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* 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.
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* 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.
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* 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.
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Added the \"Flavor Text\" entry and deleted the \"Law of Conservation of Detail\" entry, which incorrectly identified Flavor Text as the latter.
* 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.
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* LawOfConservationOfDetail: There are dozens, if not a hundred or more, levels in game. Each of those levels have a unique name that sometimes hint at some sort of story going on (Secret of Fire Mountain, Desperation on the Mountain, Little Dragon Counterattack, Max's Longest Day) or some unique settings (Pirate Hideout, Smiling Fairy Village), or that the enemies have specific personalities (Brave Little Linda, We're the Roly-Poly Brothers). However, in the levels there is no indication of this. Each and every level in a zone is interchangeable and every level is randomly generated and have no distinguishing characteristics except for what types of enemies there are. There are no cutscenes and no dialogue in the levels.
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* EvilLaugh: [[spoiler: The Dark Element. [[DieLaughing Especially its defeat]].]]
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Alas Poor Villain is being moved back to Main. Examples that don\'t describe the moment or are purely editor opinion are being deleted.
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* AlasPoorVillain: Gaspard, resposible 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.
** 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.]]
** 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.]]
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* PlayingPossum: [[spoiler:How Griffon steals the Atlamillia.]]
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* MadeOfEvil / TheHeartless: [[spoiler:The Black Elemental, a literal ElementalEmbodiment of evil that formed in Sirius as he gradually became Griffon. When Griffon comes to his senses, the Elemental physically manifests and tries to destroy the world himself.]]
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* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy: Gaspard, Griffon's [[TheDragon Dragon]].
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* 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.]]
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* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Yay! The day is saved! But Monica and Max's mom, who he's been pining for the entire game, won't come stay in his time period, and time travel becomes illegal in their future.]]
** [[spoiler: EarnYourHappyEnding: However, 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.]]
*** And after the bonus dungeon, the epilogue shows [[spoiler: everyone in Palm Brinks working together to restore the train-lines and colonize the region.]]
** [[spoiler: EarnYourHappyEnding: However, 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.]]
*** And after the bonus dungeon, the epilogue shows [[spoiler: everyone in Palm Brinks working together to restore the train-lines and colonize the region.]]
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* {{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 are, it fits the spirit of the trope.
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* LawOfConservationOfDetail: There are dozens, if not a hundred or more, levels in game. Each of those levels have a unique name that sometimes hint at some sort of story going on (Secret of Fire Mountain, Desperation on the Mountain, Little Dragon Counterattack, Max's Longest Day) or some unique settings (Pirate Hideout, Smiling Fairy Village), or that the enemies have specific personalities (Brave Little Linda, We're the Roly-Poly Brothers). However, in the levels there is no indication of this. Each and every level in a zone is interchangeable and every level is randomly generated and have no distinguishing characteristics except for what types of enemies there are. There are no cutscenes and no dialogue in the levels.
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** He's also a bigger target and has no way to block damage. In a game where you aren't meant to tank ''anything'', this makes him very costly to use.
** According to various walkthroughs, though, 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.
** According to various walkthroughs, though, 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.
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** 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 ''alot'', since there isn't a button dedicated to switching weapons.
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* {{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.
* RippleEffectProofMemory: 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. This continues even when Max and Monica's machinations restore the future into something slightly different, thankfully averting most issues with the deletion of the original timestream.
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* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: Lin's wish to save her master, Crest.
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* 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 by founding strategic settlements and building up infrastructure to pay off 100 years down the line.
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Ooooops, typo.
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* HeelFaceTurn: Dr. Jaming realises 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 god guy in Monica's time.
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* HeelFaceTurn: Dr. Jaming realises 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 god good guy in Monica's time.
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Make room, boys, we\'ve got refugees from next door.
* CallBack: A few to the [[VideoGame/DarkCloud first game]]:
** The line, "So, you hate me too." Said by both [[spoiler:Seda]] and [[spoiler:Gaspard]], both white-haired villains.
** At the end of each game: [[spoiler:Destruction of the Atlamillia(s)]].
** Intense emotion of the [[spoiler:assumed main villain becomes personified as the real main villain]].
** The line, "So, you hate me too." Said by both [[spoiler:Seda]] and [[spoiler:Gaspard]], both white-haired villains.
** At the end of each game: [[spoiler:Destruction of the Atlamillia(s)]].
** Intense emotion of the [[spoiler:assumed main villain becomes personified as the real main villain]].
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* 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.
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* MagicKnight: Monica, who has mastered a variety of swords as well as elemental magic.
* MarketBasedTitle: ''Dark Chronicle'' is called ''Dark Cloud 2'' in the United States and Canada, for some reason.
* MechaExpansionPack: Ridepod, of course.
* AMechByAnyOtherName: The Ridepod, also known as Steve.
* MeaningfulName: [[EvilGenius Dr. Jaming]] from ''Chronicle'' dedicated his life to DiscoTech, most of all, making objects float by sound alone.
* MineralMacGuffin: The Atlamillia jewels in ''Chronicle''.
* MiniGame: Fishing, Finny Frenzy and Spheda (which is basically golf).
* MiniMecha: Again, Steve the Ridepod.
* 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.''
* MissingTrailerScene: Two scenes appear in the opening video and early trailer of Dark Chronicle that don't occur in game: Max driving a car and racing against the Blackstone One, and Max running away from Flotsam on the Palm Brinks rooftops.
* MonsterClown: ''Chronicle'''s Flotsam and his Circus, and strangely one of Max's costumes is even creepier.
* {{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.
* MoreDakka: The Ridepod has machineguns you can make/equip to him; Max has his own possible machineguns.
* [[{{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.
* MundaneMadeAwesome: Linda's circus performance in the prologue of ''Chronicle''. Who knew elephants could jump that high?
* NeverSayDie: Averted. One of the first things Flotsam tells Max is "Give me that stone or die!"
* NiceHat: Many examples, most of them because of clothing you buy/invent/trade medals for.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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''.
* NonIronicClown: You will occasionally encounter the Happy Clown in a treasure chest. His gimmick is that he offers you the choice between two boxes. One contains an awesome item, the other contains junk.
* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: Flotsam]] returns as a cyborg in Dark Chronicle's bonus dungeon.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: After revealing his true form, the first battle with Griffon is one of the hardest in the game.
* OddlySmallOrganization: The Palm Brink's police force.
* 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 [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome catches it.]]]]
* 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 thecoast. coast.
* ParentalAbandonment: Monica is made fatherless (assumedly an orphan, as her mother is [[MissingMom never mentioned).]] Max has a MissingMom, and his father is important to restoring Gundarada.
* PettingZooPeople: 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.
* [[ViewersAreGoldfish Players are Goldfish]]: 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.
* 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.
** That last one is justified in that the original "beams of sunlight from ceramic vases" 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. If you're talking about the Nova Cannon, that is.
* 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.
* 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.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath:
**[[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.
** Also, [[spoiler: Gaspard]] literally just ''decides'' that he's going to quit the side of evil, and that alone gets him killed.
* RedOniBlueOni: 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 BonusBoss use these motifs.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Monica.
* SaintlyChurch:
** The one in Palm Brinks in ''Chronicle''. It doesn't actually ''do'' anything, but at least it's not evil.
** 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: Lin's wish to save her master, Crest.
* SinisterScythe: TheDragon, Gaspard, transforms his sword's blade into a nasty-looking scythe after a first duel with Monica.
* 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.
* SpiderTank: Halloween, Flotsam's enormous clown-themed mecha.
* SpinToDeflectStuff: Max's Spin Attack can deflect projectiles.
* StartOfDarkness: The flashbacks to [[spoiler: Alexandra's time]] in the Moon Flower Palace, depicting how Griffon fell from grace.
* TalkingToTheDead: [[spoiler:Lin to Crest.]] A [[MoodWhiplash surprising]], but [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming heartfelt]], TearJerker in a majorly happy and cheerful game.
* 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.
* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:Dark Element, who is a phyiscal manifestation of Sirus/Emperor Griffon's evil thoughts and feelings.]]
* TheSlowPath: This is part of the process of rebuilding the world.
** Also, weapons-building. Unless you a) Medal Grind, or b), get the expensive Name-Changing Ticket, know the ''exact'' punctuation of your desired weapon, and use it, then you've got a GameBreaker early on. If not... [[GuideDangIt get a guide]].
* TomboyPrincess: Monica.
* TraintopBattle: At the end of the first chapter.
* 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, the flash red and hit two or three times as hard. Unfortunately, this makes trying to level weaker weapons ''very'' difficult unless you backtrack.
* VillainOverride: [[spoiler:Gaspard is controlled by Emperor Griffon after Gaspard has his HeelFaceTurn.]]
* WhatAreYouLookingAt: A nice example in the second game, where you're able to recruit people to inhabit the towns you build. When they aren't assigned a house to live in, they are always inside the train. You'd think they get bored, poor sods.
* 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.]]
* [[SwordAndGun Wrench And Gun]]: Max wields either a wrench or a [[DropTheHammer hammer]] in his right hand, and a gun in his left.
* MarketBasedTitle: ''Dark Chronicle'' is called ''Dark Cloud 2'' in the United States and Canada, for some reason.
* MechaExpansionPack: Ridepod, of course.
* AMechByAnyOtherName: The Ridepod, also known as Steve.
* MeaningfulName: [[EvilGenius Dr. Jaming]] from ''Chronicle'' dedicated his life to DiscoTech, most of all, making objects float by sound alone.
* MineralMacGuffin: The Atlamillia jewels in ''Chronicle''.
* MiniGame: Fishing, Finny Frenzy and Spheda (which is basically golf).
* MiniMecha: Again, Steve the Ridepod.
* 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.''
* MissingTrailerScene: Two scenes appear in the opening video and early trailer of Dark Chronicle that don't occur in game: Max driving a car and racing against the Blackstone One, and Max running away from Flotsam on the Palm Brinks rooftops.
* MonsterClown: ''Chronicle'''s Flotsam and his Circus, and strangely one of Max's costumes is even creepier.
* {{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.
* MoreDakka: The Ridepod has machineguns you can make/equip to him; Max has his own possible machineguns.
* [[{{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.
* MundaneMadeAwesome: Linda's circus performance in the prologue of ''Chronicle''. Who knew elephants could jump that high?
* NeverSayDie: Averted. One of the first things Flotsam tells Max is "Give me that stone or die!"
* NiceHat: Many examples, most of them because of clothing you buy/invent/trade medals for.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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''.
* NonIronicClown: You will occasionally encounter the Happy Clown in a treasure chest. His gimmick is that he offers you the choice between two boxes. One contains an awesome item, the other contains junk.
* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler: Flotsam]] returns as a cyborg in Dark Chronicle's bonus dungeon.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: After revealing his true form, the first battle with Griffon is one of the hardest in the game.
* OddlySmallOrganization: The Palm Brink's police force.
* 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 [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome catches it.]]]]
* 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
* ParentalAbandonment: Monica is made fatherless (assumedly an orphan, as her mother is [[MissingMom never mentioned).]] Max has a MissingMom, and his father is important to restoring Gundarada.
* PettingZooPeople: 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.
* [[ViewersAreGoldfish Players are Goldfish]]: 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.
* 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.
** That last one is justified in that the original "beams of sunlight from ceramic vases" 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. If you're talking about the Nova Cannon, that is.
* 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.
* 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.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath:
**[[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.
** Also, [[spoiler: Gaspard]] literally just ''decides'' that he's going to quit the side of evil, and that alone gets him killed.
* RedOniBlueOni: 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 BonusBoss use these motifs.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Monica.
* SaintlyChurch:
** The one in Palm Brinks in ''Chronicle''. It doesn't actually ''do'' anything, but at least it's not evil.
** 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: Lin's wish to save her master, Crest.
* SinisterScythe: TheDragon, Gaspard, transforms his sword's blade into a nasty-looking scythe after a first duel with Monica.
* 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.
* SpiderTank: Halloween, Flotsam's enormous clown-themed mecha.
* SpinToDeflectStuff: Max's Spin Attack can deflect projectiles.
* StartOfDarkness: The flashbacks to [[spoiler: Alexandra's time]] in the Moon Flower Palace, depicting how Griffon fell from grace.
* TalkingToTheDead: [[spoiler:Lin to Crest.]] A [[MoodWhiplash surprising]], but [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming heartfelt]], TearJerker in a majorly happy and cheerful game.
* 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.
* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:Dark Element, who is a phyiscal manifestation of Sirus/Emperor Griffon's evil thoughts and feelings.]]
* TheSlowPath: This is part of the process of rebuilding the world.
** Also, weapons-building. Unless you a) Medal Grind, or b), get the expensive Name-Changing Ticket, know the ''exact'' punctuation of your desired weapon, and use it, then you've got a GameBreaker early on. If not... [[GuideDangIt get a guide]].
* TomboyPrincess: Monica.
* TraintopBattle: At the end of the first chapter.
* 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, the flash red and hit two or three times as hard. Unfortunately, this makes trying to level weaker weapons ''very'' difficult unless you backtrack.
* VillainOverride: [[spoiler:Gaspard is controlled by Emperor Griffon after Gaspard has his HeelFaceTurn.]]
* WhatAreYouLookingAt: A nice example in the second game, where you're able to recruit people to inhabit the towns you build. When they aren't assigned a house to live in, they are always inside the train. You'd think they get bored, poor sods.
* 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.]]
* [[SwordAndGun Wrench And Gun]]: Max wields either a wrench or a [[DropTheHammer hammer]] in his right hand, and a gun in his left.
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* 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.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: Several of Monica's swords are katanas. The most powerful melee weapon for the Ridepod is the Samurai Arm IV which [[DualWielding dual wields]] katanas.
* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: Flotsam gleefully enjoys kicking the Mayor whom he is basically coercing.
* KidHero: Although the second game only gives hints as to Max's age, [[WordOfGod according to the]] [[NoExportForYou official Japanese]] [[AllThereInTheManual artbook]], he is 13, Monica is 15.
* KingMook:
** The guardians of the Chapter 6 shrines are bigger, palette-swapped versions of regular enemies.
** Several midbosses - namely Linda, Memo-Eater, and the guardians at the dead ends in the Zelmite Mine - are also palette/model swapped versions of regular enemies. However, in the case of Linda and Memo-Eater, they are palette-swapped versions of regular enemies [[DegradedBoss you haven't encountered yet.]]
* 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.
* [[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.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: You can recruit half of Palm Brinks to work as support characters. They all stay on the Blackstone until you build them a house in the appropriate village (or don't).
* LostForever: Several dozen photographs [[GuideDangIt can be missed]] (often because they involve stopping for a photo op during boss battles), and several Fruits of Eden can be rendered inaccessible by a glitch. 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.
* MacGuffinDeliveryService: Max and Monica confront Griffon while still wearing their Atlamillia. The obvious happens.
* 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.)
* KatanasAreJustBetter: Several of Monica's swords are katanas. The most powerful melee weapon for the Ridepod is the Samurai Arm IV which [[DualWielding dual wields]] katanas.
* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: Flotsam gleefully enjoys kicking the Mayor whom he is basically coercing.
* KidHero: Although the second game only gives hints as to Max's age, [[WordOfGod according to the]] [[NoExportForYou official Japanese]] [[AllThereInTheManual artbook]], he is 13, Monica is 15.
* KingMook:
** The guardians of the Chapter 6 shrines are bigger, palette-swapped versions of regular enemies.
** Several midbosses - namely Linda, Memo-Eater, and the guardians at the dead ends in the Zelmite Mine - are also palette/model swapped versions of regular enemies. However, in the case of Linda and Memo-Eater, they are palette-swapped versions of regular enemies [[DegradedBoss you haven't encountered yet.]]
* 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.
* [[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.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: You can recruit half of Palm Brinks to work as support characters. They all stay on the Blackstone until you build them a house in the appropriate village (or don't).
* LostForever: Several dozen photographs [[GuideDangIt can be missed]] (often because they involve stopping for a photo op during boss battles), and several Fruits of Eden can be rendered inaccessible by a glitch. 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.
* MacGuffinDeliveryService: Max and Monica confront Griffon while still wearing their Atlamillia. The obvious happens.
* 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.)
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* 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.''
impossibly long one to the Death Ark when it's above the crater of an ''active volcano.''
to:
* InASingleBound: Monica Raybrandt has suicidally long ones in cutscenes, especially an
an impossibly long one to the Death Ark when it's above the crater of an ''active volcano.''
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* 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.''
* InexplicableTreasureChests: Your favourite food will somehow appear within these teasure chests as you continue rebuilding the world.
* 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.
* InstantAwesomeJustAddMecha: Paznos is a huge mechanical fortress designed to fend off Griffon's army with giant laser beams.
* InUniverseGameClock: Game time is much faster than real time (one real-time minute = one game-time hour).
* 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?
-->''Murdered? Now, that hurts. Your father and I fought fairly...he just wasn't good enough to beat me.''
* 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.
* ItsPersonal: Monica's vendetta with [[TheDragon Gaspard]] started because [[YouKilledMyFather he killed her father]] at the end of the opening scene.
impossibly long one to the Death Ark when it's above the crater of an ''active volcano.''
* InexplicableTreasureChests: Your favourite food will somehow appear within these teasure chests as you continue rebuilding the world.
* 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.
* InstantAwesomeJustAddMecha: Paznos is a huge mechanical fortress designed to fend off Griffon's army with giant laser beams.
* InUniverseGameClock: Game time is much faster than real time (one real-time minute = one game-time hour).
* 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?
-->''Murdered? Now, that hurts. Your father and I fought fairly...he just wasn't good enough to beat me.''
* 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.
* ItsPersonal: Monica's vendetta with [[TheDragon Gaspard]] started because [[YouKilledMyFather he killed her father]] at the end of the opening scene.
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* GoodShepherd: Priest Bruno is the exceptionally kind cleric of Palm Brinks.
* 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.
* 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 be gained either through upgrading or buying if you just wait long enough.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: [[spoiler:Gaspard]] is driven mad by Griffon the minute he defects, forcing the heroes to kill him.
* HeelFaceTurn: Dr. Jaming realises 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 god guy in Monica's time.
* HitAndRunTactics: A viable tactic. Be careful, though; every time an enemy is hit, no matter how weakly, it takes a point off it's rage meter. When it's raged, it temporarily becomes stronger.
* HyperactiveMetabolism: Food and water are used to restore health, and naturally, NobodyPoops. Giving Max and Monica their favourite food increases their HP and some stats.
* 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.
* ImprobableWeaponUser: The heroes can wield giant, frozen tunas as blunt weapons, golf clubs, Tiki masks, slingshots...
* 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.
* 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 be gained either through upgrading or buying if you just wait long enough.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: [[spoiler:Gaspard]] is driven mad by Griffon the minute he defects, forcing the heroes to kill him.
* HeelFaceTurn: Dr. Jaming realises 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 god guy in Monica's time.
* HitAndRunTactics: A viable tactic. Be careful, though; every time an enemy is hit, no matter how weakly, it takes a point off it's rage meter. When it's raged, it temporarily becomes stronger.
* HyperactiveMetabolism: Food and water are used to restore health, and naturally, NobodyPoops. Giving Max and Monica their favourite food increases their HP and some stats.
* 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.
* ImprobableWeaponUser: The heroes can wield giant, frozen tunas as blunt weapons, golf clubs, Tiki masks, slingshots...
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* ForcedIntoEvil: The Rainbow Butterfly is hostile because it was corrupted by Griffon's powers in Sindain forest.
* FreudianExcuse:
** Griffon [[spoiler:was mistreated for not being human and lost the only person who was kind to him in war.]]
** 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.]]
** Dr. Jaming [[spoiler:was mistreated for being human but with an extreme deformity]].
* FrothyMugsOfWater: In the English release, what is clearly a bottle of wine is referred to as "grape juice".
* FunnyAnimal: Dr. Dell, Palm Brinks's doctor, is a walking, talking ''duck''.
* FurBikini: A bonus outfit, which, combined with the boots and bell, makes Monica look like a CatGirl.
* 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.
* GatlingGood: Steve's gatling gun attachments and Max's Last Resort, a handheld minigun and terminal stage of the [[EvolvingWeapon machinegun path]].
* FreudianExcuse:
** Griffon [[spoiler:was mistreated for not being human and lost the only person who was kind to him in war.]]
** 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.]]
** Dr. Jaming [[spoiler:was mistreated for being human but with an extreme deformity]].
* FrothyMugsOfWater: In the English release, what is clearly a bottle of wine is referred to as "grape juice".
* FunnyAnimal: Dr. Dell, Palm Brinks's doctor, is a walking, talking ''duck''.
* FurBikini: A bonus outfit, which, combined with the boots and bell, makes Monica look like a CatGirl.
* 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.
* GatlingGood: Steve's gatling gun attachments and Max's Last Resort, a handheld minigun and terminal stage of the [[EvolvingWeapon machinegun path]].
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* 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.
* {{Expy}}: [[StockNessMonster The Shiguras]], big blue sea creatures bear an uncanny resemblance to [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Lapras]].
* FirstPersonSnapshooter: Max takes pictures of almost anything, which can be used to create inventions.
* FishingMinigame: Of two flavors:
** 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.
** 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.
* FlamboyantGay: Possibly the only thing ever in which the flamboyant gay is a ''fish''. A huge, purple, ''lipstick-wearing'' fish.
* ForWantOfANail: The game depends on this. How will the future change if you build the past a bit differently?
* FramingDevice: The chapters of the game are letters Max writes to his mother.
* {{Expy}}: [[StockNessMonster The Shiguras]], big blue sea creatures bear an uncanny resemblance to [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Lapras]].
* FirstPersonSnapshooter: Max takes pictures of almost anything, which can be used to create inventions.
* FishingMinigame: Of two flavors:
** 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.
** 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.
* FlamboyantGay: Possibly the only thing ever in which the flamboyant gay is a ''fish''. A huge, purple, ''lipstick-wearing'' fish.
* ForWantOfANail: The game depends on this. How will the future change if you build the past a bit differently?
* FramingDevice: The chapters of the game are letters Max writes to his mother.
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''Dark Chronicle''[note]]known as Dark Cloud 2 in North America[[/note]] is the sequel to ''VideoGame/DarkCloud'' developed by {{Level 5}} and released on 2003.
to:
''Dark Chronicle''[note]]known Chronicle''[[note]]known as Dark Cloud 2 in North America[[/note]] is the sequel to ''VideoGame/DarkCloud'' developed by {{Level 5}} and released on 2003.
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''Dark Chronicle (or Dark Cloud 2)'' is the sequel to ''VideoGame/DarkCloud'' developed by Level5 and released on 2003.
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''Dark Chronicle (or Chronicle''[note]]known as Dark Cloud 2)'' 2 in North America[[/note]] is the sequel to ''VideoGame/DarkCloud'' developed by Level5 {{Level 5}} and released on 2003.
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* 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!
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* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: The very first dungeon, the Underground
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* 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.]]
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* DualWielding:
** Max always wields either a [[SwordAndGun wrench or a hammer in one hand, and some manner of gun in the other]].
** Monica [[MagicKnight swings her sword with her right hand and uses her magic bracelet with her left hand.]]
** [[spoiler:Griffon]] also [[OneWingedAngel tears off his own wings]] and magically transforms them into dual swords during a boss battle.
* 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.]]
* 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.
** Max always wields either a [[SwordAndGun wrench or a hammer in one hand, and some manner of gun in the other]].
** Monica [[MagicKnight swings her sword with her right hand and uses her magic bracelet with her left hand.]]
** [[spoiler:Griffon]] also [[OneWingedAngel tears off his own wings]] and magically transforms them into dual swords during a boss battle.
* 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.]]
* 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.
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* BigBadWannabe: Subverted with [[spoiler: Griffon's true form]]. Despite his cute appearance, he really is [[{{KillerRabbit}} that]] [[NotSoHarmlessVillain dangerous]].
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* CampGay: King Mardan is a giant purple fish with enlarged lips and a ''faaaaabulous'' voice who really likes taking care of his looks. Monica can't believe he's a guy!
* 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.
* CelShading: The graphics are beautifully cel-shaded.
* ChargedAttack:
** Many of the Ridepod's weapons, especially the missile arms have a charge time.
** Monica's [[BuffySpeak magic-armband thing]] takes some time into charging her magic until she releases it.
* ChestMonster: The Mimic and King Mimic return in this game as well, though not as strong as in the previous game.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.]]]]
* CoolOldGuy: Galen Agaris. Just listen to that kick-ass voice!
* 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 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.
* ContinuityNod [[spoiler: Dark Genie]], the previous game's BigBad, is the boss of the BonusDungeon. In addition, the music from the 1st game's intro plays in the battle.
* CosmicKeystone: The Atlamillia Stones are said to control the power of the sun and can bring [[spoiler:the Moon down to earth.]]
* 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]].
* 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]].
* 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.
* CelShading: The graphics are beautifully cel-shaded.
* ChargedAttack:
** Many of the Ridepod's weapons, especially the missile arms have a charge time.
** Monica's [[BuffySpeak magic-armband thing]] takes some time into charging her magic until she releases it.
* ChestMonster: The Mimic and King Mimic return in this game as well, though not as strong as in the previous game.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.]]]]
* CoolOldGuy: Galen Agaris. Just listen to that kick-ass voice!
* 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 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.
* ContinuityNod [[spoiler: Dark Genie]], the previous game's BigBad, is the boss of the BonusDungeon. In addition, the music from the 1st game's intro plays in the battle.
* CosmicKeystone: The Atlamillia Stones are said to control the power of the sun and can bring [[spoiler:the Moon down to earth.]]
* 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]].
* 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]].
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* BigDamnHeroes: The Firbits pull this off by [[spoiler:flying the Carpenterion into Griffon's palace]] to whisk Max and Monica to safety.
* BlindIdiotTranslation: The grammar--[[YouMakeMeSic if you can call it that]]--in the explanation of Polyn in ''Chronicle''.
* BonusDungeon: Zelmite Mine is unlocked after you finish the game and it is ''brutal''.
* BossSubtitles
* 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.
* BlindIdiotTranslation: The grammar--[[YouMakeMeSic if you can call it that]]--in the explanation of Polyn in ''Chronicle''.
* BonusDungeon: Zelmite Mine is unlocked after you finish the game and it is ''brutal''.
* BossSubtitles
* 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.
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* 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.
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''Dark Chronicle (or Dark Cloud 2)'' is the sequel to ''Video/DarkCloud'' developed by Level5 and released on 2003.
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''Dark Chronicle (or Dark Cloud 2)'' is the sequel to ''Video/DarkCloud'' ''VideoGame/DarkCloud'' developed by Level5 and released on 2003.
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[[redirect:VideoGame/DarkCloud]]
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->''"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."''
-->--'''Maximillian'''
''Dark Chronicle (or Dark Cloud 2)'' is the sequel to ''Video/DarkCloud'' developed by Level5 and released on 2003.
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".
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 2 weapons each to compensate. Max uses blunt items--mainly wrenches and hammers--and a gun, while Monica uses swords and 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.
Despite any rumors which may still be floating around, a third game is not in development.
----
!This game provides examples of:
* 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!
* ActionGirl: Monica Raybrandt is a powerful princess and even more capable than Max at the beginning of the game.
* AncestralWeapon: The Holy Daedalus Blade, King Raybrandt's sword is passed down to Monica if you complete Gundorada Workshop.
* AndYourRewardIsClothes: 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]].
* [[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.
* AnthropomorphicPersonification: The Dark Element represents hate, resentment and evil.
* ArtInitiatesLife: Parn's wife Julia was a painting he brought to life using gold paint made from gold eggs.
* AwesomeButImpractical: Steve's [[MacrossMissileMassacre Missile Pod Arms]] in the sequel. 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.
* BadassPrincess: Monica Raybrandt is 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.
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