Dark Cloud is a video game developed by Level 5 Inc. and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated. Created exclusively for the PlayStation 2 console from Sony, it was released in December 2000. The title is classed as an action and role-playing game, played from a third-person perspective.

Over 400 years ago, as a war between the Eastern Continent and the Western Wizard Army raged on, the world was destroyed because a great evil power was unleashed. Now, the power-hungry and fiendish General Flag is getting ready to launch a ritual, with the purpose of awakening this evil once more, under the guise of the Dark Genie.

The peaceful village of Norune is the first victim of the embodiment of this evil. Toan, the son of the great hero Ada, is the only one to survive the attack, and the Spirit King tells him that Atla spheres hold all his loved ones. In order to set them free, the boy must learn to wield a glove, called the Atlamillia, and defeat the dark powers.

Toan will fight his way through randomly-generated dungeons, and will have to battle against monsters, while trying to get his hands on the Atla spheres. As the game progresses, other characters will offer their help to Toan, and will join his party. All of them can equip items, and they will also get various objects and power-ups that can enhance their fighting abilities. The final aim of the game is to recover all the Atla spheres in order to rebuild the village of Norune.

GAMEPLAY HINTS

Super Serpent Sword

Upgrade your initial Dagger to Dagger +11. Create a SynthSphere for it, and attach it to the Serpent Sword. You get the Serpent Sword after connecting water to Treant by River. Upgrade the Serpent Sword to Serpent Sword +4. You should get a Super Serpent Sword. Note: The sword does not actually change its name.

Sword Of Zeus

The Sun Sword is the best weapon to use to get the Sword Of Zeus. You only have to evolve it twice (Sun Sword to Big Bang to Sword Of Zeus). You acquire the Sun Sword when you complete Toto's house in Muska Racka.

Synthsphere

Build up the weapons that have a special skill (for example, The Scorpion and its Poison skill) until they can be turned into a Synthsphere. You can then give that weapon's special skill to any other weapon you want. For example, you can have a 7th Heaven sword with the Thirst skill, Poison skill, and Bandit skill.

Use the following trick to get unlimited Synthspheres. Status break the Dagger and put it on another weapon, such as a Bandit Slingshot. Then, upgrade the Bandit Slingshot and there will be another dagger. Because the Dagger is a default weapon, it cannot break or disappear. You can do this with any other character's default weapon. Note: This trick is usually better at the start of the game because default weapons do not give very good stats, especially when they are status broken.

Play as Toan and select a good weapon (preferably 7th Heaven or Chronicle 2). Go to a dungeon where it takes only one hit to kill monsters. This works well in the Divine Beast Cave or Wise Owl Forest. You must also have a weaker weapon, such as the Baselard or Gladius. Kill the Monster with the good weapon and quickly press Triangle and switch to the weaker weapon. Resume the game and the weaker weapon will get the ABS instead of the Higher weapon. This trick can also be used with other players.

Here's a video: