The game begins in the quiet town of Palm Brinks. The town has been shut off from the rest of the world for some time. A lot of the inhabitants have never been outside it, including the main character Maxmillian. Maxmillian is an inventor who dreams of exploring the world, and in true RPG style he will need to do just that to save his world. Along the way he meets the other main character Monica, a warrior from the future. At times the story seems rather contrived, but essentialy plays out well with some colourful characters.

There are many other characters in the game, most of whom start off in Palm Brinks. During the course of the game either Max or Monica can talk to any of these characters, with many of them able to be persuaded, usually by performing a favour for them, to shift to another part of the world to aid in the quest. Most of these characters can also be used to provide certain items that may be needed once they are outside Palm Brinks. For example one may provide food, another may provide Georama parts, while another may fix weapons.

In the game Max and Monica do not appear onscreen at the same time. The player will control only one of the characters, switching between the two with a press of the L3 button. Responses in conversations with the other characters in the game are different depending on whether they are talking to Max or Monica, and at some stages persuading characters to do certain things will require the use of one or the other. In the dungeons the players choose to either fight with Max or Monica, or switch between the two. No combo moves or anything similar are available in the game.

Both Max and Monica are armed with two weapons. A huge wrench and a sword can be used for melee fighting, while a gun and a magic wristband can provide ranged attacks. Switching between the two weapons is easily done, although using two buttons for the ranged weapons is possibly not the best option. All of the weapons available to Max and Monica are fully customisable, through the use of items found throughout the game. Any item found can be broken down into a base element, one of 12 such as fire, thunder, ice or holy. These elements can then be applied to a weapon, making the weapon bear more of that elements characteristics. Applying enough of certain elements to weapons will then make totally new weapons, with a special characteristic and appearance. So the huge wrench that Max starts with can eventually evolve into an even larger, totally deformed hulk of a weapon. It is a well thought out system, and one that makes for a large number of possible weapons.

As well as their own weapons Max and Monica have two other ways that they can fight through the game, accessed with a press of the R3 button. Early on in the game Max is given a robot, which he can use in battles. As with a lot of the game, the robot is fully customisable with a range of weapons, shields and transport devices. Most of these upgrades will change the physical appearance of the robot, as well as how it performs against enemies. Later in the game Monica also acquires the ability to morph into a monster, which can then be levelled up to become stronger and stronger. As a monster Monica can either fight with other monsters, or talk to them to gain information. It's a cool innovation, and levelling up certain monsters to a certain level provides a lengthy side-quest.

One of the main gameplay features in Dark Chronicle is the Georama system. Introduced in Dark Cloud, the Georama system appears in the sequel as an enhanced feature that is more integral to the overall story. The world Max inhabits has been largely destroyed, and Max will need to rebuild it to complete his quest. There are several areas that this will need to be done, mainly consisting of rebuilding villages to certain specifications. The clues to these specifications are slowly unlocked as Max and Monica progress through the game.

This aspect of the game is very well done, and it is very enjoyable rebuilding the villages. The work that Max does in rebuilding his present world will also have ramifications for the future, which are shown as Max gains the ability to travel forward in time. It is quite neat to see the effect on the future of anything that is done in the present, and quite rewarding just experimenting with different ways of rebuilding.

As well as the Georama system, one of the other innovative features Dark Chronicle offers is the invention system. With the main character being an inventor, it seems fitting that this then becomes part of the gameplay. Armed with a camera, the player can switch to first-person mode and take photos of pretty much anything in the game environment. By combining three of these photos, Max can then invent an item. For instance, by combining photos of a fireplace, a bakery sign and flour it is possible to invent bread, which can then be made by combining several items. It's a neat feature, and one that can stretch the player to think of different combinations of photos to create dozens of items. Although clues to a lot of items can be gleaned from around the environment, a bit of creativity will be required of the player to get some of the better items.

Two of the main side-games in Dark Chronicle are Spheda and fishing, which curiously only Max can play. Spheda is a form of golf that is played in the dungeons once all the monsters are killed. Starting from a random spot in a dungeon, Max will need to hit a ball to another random spot in the dungeon within a specific number of shots. Completing the Spheda challenge in a dungeon will unlock a treasure chest. While Spheda is fairly easy to pick up, it is made more challenging by the characteristics of each dungeon. Some will have odd shaped walls that make judging which way the ball will bounce off them difficult, while others have trenches along the base of each wall acting as out-of-bounds areas. The outdoor areas can be even more challenging, with some very accurate shots being needed to keep the ball inbounds. The game is quite fun, and works well in the context of the game.

Fishing is the other main side-game available. In many dungeons, as well as around the town, Max can fish in various bodies of water. The fish that Max catches can either be eaten, bred to grow bigger for racing, or entered in a regular fishing tournament held in the town. It's a challenging sport, and one that will take some time to master. As more fish are caught Max is able to upgrade his rod, so that bigger fish are able to be caught. To catch the larger fish Max will require quite a bit of experience in it as will winning races or fishing contests. Both Spheda and fishing are not integral to the main story, but they add some variety in the gameplay that is welcome. We often found ourselves breaking from the main story to spend an enjoyable couple of hours catching fish.

Graphically the game is well done, creating a believable cartoon world set to some lush colours. Both the monsters and the bosses are well animated, with Max and Monica looking the part with their oversized weapons. The FMV's in the game are also well done, with little separation from the in-game graphics. The soundtrack to the game is also outstanding, providing some memorable tunes. The music fits in well with the animated world presented here, and the voice acting is of a similar standard.

The game is presented well, with a great menu system providing the interface for some of the game's side functions. Access through to any of the items held is through these menus, although the item bag does need to be well organised to make it easier to use. From the item bag the player can also break down items, and upgrade their weapons. The invention system is accessed through these menus as well, including a filing system for any photos taken. Finally, if the player gets stuck with certain functions in the game there is a handy tutorial system that covers pretty much everything that would be needed for the game, including explanations of upgrades and the minigames.

The control system in Dark Chronicle also works well, with switching between Max and Monica, and the monsters and robot easy to pick up. The L3 and R3 buttons have been well utilised here, and the overall customisation to the PS2 controller works well. The camera system is also well done, with only minor problems in some battles apparent. The lock-on system is great and switching between enemies is fairly easy making battles quite smooth.

As you can tell, we are very impressed with Dark Chronicle. It is a fun game to play, and certainly held our interest to it's conclusion and beyond. Return visits to try to clear the dungeons and complete the Spheda and fishing challenges are still rewarding. It is not without it's faults, although these are mainly due to us wanting more of some of the gameplay elements. The Georama system that was so fun to mess around with and experiment with could have been used a bit more extensively. A similar criticism could also be made of the Invention system. Apart from a few occasions the invention system largely sits outside the main story, with a player able to progress through the story with only minor use of it.

The other major criticism that could be levelled at the game would be the randomised dungeons. There are dozens to play through, and to complete everything in the game multiple visits will be needed to each one. It is something that players will either like or dislike, with very little middle ground. We happen to like them, and see a good challenge in going through and completing all the tasks in each one. These tasks include a time attack mode, completing Spheda and fishing challenges, and completing the dungeon in a certain way. These ways can include killing all the monsters as either Max, Monica, the robot, or as a monster. A lot on the longevity in the game is through completing these sort of tasks, a lot of which can be quite challenging.

As an RPG, Dark Chronicle has many elements that break from normal traditions. All the action is real-time, including the fighting. Some elements of an action game are important with the fighting, and manual dexterity will often be needed more often than not. Also, the sometimes large parties found in a lot of RPGs are not to be found here. With only Max and Monica in the action, there is less strategy in the battles than would normally be found. There is also a difference with how the characters get stronger. Instead of levelling up the characters, as in typical RPGs, Dark Chronicle focusses mainly on levelling up weapons to make the character stronger. It is a philosophy that pervades the whole game. The weapon upgrades, the Georama system, and the invention system all contribute to a world where man does not rely on himself, rather he relies on physical things to achieve; quite a philosophical change from a lot of other RPGs where an individual on their own can make the difference.