This review contains spoilers
First off, I should mention that this game was somewhat ruined for me. Well, maybe I shouldn't say ruined. I had a friend who basically forced me to play this game. He kept on begging me to play it and even buy the remake to support the franchise. And I probably will buy the remake at some point, but begging someone to play a game is not how you get them into it.
Anyway, I shouldn't dwell on that anymore. How about the actual game? Klonoa is a pretty unique case, as it's a 2D platformer with 3D elements. When I saw it being described as a 2.5D puzzle platformer, I figured that there would only be a couple puzzles. And the 3D elements would be limited to visual stuff only. To my surprise, the reviews weren't kidding. This game is a straight up puzzle platformer that takes full advantage of its 2.5D environment. The gameplay takes various cues from Yoshi's Island, with Klonoa having the same flutter jump and projectile throwing skills as Yoshi. Kronos can use his pal Huepow to inflate enemies and throw them. Not only can he throw them left or right, but he can also throw them towards or away from the screen. He can also jump off of the enemy he's carrying to gain an extra boost. This provides opportunity for some interesting puzzle scenarios. A lot of them require not just thinking ahead, but being able to quickly execute a difficult series of moves. There's a lot of these kinds of puzzles in the later levels. However, none of them are the kind of ridiculous puzzles that are impossible without a walkthrough. It's always a fair challenge. The one major issue I have with the gameplay is how the story is integrated into it. The story scenes can drag on quite a bit, which really ruins the flow of the gameplay. You can skip these scenes at least. However, part of me thinks that this plot should've been made into a movie, rather than having it constantly interrupt a game. There are enough memorable characters and scenes to where a movie could work. Maybe one day.
While the implementation of the story is a bit lacking, the rest of the the presentation doesn't miss a beat. This game is absolutely gorgeous, with every level rich in both style and detail. It really does have that storybook feel to it. I especially love the final level's visual style, which primarily uses purple to create a dreamy atmosphere. And I love the little touches, like the sparkles that rain down from that ring shaped path in the last level. The music is also really good. I don't see this soundtrack becoming a favorite of mine, but every song is pleasant to listen to and perfectly fits the vibe of their respective level. The soundtrack can be pretty intense at times, especially during the boss levels. The song that plays during the fight on the giant swing is a favorite of mine.
Alright, you knew this was coming. It's time to talk about the ending. To put it simply, Huepow is not actually Klonoa's friend. He summoned Klonoa to his home to help defeat the game's villain, Ghadius, and rid the world of nightmares. To convince Klonoa to do this, he created fake memories of them being lifelong friends. Now, any normal person would write off Huepow as being manipulative scum and the true villain of the game. But then, the ending song hits. This song is sung by Lephise, who was previously trapped by Ghadius, in order to remove all nightmares in her world. However, this song also removes all dreams in general, and Klonoa is one of those dreams. While Klonoa and Huepow were never the true best friends they were made out to be, it's still heart wrenching watching Huepow trying to prevent Klonoa from getting sent back to his home world. It is probably one of the most emotional moments in any game I've ever played. It’s quite similar to the ending of another Namco game, Splatterhouse, in that it's left up to interpretation. I think that's what makes both endings genius. They aren't really good or bad endings. They just end. However, it allows the player to come up with their own conclusions. Maybe Klonoa and Huepow do meet again someday. Maybe they never see each other ever again. Whatever the case, the player gets to choose their own ending. And I think that's brilliant. I was initially confused as to why this children's game had such a melancholic ending. However, lots of media made for kids has both happy and sad moments. A lot of the best Disney and Pixar movies are that way. I think kids can handle heavier stuff like this and should be exposed to it, as losing a friend is something everyone goes through. It helps connect us further and realize that we're not truly alone.
If I could compare this game to another piece of media, it reminds me a lot of Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys. Both seem happy on the surface, but are actually quite depressing once you dig deeper. Despite being a really sad album, I love Pet Sounds. And I'm glad to have a game that gives me those similar feelings. There's going to always be sad moments in life, but we can use mediums like music, movies, and video games to help express our feelings and bring us closer together. If a cute platformer game for kids can inspire people and encourage them to express their deeper emotions, then I think that makes it pretty special. Even if my one friend was really annoying about it, I'm still glad I gave this game a chance. Klonoa is a beautiful game, and I recommend giving it a shot. If you're not interested, that's fine too! That's the beauty of games. There's something for everyone, and this one happened to be perfect for me.
Anyway, I shouldn't dwell on that anymore. How about the actual game? Klonoa is a pretty unique case, as it's a 2D platformer with 3D elements. When I saw it being described as a 2.5D puzzle platformer, I figured that there would only be a couple puzzles. And the 3D elements would be limited to visual stuff only. To my surprise, the reviews weren't kidding. This game is a straight up puzzle platformer that takes full advantage of its 2.5D environment. The gameplay takes various cues from Yoshi's Island, with Klonoa having the same flutter jump and projectile throwing skills as Yoshi. Kronos can use his pal Huepow to inflate enemies and throw them. Not only can he throw them left or right, but he can also throw them towards or away from the screen. He can also jump off of the enemy he's carrying to gain an extra boost. This provides opportunity for some interesting puzzle scenarios. A lot of them require not just thinking ahead, but being able to quickly execute a difficult series of moves. There's a lot of these kinds of puzzles in the later levels. However, none of them are the kind of ridiculous puzzles that are impossible without a walkthrough. It's always a fair challenge. The one major issue I have with the gameplay is how the story is integrated into it. The story scenes can drag on quite a bit, which really ruins the flow of the gameplay. You can skip these scenes at least. However, part of me thinks that this plot should've been made into a movie, rather than having it constantly interrupt a game. There are enough memorable characters and scenes to where a movie could work. Maybe one day.
While the implementation of the story is a bit lacking, the rest of the the presentation doesn't miss a beat. This game is absolutely gorgeous, with every level rich in both style and detail. It really does have that storybook feel to it. I especially love the final level's visual style, which primarily uses purple to create a dreamy atmosphere. And I love the little touches, like the sparkles that rain down from that ring shaped path in the last level. The music is also really good. I don't see this soundtrack becoming a favorite of mine, but every song is pleasant to listen to and perfectly fits the vibe of their respective level. The soundtrack can be pretty intense at times, especially during the boss levels. The song that plays during the fight on the giant swing is a favorite of mine.
Alright, you knew this was coming. It's time to talk about the ending. To put it simply, Huepow is not actually Klonoa's friend. He summoned Klonoa to his home to help defeat the game's villain, Ghadius, and rid the world of nightmares. To convince Klonoa to do this, he created fake memories of them being lifelong friends. Now, any normal person would write off Huepow as being manipulative scum and the true villain of the game. But then, the ending song hits. This song is sung by Lephise, who was previously trapped by Ghadius, in order to remove all nightmares in her world. However, this song also removes all dreams in general, and Klonoa is one of those dreams. While Klonoa and Huepow were never the true best friends they were made out to be, it's still heart wrenching watching Huepow trying to prevent Klonoa from getting sent back to his home world. It is probably one of the most emotional moments in any game I've ever played. It’s quite similar to the ending of another Namco game, Splatterhouse, in that it's left up to interpretation. I think that's what makes both endings genius. They aren't really good or bad endings. They just end. However, it allows the player to come up with their own conclusions. Maybe Klonoa and Huepow do meet again someday. Maybe they never see each other ever again. Whatever the case, the player gets to choose their own ending. And I think that's brilliant. I was initially confused as to why this children's game had such a melancholic ending. However, lots of media made for kids has both happy and sad moments. A lot of the best Disney and Pixar movies are that way. I think kids can handle heavier stuff like this and should be exposed to it, as losing a friend is something everyone goes through. It helps connect us further and realize that we're not truly alone.
If I could compare this game to another piece of media, it reminds me a lot of Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys. Both seem happy on the surface, but are actually quite depressing once you dig deeper. Despite being a really sad album, I love Pet Sounds. And I'm glad to have a game that gives me those similar feelings. There's going to always be sad moments in life, but we can use mediums like music, movies, and video games to help express our feelings and bring us closer together. If a cute platformer game for kids can inspire people and encourage them to express their deeper emotions, then I think that makes it pretty special. Even if my one friend was really annoying about it, I'm still glad I gave this game a chance. Klonoa is a beautiful game, and I recommend giving it a shot. If you're not interested, that's fine too! That's the beauty of games. There's something for everyone, and this one happened to be perfect for me.