Klonoa is cool as fuck! The two games included in this collection are incredibly creative with its mix of 2D and 3D, as well as various stage gimmicks that the game always finds ways to make feel fresh. While neither game is very long, nothing overstays its welcome and from beginning to end they’re just really fun games. Of course, this what I would say in a review of the two games as games, and not as a modern remake.
I don’t mind that the game doesn’t look as polished as other 2D platformers that have released in even the last decade because the art direction makes up for it, aside from a few ugly looking areas. I just really wish this game ran at a stable frame rate. Even as someone who can barely tell the difference between 60 and 30 fps, this game’s frame rate bothered me at times. Aside from the frame rate overall not being smooth, there are occasional frame drops when there’s too much on the screen, and for a remake of a game that’s over 20 years old, and a game that doesn’t look like a modern release, it’s a bit of a problem. Especially for a game with the mechanics of Klonoa, with really fun aerial momentum based puzzles and platforming. The mechanics are so fun that I’d almost buy a whole game in the style of the optional unlockable challenge levels.
Overall, while I can’t say much about how it compares to the original games, I can see how long time Klonoa fans could have been disappointed by this. However, as my first time playing a Klonoa game, I loved this. Although the first game has a much stronger story that almost made me tear up at the end (I probably could have cried if I wasn’t holding back my tears with every bit of my soul because of the embarrassment I would have felt crying to Klonoa), the second game has such better level design that I have to say I liked the second game more. If you have any interest in the game or enjoy other 2D platformers, I’d recommend playing this, or emulating the original games. Here’s to hoping for a new Klonoa game.
I don’t mind that the game doesn’t look as polished as other 2D platformers that have released in even the last decade because the art direction makes up for it, aside from a few ugly looking areas. I just really wish this game ran at a stable frame rate. Even as someone who can barely tell the difference between 60 and 30 fps, this game’s frame rate bothered me at times. Aside from the frame rate overall not being smooth, there are occasional frame drops when there’s too much on the screen, and for a remake of a game that’s over 20 years old, and a game that doesn’t look like a modern release, it’s a bit of a problem. Especially for a game with the mechanics of Klonoa, with really fun aerial momentum based puzzles and platforming. The mechanics are so fun that I’d almost buy a whole game in the style of the optional unlockable challenge levels.
Overall, while I can’t say much about how it compares to the original games, I can see how long time Klonoa fans could have been disappointed by this. However, as my first time playing a Klonoa game, I loved this. Although the first game has a much stronger story that almost made me tear up at the end (I probably could have cried if I wasn’t holding back my tears with every bit of my soul because of the embarrassment I would have felt crying to Klonoa), the second game has such better level design that I have to say I liked the second game more. If you have any interest in the game or enjoy other 2D platformers, I’d recommend playing this, or emulating the original games. Here’s to hoping for a new Klonoa game.