Wanted to play a nice short game after Metroid Prime 2 so I decided to dive into the Klonoa series finally! While I did have a good time with this game, I wish I liked it more because it has a 4.1 average and a lot of my followers love it so I kinda feel bad only giving it a 7 lol.

I think after beating the game, the absolute best aspect are the bosses tbh. I did not expect them to go so hard but most of them are really damn good tbh. In fact I'd go as far to say they're better than most of the levels. Something I really liked about them was how they all made good use of the foreground and background, thought that was sweet. Also the health bar they had looked really cool with that whole 3D effect.

The levels themselves are decent for the most part. They start off really simple but get more complex as you go on. I honestly didn't think they were getting really good until the last couple stages but overall they're fine.

Another one the best aspects of this game is the visuals. The mix of sprites and 3D models is always cool and its done well in this game. From the little I've seen of the remake, it's a total downgrade which is a shame so I'd recommend the original just on visuals alone.

Klonoa's moveset is kinda weird overall. The grab is very fun, especially when you can get an extra jump from an enemy. The flutter is alright but a lot of the time just doesn't cut it in getting you over large gaps unless you plan well. I just never thought it felt good to use tbh. Also Klonoa himself has a slipperiness to him when you build momentum up and that can trip up the player especially in later stages.

I didn't really find the game that hard until the last couple stages. I got every collectable so I was able to do the extra stage and man was that one tough. It was fun but definitely put your grabbing and hovering skills to the test.

The music overall was just alright. There was a track or two I kinda liked but most of them were forgettable I felt. There was also a track or two that kinda bugged me because it reminded me of the intro song to Amazing Animals. Please tell me I'm not crazy, I just kept thinking about that whenever one of the beginning stages songs was playing.

The game also had a surprisingly abundant amount of cutscenes. I thought the story overall was pretty cute, the very solid voice acting certainly helped that I feel. Like damn, I loved Huepow's voice it was adorable. And while I didn't cry or anything, the ending was pretty sad and was a unique way to end the game.

While I didn't love this game like others do, it was pretty good! I can certainly see how others would love this game cuz it just has that 90's PS1 charm. I did hear the sequel is even better so I'm looking forward to that!

PS1 Summer #1
"Soul" is kind of a meme word in games discourse but I don't care, this game is the epitome of SOULFUL; the 2.5d presentation which blends pre-renders and polygons set to a soundtrack with no misses, it's hard not to get sucked into Klonoa's whimsical fantasy world. The core moveset controls naturally and is developed smoothly, it's a blast to snatch guys from the background and use them as a double jump to platform or solve puzzles to.

A fun 2.5D platformer with a lot of cool ideas and a unique aesthetic, but it suffers a bit in some areas compared to its contemporaries. Klonoa's moveset is really good for how simple it is, and the game makes a lot of use of all aspects of it. The controls feel good, and everything related to the 3D aspects of it works surprisingly well. The levels are a bit too easy for a bit too much of the game I think, but they do definitely ramp up really nicely towards the end. Boss fights are definitely the highlight, they're all very unique and fun. Level design is enjoyable overall with levels having pretty distinct identities, my main complaint with it is that if you're looking for collectibles it's often hard to tell what the main path is and what's a quick side path you should do now. This wouldn't be a huge issue if not for my biggest problem with the game, that it has no level select (until after completing the game, which feels even worse to me because they went to the effort of making one but just don't let you use it). The collectibles in this would be a great way to add challenge to what is otherwise mostly a very easy platformer until the last few stages, but it really killed my interest in going out of my way for them that if you miss any you're just screwed out of getting them until after completing the game. I really don't get that decision at all. It also has a relatively large emphasis on story, which I didn't really like. It gets a bit interesting at the very end, but mostly didn't feel like it was worth having dialogue when similar games like Donkey Kong Country and Yoshi's Island get by perfectly fine without. To end on a more positive note, the style and vibes of this are really pleasant and the positives do outweigh the negatives here overall, I had a good time with it.

After finishing Silent Hill four times in a row I wanted something cuter to cleanse my palate a bit, and did this fully deliver!

The entire world Klonoa was intentionally made to look like a children's fantasy storybook, something that you whould read a kid before sleep to have sweet dreams, this is not only one of the prettiest PS1 games I've seen, but it might be the one with the strongest art direction. Everything from the colors, character and level design, even the way characters talk in cutesy gibberish during cutscenes, but some things like names are clearly heard, like we're listening to some fantasy language, it all oozes that childlike joy that I also relate a lot to some artistic trends from Japan during the late 90's (specifically the movie Catnapped or Little Nemo) and that I also consider very pretty and nostalgic.

I wasn't expecting the game to be a bit sad at times. Of course it is still within what you'll expect from a fairytale where our hero or their world must go through some hardship, it was a surprising touch that added a bit more to what is a simple yet very enjoyable story if you still remember those old childhood fables.

Gameplay is simple, but it takes advantage to every avaliable action that can be performed into a 2.5D space to the max. Making the player able to see platforms on a different plane that you can later explore gives a great sense of depth to the levels, moreso in the cases when we can interact with them by throwing enemies (quick detail here that I forgot to mention, the enemies on their ball forms are adorable, every single one could make great plushies) or just to keep the space consistent. Even the lackluster glide Klonoa does makes all the difference in some late game jumping distance.

A small detail that I notice is that besides map modeling, only the bosses are fully 3D modeled, I don't know if it's just me but I think it may be a way to convey how otherworldy and different these enemies are now that they are influenced by the power of nightmares, Ghadius being in that state constantly adds a bit to his presence...

Overall a very cute and worthwile experience (even if a bit short compared to other platformers), with fantastic visuals, cute and heartfelt vibes, and great music.

I know totally get why this game has the audience it does. It's cute, it's fun, and bittersweet by the end. I adore the cute story book look of the game. It kinda feels like a children's stop motion show with how the characters animate. The gameplay itself is fun. Good balance between challenging and easy. And the plot was way heavier than I honestly could've ever expected. I commend the team for going in such a direction.
Also I find it hard to believe this was directed by the NES Ninja Gaiden guy.

Klonoa: The Door to Phantomile is a fairly breezy game. It took me a while to warm up to it, but after a couple levels I was on board. The style of the game is beautiful, personally I prefer it to any of the later remakes. The 2D sprites look great, and the environments are simple but very evocative when combined with the competent score. It's a game that just feels great to play.

Klonoa really only has one main mechanic, you can grab enemies and use them to double jump or as a projectile. Combine this with a sort of fly/float you can do to maintain height in a jump for a few seconds and that's pretty much all your options. The game explores these mechanics very thoroughly, and whie the difficulty ramps up toward the end I never really found it too difficult even in the bonus level.

For me, the length was about perfect. When credits rolled I was satisfied, and surprisingly even quite invested in story, world and characters. Looking forward to playing the sequel!

Magical magical very special game wow. There’s some legit alchemy going on at Namco with how well every aspect of this game from the art direction to the stage design to the music to the story to the everything coalesces into this perfectly-realized experience. It’s not a particularly complex game or anything but it’s just sooo satisfying to simply exist in, the 2.5D gimmick really does wonders in making each level feel like a genuine space. It’s weird because the actual stage layouts are quite video game-y but they never feel like empty backdrops for platforming, those are all real, tangible places where my buddy Klonoa lives! I feel like most conversation around Klonoa (the game, not the sweet wahoo boy) tend to focus on the big late-game tonal shift—and I get why, it’s incredibly memorable and effective. But I worry that overshadows just how memorable and effective everything else here is too. This game just has a one-of-a-kind vibrancy to it that I find really captivating. But if you’re reading this you either already know what I’m talking about or you haven’t played Klonoa yet, in which case: go fix that right now!

Esse jogo mora no meu coração!
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile é, de longe, um dos melhores jogos de plataforma que eu já joguei até hoje. Eu nunca me canso de rejogar ele.

A frase de ouro que melhor define Klonoa é: "Complexidade na Simplicidade".

É uma gameplay simples, montada sob uma mecânica de ataque criativa e igualmente simples - porém o jogo sabe muito bem como trabalhar essa simplicidade toda pra montar situações cada vez mais dinâmicas e mais desafiadoras.

A parte artística do jogo não fica pra trás. Ou, melhor dizendo, é ela que alavanca enormemente a beleza e emoção que esse jogo trás. As fases possuem cenários lindamente trabalhados e vívidos. A história, mesmo que simples, consegue ser fortemente sentimental. Os personagens e monstros possuem designs simpáticos e marcantes. Tudo, tudo nesse jogo consegue ter uma personalidade própria e ser memorável.
E é claro, a Soundtrack do jogo, que está entre as melhores que já ouvi. O trabalho sonoro magistral das músicas de Klonoa consegue alcançar o fundo da alma de qualquer um. Cada música consegue intensificar a atmosfera e emoção das fases de maneiras indescritíveis.

Não, sério, se você gosta de plataforma, jogue Klonoa: Door to Phantomile. Pode ser qualquer versão: a de PS1, a de Wii, ou a Phantasy Reverie. Todas possuem suas diferenças, mas, em geral, todas são ótimas (eu, particularmente, prefiro a de PS1 por ser a primeira versão que joguei, assim como a que mais me marcou).
Apenas vá lá em jogue! Se submerja na magia de sonhos de Phantomile e veja o quão bom esse jogo consegue ser!

Klonoa is one of those games that just has a really strong concept that most of its gameplay focuses around. You can pick up monsters and hold them over your head, which lets you double jump off them, throw them, and do a couple other things. This is really the only mechanic besides a single jump and a particularly wimpy float, but the game makes it work very well. It's a 2.5D platformer and showcases a much better idea of what to do with the genre than most others (Sorry, Kirby 64): levels twist and turn around each other, even dropping you off on different paths at certain points, attacks come and can be sent forward and back, which means there's a lot more potential than "normal" sidescrolling, and I think Klonoa lives up to it fairly well.

What I could do without is the lives system- granted I'm generally not a fan of the concept and its ubiquity in older games, but I think Klonoa could really have used to ditch it. It's going for a Kirby-esque more relaxed feel I think, and that doesn't really work when in the back of my mind there's always the nagging reminder that 1) If get a game over I'll have to do this really long level again 2) If I die too much the odds of that happening in the next level are higher. It's anxiety-inducing and doesn't really belong IMO, especially when the game itself is not that hard, but does feature some kinda mean jumps, and some slightly finicky mechanics regarding the hover.

On a more positive note, I think the bosses are great. Similarly to the levels, some of them drag on a bit, but there's a lot of creativity at play here. To close things off, I'd like to praise the atmosphere- I'm not sure if I really get the "dream" feel from the relatively restrained concepts (I could see most of them belonging in most other platformers- while I sure couldn't imagine NiGHTS' Soft Museum being in any other type of setting), but between the music and the visuals (man I wish there were more games with this style), they're quite great still. Finally, a shoutout to the hilariously ballsy direction the story chooses to go, I respect the shit out of that.

A gorgeous 2.5D platformer with fantastic music, hailing from an era when Namco were at the top of their game.
Unlike your usual mascot platformer, Klonoa is not only charming, it also has great gameplay. No wonder, since it was created by Hideo Yoshizawa, director of the original NES Ninja Gaiden trilogy.
Klonoa uses his magical ring to grab his enemies, and to launch them in front of him, or directly under him for a double jump. Those simple mechanics give two faces to the gameplay: skill-based challenge with the use of double jump tricks (you can potentially stay in the air forever if you keep grabbing enemies), and puzzle-platforming (since it's a 2.5D game, you can also launch stuff to the background/foreground to activate switches and solve simple "puzzles").

It's not a perfect game (controls don't always feel precise, and you've got the usual 2.5D perspective issue at a few points), but it clearly deserves its reputation as a classic PS game.

This it the kind of game that comes around once in a generation. The platforming is tight and responsive, the moveset is simple yet fun, and the presentation is top notch. However, what really elevates Klonoa to "masterpiece" status is the story. What starts off as a pretty basic fantasy affair quickly turns into one of the most emotional, touching stories that I have ever experienced in a video game. Saying any more would dampen the experience, so I will leave it there. From my experience, I'd say that not only is this the best game on the PlayStation, but the best 5th gen game period.