More evidence that 2001 is still the greatest year in gaming.

Klonoa 2 is a perfect sequel. It expands on the mechanics and design of the original game in ways that feel natural; Almost as if those new features were there the entire time. The platforming is tighter with more variation thanks to the brand new enemies that provide different functions when grabbed. Klonoa 2 ramps up in challenge earlier than in the original game, which shows that Namco was conscious that the audience who played the first one got older and are deeply familiar with the basics. The only slight knock I can imagine some people having with this game is that there are a couple of stages that end up being recycled, though with enough differences to at least make them play in a unique way. It didn't bother me all too much but it is a little weird to see considering the first game didn't feel the need to resort to that.

Klonoa 2 is also a lot more ambitious with its story and characters which I find to be only natural since Klonoa himself is a bit older in this game. Just like with the first game, you should do yourself a favour and go in as blind as possible since the ending won't hit as hard if you know about it ahead of time.

I'm blown away that these games didn't do all too well. I'll admit that I played both of them off of an emulator, but if I knew about these games as a kid I would've for sure begged my parents for them. I'll be sure to pick up the recent remake to show my support for the series because we need more games like this on the market.

Do yourself a favour and check these games out if they look interesting to you, because Klonoa is really something special

Borderline perfect. A short and sweet game with some of the best-designed levels and mechanics you can find on the ps1. It starts off fairly comfortable but really ramps up by the end game. I'm almost tempted to revisit the game within the next few days and go for the 3 collectables I ended up missing.

My only complaint with the gameplay is that Klonoa slides pretty far when you stop running from top speed. this includes when you jump. there were a few times when I ended up slipping off of a small platform when jumping on it. It's a minor complaint and something that you can get used to with muscle memory.

The story and world were also pretty good. For those who haven't played it, do yourself a favour and make sure that the ending is unspoiled for you since it certainly left an impact on me.

Highly recommend this one!