Since many consoles of the past had a library that spans hundreds if not thousands of games, and enough time passes, it’s likely that many will become inaccessible as backwards compatibility is discontinued. While we’ve seen games in major franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Final Fantasy made available across multiple console generations, it’s those niche works that risk being unavailable to future generations of gamers. Thanks to the actions of Bandai Namco Entertainment and the Monkey Craft development team, the two main installments of the classic clonoa platformer series will live at least another generation.
Earlier this month, gamers were treated to the release of Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series natively on all current Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox platforms, in addition to PC. While the title doesn’t say much about what the game is from the get-go outside of the series it’s associated with, it features real-life remasters from the 1997s Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and sequel from 2001 Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s veil. Both were developed exclusively by Namco for the PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 respectively. Neither was the most prolific game, but enjoyed a loyal cult following and positive reception at launch. As someone who started PlayStation gaming at the end of the PS2 era, I never had a chance to play the original works. However, it quickly became apparent why a remaster was needed shortly after my playtesting started.
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series sets a standard for how PlayStation and PlayStation 2 remasters should look on next-generation hardware. Both games have aesthetic improvements, including support for 4K resolution with new textures and 60 fps support, as well as some minor quality-of-life tweaks, such as a two-player local cooperative mode. Granted, the extra gameplay features are nice, but the visuals are the shining element of both Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s veil, rival and even surpass the style of platform games of recent years. I can’t say how long fans would be covering this collection, but the colorful anime-esque character designs and varied environments are provided in abundance.
In the second half of the 1990s, when Klonoa: Door to Phantomile was released, it was during a transition period for both the platform genre and the game industry. Consumers have grown up playing 2D games, but 64-bit gaming hardware, and more specifically the release of Super Mario 64 by Nintendo, saw consumers opening their eyes to the potential of 3D platformers. This led development teams to discover how to push the boundaries of still-limited system specifications while meeting the demands of their user bases. On the side of Namco they chose clonoa to keep the more classic side-scrolling mechanics, but place the game in a fully 3D world – an early example of a 2.5D platformer, executed perfectly.
Control the titular character, a feline kemonomimi with ears that double as wings, in both Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s veil, you run and jump your way left, right, up and down through several different worlds, collecting diamonds and other collectibles along the way. At the basic level, it’s your standard platforming adventure, until you start realizing that “Hey, I can’t get on this ledge”. There are a few mechanics that made it revolutionary for the time, but still stand out by the genre’s standards today.
The first is that Klonoa is a pretty standard character in terms of skills. They can jump, they can flutter, but it won’t be enough to get through the levels. Instead, you’ll usually interact with the world by grabbing enemies with different attack/defense patterns and using them to double-jump by jumping off them, swinging them at other enemies and calling in a 360-degree range around them and discover secrets by experimenting. To be honest, the controls took some getting used to, and unlike other platform games, I never got to the point where I didn’t have to constantly remind myself to take out enemies to get through each level.
The second element that holds the attention of gamers is the use of the 3D environment. Not only can you attack in a 360-degree area around Klonoa, but as the camera perspective shifts, you can change your trajectory to the foreground or background of an area you encountered before. While nothing revolutionary by today’s standards, I can understand how obvious this would have been in 1997, as well as how smooth the transitions between routes can be.
while aesthetic Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series has been revived to current generation standards, other mod cons like bonus features for the remaster or even voice acting for each game’s short but sweet storylines were not included. You essentially get the two games with better visuals and minor gameplay improvements – there’s not much to celebrate the franchise’s 25th anniversary any other way. This isn’t necessarily a negative for the collection, but as with other remastered classic games, I would have liked to see what a modern development team would have done if it was tasked with building a few new levels. In total, each game should give you about half a dozen hours of fun, possibly more if you want to 100% complete each title and unlock the game’s Platinum Trophy/All Achievements.
They show that platform games can stand the test of time years and even decades after their original releases, while missing some of the 25th anniversary festive flair you’d expect, Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is worthy of being picked up by longtime fans and newcomers alike. Both Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil offers fun gameplay, diverse and colorful worlds, and enough challenge that you feel like the difficulty increases as you progress through the game.
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