Its initial launch in Japan wasn’t met with much love. But it did become a commercial success and went on to have a sequel (Dark Chronical or Dark Cloud 2 depending on region). As with any dungeon-fighting title, weapons are a rather important element. One of the unique features of the title is that the weapons themselves level up rather than the character. With that in mind, weapon choice is crucial. The game has a whole selection of different battle tools and while personal preference is a huge factor when it comes to what is “the best,” I’m going to evaluate my favorites from all of Dark Cloud’s weapons in terms of aesthetics and power. Let’s dive in!
10. Albatross
Maximillian has a reputation for less conventional weapons and his series of bird-themed clubs fit right into this category. Unfortunately, aside from a very loosely inspired color scheme, the weapons aren’t really bird-themed at all. Fun fact: in real life, the Albatross bird has the longest wingspan of ANY living bird reaching lengths of to 12 feet! OK back to gaming. This specific weapon happens to be the final form of the Spheda club path. It works with advanced swings and does deliver the most damage compared to its earlier makes. It is important to note that clubs, in general, are not suited for the smaller dungeon rooms. But for those who insist on trying to use clubs, this is your best bet!
9. Frozen Tuna
One of Goro’s and Maximilian’s weapons, it is not at all misleading by some of the other zoologically weapons in the series. It is totally face value. Just a giant frozen fish that can be slammed against enemies and is later built up into the turtle shell weapon. Cute.
8. Stinger Wrench
I love originality in weapons and Maximilian’s series of wrenches really take the cake. I’ve seen hammers and saws being used before, but I cannot think of any other game that has used a wrench as a weapon. Although this isn’t the tool’s strongest form, it has a lot of awesome attributes for a rather early weapon. For one thing, the “steal” ability is awesome. And it has the potential to be synthesized at level five like the Bandit Brassard (one of Monica’s ranged weapons) to pass this ability to another main weapon. Battling aside, this weapon is a steampunk lover’s dream. The color combination mixed with the spiked-gear upgrade certainly separates it from the boring old wrench on a construction site.
7. Evilcise
This weapon is of a rather low-tier in the game, but that doesn’t make it any less awesome. This sword is one of Toan’s weapons in the original game and can fall into the hands of Monica Raybrandt in the sequel. Even if it is a little slow and doesn’t pack as much of a punch as other weapons, I am a huge fan of dishing out status effects. In Dark Cloud 2 it has a poison ability which makes it just that much more useful. Not to mention the strangely colorful and rounded design makes me feel like this weapon popped out of the Soul Eater series.
6. Dark Cloud
Another weapon shared by Toan and Monica, this bad boy is present in both titles. With its red and black color scheme it certainly looks awesome. When a weapon name matches the game title it’s always something special. It is, in fact, a high tier weapon that can deal a lot of damage with its impressive 6-hit combo. Sadly, its elemental stats aren’t great. And this lack of balance can prevent it from being as effective as other swords in the series. Although this is an ultimate weapon in Dark Cloud 2 and cannot be further built, it does have a final form as it is a penultimate weapon in the original!
5. Star Breaker
If this gun was colored differently it could belong to buzz lightyear. In the Dark Cloud series it has Captain America colors and belongs to Osmond(in Dark Cloud) and Maximillian(in Dark Cloud 2). As an American I have this inexplicable attraction towards red, white, and blue color schemes with stars. Aesthetics aside, the gun itself is pretty cool and the first machine gun that Maximillian can actually use. This means that they are both faster and fully automatic, making it a special milestone for gun users in Dark Cloud 2.
4. Inferno
Anyone who has ever watched D.Gray-man knows that you can never underestimate an elemental hammer. In the Dark Cloud series this weapon is wielded by Goro and is his strongest weapon (after being built up from Satan’s Axe). A giant battle hammer constructed from the flames of hell speaks for itself. What could go wrong?
3. Athena’s Armlet
Athena was the Goddess of war in ancient Greek mythology. She is easily one of the most recognized Greek entities as she has been made rather prominent in pop culture. Same holds true in the Dark Cloud series where she has become an awesome, face-shaped battle bracelet for Monica. Although it is not all that balanced, it has high Flame and Exorcism stats that make it quite powerful.
2. Island King
The Island King is one of Monica’s ultimate swords. Meaning as a super powerful tier-9 melee weapon. It’s adorable and tiki inspired design makes it really stand out and feel quite unique. It only has a slow 4-hit combo but it is the strongest sword in the game when you just look at brute attack points. This is also one of those weapons you can’t buy or earn, you need to build up to get it.
1. Chronicle 2
This is Toan’s strongest weapon in the original(and later becomes a high-tier sword of Monica in the 2nd installment). The sword has a look that really screams powerful and boasts one of those cool designs with a hollow center illuminated by a blazing light. In the original game this is a prize you can only obtain by defeating the Black Knight Pendragon on the 100th floor of the bonus dungeon Demon Shaft. So if you want to score this bad boy you’ll need to put in the work!
