I cannot count how many friends I have who are into retro games and just absolutely adore Klonoa. It’s a game I’ve had recommended to heck and back, and with the recent remakes of the first two games, it was a series back on everyone’s lips. It’s also a game that’s pretty darn rare in English, but it’s also pretty darn cheap (if a bit uncommon) out here in Japan, so I set out to pick up the first two games a couple weeks back. This weekend, I finally sat down and played through the first Klonoa on my PlayStation to see what all the fuss was about. It took me about 5.5 hours to play through the whole thing, rescue all the captured lads, and do the extra final level. I played the game in Japanese on real hardware.
The story of Klonoa is the story of the titular Klonoa and his friend Hyupo. A strange ring carrying Hyupo crashes down in the forest one day, and Klonoa comes across and saves him. They play and have fun all the time until one day, another strange force descends from the sky. The evil Gadius and his henchman Joker are bent on destroying the world, and it’s up to Klonoa to stop him! Along the way, you’ll meet a lot (and I mean a lot) of colorful characters on your quest to save the world, but the story is overall still very simple. It reminds me a lot of a 90’s family film, where the overall vibes of the adventure are more important than character arcs or larger themes. This isn’t a bad thing, as the game is so short yet packed with so much personality that it’s able to carry itself just fine, but it left me wanting more and didn’t leave much of an impact on me in the end. It’s not a bad story by any means, but I think it’s a tad too overambitious for its own good, and narrowing its scope a little and/or focusing itself a little would’ve paid dividends.
The gameplay of Klonoa is a 2.5D platformer that reminds me a bit of the original Kirby’s Dreamland than anything else, and that is absolutely a good thing. Klonoa can run and jump, but he can also grab things with the power of Hyupo and his special ring. This inflates enemies big and round and places them above your head. You can then throw these enemies out in front of you (or even towards or away from the screen! Ain’t 3D crazy ;b) or throw them beneath you as you use them as a double jump. You can even grab another enemy mid-air after you’ve jumped or thrown the enemy you’re already carrying, meaning you can do some really technical maneuvering through stages (and they’ll make you by the end, believe me). Klonoa is pretty short, with only 12 levels and a final boss stage, but those stages are pretty long and also pretty darn tough. If you’re not quite experienced at platformers, you’re likely going to have a pretty rough time making it through to the end of Klonoa. It’s a fun and well-polished experience, but heck if it isn’t one that’ll make you work to see that ending XP
The presentation is incredibly well done and charming. Klonoa’s design is immediately iconic, and the pre-rendered 3D assets turned 2D (think like Donkey Kong Country) create a beautiful world and super fun characters to have your adventure along with. The way the game messes with 3D space to make levels and areas loop through and around themselves is also quite neat, and it very rarely actually gets to the point where it’s confusing to try and point or aim a shot due to how the 3D is working. The music is super fun, as is the sound design. All of the characters have this almost-real-language voice acting that is nonetheless incredibly effective. It does a remarkable job of communicating the emotions of the character’s text without actually going to the length of giving proper VA to every line. With just how many of my friends who like Klonoa love to shout “Wahoo!” just the way he does, there’s no doubt in my mind that the voice work is no small part as to why this series has captured so many hearts over the years.
Verdict: Highly Recommended. This is a really excellent action platformer on the PS1! It’s not one of my favorite games ever, like I know it very much is for some folks who’ve played it, but it’s a super fun and charming time either way. It was far and away worth what I paid for it, no doubt. If you like platformers and like the way the game looks (and don’t mind a bit of a challenge), then this is absolutely one to look into acquiring digitally or snagging the remake that came out recently. You won’t regret your choice~ ^w^
The story of Klonoa is the story of the titular Klonoa and his friend Hyupo. A strange ring carrying Hyupo crashes down in the forest one day, and Klonoa comes across and saves him. They play and have fun all the time until one day, another strange force descends from the sky. The evil Gadius and his henchman Joker are bent on destroying the world, and it’s up to Klonoa to stop him! Along the way, you’ll meet a lot (and I mean a lot) of colorful characters on your quest to save the world, but the story is overall still very simple. It reminds me a lot of a 90’s family film, where the overall vibes of the adventure are more important than character arcs or larger themes. This isn’t a bad thing, as the game is so short yet packed with so much personality that it’s able to carry itself just fine, but it left me wanting more and didn’t leave much of an impact on me in the end. It’s not a bad story by any means, but I think it’s a tad too overambitious for its own good, and narrowing its scope a little and/or focusing itself a little would’ve paid dividends.
The gameplay of Klonoa is a 2.5D platformer that reminds me a bit of the original Kirby’s Dreamland than anything else, and that is absolutely a good thing. Klonoa can run and jump, but he can also grab things with the power of Hyupo and his special ring. This inflates enemies big and round and places them above your head. You can then throw these enemies out in front of you (or even towards or away from the screen! Ain’t 3D crazy ;b) or throw them beneath you as you use them as a double jump. You can even grab another enemy mid-air after you’ve jumped or thrown the enemy you’re already carrying, meaning you can do some really technical maneuvering through stages (and they’ll make you by the end, believe me). Klonoa is pretty short, with only 12 levels and a final boss stage, but those stages are pretty long and also pretty darn tough. If you’re not quite experienced at platformers, you’re likely going to have a pretty rough time making it through to the end of Klonoa. It’s a fun and well-polished experience, but heck if it isn’t one that’ll make you work to see that ending XP
The presentation is incredibly well done and charming. Klonoa’s design is immediately iconic, and the pre-rendered 3D assets turned 2D (think like Donkey Kong Country) create a beautiful world and super fun characters to have your adventure along with. The way the game messes with 3D space to make levels and areas loop through and around themselves is also quite neat, and it very rarely actually gets to the point where it’s confusing to try and point or aim a shot due to how the 3D is working. The music is super fun, as is the sound design. All of the characters have this almost-real-language voice acting that is nonetheless incredibly effective. It does a remarkable job of communicating the emotions of the character’s text without actually going to the length of giving proper VA to every line. With just how many of my friends who like Klonoa love to shout “Wahoo!” just the way he does, there’s no doubt in my mind that the voice work is no small part as to why this series has captured so many hearts over the years.
Verdict: Highly Recommended. This is a really excellent action platformer on the PS1! It’s not one of my favorite games ever, like I know it very much is for some folks who’ve played it, but it’s a super fun and charming time either way. It was far and away worth what I paid for it, no doubt. If you like platformers and like the way the game looks (and don’t mind a bit of a challenge), then this is absolutely one to look into acquiring digitally or snagging the remake that came out recently. You won’t regret your choice~ ^w^