After trying to save his childhood friend, Toan finds himself transported to a mystical realm where a Fairy King gifts him the power of the Atlamilla, the only hope against the evil that threaten his world. A great evil known as the Dark Genie is shown approaching the world, and, out of nowhere, Toan’s childhood town is obliterated in a matter of moments. The player is then treated to a very intense opening cutscene that in some way mimics the opening of Ocarina of Time, but with a noticeably darker tone. This storybook approach acquaints the player with the game’s setting and characters fairly quickly, presenting the world in a more fantasy-driven way. Rather than crafting a title that could rival Zelda, it is more likely that Level-5 just wanted to make Dark Cloud as part of a larger fantasy canon - one that Zelda resides in - with an archetypal hero, like Link, that players could easily relate to as they began playing through the fantastic tale.Īs one learns from its storybook opening, Dark Cloud does diverge quite a lot from The Legend of Zelda in its presentation, as a narrator begins to tell the tale of Toan, a descendant of a legendary swordman sage’s line. An untrained eye might even confuse the two.īut for all the comparisons between Dark Cloud and Zelda, was Level-5’s PlayStation 2 title always intended to be an answer to Ocarina of Time and Nintendo? As far as we know, the developers at Level-5 have never revealed whether or not this imitation was their main goal. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino stated that the team simply wanted to make an original fantasy story. Link, the hero of Hyrule, is clad in green, wields a sword, has pointed ears, and is silent Toan, the hero of Norune Village, dons his own green cap, wields various swords, has pointed ears as well, and is just as much a silent protagonist. Critics at the time of the game’s release often compared its combat style and art style to those of Ocarina of Time, with Gamespot saying that “ Dark Cloud’s combat system is 100 percent Zelda” and IGN claiming that “the battle system seems like a direct rip of Ocarina of Time.”Īnother similarity often pointed out between Zelda and Dark Cloud - a common observation among players first picking up the games, in fact - comes with the design of their main protagonists. The title - and its sequel - were frequently called out as “Sony’s answer to Zelda,” a fantasy adventure game that could rival Nintendo’s premiere franchise. Developed by Level-5, Dark Cloud drew comparisons to games in the Zelda series, particularly Ocarina of Time.
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