Many Klonoa fans are rejoicing over the announcement of Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series, remasters the first two Klonoa games - Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil - coming this year. While this is great for veteran fans who have played the games before, this is also a good opportunity for platformer enthusiasts to experience why the franchise is so fondly remembered.
The series is about the titular character Klonoa, also known as the Dream Traveler. Every single one of his games involves an adventure as he sleeps, going to new worlds. The gameplay is relatively simple for a sidescrolling adventure, as the core adventures deal with players using Klonoa's Wind Ring to shoot at enemies called Moos so he can grab and use them in numerous ways. Though the gameplay remains simple, the series features complex puzzles that grow more challenging in surprising ways.
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile starts off as a fun romp with Klonoa and his best friend Huepow when a spaceship falls from the sky. It starts off upbeat, and even in more tense moments has a whimsical nature that leaves a lasting impression on players. This game was a hit with many due to the overall feel of the gameplay giving players a relaxing, yet challenging experience with a hard-hitting story.
Even as the story of Klonoa and Huepow dealt with topics such as revenge, players could still relax and enjoy the game at their own pace, losing themselves in the dream-like aesthetics of its fantastical setting. This feeling is so important to fans that the Wii remaster in 2008 was seen as lackluster by getting rid of a few elements that gave the original game its charm. Phantasy Reverie is bringing those features back as a result.
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil
Lunatea's Veil is the second game that fixed many of the original release's problems. To some, Lunatea's Veil serves as a better entry title for Klonoa than Door to Phantomile. Lunatea's Veil uses the concept of Klonoa being the Dream Traveler to its advantage, while also setting up the series to expand further with new characters who would be seen in other titles Bandai Namco would release. Despite this, even as the game made improvements, the gameplay felt more or less the same, giving players a simplistic yet challenging experience they grew to love.
With Lolo and Popka, Klonoa's companions in Lunatea, the lop-eared mascot uncovers a mystery behind both his friends and the world around him. He aims to help them as the bigger RPG-like story affects the overall world of the game in its second half. This alters almost all the levels to make them more challenging toward the end. These further "Visions" are done in such a way that it extends the experience and gives more for players to explore.
The Klonoa series is known more for the feel of its whimsical and colorful experience, one that fans still can't find with any other franchise. While it may be easy to describe the series like Kirby and the Crystal Shards meets NiGHTS Into Dreams, that still doesn't cover how Klonoa feels. It's a game people will need to try to understand for themselves, and Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is a perfect opportunity to do so.
If the remaster collection sells well, there's a chance more Klonoa games could follow, which is a wish that fans have had for decades. Like with the release of Metroid Dread, Klonoa loyalists have already been asking for other players to give the games a chance after its Nintendo Direct announcement. If any platformer fans have been desiring a relaxing experience that is easy to pick up and enjoy without much investment, Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is going to be a great place to go once it arrives.
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is set to release for Nintendo Switch on July 8, 2022, with releases for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X coming later.
