully-functioning battery packs for his mecha]], and they ''always'' work.
190	* MsExposition: Monica frequently brings the game to a screeching halt to infodump on Max.
191	* MundaneMadeAwesome: Linda's circus performance in the prologue of ''Chronicle''. Who knew elephants could jump that high?
192	* NewGamePlus: Acquiring any alternate clothes allows the player to start the game with Max and Monica wearing their choice of the acquired clothes, as long as the game save containing the clothes can be accessed. There's also the photo album (obtained in Max's house from Chapter 2 onwards), that allows you to save up to 50 pictures, and can be accessed in any save game where the album is in the inventory. Saving certain ideas and scoops into the album allows you to invent and build things that you wouldn't normally have access to yet, like the Ridepod's best weapons, or some really powerful weapons for Max and Monica that will tear through early enemies with ease.
193	* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Steve the Ridepod can be customized with a variety of parts, including "sets" that make him look like a samurai, or even a clown, armed with firepower ranging from machine guns to laser cannons.
194	* NobleDemon: Though he killed her father, Gaspard tells Monica that he fought him fairly. Once Monica defeats him, he accepts defeat and death (though the action ironically makes Monica hesitate and miss her chance to kill him), and after their second fight, Gaspard actually is seen tending to an unconscious Monica before Max comes in and the two fight.
195	* NominalImportance: Averted, but only if you're paying attention: secondary characters never tell you their names, but ''every single one'' has a unique name that you can discover by snapping their picture and looking at the caption. What distinguishes important characters, then? When you point the camera at them, they ''pose''.
196	* NonIronicClown: You will occasionally encounter the Happy Clown in a treasure chest. His gimmick is that he offers you the choice between two boxes, which can have a variety of useful items, materials, or even weapons.
197	* NotBrainwashed: Monica assumes that Griffon's agents in Max's time have been hypnotized into serving him. But after Starlight Temple is restored in Chapter Three, Crest explains that this isn't the case--they've ''willingly'' allied themselves with him for various reasons, or, as Crest puts it, "They've sold their souls to the darkness." It's eventually proven that [[spoiler: Flotsam is the only truly evil lieutenant in Max's time: Gaspard has a FreudianExcuse and Dr. Jaming is [[ForScience so obsessed with his research]] that he allied with Griffon to continue it.]]
198	* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: Flotsam]] returns as a cyborg in Dark Chronicle's bonus dungeon.
199	* NotSoDifferentRemark: Bordering on parallels. Gaspard says that Max and Monica (mostly Max) are no different from him as they too [[spoiler: are fighting to protect their parents]]. They're quick to dismiss this until he's given the duo his TragicBackstory.
200	* NotSoHarmlessVillain: After revealing his true form, the first battle with Griffon is one of the hardest in the game.
201	* NoobCave: The Underground Channel.
202	* OddlySmallOrganization: The Palm Brinks police force.
203	* OminousFloatingCastle: [[spoiler:Moon Flower Palace becomes this after Griffon goes OneWingedAngel. But all that goes up [[ColonyDrop must come down, regardless of where it hits]]...unless something catches it.]]
204	* PalmtreePanic: Chapter 4 takes place on Veniccio Coast which is a beautiful tropical beach. While the dungeons are underground caves, you spend the whole chapter building a town atop the coast.
205	* ParentalAbandonment: Monica is made fatherless (presumably an orphan, as her mother is [[MissingMom never mentioned).]] Max has a MissingMom, and his father is important to restoring Gundarada.
206	* PermanentlyMissableContent: Several dozen photographs [[GuideDangIt can be missed]] (often because they involve stopping for a photo op during boss battles, or are only available in the future), and several Fruits of Eden can be rendered inaccessible by a glitch[[note]]In Chapter 3, a specific Chest in the Starlight Temple, namely one on the far-end of the Weapons shop platform, overwrites the locations of quite a few chests that pop up three chapters later if it's collected early.[[/note]]. Also, due to the existence of the BonusDungeon, any Medals, treasures, and prizes from the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon will go away when it becomes inaccessible, along with any uncollected treasures from the future areas.
207	* PrettyPrincessPowerhouse: Monica Raybrandt is introduced to the player slicing up enemies in her princess clothes. She's an expert of the sword and magic, and doesn't hesitate to travel and fight through time to avenge her father and save the future. After their first fight, Gaspard says that her skills surpass her father's.
208	* ViewersAreGoldfish: Every single cutscene in the future of ''Chronicle'' has both parts of the conversation included. This is especially bad since the game has voice acting.
209	* PlayingPossum: [[spoiler:How Griffon steals the Atlamillia.]]
210	* PowerUpFood: Along with ''Dark Cloud's'' four HP-recovery items[[note]]Bread, bananas, cheese, and chicken[[/note]] and Tasty Water, this game adds roasted chestnuts, ''crunchy'' bread, plum onigiri, and flan pudding to its main menu, and you can also cook fish that you catch. Many food items can be "invented" with pictures Max takes of the right things, with different ingredients with which to assemble them, themselves being a subset of many different raw materials you come across. Heart-throb cherries, while primarily serving to stop enemies since ''Dark Cloud'', can also be consumed to ''cure'' your own stoppage. Witch Parfaits, Ruby's favorite food from before, also return as Monica's, with Potato Pie as Max's equivalent item and Fruits of Eden also reprising their role.
211	* PowerUpLetDown: Given how absolutely powerful Max's ridepod is, players are likely to be very excited to see what Monica's secondary form will be after recruiting her. And it is the ability to turn into monsters that you have fought before. And...it a real let down. Monsters all start out ''very'' weak and require an absurd amount of grinding to reach a point of even being decent, compared to the ridepod which is amazing right out of the gate. And even at high levels, Monica will still generally outperform any of her monster forms. Non-completionist players will likely only use monster form the one time it is mandatory in the plot and then never again.
212	* PunkPunk: ClockPunk reigns supreme, from the SpiderMech clowns to the Firbits' Carpenterion. Yet there's some significant --albeit rare-- SteamPunk technology, and Max can draw inspiration from the future era to invent ray guns from household materials and his wooden mecha can now fly with wooden hover-jets and shoot beams of sunlight from ceramic vases.
213	** That last one is justified in that the original "beams of sunlight from ceramic vases", the Nova Cannon, was created by [[spoiler: Luna Lab, some years in the future.]] FridgeBrilliance dictates that Max just modified it repeatedly, making each mod more awesome than the last.
214	* PuzzleBoss: Quite a few. In one notable example, if you deplete [[spoiler:Shingala]]'s life meter instead of using a certain item on it, you get a GameOver.
215	* RainbowPimpGear: Some of the weapons in the game can be downright silly. The worst offender though is Monica's ultimate sword, the Island King, which has a ''[[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/darkcloud/images/b/b3/Island_King.png/revision/latest?cb=20130309202221 freaking pinwheel]]'' on the end of the blade. Since cutscenes avert NoCutsceneInventoryInertia, this can result in serious cutscenes coming off as [[{{Narm}} unintentionally hilarious]] with stuff like [[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/387967815807926282/686647687248216126/unknown.png Monica threatening Gaspard with a meat cleaver]] or Max fighting off enemies with ''a golf club''.
216	* RayGun: The [[InfinityPlusOneSword Supernova]], the most powerful gun in the game, and second only to the Nova Cannon, the Ridepod's most powerful weapon overall. It [[BreakableWeapons wears down]] [[GlassCannon very quickly]] without some preparation, though.
217	* RedemptionEarnsLife: [[spoiler: Dr. Jaming]].
218	* RedemptionEqualsDeath:
219	** [[spoiler:Sirus]], already wounded by the BigBad, [[HeelRealization realizes what he has done]] and redeems himself by stopping the Star of Destruction with the last of his strength.
220	** Also, [[spoiler: Gaspard]] literally just ''decides'' that he's going to quit the side of evil, and that alone gets him killed.
221	* RippleEffectProofMemory: Zig-zagged. It seems everyone in the future has it, as they remember just what has changed in the past due to Griffon's time-traveling shenanigans. However, as Max and Monica begin restoring the future and some things deviate from their original form, most of the residents of the future don't notice anything has changed. This includes [[spoiler:Lin being the Great Sage instead of Crest, Dr. Jaming's grandson working at the Luna Labs, aeroharmonics being perfected, and the Paznos having a Colossus Mode]]. Only Monica, who was in the present when the changes were made, notices anything different from how she remembers them.
222	* RousseauWasRight: Most of the villains have fairly decent [[FreudianExcuse Freudian Excuses]] and do [[HeelFaceTurn Heel-Face Turns]] eventually. The sole exception is Flotsam, who, by all appearances, is nothing more than a psychopathic {{Jerkass}}.
223	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Monica's reason for adventuring is the restoration of her kingdom, which has suffered from the actions of the big bad.
224	* SaintlyChurch:
225	** The one in Palm Brinks in ''Chronicle''. It doesn't actually ''do'' anything, but at least it's not evil.
226	** The one you place in Balance Valley as well, and this one actually ''does'' do something: It forms the basis for the Starlight Temple in Monica's time.
227	* SchizoTech: SteamPunk robots, rayguns, knights with magic armbands, airships, steam trains, and guys in spacesuits with hyper-advanced computers are all bumping elbows with each other, and no one considers this to be at all strange.
228	* SecretTestOfCharacter: Max's encounter with the red-haired child. It's implied that, if he had failed, Monica would've traveled to a different point in time to find another wielder of the [[PlotCoupon Earth Atlamillia]] who could be persuaded to help her.
229	* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: Lin's wish to save her master, Crest. This is also the crux of Monica and Max's plan to SaveTheWorld, though they do it the practical way by founding strategic settlements and building up infrastructure to pay off 100 years down the line.
230	* SetWrongWhatWasOnceMadeRight: Griffon's effect on the timestream amounts to invoking this. By [[spoiler: erasing their origin points, major locations in TheVerse never come to be]]; weakening the rebellion established to counter him as a result. Hence, Max and Monica's plan to do exactly the opposite.
231	* ShoutOut: A woman in a forest with seven little men who acts as a mother to them... Where have we seen this before?
232	** Two different characters are named Donny and Osmond. [[Music/DonnyOsmond Remind you of anything?]]
233	* SinisterScythe: TheDragon, Gaspard, transforms his sword's blade into a nasty-looking scythe after a first duel with Monica.
234	* SinisterTangoMusic: [[https://youtu.be/oA1OZCbGfiI Moonlight Tango]], which plays when Maximilian is on the run from [[RepulsiveRingmaster Flotsam]] and his MonsterClown mooks.
235	* SomethingAboutARose: [[spoiler: [[BadassAdorable Griffon's true form]]]] uses roses with deadly accuracy. Notable in that [[spoiler:Sirus loved flowers before his StartOfDarkness]] and using them as weapons reveals just how far he has fallen.
236	* SpiderTank: Halloween, Flotsam's enormous clown-themed mecha.
237	* SpinToDeflectStuff: Max's Spin Attack can deflect projectiles.
238	* StartOfDarkness: The flashbacks to [[spoiler: Alexandra's time]] in the Moon Flower Palace, depicting how Griffon fell from grace.
239	* StrongFamilyResemblance: Multiple characters in the future bear a very strong resemblance to their implied grandparents (characters that are required to reside in georama for the future characters to appear). Exaggerated with Dr. Jaming, whose [[spoiler: grandson in the future Luna Labs looks ''so'' identical to the man Max and Monica just fought, Dr. Nobb has to step in and explain the discrepancy]].
240	* TalkingToTheDead: [[spoiler:Lin to Crest]].
241	* TerminatorTwosome: Griffon breaks the past, Monica comes from the future to restore it, Gaspard comes to try to stop her. Max is sort of caught in the middle.
242	* TimeyWimeyBall: When you stop to think about it, the way time travel works in this game is definitely "wibbly-wobbly".
243	** Griffon is able to mess with the future AND command an array of loyal minions [[spoiler:while he's alive thousands of years in the past]], and is able to erase the ENTIRE WORLD except for Palm Brinks.
244	** Changes made in the present [[SanDimasTime apparently affect the future in real-time]].
245	** Geostones left behind by ancient civilizations have the "true history" of the future recorded in them, and [[RubberBandHistory it's quite easy to get history back on it's proper course...]]
246	** [[CloseEnoughTimeline ...except that they also contain instructions for making things better than they were in the original history of the world.]]
247	** No matter how much you're messing with the present, Monica is never in any danger of accidentally erasing herself from the timeline.
248	** A more subtle example, but the game drops a number of hints that it's effectively a prequel to ''Dark Cloud''. This is fine and dandy, and the timelines do line up pretty well... until [[spoiler: the second moon is destroyed]]. It's still there in ''Dark Cloud'', so either someone goofed up or it's just another example of this trope.
249	* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:Dark Element, who is a physical manifestation of Sirus/Emperor Griffon's evil thoughts and feelings.]]
250	* TheSlowPath: This is part of the process of rebuilding the world; do something in Max's time and then jump forward to Monica while the thing they did develops into something useful day-by-day.
251	* TomboyPrincess: Monica is implied to have studied swordcraft and combat magic for a long time pre-series since she is so good at it in the game's prologue. Also, her default outfit for adventuring is simple and practical rather than her princess outfit (which is an alternative costume).
252	* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Potato pie for Max and witch parfait for Monica, which act as {{Heart Container}}s in the game, though only the former is actually mentioned in-story. Pau's favorite food is carrots, and the Firbits are said to be crazy about "grape juice". King Mardan likes Poison Apples (as do the rest of his species). An early cutscene shows that Flotsam likes roasted chestnuts.
253	* TraintopBattle: At the end of the first chapter.
254	* TurnsRed: Every monster besides bosses has a "rage meter" above their HP consisting of a number of red circles. Every time they get hit (or take several hits if you're using a machine gun), they lose a circle. If all the circles are gone, they flash red and hit two or three times as hard. Unfortunately, this makes trying to level weaker weapons ''very'' difficult unless you backtrack.
255	* UndergroundMonkey: While the game boasts plenty of different monsters, they each get about four or five different varieties.
256	* UpdatedRerelease: Downplayed in regards to the [=PS4=] version. While it's technically just an emulated [=PS2=] game, it does feature upscaled graphics and PSN trophies.
257	* VillainOverride:
258	** [[spoiler:Gaspard is controlled by Emperor Griffon after Gaspard has his HeelFaceTurn.]]
259	** [[spoiler: The Dark Element had been pulling this on Griffon since before the game started. Defeating Griffon forces it out of his body and starts the FinalBoss]].
260	* WarmupBoss: Linda, Flotsam's elephant, who serves mainly to show you how to use the Ridepod.
261	* WhamEpisode: The end of Chapter 4.
262	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: While wearing the [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Monster Transform Badge]] Monica can speak to the Monsters without them attacking her. They have a range of dialog, including one who says that he loves living in the area as he's just about to get a little sister. [[WhatHaveIDone Not if you've just killed everyone else in the area, he's not.]]
263	* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Gaspard, Griffon's [[TheDragon Dragon]].
264	* [[SwordAndGun Wrench And Gun]]: Max wields either a wrench or a hammer in his right hand, and a gun in his left.
265

Context VideoGame / DarkChronicle