Idk man, I get these games are just GBA spinoffs so they probably weren’t priority in the story department but… man, it’s really disappointing how these spinoff games just stopped focusing on having a deep plot after the second game considering that’s part of what made them so memorable. Combine that with the removal of the 2.5d aspects of the level design and you’re left with a game that’s… serviceable, I guess? But still not one I really see myself revisiting over the first two.

Also this game bringing back The Wretched Orb and not addressing his actions at all is the starting point of this series becoming a mess timeline wise and I don’t think I can forgive that

Klonoa says damn in this game. Namco being ahead of its time by being an edgy platformer before Shadow came out-

As someone who adores Klonoa (DtP is a masterpiece in storytelling and LV is my favourite game of all time), I had high expectations leading into my playthrough. And gameplay wise, I'd say I'm satisfied! Empire of Dreams is a well put together series of platformer levels that, despite lacking the 2.5D flair of its mainline cousins (due to hardward limitations), compensates greatly for it by increasing the difficulty of the puzzles, making this one of the hardest Klonoa games without a doubt. The air board and autoscroller levels in particular are gruesome in its challenge level, feeling like the devs remembered how difficult Balue's Tower was and decided to implement it tenfold.

However, this... doesn't really feel like a Klonoa game to me.

Sure, the lack of 2.5D gameplay is forgivable due to the hardware limitations, however for me, the main appeal of Klonoa besides its platforming lies within its 1) eloquent storytelling and 2) dreamlike aesthetics. Unfortunately, Empire of Dreams stumbles on the first hurdle by reintroducing Huepow into the story to serve as Klonoa's Wind Ring companion... without ever addressing his return and the aftermath of their separation after DtP. He and Klonoa just go back to being buddies much like in DtP, as if the events of that game never happened. Is there something missing here? Because it does certainly feel that way.

Not to mention that the main theme of the story feels really... haphazardly narrated? Like, its fairly obvious the theme is 'it's important to put effort into achieving your dreams', but the story doesn't really steer towards that direction until the very last cutscene in the game. In fact, most of the story is frustratingly uninteresting, with most side characters only being present to deliver exposition and drive the plot forward by providing Klonoa and Huepow clues. All of them also follow the same plotline of becoming a monster and dreaming about being the best version of themselves, which makes them all blend together and lack distinguishable character traits.

Another thing Empire of Dreams lacks is memorable dream environments. What made it work in DtP and Lunatea's Veil is that Klonoa never really sticks around in one set theme - each location is visually distinct, such as the Upwards Flowing Waterfall in DtP, or the Maze of Memories in LV, to name a few standout examples. Empire of Dreams opts to limit the world to just 5 locations, with a whopping seven levels per world. I understand that this was done to extend the runtime of the game itself, but it ends up harming the visual impact these locations have because by the end of the boss fight, they've far outstayed their welcome. And by themselves, they're pretty boring - a cavernous mountainside, an opera house, a carrot plantation/forest and a waterfall forest all have the potential to be interesting settings if utilised well, but unfortunately they merely serve as backdrops for the most part, with only Santal using its waterfalls and lakes to impose a challenge to Klonoa in terms of its mechanics. To add insult to injury the backgrounds don't really add much to the visuals overall, mostly serving as extra dressing to indicate you progressing further into the area and nothing more. The only difference between locations is how much puzzles there are for Klonoa to solve, and when that's your only real hook for a Klonoa game, you've unfortunately failed as a Klonoa game.

Tragically, while Empire of Dreams is a great standalone game, as a Klonoa game... it just feels like Namco went for a cashgrab release during the GBA's release year.

Final rating: 6.5/10
Focus: How Empire of Dreams fails as a Klonoa game

A cute, and sometimes genuinely puzzling, 2D platformer. It has more of an identity than it's PS1 predecessor in my opinion, due to it being a puzzle platformer. It's worse, but has more of an identity. It's fun! Though, don't do the side missions, if you do it will majorly overstay it's welcome. The bosses as well are easy, but fun. The biggest problem I have is...why is Huepow here. Like in the context of this whole series, it makes no sense for him to be here. 2nd worst thing to happen on September 11th, 2001.

I'm a sucker for 2D Klonoa.

Moonlight Museum on WonderSwan was one of my favorite discoveries since diving into the world of emulation handhelds a couple years back. And Empire of Dreams came next. I enjoyed it immensely.

The Reverie Series made its way to PS+ recently-ish and I decided to give those a try again. I'm near the end of Door to Phantomile but call me crazy; I just think Klonoa works better in 2D. And I have a new handheld I'm in love with currently. So the PS5 went back to collecting dust and I loaded up Empire of Dreams for the second time within the last couple of years.

I don't tend to replay games with this short of a turnaround but it was fun all over again. It's really a darn good game. The puzzles and platforming build up. The two types of bonus stages are fun and challenging. The bosses are admittedly a breeze but their variety is fun.

2D Klonoa is good Klonoa.

[Emulated/played on Anbernic RG35XX]

For being a fully 2D handheld Klonoa, this game's mechanics and controls are honestly great. some of the new idea's introduced like the boxes are well done and gave some actual challenge. Unfortunately, the game's length and presentation are a noticable step down. Having only 5 reused level themes and lack of an interesting artstyle makes the game visually forgettable. The music wasn't anything of note either and the story was incredibly basic without the thematic and emotional weight of prior games. Mostly forgettable, but the gameplay makes it a decent entry worth playing.