A combination of adventure and puzzle video game genres, with a dash of RPG as well, Dark Cloud revolves around a boy who has the power to restore a world that is being destroyed by an evil man and his captive genie. Through the game the boy meets other companions who assist him on his quest, providing some play variety. The meat of the game consists of dungeon crawl and gathering pieces to then use in the puzzle aspect of the game. It also has a complex and customizable weapon advancement system that allows for extensive variety in powering up and even combining existing weapons. There are also mini-games such as fishing.

This PS2 game went on to join the Greatest Hits series, which meant that it sold many, many copies and that it becomes available for a low price.

The sequel recently came out to very good reviews, and seems to have improved graphics and also a more extensive puzzle/world building aspect (known in the game as Georama.