Dark Cloud | The Mystery of the Demon Shaft
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- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- The Demon Shaft is an extra dungeon in the US version of Dark Cloud. It's unlocked after beating the Dark Genie. We are given no story about it, and walking around it gives off an interesting sense of mystery. This is an analysis and exploration of this strange extra area.
The Demon Shaft offers questions, but never any answers. Let's dive into this mysterious tower and answer what we can! I also wanted to show as much of the area as I can with the debug camera. It's a well designed dungeon inside and out.
The Dark Cloud community is still very active! Join us:
Reddit: / darkcloud
Discord: / discord
#DarkCloud #Playstation2 #JRPG #RPG #PS2 #Playstation
I'm glad you all like the video. This was one of my first voiceovers, and although my voice used to be more quiet, it turned out to be a fun and creative video. I plan to do more in the future! Be sure to check out my Dark Cloud playlist as well:
ua-cam.com/video/FxDjzuJ6wUg/v-deo.html
I subscribe and it's so cool to meet others DC1 and DC2 I'm currently playing Dark cloud 2 on my computer this video time travel me all the way back to 2002 again
@@Supsherry There's still a huge fanbase for sure! Love Dark Cloud 2 and will probably play it again myself. We also have a very active Discord:
discord.com/invite/AVyfstpPgR
Would love to see an english creepypasta on this game eventually. maybe you can help
@@LadyEspia Unfortunately I have no plans to make another video like this one. However, if you check out Hiddencastle's channel, The Dark Cloud Compendium. Search up his Halloween videos for some DC creepypasta :o
@@Shaztopia1 thanks you're awesome! Glad I subbed
I've been dying to know for 20 years what the lore behind this place was. I wonder if the developers had planned another plot point with the Demon Shaft but it just never really made it through development
I think it’s just like sphere 211 in star ocean 3.. it’s just to keep the player engaged with the game
Regrettably, there is no story behind. As it turns out, Dark Chronicle (JP Version of Dark Cloud) has no post-game dungeon so the Demon Shaft is a US exclusive for those who want an extra challenge.
And though it's clearly a bug by the developers; it's interesting to note that the game only checks for "a" completed game save data flag. In other words: on subsequent playthroughs, once you finish the Moon chapter, the Demon Tower is also available, making it early enough to get overpowered and get the chronicle 2 sword to beat the Dark Genie.
...wait, does it?
Saaaay~
I know there are multiple versions of the game floating around. Now I'm curious if my version has that bug too
the music in this place gives me such good memories
In the original Japanese version of Dark Cloud, the Demon Shaft is completely absent.
This place has always fascinated me ever since I started playing back in early 2000's. While it's probably as simple as just a fix for a glitch at dark heaven castle or a bonus dungeon for bragging rights.... my nerd theory is that the Demon Shaft is what was constructed to contain the evil that roamed the world instead of the Dark Urn where the Genie was sealed. Since the Dark Genie was never released due to Sophia's death (corrected by Toan's interference), Seda would likely have wanted to create the kingdom he and Sophia wanted together that was "free, full of smiling faces". As far as Black Knight Pendragon, I do believe that's Aga. Why he's there is odd but...perhaps Aga set out on a mission to keep peace in the world having foreseen what his son changed in the past with the Chronicle Sword 2 in his possession (which is described as manipulating time), rather than expecting Toan to fight a great evil like the Genie. That drove him to assume guardianship of the Demon Shaft for years and prevent evil from escaping. Once Toan defeated all the enemies there, and proved his own strength, Aga no longer served a purpose and gave up his life in exchange for Toan to have this powerful sword. That's a very long-winded comment for a random video I found but goddamn I love this game and I'm happy to see I'm not alone wondering about this place. 😁
Do you have any more theories?
Something that could be a hint about the demon shaft and the black knight pendragon that a lot of people overlook is the description of the Chronicle2 sword which reads "Proof of subjugation. Demon shaft". Perhaps the black knight was held hostage in the demon shaft for a very long time
Nice to see there are still many players on this game...i started it for the 1.000 time just few days ago...absolutely one of the best i ever played. The whole game is sorrounded by a sense of mistery, so many things are not explained by the plot😪 aniway good job man💪🏻
The demon shaft was placed in the eu and usa versions of dark cloud as a filler/extra content because they could not release/activate the back floors in the dark heaven castle that were present in the japanese version of dark cloud. There was an item missing in dark cloud usa/pal versions that you could only get by using a long and hard glitch to be able to enter the back floors in dark heaven castle. Still this is not the official way and somewhat they gave the pal/usa versions this extra content the demon shaft because of this rebuild error.
I am really curious to see what we can find on the top floor , going outside, throught the glass ceiling near the moon ! There are so many mysterious places, thanks a lot for letting us know every hidden and secret parts of this game. Nostalgia at its very best
I didn't think of that before :o wish I did now lol. I'm gonna try that, will post results on my channel, and probably the Dark Cloud sub
this is absolutely one of my favorite extra dungeons in any game ever, just the sense of mystery and intrigue you get from it isn't replicated by most other games, most of the time extra dungeons feel like they're there for the sake of just having an insanely hard boss at the end reusing assets from the game, it's pretty amazing they managed to add this exclusively in the north american version of the game
Definitely! It was so unexpected too, especially the 100 floors part. Without critical hits or constantly changing elements, its a long slog. Still, love the boss and design
it's also available on the European version of the game
Yeah, they then did it again with Rogue Galaxy and the planet Alistia. A whole region not in the Japanese version. with an isolated story and its own challenges.
That game was what started my love of Level-5.
best ost in the game without a doubt
This! This right here!! 🤯
This video was the best Shaz, you knocked it out of the park! Everything from the subject, the narration and editing it was top notch, i'm proud of you buddy!🔥
tyvm, it means a lot to me ;)
I'm hear because of your podcast Hidden castle! Lol, great video Shaztopia!
It's so nice hearing from you again@@0pride809 Shaztopia did an amazing job with this video right! It's one of my favorites 🌟✌
@@DarkCloudCompendium 100% agree! I remember arriving here for the first time as a kid and just listening to the ambient foreboding wind blow. I spent minutes just running around trying to find a way to the back of the building. As silly as it may seem, that's really the magic of Dark Cloud in my opinion. I really liked what you said about the fact that there may not be that deep of a meaning; but this game ,from the title screen on, is just so mysterious. It always seemed like there is more
@@0pride809 When I first got to this area I was honestly spooked, I remember thinking the bells were so scary but then again I was a very easily scared kid haha! 😂
You hit the nail on the head Pride, there's something about Dark Cloud that gives you the feeling of mystery, honestly it may be just how simplicity of the game that it leaves you asking for more in a way. 🙂
The chamber where the Urn was kept in the intro could be a good one to look around in too if possible =D
I've got theories on Demon Shaft but yeah it's sad it has no story to it. It just exists, seemingly to not have time flow there, the outside always staying the same.
Hmmms if the BKP is Aga I wonder how he became that(?) and if not still..... Why'd the yellow moon shoot out a beam of light at him like that? Did he turn into the sword itself? Was the beam of light the sword killing him?
What is the story behind this tower??
So many questions little to no answers.
There's probably some sort of symbolism for the moonlight beam shooting at him. Maybe showing he's not real and a sort of test from some spirit observing him. I really wish there was more info, but I'm kind of ok with it because it lets you keep guessing.
@@Shaztopia1 not real, meaning he could be an illusion made by who or what ever runs that tower.
Oooooo like a God testing them and the reward is the sword.
Fairies/Gods seem to used interchangeably in DC1, as Seda said the Atlamillia was "a gift from the gods only the worthy can possess" so maybe a fellow god of Simba's or something was testing Toan and crew.
@@kaleajadesilver8918 Speaking of Seda, I wonder where his body disappeared off to after he stabbed himself in order to prevent the Dark Genie from gaining access into his mind.
Great video, I only ever got about 7 floors deep into the Demon Shaft before I'd had enough, and clearly it's not really worth finishing it since you get a sword that you can't even really use for anything haha
i got to around floor 67 of the demon shaft, its almost impossible to go further without poison on a weapon, enemies all have stamina drink effects and have so much hp, i gave up after looking up the reward
I've cleared the demon shaft a few times but I never defeat all the enemies on a floor unless I'm just really unlucky. Usually beeline for the next floor as soon as the key drops because at that point in the game you don't really need to build up your weapon anymore so it's a waste of resources fighting extra unless you're just determined.
@@foxypotato3094 I built a sphere with all the boons and just equip it to whatever weapon on the current character I'm using.
Even though the two games are in no way connected I personally like to think the demon shaft is somehow related to Shadow of the Colossus/ Ico / The last Guardian. The mysterious feel always gave me the same vibe for some reason.
Great video, next I think you should do one exactly like this but for Dark Heaven Castle as there are also a lot of out of bounds areas there that we don't get to see
Thank you, and good suggestion! Will keep that in mind for a future video.
The chronicle 2 sword is a huge hint to dark cloud 2 aka dark chronicle before it released.
I still keep coming back to this video, excellent work :)
Ayy thank you! This was a really fun video to do so I'm glad you like it.
Back in the day I thought it was some sort of crossover with Eternal Ring because I'd played a bit of Shadow Tower and knew the same developer also made an early PS2 game. Maybe it was planned to be but the explicit references were cut due to legal issues.
The way the moon was directly overhead gave me space elevator vibes or at least a failed attempt
Whatever the reason it was put in the game, I think the lore of it's existence would be as an attempt to reach the moon. It's directly below it, and why build a tower so tall if not to reach something?
In the game you use that weird ship to reach the moon, and it doesn't seem to go very fast, so the moon can't be THAT far away.
In fact, wasn't there supposed to be another area in the map that was themed on like a volcano or something? Which on the map is covered by the moon?
Maybe the demon shaft was built on top of a volcano to utilise the power of the magma to shoot you up the shaft (lol) to reach the moon.
Nice video and channel. There isn't a lot of discussion or content surrounding this game let alone channels. I hope one day we get a new DC with the feel and atmosphere of Dark Cloud 1. I appreciate the improved mechanics and refined systems in Dark Cloud 2 but clearly something was lost going from 1-2. Even if they made a new game in the 2020s I wouldn't even mind if there was no audible dialogue either, I really don't mind it and prefer that to the somewhat corny voices in 2. I'd like to see a new game retain the same formula but with more to do in the dungeons and villages. If they made it more like a sim of living in each of the villages after you rebuild them that would be amazing. I think that's where it would've gone if they kept making these.
Thank you! Glad to see there's still many fans that appreciate the games. I would be ok with any new DC they might come out with, chances seem small though. You should check out my DC3 video which goes over why they never made the sequel.
@@Shaztopia1 for sure. and yes I have seen that. It was really informative and fun to watch. I still need to play rogue galaxy, looks awesome. Don't know why a sequel to that one was never made either. On modern hardware that series would be wild.
I have a theory about the Demon Shafts existence. It's not really based on any fact or Easter egg, but I believe it could be a neutral point between East and West Terra OR it could be a place that was once a part of East Terra that was destroyed by the Dark Genie, in the process of destroying West Terra.
That's the best theory I've heard, thanks for posting! All of that makes a lot of sense and fits in with the story too.
@@Shaztopia1 Thank you !!
My head cannon is, that when time was changed. Seda cursed a knight, and he went mad and with curse he became the black knight.
Thats an interesting theory! Always love to hear others ideas about it.
Oh wow, really interesting! I guess I never really thought about the dungeon just because I didnt think there was really... anything to it?? It was added due to a mistake locking out the back zone of the last dungeon, so it's very cool to see an analysis of it!
The wiki used to theorize the Demon Shaft was made by the devs as to compensate for lack of the duster item to access back floors in Dark Heaven Castle
I have heard this a lot, however it is not the case. The duster not being included in the item pool was certainly an accident.
I mean, when they had the oppertunity to add the demon shaft as an excuse for the missing flapping duster, they simply just could have added the flapping duster instead🤷🏻♂️
Demon shaft.
planet: terra.
ruler: black knight pendragon.
treasure: chronicle 2 sword🗡️.
ELEMENTS.
1 fire🔥.
2 ice❄️.
3 thunder⚡.
4 wind🌪️.
5 holy✝️.
Well said
the design is obviously taking cues from Bruegels' Tower of Babel painting, and many games choose to deliberately allude to it as a shorthand to represent a kingdom's or city's ill-fate, like being the recipient of heavenly punishments, pre-destined curses, or some other means that lead to spectacular downfall all caused by pure hubris, so i always headcannoned it as the original birthplace of demons in dark cloud (since the dark genie appearance doesn't account for demons). it also screams loftier ambitions for the game that couldn't be realized, probably due to Sony's time constraints, which is a shame. i wish it was given more relevance because i'm a sucker for abandoned mega towers in games.
I went and looked up that painting, and wow it has such a great resemblance!! Maybe I'll make a follow up to this and mention that. Thank you for bringing it up.
Well made! You deserve more subscribers!
I appreciate the kind words, it's very motivating :) There will always be more great vids from me, so we will see
I wish dark cloud and dark cloud 2 got a remake for the PlayStation 5, it's add new things to it like a new game plus mode after you beat the demon Tower so you can use the new weapon you got but the enemies are now stronger but give him more experience if you defeat them!
Dark Cloud and FFx best games of my life
Id like to think the Demon shaft was a scrapped idea that was later reimplemented as its so high up and the original idea for Dark Cloud involved everything being up in the clouds and being lowered back. It would explain why it wasnt included in the japanese release. Truly with no other indication of where Toans father went and the clue that he may be Aga is a great idea for story so im going with that. Perhaps Aga found the blade and was cursed by it. Defeating him you free his soul and obtain the sword free from any curse.
The Japanese release was a much different game really, it had so many differences. They might have began production for the Demon Shaft during it's development but didn't have enough time. Like most games, they had tough time constraints, so maybe during the NA localization they were able to finish it. That would be interesting if they had that kind of story about Aga, would tie up the end nicely.
My only gripe with this game is camera position and camera controls. Having the player center screen was a dumb choice. Modern games generally give you shoulder view aka character is left or right of center. I generally like a slightly top down views, which you can do, if you hold the camera stick 24/7 which gets annoying. Other than that, a fantastic game.
I wish we would get a new age version, newer graphics but still cartoon-esk. Bigger dungeons you can actually explore and get lost in. More weapons. Add armor and armor leveling. Like expand the game! Build towns for each tier/zone.
Now I remember my brother Alex did this after beating dark G then this we looked for Dark cloud 2 and complete it
All 31 Hours / 44 Hours in dark cloud
All 51 hours in Dark cloud 2
Fully completed both games
I wonder if Miyazaki took inspiration from this last dungeon for Artorias in dark souls
thank you
If you really love this game a lot you can do a challenge. no broken dagger
1. Only use original weapons
2. NO water drinking include waterfall
3. No weapon repair power
4. when opening a chest, you must eat it if possible, example you open poison fruit or peach, banana you have to eat it.
any challenge is fine
There's already a Challenge mod that puts these ideas as a joke, as the highest difficulty would make every enemy in the DS require you to have at least 1 revival powder ready since they 1 Hit you, also let's not talk about my idea of removing the Map and basically not knowing how much damage you deal or how much is the enemy's HP, a nerd's challenge indeed...
PS: I've tried using the broken dagger in a other save file for screwing up with the glitches i didn't know, but i usually go plain legit with my save files, it's fun to mess around with tho
Old Classics
Heh.. shaft...
Western-regional exclusive
"The Mystery of the Demon Shaft"
it sounds so wrong in 2022
some thinks the dark knight is toan's father
Yep, interesting rumor, but ultimately has no evidence for it unfortunately. I touched on that part in this video.
Mmm, shaft
My uncle told me about the mystery of the demon shaft. I never got why he had to be naked to explain it though.
o.o