If you ask someone who grew up with the first two PlayStations, “What’s your favorite adventure saga?” most will surely answer sagas like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, or Jak and Daxter. These are undoubtedly the most well-known, but PlayStation’s range of action and platform games has been much larger than this. One of the lesser-known franchises, but one that still has some loyal fans, is Klonoa, where players control a half-dog, half-rabbit creature that has the power to ensnare enemies with her wind ring to solve platforming puzzles and challenges .
The action-adventure series from Namco (now Bandai Namco Entertainment) featured charming gameplay and great mechanics, but Klonoa only received two main installments and a couple of pocket-sized sequels before it fell into oblivion. The last game launched by the Klonoa franchise was a remake of the first Wii game in 2008, almost 15 years ago. This makes the release of the Klonoa Phantasy Reverie series even more special for fans, in which Bandai Namco is re-releasing Klonoa: Door to Phantomille and Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil to celebrate their 25th anniversary. Considering that Klonoa 2 has been tied to PlayStation 2 almost since its initial release in 2001 (which of course makes the game much more expensive on the used market), this re-release is sure to be very well received by fans wanting to relive it this saga. In theory, this collection should include the franchise’s spin-offs, especially since many of them weren’t released outside of Japan in the 2000s, but it can be understood given the focus on these two main titles. . After all, they are the most well-known and are similar enough to form a unified set.
Advertising:
The Klonoa games have a story, but it’s so incoherent and chaotic that it serves more as background noise than an engaging narrative. In short, the hero Klonoa gets a special ring that he can blow up with gusts of wind, and this ring transports him to different worlds that need his help. There is some potential for a good storyline in these games, but either Namco didn’t consider that a priority at the time, or details that would make sense were lost in translation.
What the Klonoa games lack in story they make up for in charm, something you’ll find in abundance in this collection. Characters have quirky designs that will keep nostalgic gamers and newcomers alike entertained, and you’ll have plenty of beautiful and innovative environments with a bright and clear color palette to immerse yourself in. In addition, the games contain dialogues in a made-up language, and while this is a bit annoying at times, it’s also an irreplaceable part of the series’ charm. Well, mainly because in many cases the characters’ voices are so awful that they give you a headache every time they open their mouths. hopow, Klonoa’s sidekick from the first game, is by far the worst, and his screeching noises make him the worst henchman in the game’s history, beating even fan “favorites” Navi and Fi from the Zelda games. However, despite characters like Huepow, you have a collection full of joy and fun. Combined with the creative set design and use of camera angles (especially in Klonoa 2), it’s easy to slip back into this package of platforming fun of the past. We’re not talking groundbreaking platformers, and some of the elements haven’t aged as well as others, but the overall collection is still well executed.
However, part of the charm of the saga and its peculiarity was left halfway with the transition to new platforms. This re-release features both the remastered versions of Klonoa 2 for the PlayStation 2 and the 2008 Wii version of the original 1997 PlayStation game, a decision that makes sense as the Wii version was designed to give players the ultimate offering a Klonoa experience that’s as good as Klonoa 2’s. Not only will this decision fall on deaf ears from those who crave the classic style of the original PlayStation game, those who crave Klonoa 2’s cel-shaded style will also be slightly disappointed. since the remasters have a newer style with smooth textures. The problem is that this style feels impersonal, bland, and featureless, a cheap style we’ve seen in a few low-budget action/adventure games over the past decade. The new graphic style packs a punch and it’s nice to see the developers sticking to the original design and level of detail. They want the ability to switch between the old and new looks, as seen in the digital remasters of the old LucasArts point-and-click games.
Advertis ing:
Another factor that makes the collection look bad is the limitation of settings in the options menu. For example, you can customize the settings button, but only the four main action buttons and not the key or trigger buttons. In one of the Klonoa 2 scenarios, the player must ride a hoverboard through a dark cave while collecting diamonds, a mission made much more complicated by the fact that the diamonds are the same color as the trail. This must be a nightmare for color blind players, more accessibility features would have been better. The worst thing is the pixel filter that tries to give the game a retro touch but actually makes the screen blurry and out of focus, the colors mix like oil in water. This filter doesn’t match any of the games and the execution is so poor I’ve never seen a worse attempt at giving a modern game a retro pixel feel.
Despite these shortcomings and a few minor issues, there are some useful additions to the collection. Both games can be played cooperatively, something previously only available in Klonoa 2, helping nostalgic parents share the Klonoa experience with new generation players. In addition to the new look, the sound has also been adjusted and the music in Klonoa 2 in particular is surprisingly good and deserves a careful listen. You can also adjust the difficulty, and speedrunners will appreciate the stopwatch mode for an extra challenge.
The best new feature is undoubtedly the ability to play games in 4K and 60 frames per second, which will be offered by next-gen consoles. The PlayStation 5 version works like a charm, and aside from a small drop in framerate each time the Klonoa 2 boss is defeated, I didn’t encounter any other technical issues during testing. The collection also features blazing-fast load times, so fast that you don’t even have time to read the helpful hints on the loading screen on your first playthrough (load times are only a few seconds in Klonoa 2). On Switch, however, the technical situation is different. This version comes with lower resolution, longer latencies, and no HDR support, but it all came from a less powerful console than the PlayStation 5. On the other hand, performance issues are harder to overcome. The version for the Switch runs at less than 60 frames per second (almost always around 50 FPS) with noticeable response time issues during use, which can already be seen in the first scenario of Klonoa 2, where the frame rate and the response time are quite faster affected. The collection is playable on Switch, but performance issues make it a less enjoyable experience than other next-gen consoles.
While some of the charm of the original versions has been lost over the years, there’s plenty of platforming fun to be had in the Klonoa Phantasy Reverie series. It’s not hard to see why this half-dog, half-rabbit creature continues to have such a loyal following, and despite some dated elements, the design level holds up well enough to provide several hours of fun for old and new players alike. on cloudy summer days.
