is a role-playing video game for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) video game console. It was developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in December 2000 in Japan, May 2001 in North America and September 2001 in Europe. The gameplay of Dark Cloud combines action role-playing with elements of city-building games. A sequel to the game, Dark Cloud 2 (or Dark Chronicle), was released two years later.

A dark nebula is a type of interstellar cloud that is so dense that it obscures the light from the background emission or reflection nebula (e.g., the Horsehead Nebula) or that it blocks out background stars (e.g., the Snake Nebula). The extinction of the light is caused by interstellar dust grains located in the coldest, densest parts of larger molecular clouds. Clusters and large complexes of dark nebulae are associated with Giant Molecular Clouds. Isolated small dark nebulae are called Bok globules. Like other interstellar dust/material, things it obscures are only visible using radio waves in radio astronomy or infrared in infrared astronomy.