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> Results: Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament
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Namco's floppy-eared platform hero with the cool Pac-Man hat is back on the Game Boy Advance! Klonoa is whisked away to a mysterious arena where he must compete with other critters for the title of the best hero in the dream world! You meet old friends, new rivals and even uncover a sinister plot along the way in this 2D platform adventure. This game has actually been available in Japan for a few years. Even though Namco decided to release it in the U.S. just now, Klonoa 2 still holds up pretty well.
 Gameplay in Klonoa is pretty basic. You run around colorful 2D worlds like any other game of this nature. Klonoa can fire a ﾑwind bullet' from his magic ring that can inflate bad guys and you can pick them up and carry them around. Klonoa can toss baddies at other enemies, or he can use enemies that he is carrying to help him do a double jump to reach higher areas. While jumping, Klonoa can use his long ears to hover for a bit before landing. That's it. While Klonoa's moves seem pretty basic, Namco has invented creative ways to utilize them making these games fun! Klonoa games on the Game Boy Advance can't rely on fancy 3D graphics like the bigger console Klonoa games do, so our pal's smaller adventures are more puzzle-oriented. Levels are set up in sidescrolling rooms and you must figure out how to manipulate items to collect the three moon stones required to beat the stage. You'll solve puzzles using enemies, blocks, bombs, switches, and lots of other things, and you'll learn new ways to use old items in even trickier puzzles later on! A sun stone is hidden in each level. Collect it and all the other sun stones in that world and you can unlock a series of extra hard levels after you beat the game! Collect all 30 gems in a level to open up pictures in a gallery. To mix up the action, there is one level in each world that auto-scrolls and you'll have to rely on quick reflexes to pass it. Another level in each world is a hoverboard challenge with some nifty 3D effects. Both these more action-oriented styles of stages are optional, but you still have to find stones and gems in these levels, too, if you want to unlock everything. Boss battles are pretty creative. You have to race a rival to the end of the stage while avoiding enemies and sometimes even defeating another boss hounding you the whole race!  After playing Klonoa 2, I went back and played the original GBA game, Empire of Dreams. I can safely say that graphics and sound have been greatly improved for the sequel. Detailed, multiple scrolling backgrounds and small but well-animated sprites are pleasing to the eyes and catchy music fills the handheld's speakers. The play control is spot on 99 percent of the time, but sometimes in the hoverboard levels it seems just a slight bit loose. Klonoa 2 is a very short game. I beat it in three days, but there's replay value to be had finding all the stones and gems to unlock levels and get better ranks on the stages. If you like colorful 2D platformers, you owe it to yourself to get Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament. Maybe if enough people buy it, we can convince Namco to bring over Klonoa Heroes as well! 
Klonoa games are PERFECT for kids. Fun characters, colorful worlds, simple yet engaging gameplay, and little to no violence at all. Some reading is required for the story sections and hints, but even without reading, players can figure things out. Some of the puzzles in the later stages can be pretty devious, so younger gamers may need some help from an older player. Even so, Klonoa games are just too cool to pass up!
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