It's been quite some time since playing a puzzle game has made me feel bitter. I want to love Klonoa 2 so much for what it is and how much complexity it crams into a single GBA cart, but it can be such a chore to play through entirely.

Feeling like a true evolution of Empire of Dreams' concepts - taking the console Klonoa experience and putting it to shorter handheld levels with a heightened puzzle focus - is awesome and I love all the new puzzle piece additions added here, whether new or pulled from Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil. It doesn't look bad, plus the story's charming as well. Everything else is a heavy burden though.

I didn't find myself as down on the underwater levels as others seemed to, but the alternative level types - the boarding and auto-scroller levels - are miserable. The game also decides to ramp up its puzzle difficulty much higher than the previous title ever does. The game designer in me lauds how amazing intricate some of the puzzle designs are here, but actually playing them leads to constant frustration and solutions that sometimes feel non-intended. (or maybe I'm just getting old)

For all the enjoyment I had throughout the first two and a half worlds, I let out the loudest possible groan when exploring the final puzzle platformer level in this game - which maybe tells all you need about the experience of what's only a 2-3 hour playthrough.

A mixed bag.

I'm a believer that 2D Klonoa is better than 2.5D Klonoa. Moonlight Museum is a must play in my book. Empire of Dreams was a fun way to bring it to GBA. But I gotta say, Dream Champ Tournament was a step back.

I don't like the art direction, it's arguably downright ugly. The bonus stages are tragic. And the pacing lacks. But it's not all bad. Some of the puzzle elements they introduced expanded the 2D Klonoa dynamics in a way that felt new. The middle chunk of the game feels really polished and fun. But then you end up in slow motion underwater levels and the momentum is lost.

So yeah, it was a mixed bag. A definite step backwards despite finding inventive new folds to the puzzle platforming. There's definitely enough here that I'm left baffled it's the last 2D Klonoa. Hopefully the Reverie Series leads to a reboot of some sort, though I imagine that'll be 2.5D unfortunately.

Wahoo!

[Emulated/played on Anbernic RG35XX]

Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament stands against everything a Klonoa game stands for.

The story is a complete farce.
Gone is the thematic storytelling about feelings, dreams and nightmares that even Empire of Dreams featured prominently. Instead we're treated to this generic tournament storyline that settles for one dimensional characters with no interesting dialogue whatsoever. Klonoa, Lolo, Popka? They don't have any of the charm or flair they had in Lunatea's Veil. Gantz especially feels like a half-assed attempt at replicating the success of Shadow's debut over at Sonic by making him an edgelord rival, but without the subtext that made Shadow such a special character. Not even his attempt at giving Klonoa his due respect feels convincing in the slightest because the writers don't know how to write him without composing the most edgy dialogue known to mankind.

That's not even to mention random boxer guy from Empire of Dreams whose name I never bothered remembering because why the fuck would I. Genuinely pathetic attempt to make me even care about him or his fate when he suffers from the same lack of character, and in fact the implications that him and Klonoa are friends makes the lore... worse? Suddenly there's a massive gaping plothole here because they barely even knew each other during EoD! Does this mean that Klonoa can freely travel back to past settings he was sent to? Does that even make sense? If that was the case, why would Klonoa not return to Lunatea to visit Lolo and Popka? Or better yet, to Phantomile to visit Huepow? Whatever. Story sucks. Moving on.

The levels are memorable... for the wrong reasons.
To give Dream Champ Tournament credit: It does add almost every element from both Empire of Dreams as well as new ones from Lunatea's Veil to add more variety to puzzles. It also attempts to make amends for an issue the previous game had by actually adding obstacles within worlds that fit with the setting, such as the chains of a train for the Northern Express, or the growing plants in the forest. As a puzzle platformer, Dream Champ Tournament does a decent job with its puzzle variety and challenge to the player.

However, Klonoa isn't just a puzzle platformer. It's a puzzle platformer with ever-changing, kaleidoscopic dream aesthetics that aims to tell a meaningful story at its heart. And as if mercilessly ripping the heart and crushing it into pulpy carnage wasn't already heartless (haha.) enough, Dream Champ Tournament takes two steps back for every step forward they make with their game design.

The pacing of the overall game in terms of its settings is significantly worsened compared to Empire of Dreams - instead of 7 levels per world, Dream Champ Tournament opts for NINE per world. And much like its predecessor, this game's levels also far outstay their welcome, except its much worse due to the increased amount of levels.

Even the non-traditional levels have lost their charm. Autoscroller levels remain untouched, however the air board levels and "boss" levels can fuck off and die for all I care. It almost seems like Namco wanted to take a leaf out of Sonic in the case of the former, specifically Advance 1's psuedo-3D special stages. However, ADV1's special stages notoriously suffered from insufferable depth perception that single-handedly ruined the appeal of them. So the exact same thing happens with Klonoa. Depth perception is a myth and so is my sanity after experiencing one of these levels.

The "boss" fights, meanwhile, actually do have some practicality. I personally think that all the races tie into the narrative of the story well while also challenging players with obstacles they've come across in a particular world. This would be fine if, you know, THERE WEREN'T ALREADY EIGHT FUCKING LEVELS BEFORE THIS FUCKING 5 MINUTE LONG BOSS FIGHT DEAR GOD WHAT WERE THEY THINKING THIS GAME IS ALREADY TEDIOUS ENOUGH AS IT IS-

The last thing that has to be mentioned is the difficulty curve. Empire of Dreams was notoriously difficult as it was, with the latter half of the game reaching Kingdom of Hueponia (Lunatea's Veil final level) levels of difficulty. But at least that game had a steady difficulty curve, easing the player into the meat and potatoes slowly introducing more and more elements and mechanics gradually. Dream Champ Tournament, meanwhile, expects you to have already MASTERED that latter half of Empire of Dreams, and chooses instead to indulge itself in puzzle platformer torture porn unlike any other. The difficulty curve was so fucking steep, I was already struggling by the end of the second world. Some of these puzzles are so notorious, failing some may even force a fucking reset! AND KLONOA 2: DREAM CHAMP TOURNAMENT HAS THE FUCKING GALL TO IMPLEMENT A RANKING SYSTEM THAT TIES INTO THE 100% PROGRESSION, WHICH INCLUDES THE NUMBERS OF TIMES YOU RESET. The further I progressed into this game, the less I felt like I was playing a Klonoa game. By the time my playthrough ended, I instead felt like I was playing a 400 IQ Brainage ass puzzle platformer that only exists to punish, punish and punish.

I quit before the even finishing the third world.

Call this a skill issue, but I didn't come here for a super challenging puzzle platformer. I came here for a Klonoa game. And I came out bitter and disappointed.

Final rating: 2.5/10
Focus: HOW KLONOA 2: DREAM CHAMP TOURNAMENT FUNDAMENTALLY FAILS AS A KLONOA GAME.
Theme: Utter disappointment.

Second verse, mostly same as the first. I won't dally on an introduction.

Presentation has been upped significantly. Lots of colorful characters, new and old, but none of them really have any depth. The story is nothing to write home about, particularly if you're not into the "tournament" trope. The music takes a page out of Klonoa 2's book. Less soothing and dreamy, more jovial and jubilant. All the themes got stuck in my head. The levels are all visually distinct, and even give all the enemies unique outfits for each world (that's something I wish more games would do in general).

Dream Champ Tournament's level design is simultaneously better and worse. There are a lot of brand new mechanics that add to puzzles, and match the thematically distinct worlds well. Most new mechanics are carried over from Klonoa 2 on PS2, and they fit right in. Other improvements are the addition of an optional collectible in the form of the Sun Stone, one per level. The bosses are a highlight for me especially, making unique challenges that fit into the "tournament" plotline quite nicely. Some of the levels can get really tough and complex though, to the point where I begin to wonder if the wacky shit I'm trying to pull off is actually the dev-intended solution (and sometimes it actually is). Also, not a fan of the ranking system. I just don't feel like it fits this style of game.

On the negative side of things, I almost feel sorry for calling the previous game's airboard stages bad, because this game swapped them out for a much worse version. They look pretty cool in terms of graphics, but in terms of gameplay, I find them insufferable. Depth perception fails me at every turn, causing me to miss collectibles (aside from the Sun Stone, I didn't even try to get all the gems on these stages), or worse, perish. The other part that doesn't help is the airboard's "acceleration". When moving left or right, the airboard kinda drifts a bit further than you want it to after you let go of the dpad. All of this combines to create what I feel is the worst part of the game by far. Also, the underwater stages of world 4 can suck it. Extremely slow, sluggish, and generally unfun to play. Almost made me feel like quitting.

Overall, it's still a really solid title. If you enjoyed the first Klonoa GBA game, it can't hurt to check this one out as well.