The series director of Bandai Namco's Klonoa series reveals that the games were originally based on a different IP during development. The classic PlayStation platformer series is host to fond memories for many nostalgic gamers, filled with charm and whimsy that also tug at the heartstrings. The series had been dormant for a while, going nearly 14 years without a new game until 2022 saw the release of Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series, an HD port of the first two games. This wasn't limited to just PlayStation either, being released across multiple platforms.
However, it was possible the Klonoa series that many gamers know today would have been completely different, based on some comments from the series director. This insight was provided by the director of the series, Tsuyoshi Kobayashi, in a recent issue of the UK video game magazine Lost In Cult. The magazine is focused on video game culture and its preservation, with issues dedicated to games like Scorn, The Last of Us Part 2, and even Klonoa.
According to Kobayashi, the concept of Klonoa was created based on a different IP within Namco's repertoire. The director stated he couldn't disclose what IP the game was originally based on, but the team realized that they couldn't use the IP during development at all. This resulted in an internal design competition to create a brand-new character to replace the existing ones. Of the artists that had submitted a design, Yoshihiko Arai's character was the one that won the contest, which resulted in the birth of the Klonoa series.
According to Kobayashi, the team wasn't thinking about the Mario or Sonic brands when developing the game, much less developing the game to be a mascot for the original PlayStation either. At the time, they were trying to create a video game mascot that could represent Namco itself. This includes a Pac-Man symbol on Klonoa's hat to having an exclusive platformer on Bandai's ill-fated Wonderswan portable device.
Kobayashi states that by the time the team was working on Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil, the team was actually thinking about both the Mario and Sonic brands for their series. This is also evident with Klonoa's design in the sequel, where he looks older, has more streamlined features, and wouldn't be too out of place from a Sonic game. This character design would be carried over into the games that came afterward, like the two GBA platformers, the Japan-exclusive RPG, and even the Namco X Capcom crossover game.
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is available now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Lost in Cult (via NintendoEverything)
