klonoa 1 is an INCREDIBLY special videogame. it prides itself on its dreamy visuals, cozy vibes and unique platforming mechanics: the wind bullet is a joy to use and the game also makes use of its 2.5d nature in a super interesting way that ive never seen done before. stages are a constantly unfolding diarama of fun puzzle platforming and by the end of the game, phantomile really feels like a living, breathing world that you've traversed through.
but what really makes this game special in my opinion is its ridiculously cruel ending sequence. throughout the game, ur friend huepow helps u platform by literally being the wind in ur sails-he's the wind bullet that allows u to inflate and use enemies for progressing through levels. he's also klonoa's best friend. he comes off as a bit cold early on but you can really see him warm up to klonoa and see him as a friend. but the thing is that its all a lie. klonoa's from a different world entirely disconnected from phantomile. he was needed to bring balance to the world so he was brought in by huepow and given fake memories in order to be motivated to save the world. this is all revealed to the poor kid right in the final cutscene of the game and he's just SHATTERED.
he refuses to accept the truth. but at that point, he's forced out of phantomile. he gets sucked into the vortex while crying and screaming and all huepow can do is try and fail to pull him back. its so so fucking depressing and it seems like pointless tragedy at first glance, but the way this connects to the second game makes it all worth it i think
im still floored by the boldness of the devs to end such a warm and friendly kid's game in such a cruel way. incredible stuff

this was the first game i ever reviewed on this site. i want to do it justice this time.
klonoa 2 is an achievement in platforming level design. every level feels like a world all on its own, every mechanic is utilized to its fullest potential, and the atmosphere is just killer. klonoa controls even better than he did before, and the enemy and puzzle variety have been upgraded substantially- the new enemies allow klonoa to interact with the levels in some really fun and interesting ways. the only thing door to phantomile has over it is that it doesnt reuse some of its levels. even then id argue that 2's level reuse only serves to make the story and world better and more interconnected and interesting.
though some levels tend to drag on too long, the satisfying rhythm of the wind bullet and the smooth difficulty ensure that im hardly ever bored playing this game, its such a treasure and more people really need to play it
there's a contemplative sadness hanging over klonoa 2, carried over from the first game. our protag's accepted his eternal role as the dream traveler and matured a lot more as a result, but you can tell that deep down the tragedy of his job isnt lost on him. the final levels are practically screaming this at your face-a kingdom of sorrow, where the music mixes in songs from the first game's most tragic moments. its no coicencidence that the literal ruler of said kingdom bears a strong resemblance to him.
and yet klonoa persists in spite of that feeling. sorrow is what gives our happy moments meaning, what brings us all together. lunatea ignoring and repressing its sorrow has only isolated its people from one another. its why the veil needed to be lifted, after all.
the ending really speaks to me, its such a nice showing of klonoa's growth from the first game. he's the one to reassure his friend of their everlasting bond this time. he leaves the world instead of it forcibly pullling him out. klonoa's the dream traveler, eternally saving worlds from the curses that would threaten them, bringing people together and forming irreplacable memories, before having to leave it all behind. like being woken up from a dream. this is what makes this games series so special to me and many others-the strong unique gameplay combined with the tragedy of klonoa as a character. its really something special