As much as I'd like to, I won't beat around the bush. Dark Chronicle is the best RPG ever, no debate. A rather extreme and subjective statement you may think, but the simple fact is that it's true. As much as it pains me to say, forget Final Fantasy VII and erase any thoughts of Zelda from your mind; this is where the party's at. SONY's follow up to the unbearable Dark Cloud is one of the most incredible games I have ever had the privilege to play and has already become a benchmark title to me.

The huge narrative revolves around a sprightly young mechanic named Max and a warrior princess from the future called Monica and is not as punchy as it could be but still holds your attention and has enough surprises to keep it fresh. There do seem to be an awful lot of references to children's tales scattered about and at times it feels a little predictable. That said, the storyline as a whole is truly epic and is well worth completing. Throughout the game, the narrative is supplied in little chunks of game engine cut scenes, the occasional flashback, or extracts from letters and you never have to wait too long for the story to move along.

Opening with the assassination of Monica's father, the story gradually opens up more and more of the play world as you progress through the eight chapters. Each chapter introduces a new element to the gameplay and you're still learning things come the last one, meaning that there's always a new avenue to explore or previously inaccessible area to raid. One of the most unique aspects of Dark Chronicle is the invention system, which allows you to invent up to 128 items. You're rarely given much of a clue as to how to put these new ideas together, so most of it is down to your own brainwork. The ability to create these inventions comes from the camera you're given, which allows you to wander around and take photos of the surroundings that can be combined to form an idea. These ideas, along with the correct amount of raw materials equal an invention. This is more than a simple distraction from dungeon hacking and for the technically minded it's one of the best parts of the game. The camera also lets you take inside scoops (pictures of bosses and unique events) that can then be traded in for prizes and power ups. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

The weapon build up is pretty unique as well. Instead of building up your character, although that can still be done in a limited fashion, your weapons see the bulk of the enhancements and can be upgraded and tailored to your needs. It sounds like quite a complicated system, but after the first chapter all the synthesis and spectrumising comes as second nature. Essentially, every item in your inventory can be spectrumised into its pure form. This elemental form can then be attached, or synthesised, onto your current weapon, be it a gun, wrench, hammer, armband or sword. With the right amount of stats on your weapon, it can then be built up to the next type. All this means that if you want a weapon that is effective against fire baddies, you simply power up your wrench with fire elements and hack away.

The combat system is a little different to most in that all the battling is done in real time and comes down to quick reflexes and effective choice of weapons. In true RPG style, your party consists of slots, two of which are always Max and Monica, the other being a support character, of which there are many. Each support character adds a skill or two to the party, such as repairing items, baking bread or increasing the amount of items and gold found in dungeons. As well as these three slots, two further auxiliary slots are used for Max's ridepod, Steve, and Monica's transformations. The ridepod is a huge barrel on legs, which can be massively upgraded throughout the game whilst Monica has the power to transform into any enemy, allowing her to get through areas unchallenged and even chat with the local monsters. These transformations are again upgradeable and really change the way you play. The only problem with these mechanics is that there simply aren't enough baddies around to give you upgrades on all the different ways of battling, forcing you to choose between upgrading your ridepod, monster or weapon.

The significantly enhanced georama mode is a welcome addition as well. This mode lets you sculpt new towns in the past, which then become cities in the future. All you need for this, unlike Dark Cloud's irritating system, are geostones and raw materials. Once you have built the abodes and shops, you place them according to hints you pick up along your travels and move the people in. It may sound strangely out of place in an RPG, but these God sim parts are an integral part of the game and add buckets of fun to the already amazing gameplay.

The cell shading works nicely with the colourful environments and gives the whole game a nice feeling of continuity and progression. Each chapter has its own feel and is based around a task or two, giving you a real sense of satisfaction when you complete them. The dungeon sections, despite the real time battling, stay true to RPG roots and are overflowing with weird and wonderful monsters to pummel. The animation is nothing spectacular and suffers from the same problems as many other similar titles, such as repetition and sliding feet, but some more important aspects, such as lip syncing, have been done rather better than the norm and more than make up for it.

It is surprising how a little bit of speech can go a long way in an RPG. The lesser conversations are mostly in old style speech bubbles but the more important dialogue is presented as well-scripted, well-acted speech. This gives the cut scenes a real boost and makes them all the more entertaining. Tranquil is the order of the day where the background music is concerned, switching to a more upbeat tempo when monsters are around. A little more variety would have been nice, but as it stands, the score is graciously pleasing.

Dark Chronicle is not wholly without its problems. The dungeons can become tiresome if you play them straight through and the sheer weight of things to do means that you wont achieve 100% first time through without the aid of a playing guide, but it's a darn good game and is well worth the greenbacks. This title is miles better than its predecessor and has addressed all the nuisances that made Dark Cloud so unplayable; thirst is no longer a problem and weapons do not disappear when broken, for example, making life so much easier in the dungeons.

There's so much more to tell about Dark Chronicle; the minigames are a great diversion and, more to the point, useful, the dungeons are randomly generated, the puzzling is abundant and challenging, I could go on for ages, but that would simply deprive you of your playing time. Go out and buy this, you won't be disappointed.

Reviewed by Tom LeClerc for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).