{"id":22531,"date":"2022-09-09T00:01:02","date_gmt":"2022-09-09T00:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/?p=22531"},"modified":"2022-08-08T13:51:03","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T13:51:03","slug":"klonoa-25th-anniversary-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/2022\/09\/09\/klonoa-25th-anniversary-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"Klonoa 25th Anniversary Celebration!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Can you believe Klonoa has been around for 25 years?\u00a0 That makes me feel REALLY old!\u00a0 I remember when I first played that game in college and reviewed it for The Dallas Morning News.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t know (and shame on you if you don\u2019t), Klonoa is a series of (mostly) 2D platformers by Namco. \u00a0And they\u2019re really good, too!\u00a0 The quality of these games really had an impact on me and they\u2019re some of my favorite titles on the PSOne and PS2.\u00a0 For the 25th<\/sup> Anniversary, Namco released a collection of the PSOne and PS2 main games, which we\u2019ll talk about here.\u00a0 But we\u2019ll also go through the other games in the series as well!\u00a0 Oh yeah, there may be some spoilers here and there, but I\u2019ll warn you when they come up.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s go over what most Klonoa games have in common.\u00a0 They all star a little furry critter named Klonoa.\u00a0 He\u2019s kind of a cat\u2026rabbity\u2026skunk\u2026thing.\u00a0 He\u2019s an Animaniac, we don\u2019t know what he is.\u00a0 He also wears a hat with Pac-Man on it, and any fan of Pac-Man is OK in my book.\u00a0 He can do most anything a typical mascot platformer hero can do, and he can use his long ears to flap and give him an extra boost to his jump.\u00a0 But his main attack is a giant ring he holds that he can fire a wind bullet from.\u00a0 When you hit an enemy with it, the baddie will inflate and Klonoa can hold it above his head.\u00a0 He can then throw the enemy to the left or right (or in the background and foreground in the 2.5D games).\u00a0 He can also use the enemy to double jump which sends the enemy downward.\u00a0 You\u2019ll use this basic skill is very creative ways in all games.<\/p>\n

Most games have Klonoa in some kind of dream world, which reminds me of Kirby.\u00a0 Another way that Klonoa reminds me of Kirby is that the games tend to be pretty easy, but there are extra challenges for those who look for them.\u00a0 And the music in most of these games is REALLY good.\u00a0 Like, some of my favorite soundtracks from the PSOne and PS2 are from these games.\u00a0 And the characters in Klonoa games speak a made up language.\u00a0 But with that all out of the way, let\u2019s take a look at all the games now.<\/p>\n

Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (PSOne)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The very first game is a 2.5D platformer and it really made an impact on me.\u00a0 Not just for the creative yet simple gameplay or the lush world building and characters.\u00a0 It really restored my faith in 2D platformers after me-too Sonic games ruined them for me in the 16-bit days (which is one reason why I mostly played RPGs then).\u00a0 But it\u2019s the story that really shocked me, and here\u2019s my first SPOILER WARNING.\u00a0 So in the game Klonoa and his new friend Huepow live in a world of dreams.\u00a0 Nightmare creatures kidnap diva Lephise, who can sing a song of rebirth which would send anything that doesn\u2019t belong in the world out, like the nightmares.\u00a0 So Klonoa and Huepow go on a quest to save her.\u00a0 Like a Kirby game, the adventure starts out all cute and colorful.\u00a0 But about halfway through, it gets pretty dark!\u00a0 The nightmares end up killing Klonoa\u2019s grandfather for starters. Then later it\u2019s revealed that Huepow is the prince of the Moon Kingdom, where Lephise is from.\u00a0 Huepow brought Klonoa into this world and gave him false memories so he\u2019d help save the world!\u00a0 So when they do rescue Lephise and she sings her song, all the nightmares vanish.\u00a0 But since Klonoa is not of this world either, he gets sent away as well.\u00a0 The last ending sequence is of Klonoa and Huepow struggling to stay together as a black hole sucks Klonoa away.\u00a0\u00a0 But they can\u2019t fight it anymore and Klonoa ends up being ripped away from the world.\u00a0 And that\u2019s how the game ends!\u00a0 That\u2019s gotta be one of the saddest video game endings I\u2019ve ever seen, and it really impacted me!<\/p>\n

Klonoa 2: Lunatea\u2019s Veil (PS2)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The PS2 sequel is more of the same, just with better graphics and more dynamic camera angles.\u00a0 I also like how the characters were cel shaded in this one.\u00a0 The game introduces a lot of new puzzle elements but also some new action sequences as well.\u00a0 Klonoa gets a snowboard that he uses in auto scrolling stages in some levels.\u00a0 In one of the snowboard stages, they even play a song with lyrics using Klonoa\u2019s made up language!\u00a0 My only problem with this game is that they repeat some of the levels, just with harder obstacles.\u00a0 But otherwise it\u2019s one of my favorite PS2 games.\u00a0 So the story is still sad, but not as much as the first game, so here\u2019s my SPOILER WARNING.\u00a0 I get a lot of Pixar\u2019s Inside Out vibes with this game, as the levels are based on various emotions.\u00a0 The characters who live in this emotional world have shut out the World of Sorrow so they won\u2019t be sad again.\u00a0 But it\u2019s actually the final boss, the King of Sorrow, who calls Klonoa to this world for help since everyone else has shut him out.\u00a0 But you don\u2019t learn this until the end of the game!\u00a0 Klonoa still has to leave this world at the end and say goodbye to all his new friends, but he leaves somewhat willingly this time, so the ending isn\u2019t as impactful.\u00a0 But still a great game!<\/p>\n

Klonoa: Moonlight Museum (WonderSwan)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the ONLY Klonoa game I\u2019ve never played.\u00a0 And that\u2019s because it was on a handheld game system that never left Japan.\u00a0 The WonderSwan was a black and white handheld game console whose main gimmick was that you could tilt it on its side to play some games with a vertical screen.\u00a0 The handheld was also designed by Gunpei Yokoi, after he left Nintendo.\u00a0 This game is more of a straight up 2D platformer rather than 2.5D, and it\u2019s all in black and white.\u00a0 But otherwise it\u2019s still the same fun time.\u00a0 The only reason why I don\u2019t feel bad that I haven\u2019t played this one is that the GBA games are more or less the same thing, which we\u2019ll get to in a bit.\u00a0 But if I ever had the opportunity to try it, I would!<\/p>\n

Klonoa: Empire of Dreams (GBA)<\/strong><\/p>\n

There were a couple of Klonoa games on the GBA as well.\u00a0 These were a lot like the WonderSwan game, just in color.\u00a0 They seemed a bit more focused on puzzles as well.\u00a0 In the first game, an emperor declares that people aren\u2019t allowed to dream, which causes problems.\u00a0 Klonoa comes to save the day and the emperor wakes up and declares that everyone should dream.\u00a0 So yeah, not as impactful of a story or anything, but still a fun little handheld game.<\/p>\n

Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament (GBA)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I imagine this game caused a bit of confusion since there already was a Klonoa 2.\u00a0 Honestly I think both the GBA games should\u2019ve been combined into one game, since they\u2019re both pretty short.\u00a0 The story is even less interesting as a villain is forcing Klonoa characters to compete in a series of challenges to get rid of them.\u00a0 But otherwise it\u2019s still a fun little platformer.<\/p>\n

Klonoa Beach Volleyball (PSOne)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The next couple of games were not released in the US, but I still managed to play them.\u00a0 Oddly enough, this one\u2019s a beach volleyball game with Klonoa characters.\u00a0 Not sure why it was on the PSOne since by then the PS2 and Klonoa 2 had already been out.\u00a0 But it does look good for a PSOne game.\u00a0 I played it on a PSOne emulator I had on my PSP for a while.\u00a0 This game was only released in Japan and Europe, but not in the US.\u00a0 It was kind of weird hearing Klonoa and friends speak with British accents!\u00a0 Sometimes I get mad when a game doesn\u2019t come out to the US that I wanted, but usually if I do get to play them, I can see why it wasn\u2019t released.\u00a0 There are two reasons why I can understand why this wasn\u2019t in the US.\u00a0 One, it was on the PSOne when most had moved onto the PS2.\u00a0 And the other reason is that it\u2019s not really the best sports game I\u2019ve ever played.\u00a0 It\u2019s all right, I\u2019ve just played much better ones.<\/p>\n

Klonoa Star Heroes (GBA)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the other Japan only game, but I imported it really cheap back in the day.\u00a0 Unlike most other Klonoa games, this one\u2019s a top down action adventure title.\u00a0 Gameplay kind of reminds me of Legend of Valkyrie, too.\u00a0 It has a song with lyrics in the title screen, which is neat for a GBA game.\u00a0 But you know how I said earlier that sometimes I can understand why a game isn\u2019t brought to the US?\u00a0 Well for this one, I\u2019d have to say the game is kind of dull and not up to the quality of other Klonoa games.\u00a0 Plus the language barrier kept me from staying interested.<\/p>\n

Klonoa (Wii)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first Klonoa game got a remake on the Wii!\u00a0 With improved 3D graphics!\u00a0 Although I still like the old school look of the PSOne game, it was still neat to play it again.\u00a0 This was my Game of the Year when it was released, which must\u2019ve meant it was a really slow year for games.\u00a0 But I do really like Klonoa and you know how sometimes I pull out a wildcard for my GOTY.\u00a0 This one added English voices, but thankfully you could switch it back to the original made up language.\u00a0 I saw some concept art showing how they were going to change Klonoa\u2019s look to make him look \u2018cooler\u2019 with pointy ears.\u00a0 Thankfully that never happened.<\/p>\n

Klonoa Fantasy Reverie Series (PS4)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a collection of the first two Klonoa games on the PSOne and PS2, and it just recently came out for the 25th<\/sup> anniversary of the series.\u00a0 I think they used assets from the Wii remake for this one.\u00a0 Which means that while Klonoa 2 also got a slight graphic overhaul (not as drastic as the first game), unfortunately it also means that they ditched the cel shading in the original PS2 sequel as well, which is a darn shame.\u00a0 Another complaint I have is that the controls feel a little \u2018off\u2019 especially in the first game.\u00a0 I hate to blame controllers, but I think the reason for this is that wireless controllers DO have a slight delay to them.\u00a0 Most modern games compensate for this and even good music games give you a calibration option.\u00a0 But I\u2019ve just noticed that when I play a remake that I played to death back with wired controllers, I can sometimes notice this delay.\u00a0 Luckily this new game offers an extra easy mode.\u00a0 It gives you infinite lives, which is nice because I think a \u2018lives system\u2019 in games should be thrown in the trash.\u00a0 It also lets your wind bullet travel farther although I didn\u2019t notice much difference.\u00a0 And it also gives you a lot more health.\u00a0 I used this option because I had already played both games to death in normal mode back in the day, so I decided to take it easy on this replay.\u00a0 Plus I wanted to see what it was like.\u00a0 While the Klonoa games are already pretty easy enough, making an option to have the games be even more accessible to anyone of any skill level is always welcome to me.<\/p>\n

The last complaint I have with this collection is about the version I imported.\u00a0 In the US, the game is available only digitally, and I wanted a physical copy of it so I imported it.\u00a0 But I imported the Chinese version because it was the only version that came with lots of extra stuff.\u00a0 But for whatever reason, I can\u2019t figure out how to change the language in the game.\u00a0 Usually import games let you do that, but not this one.\u00a0 I can still play it because I\u2019ve played the original games to death so I know what they\u2019re saying.\u00a0 But it\u2019s a bit disappointing nonetheless.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be more weary about importing Chinese games in the future.<\/p>\n

Here’s a picture of the front of the box of the Chinese import version I got.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And here\u2019s the back of the box.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It comes with the game and an art book.\u00a0 When I imported it, the picture looked like it also came with a soundtrack.\u00a0 But it just has codes to unlock a soundtrack to use on your PS4, so that was also disappointing, especially since I also have the soundtrack to Actraiser Rebirth on my PS4 and I can\u2019t figure out how to get it to work.\u00a0 Plus I imagine the codes will only work with a Chinese PS4 account.\u00a0 But at least the artbook is physical.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And here’s an example of the inside of the art book.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But even with these disappointments, this is still a great collection, which is just a testament to just how amazing these games are.<\/p>\n

Cameos<\/strong><\/p>\n

Klonoa has appeared in lots of other Namco games as well, since Namco likes to do that sort of thing.\u00a0 Small appearances like being a target in Point Blank, a track named Phantomile in Ridge Racer Type 4, or artwork in QuickSpot are a few examples.\u00a0 He\u2019s been playable in Namco sports games like tennis and motorcycle racing.\u00a0 But probably his most notable cameo is in Namco X Capcom.\u00a0 It was a strategy RPG that was never released outside Japan, but the 3DS Project X Zone sequels were.\u00a0 Klonoa wasn\u2019t playable in those, but he was in the first game.\u00a0 There were also levels and enemies from his games, and when it was his turn, they\u2019d play an instrumental version of the snowboard song from Klonoa 2.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s all I have to say about Klonoa!\u00a0 I\u2019d have to say it\u2019s one of my favorite 2D platformer series ever, beaten only by Mega Man and Kirby!\u00a0 Have you played any of his games?\u00a0 Let me know in the comments section!\u00a0 Later!\u00a0 –Cary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can you believe Klonoa has been around for 25 years?\u00a0 That makes me feel REALLY old!\u00a0 I remember when I first played that game in college and reviewed it for The Dallas Morning News.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t know (and shame on you if you don\u2019t), Klonoa is a series of (mostly) 2D platformers by Namco. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":22521,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22531"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22531\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22533,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22531\/revisions\/22533"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}