Intro
Klonoa was officially announced on 6 March 2009 as a Wii remake of Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, a 1997 PlayStation game. Before that, it had already been released to Japan on 4 December 2008. The game was later on released to North America on 5 May 2009 and to Europe on 22 May 2009. Designed by Hideo Yoshizawa, Klonoa falls under the genre of platform games and has an ESRB rating of E10+. Klonoa was developed by Paon and published by its original publisher, Namco Bandai Games. A wide array of fully rendered modern visual effects in real time were added to the remake of the game’s graphics, together with several other features such as the reversal of levels, unlockable costumes for characters and Japanese and English voice acting. The side-scrolling platform game is viewed from a “2.5D” perspective. In the game, players play as the protagonist, Klonoa in a two-dimensional fashion although the game is rendered in three dimensions, resulting in the ability for paths to curve and take corners. Not only that, players can also interact with sme of the objects outside of the path. In the game, players have to progress through “Visions” which are the levels by which the game is divided into, by following a path with defeatable computer-controlled enemies and puzzles that must be solved. At the end of every act 2 levels, players will have to defeat a boss in order to proceed. There is also a boss at the end of the Final Vision. Klonoa uses his weapon, the “Wind Bullet” to defeat enemies. The “Wind Bullet” is a ring that fires a burst of wind that lifts the enemy above his head if he is hit by it. Once the enemy is lifted up, Klonoa is then able to throw the enemy into another enemy or even utilize the former to execute a double jump. In addition to that, Klonoa can also perform a “Whirlwind” which temporarily slows down nearby enemies, during which Klonoa can float in mid-air for a short duration to increase the jump length if the jump button is held down. Environmental factors also help Klonoa to move by launching him up or forward when there are localized tornadoes and springboards to allow players to overcome obstacles. In addition to that, Klonoa also has the ability to change his outfit into a modernised version of his original outfit in Klonoa: Door to Phantomile.
Reviews
Klonoa is a remake of its original version that was released for the PlayStation more than a decade ago. It features updated visuals which look impressive and inviting even when compared to modern releases. Although it features a simple gameplay, Klonoa maintains its tight controls and clever level design, giving rise to a rewarding adventure that is a pleasure right from the beginning to the end. Although Klonoa has an abrupt ending that makes it too short and easy for its own good, the game is still well-made and has an exciting platform.
“For anyone that says the pure platformer is dead, I’d tend to agree to a certain standpoint, which is why Klonoa feels like a breath of fresh air on a system that normally spits out mini-game collections and crappy sports packs once a week. Klonoa is a remake of the original, and it follows the template brick for brick, but for newcomers to the series it’s a must-play entry into the world of platformers. For returning fans, there’s still a nice bit of nostalgia to it all as well. I got a kick out of the original 12 years ago, and it’s been great coming back to the series. The visuals look crisp, though there’s better on Wii in the form of titles like Galaxy and Nintendo’s own Wario platformer, but it runs at 60 frames a second, and the core gameplay more than justifies the franchise’s reentry into the gaming world. It’s well worth the $30, and a great platformer with plenty of difficulty ramp-up to appeal to everyone. Welcome back Klonoa. Hopefully you get to kick your feet up and stay for a while…” (IGN, 2009)
