Klonoa 1 and 2 Reviews

[Zera]

Greetings, folks. Today I'm here to review Klonoa 1 and 2. If you think I'm talking about Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil, you're wrong (although I've played them, and they are fantastic). I'm actually talking about Klonoa: Empire of Dreams and Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament, the Game Boy Advance Klonoa games. For some unexplained reason, the console and handheld Klonoa games have separate numbering.

Klonoa: Empire of Dreams is the first handheld Klonoa game. Actually, the REAL first handheld game is Klonoa: Moonlight Museum, on the Japan-only WonderSwan. But since that never had an international release, it doesn't count. The core gameplay is identical to that of the console Klonoa games - Klonoa can run, jump, flutter in midair, grab and throw enemies, and jump off a grabbed enemy as a double jump. What's cool is that if you grab another enemy after double jumping, you can double jump off THAT enemy and stay in midair. By using double jumps and Klonoa's flutter - which can be used once per jump - it is possible to "fly" as long as there is always an enemy nearby. Because of these mechanics, you can do some cool tricks that you can't do in other platformers like Super Mario Bros.

The game's five worlds each consist of seven levels and a boss fight. The standard levels focus on a mix of platforming, puzzle solving, and exploration, with each world introducing new mechanics like springs, wind geysers, etc. Each level also includes a number of collectible dream stones, and while these are optional, collecting them all will unlock a few extra challenge levels after beating the game. At any time you can pause the game and hit the Retry button to restart the room you are in, which is an incredibly convenient feature. In addition to the five standard levels, each world contains an auto-scrolling level and a surfboard level. The auto-scrolling levels focus purely on the action side of things, and getting all the dream stones is much more challenging. The surfboard levels are similar to the ones in Lunatea's Veil, but because of the fast, irreversible sideways movement and the limited view of the GBA screen, getting all the dream stones often requires trial and error. The worst part, though, is that the Retry button will restart the entire level, as opposed to the room you're in. As a result, these levels were the least fun for a completionist like me.

Although Empire of Dreams lacks the gorgeous 3D visuals of the console games, it is a very good looking GBA game, with colorful environments and parallax scrolling backgrounds. The music is very good too, though it isn't quite as memorable. Overall, this is a very fun game that successfully brings Klonoa gameplay to a handheld system. If you are both a platformer aficionado and Klonoa fan (as I am), or simply looking for a polished 2D game, I would highly recommend this one, especially since it can be purchased on the Wii U Virtual Console for just $7.

9/10 Awesome!

Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament belongs in the "Level pack with a fresh coat of paint" sequel category, but it pulls this off very well. The core gameplay, style, and structure are nearly identical to that of Empire of Dreams, but there are some differences.

- The graphics are slightly more detailed, and each level has a unique background.

- Some enemies and mechanics from the console Klonoa games make their first handheld appearance.

- There are eight levels per world instead of seven.

- You are now get a ranking (C, B, A, or S) for each stage you complete.

- Collecting all the dream stones in a world will reveal a piece of artwork.

- Each level has a collectible sun stone. Collecting all the sun stones in a world will unlock an extra challenge level.

- All boss battles except the last have time limits.

- The game is significantly more challenging than its predecessor.

Did I say "significantly more challenging?" Since I tried to S-Rank the entire game, perhaps I should replace "significantly" with "vastly". The only way to S-Rank a stage is to beat it - with all collectibles - without taking damage - and without using the Retry button. God help you if you try to S-Rank Ex-4 and Ex-5.

And remember how the surfboard levels in Empire of Dreams were the least fun part of the game to complete? Well, somehow, they're even worse in this game. They go vertically instead of horizontally, with pseudo-3D gameplay reminiscent of the special stages in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. These stages are so lame, I skipped them until beating the game, going back solely to get the sun stones.

- The dream stones are tiny, and very difficult to touch.

- The enemies and obstacles are huge, and very easy to touch.

- The stage is fast paced, and you can barely see what's ahead.

- Because of the 3D gameplay with 2D sprites, it is very difficult to discern where the hitboxes are.

- If you move more than a few pixels at a time, Klonoa will slide a bit even after you release the directional pad.

- If you deviate from the intended path even slightly, you can kiss that S-Rank goodbye.

- Don't these stages look similar to that bike level from Battletoads?

In short, I want these stages to die in a fire, as I consider them a perversion of good Klonoa gameplay. Sloppy controls, questionable hitboxes, and cheap level design. Thankfully, they are only a small, optional part of Dream Champ Tournament. (To all pseudo-3D fans, I apologize if I frazzled your nerves. Frazzled is a fun word.)

Other than the surfboard levels and the fact that S-Ranking the entire game is nearly impossible, Dream Champ Tournament is an excellent sequel. It too is available on the Wii U Virtual Console for just $7.

8/10 Great!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFOju7UWLzk

[Gemma]

I loved Empire of Dreams as a kid, I played through that game quite a bit. The puzzles are super fun~

It also has some pretty nice music.