<s>
is	O
an	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Level-5	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sony	O
Computer	O
Entertainment	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
spiritual	O
sequel	O
,	O
Dark	B-Application
Chronicle	I-Application
(	O
called	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
2	I-Application
in	O
North	O
America	O
)	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
in	O
2002	O
and	O
worldwide	O
the	O
following	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uniquely	O
combining	O
the	O
mechanisms	O
of	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
games	I-Application
with	O
elements	O
of	O
city-building	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
tells	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
adventurers	O
who	O
band	O
together	O
to	O
fight	O
against	O
the	O
Dark	O
Genie	O
,	O
who	O
has	O
attacked	O
and	O
destroyed	O
many	O
villages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
was	O
met	O
with	O
mainly	O
positive	O
reviews	O
by	O
critics	O
,	O
who	O
praised	O
its	O
blend	O
of	O
gameplay	O
types	O
,	O
although	O
some	O
criticized	O
its	O
combat	O
as	O
repetitive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
via	O
emulation	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
through	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
in	O
December	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
is	O
an	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
played	O
from	O
a	O
third-person	O
perspective	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
moves	O
through	O
procedurally-generated	O
dungeons	O
,	O
battling	O
monsters	O
and	O
collecting	O
items	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
combat	O
involves	O
real	B-General_Concept
time	I-General_Concept
hack	B-Application
and	I-Application
slash	I-Application
,	O
the	O
player	O
will	O
occasionally	O
"	O
Duel	O
"	O
an	O
enemy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
major	O
component	O
of	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
gameplay	O
involves	O
special	O
items	O
called	O
"	O
Atla	O
"	O
which	O
are	O
used	O
to	O
rebuild	O
the	O
world	O
outside	O
the	O
dungeons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
pieces	O
must	O
then	O
be	O
reassembled	O
in	O
"	O
Georama	B-Application
mode	O
"	O
;	O
a	O
gameplay	O
mode	O
similar	O
to	O
city-building	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
arrange	O
the	O
pieces	O
onto	O
the	O
landscape	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
most	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
instead	O
of	O
the	O
characters	O
leveling	O
up	O
,	O
their	O
weapons	O
do	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
features	O
six	O
main	O
characters	O
;	O
three	O
melee	O
fighters	O
and	O
three	O
ranged	O
fighters	O
,	O
with	O
each	O
using	O
a	O
different	O
weapon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
from	O
developer	O
Level-5	O
,	O
led	O
by	O
president	O
and	O
CEO	O
Akihiro	O
Hino	O
,	O
who	O
also	O
wrote	O
,	O
produced	O
and	O
designed	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
was	O
announced	O
in	O
March	O
1999	O
,	O
Sony	O
president	O
and	O
CEO	O
Ken	O
Kutaragi	O
used	O
an	O
early	O
demo	O
of	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
to	O
show	O
the	O
capabilities	O
of	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
demo	O
showed	O
a	O
magic	B-Application
carpet	I-Application
flying	O
through	O
a	O
valley	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
waterfall	O
effects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Georama	B-Application
mode	O
was	O
a	O
major	O
component	O
of	O
the	O
demo	O
,	O
with	O
both	O
IGN	O
and	O
GameSpot	O
comparing	O
it	O
to	O
Legend	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
"	O
Land	O
Make	O
"	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
,	O
GameSpot	O
previewed	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
calling	O
Toan	O
"	O
Link	O
with	O
an	O
Ali	B-Device
Baba	I-Device
twist	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
compared	O
the	O
combat	O
system	O
to	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Ocarina	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
and	O
the	O
duels	O
to	O
Shenmue	B-Application
,	O
and	O
then	O
the	O
graphics	O
,	O
water	O
effects	O
and	O
transitions	O
from	O
day	O
to	O
night	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
wrote	O
that	O
"	O
without	O
fully	O
playing	O
through	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
it	O
's	O
very	O
hard	O
to	O
determine	O
whether	O
or	O
not	O
this	O
title	O
will	O
prove	O
to	O
be	O
revolutionary	O
or	O
just	O
a	O
gimmicky	O
way	O
to	O
show	O
off	O
the	O
real-time	B-General_Concept
rendering	I-General_Concept
powers	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
console	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
English	O
language	O
release	O
of	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
in	O
May	O
2001	O
had	O
additional	O
gameplay	O
features	O
,	O
including	O
new	O
weapons	O
and	O
monsters	O
,	O
improved	O
AI	B-Application
,	O
extra	O
duels	O
and	O
an	O
extra	O
dungeon	O
after	O
completing	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
Demon	O
Shaft	O
;	O
this	O
location	O
does	O
not	O
appear	O
in	O
the	O
Japanese	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
emulated	O
version	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
available	O
through	O
PlayStation	B-Application
Store	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
December	O
2015	O
,	O
with	O
features	O
including	O
1080p	O
graphical	O
resolution	O
,	O
trophy	O
support	O
,	O
Remote	B-Device
Play	I-Device
,	O
Share	O
Play	O
compatibility	O
and	O
second	O
screen	O
support	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
and	O
PlayStation	B-Application
App	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
reviews	O
"	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
aggregate	O
score	O
of	O
80	O
out	O
of	O
100	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
twenty-seven	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gameplay	O
was	O
compared	O
by	O
several	O
critics	O
to	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Ocarina	I-Application
of	I-Application
Time	I-Application
,	O
while	O
the	O
weapon	O
system	O
was	O
likened	O
to	O
Vagrant	B-Application
Story	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpot	O
's	O
Shane	O
Satterfield	O
and	O
IGN	O
's	O
David	O
Zdyrko	O
both	O
felt	O
the	O
Georama	B-Application
mode	O
borrowed	O
elements	O
from	O
ActRaiser	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reiner	O
wrote	O
:	O
"	O
The	O
overall	O
design	O
may	O
not	O
be	O
the	O
best	O
,	O
yet	O
you	O
'll	O
be	O
completely	O
engrossed	O
with	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Action	B-Application
fans	O
will	O
drool	O
over	O
the	O
combat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
rarity	O
for	O
RPGs	O
,	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
truly	O
does	O
have	O
a	O
little	O
something	O
for	O
everyone	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AllGame	O
's	O
J.C.	O
Barnes	O
was	O
less	O
impressed	O
,	O
writing	O
"	O
while	O
there	O
are	O
hints	O
of	O
talent	O
behind	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
story	O
elements	O
,	O
there	O
needs	O
to	O
be	O
more	O
emphasis	O
on	O
creative	O
,	O
original	O
storytelling	O
if	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
is	O
going	O
to	O
become	O
a	O
franchise	O
capable	O
of	O
going	O
head	O
to	O
head	O
with	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AllGame	O
's	O
J.C.	O
Barnes	O
was	O
critical	O
,	O
writing	O
:	O
"	O
Pop	B-General_Concept
in	I-General_Concept
is	O
extremely	O
widespread	O
in	O
dungeons	O
and	O
towns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
Revolution	O
's	O
Johnny	O
Liu	O
wrote	O
:	O
"	O
Graphically	O
,	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
is	O
colorful	O
if	O
a	O
bit	O
bland	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
's	O
Dave	O
Zydrko	O
was	O
more	O
ambivalent	O
:	O
"	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
is	O
n't	O
a	O
bad-looking	O
game	O
by	O
any	O
means	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
character	O
models	O
actually	O
look	O
really	O
good	O
,	O
completely	O
with	O
jag-free	O
edges	O
,	O
lots	O
of	O
texture	O
detail	O
and	O
really	O
cool	O
designs	O
 [ ... ] 	O
What	O
hurts	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
is	O
its	O
background	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
's	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
flickering	O
in	O
the	O
backgrounds	O
,	O
plus	O
clipping	B-Algorithm
problems	O
can	O
be	O
found	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
some	O
instances	O
where	O
you	O
'll	O
see	O
seams	O
in	O
the	O
textures	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
background	O
textures	O
are	O
poorly	O
designed	O
in	O
that	O
they	O
look	O
like	O
floor	O
and	O
wall	O
tiles	O
in	O
the	O
outside	O
environments	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpot	O
's	O
Shane	O
Satterfield	O
had	O
similarly	O
mixed	O
views	O
:	O
"	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
graphics	O
can	O
be	O
both	O
stunning	O
and	O
disappointing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
J.C.	O
Barnes	O
wrote	O
:	O
"	O
Despite	O
all	O
of	O
its	O
flaws	O
,	O
the	O
positives	O
of	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
outweigh	O
any	O
negatives	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dave	O
Zydrko	O
wrote	O
:	O
"	O
The	O
whole	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
definitely	O
much	O
greater	O
than	O
its	O
parts	O
 [ ... ] 	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
offers	O
a	O
splendid	O
mix	O
of	O
several	O
existing	O
genres	O
and	O
game	O
ideas	O
that	O
when	O
merged	O
together	O
brings	O
forth	O
a	O
delightful	O
and	O
extremely	O
addictive	O
adventure	O
role-playing	O
game	O
that	O
's	O
easily	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
we	O
've	O
yet	O
seen	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
it	O
's	O
not	O
the	O
Zelda	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
everyone	O
was	O
hoping	O
for	O
,	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
puts	O
its	O
own	O
significant	O
stamp	O
on	O
the	O
adventure-RPG	O
genre	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Not	O
quite	O
Actraiser	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
July	O
2006	O
,	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
had	O
sold	O
670,000	O
copies	O
and	O
earned	O
$22	O
million	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
Generation	O
ranked	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
95th	O
highest-selling	O
game	O
launched	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Application
or	O
GameCube	B-Application
between	O
January	O
2000	O
and	O
July	O
2006	O
in	O
that	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Combined	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
Dark	B-Application
Cloud	I-Application
series	O
reached	O
1	O
million	O
units	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
by	O
July	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
