Klonoa has been in hibernation since 2008 and fans have wanted its return for some time. Now Bandai Namco has brought the loveable critter in the form of the Phantasy Reverie series. This new collection of titles, will let players get to experience the games in a new way, with modern refinements, but is it an ideal collection? Well, as long as you do not mind some older aspects of platform gaming, this may be of interest.
The first game, Klonoa: The Door to Phantomile is full of colourful visuals, and starts off with a bang. The cutscenes are amazingly redone, and really show off how great the art style always was and the opening cutscene shows this best. The best part of Klonoa though is how easy it is to pick up and play, and veterans and newbies will both find themselves happy with what they have here.
a soundtrack that will be stuck in your head for days to come, and a sweeping shot of the most adorable characters in all of gaming. As you begin to pick up and play the game, if you’re a Klonoa veteran or a newbie, you’ll be right at home with its loop of simple gameplay, matched with great controls.
The game is a 2.5D platformer that sees you learn new skills and find secrets in each level, while also fighting enemies These levels are designed with branching paths in mind, and exploration is a big part of the Klonoa games. The levels have a great amount of variety to them as well, but there is a slight issue.
The issue here is that while much of the game has been updated, the basic gameplay is still rooted in the ‘90s and some aspects remain unchanged. Yes, it is more polished, and there are modes designed to be more welcoming for newcomers, but that mode is still an adjustment. The issue is due to the nature of perspective and slow movements at times when going in a certain direction and it doesn’t seem like that can be easily remedied.
Fortunately, this is not a massive issue and most of the game is still fun. You will make your way through the levels and find new skills, use wind bullets to grab enemies for attacks and get to new areas and so on. There is just something so loveable about Klonoa that you end up looking past the flaws of the game.
The only other real issue is that there is a nasty difficulty spike towards the end of the game that will throw many off unless you are prepared. Master the gameplay and you will understand what to do when the time comes. And if you find all the hidden unlockable, there is a neat bonus after beating the game that makes everything worthwhile in the end.
A good game and it is great that Bandai Namco included the option to switch to the original PS1 style graphics for those interested in playing with those. It would have been nice though if the music had been given a proper update along with the visuals, but most of it has aged relatively well. But this is just half of the collection and things only get better from here.
Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil took all the great parts of the first game and managed to perfect them. Every rough edge was smoothed out, and new ideas were brought in. This PS2 title was Klonoa’s step into full 3D visuals, unlike the sprite-based original, while still being set on a 2D plane. The game brings back much of what people loved from the original game but now things were taken to the next level, with a much better take on the difficulty.
The game feels different from the start, having a lot more control over Klonoa and lacking many of the perspective issues and slowness that hampered The Door to Phantomile. There is a much larger variety of gameplay elements here and the game reaches new heights. The levels became more creative and found new ways to take advantage of the greater controls, such as going down a slope on a snowboard, which would have felt very awkward in the first game.
In addition to the much-improved platforming and controls, the combat also feels much better here, with everything feeling natural. It also helps that this game has a much-improved soundtrack that goes well with the new visuals, but once again a redone soundtrack would have been preferred. This is a game that managed to answer almost every criticism of the first game and is an absolute must-play.
So, is the collection worth getting? Well for the most part yes. Some aspects of the first game just have not aged well, and the soundtracks remain an issue, a lot has been fixed up in a good way. The new visual style fits the two games well, even with some texture issues, and Klonoa 2 remains an absolute treasure to play. It ultimately comes down to how comfortable you are with playing an older style of platformer.
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series will please fans of the series, and while it may be tricky for newcomers to come in, it is still a game collection that is easy to recommend to try out. This collection is a great introduction, and will hopefully lead to more from the franchise. This is a series that just begs for a modern incarnation to show just why it is so beloved.
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch.
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch.