I always wanted to hug (and eat) Klonoa.
That's how you know you made a good character.
That's how you know you made a good character.
Recently played this one on the Phantasy reverie series.
Being a big fan of videogame "dream-walker" mascots likeNights, Rayman, Kirby, ecc.... I was already expecting to find a similar charm while trying Klonoa.
And... yup I wasn't wrong. Klonoa has a lot of things that ties the quality of its title to other similar mascots on the market: you got the oniric environments and music of Nights into Dreams, the floatiness and bubbly platforming of Rayman games, and eve the contrast between whimsical and surprisingly darker tones present in the Kirby games..... also Klonoa's adorable speech and scrunkly lingo reminds me of these other platforming mascot, it's adorable when talks gibberish.
It's one of the first platformers to combines the 2D scrolling with 3D environments, leading to level designs and puzzle solving that are really interesting, and abke to make the experience stand out.
Though I gotta say, sometimes this type of level design doesn't always hit, as platforms and interactible objects can blend with the background or lead unprecies throws, especially if you are gotta shoot at a thing on the horizon.
The game can als be kinda brutal when it comes ito it's puzzle solving and platforming, particularly on the later stages, as a single mistake can result in the immediate lost of a life. Difficulty in platformes like this is always welcomed in my opinion, but sometimes this can contrast too much with the more cozy gameplay of other parts of the game (One of the final puzzles sepcifically, the one with two birds that can result kinda tedious since it leaves you with a really small time window to execute it).
The overall story, while kinda short in lenght, also took me by surprise: it has a mostly cozy and xhildish vibe to it, but it's not afraid to showcase more nightmarish scenarios, both in some character design (I love how Ghadius just seems taken from another game entirely), and in some istances in the story.
Overall I can totally see why it is considered a classic. I personally don't consider it the best platformer of its generation, but it is a really charming expericne, and a great introduction for a beloved platforming mascot. Give it a shot if you want!
Being a big fan of videogame "dream-walker" mascots likeNights, Rayman, Kirby, ecc.... I was already expecting to find a similar charm while trying Klonoa.
And... yup I wasn't wrong. Klonoa has a lot of things that ties the quality of its title to other similar mascots on the market: you got the oniric environments and music of Nights into Dreams, the floatiness and bubbly platforming of Rayman games, and eve the contrast between whimsical and surprisingly darker tones present in the Kirby games..... also Klonoa's adorable speech and scrunkly lingo reminds me of these other platforming mascot, it's adorable when talks gibberish.
It's one of the first platformers to combines the 2D scrolling with 3D environments, leading to level designs and puzzle solving that are really interesting, and abke to make the experience stand out.
Though I gotta say, sometimes this type of level design doesn't always hit, as platforms and interactible objects can blend with the background or lead unprecies throws, especially if you are gotta shoot at a thing on the horizon.
The game can als be kinda brutal when it comes ito it's puzzle solving and platforming, particularly on the later stages, as a single mistake can result in the immediate lost of a life. Difficulty in platformes like this is always welcomed in my opinion, but sometimes this can contrast too much with the more cozy gameplay of other parts of the game (One of the final puzzles sepcifically, the one with two birds that can result kinda tedious since it leaves you with a really small time window to execute it).
The overall story, while kinda short in lenght, also took me by surprise: it has a mostly cozy and xhildish vibe to it, but it's not afraid to showcase more nightmarish scenarios, both in some character design (I love how Ghadius just seems taken from another game entirely), and in some istances in the story.
Overall I can totally see why it is considered a classic. I personally don't consider it the best platformer of its generation, but it is a really charming expericne, and a great introduction for a beloved platforming mascot. Give it a shot if you want!
i've beaten this game 5 times in the past year i adore this game play it play it play it please
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I can't believe I dodged this as a playstation kid in the late 90s/early 2000s. Is this the first 2.5 D game? It uses it meaningfully, in ways i havent seen since by interacting with the back and foreground. The level design starts off a little simple, but really amps up quickly. The bosses also start fairly dull but get really interesting. One fight towards the end in particular has you attacking the boss, dodging impervious enemies all while trying to step on each tile of the floor a couple of times to move the phase on. It's a great little microcosm of the juggling act it has you perform that makes the platforming in this game fun so often.
On top of that, thi game has some of the strongest, most definitively ps1 vibes I
ve ever seen and heard. The ost is nut, weird polyrhythms, skung bagpipes and high upbeat eergy all the way through.
I beat it while skipping a lot of the cutscenes and immediately decided to replay it more slowly.
On top of that, thi game has some of the strongest, most definitively ps1 vibes I
ve ever seen and heard. The ost is nut, weird polyrhythms, skung bagpipes and high upbeat eergy all the way through.
I beat it while skipping a lot of the cutscenes and immediately decided to replay it more slowly.
Autism
Magical magical very special game wow. There’s some legit alchemy going on at Namco with how well every aspect of this game from the art direction to the stage design to the music to the story to the everything coalesces into this perfectly-realized experience. It’s not a particularly complex game or anything but it’s just sooo satisfying to simply exist in, the 2.5D gimmick really does wonders in making each level feel like a genuine space. It’s weird because the actual stage layouts are quite video game-y but they never feel like empty backdrops for platforming, those are all real, tangible places where my buddy Klonoa lives! I feel like most conversation around Klonoa (the game, not the sweet wahoo boy) tend to focus on the big late-game tonal shift—and I get why, it’s incredibly memorable and effective. But I worry that overshadows just how memorable and effective everything else here is too. This game just has a one-of-a-kind vibrancy to it that I find really captivating. But if you’re reading this you either already know what I’m talking about or you haven’t played Klonoa yet, in which case: go fix that right now!
Fun enough platformer. Good soundtrack
Short but sweet. Decent challenge
Short but sweet. Decent challenge
This review contains spoilers
Another dream game, this one leaning more in the direction of Kingdom Hearts for me with the main character design and a vague sense of angst. The main point of inspiration is clearly Sailor Moon though, right down to the cheerful opening leading to horrible trauma at the end.
The game didn't really click for me until that ending, appropriate given that's the thing it's mostly known for. I can see how the opening levels can carry nostalgic emotions for those who've played it when they were kids, but they did nothing for me. The final couple of levels and bosses was where the vibes were the juiciest and the challenge ramps up just right, had me sweating.
I still think the gameplay potential of a 2D character interacting with a 3D environment is not fully explored here. The game strives hard to make every level streamlined, even where exploration is concerned. Maybe some water temple-esque challenges of interacting with mechanisms to achieve different results wouldn't have gone amiss. Balue's Tower wasn't it, I don't think Klonoa's controls are precise enough to warrant this kind of kaizo gameplay.
Prior to playing the game I thought I'd understand Klonoa's tragedy at the end. As a child I had to move with my parents a lot, changing neighborhoods, schools and, ultimately, friendships frequently. That experience, however, was never traumatic for me. Could that just be repressed? Could it be that I never had false expectations that I'd stay anywhere? I think the worst part was that Huepow lied, the little shit.
Hang in there Klonoa, you drifting soulmate you, that's just how it be sometimes.
The game didn't really click for me until that ending, appropriate given that's the thing it's mostly known for. I can see how the opening levels can carry nostalgic emotions for those who've played it when they were kids, but they did nothing for me. The final couple of levels and bosses was where the vibes were the juiciest and the challenge ramps up just right, had me sweating.
I still think the gameplay potential of a 2D character interacting with a 3D environment is not fully explored here. The game strives hard to make every level streamlined, even where exploration is concerned. Maybe some water temple-esque challenges of interacting with mechanisms to achieve different results wouldn't have gone amiss. Balue's Tower wasn't it, I don't think Klonoa's controls are precise enough to warrant this kind of kaizo gameplay.
Prior to playing the game I thought I'd understand Klonoa's tragedy at the end. As a child I had to move with my parents a lot, changing neighborhoods, schools and, ultimately, friendships frequently. That experience, however, was never traumatic for me. Could that just be repressed? Could it be that I never had false expectations that I'd stay anywhere? I think the worst part was that Huepow lied, the little shit.
Hang in there Klonoa, you drifting soulmate you, that's just how it be sometimes.
My childhood 🥲
This might be one of my favorite platformers of all time. I love the way klonoa controls, the story had me intrigued, especially for a PS1 game.
Once you save all the people you unlock a bonus level, which I loved that as well, felt like a great challenge.
The music of the game is wonderful as well, I normally get in the zone and forget about the music in games, but with this one I just vibed with it, can't praise the soundtrack enough.
Excited to get into klonoa 2 eventually, hopefully that game is just as good
Once you save all the people you unlock a bonus level, which I loved that as well, felt like a great challenge.
The music of the game is wonderful as well, I normally get in the zone and forget about the music in games, but with this one I just vibed with it, can't praise the soundtrack enough.
Excited to get into klonoa 2 eventually, hopefully that game is just as good
Just chilling with the villagers saved