But the main lesson I take away from the two mainline Klonoa games is a message of acceptance: You can’t ignore the bad in life and that’s okay. Klonoa 1 and 2‘s stories are about friendship, cherishing memories, and daring to dream. And yes, it’ll probably happen every time you revisit the games as well. If you’re anything like me, you can expect to let a few tears flow during the final cutscenes of both games.

That praise comes not from just the script, but the timeless themes that are surprisingly deep for both children and anyone above that age range playing through the games. The series is a very rare case of a platformer being praised for its story. Of course, Klonoa’s adventures aren’t just about the gameplay. From grassy lands to whimsical forests, all accompanied by calming and cheerful music tracks even when the situation is dire, Klonoa constantly reminds me that a great video game can just be a pure fun-first experience that brings players to a different world. “But how Klonoa differentiates from its competitors is the 3D-interactable and stylized map, and the deep and diversified gameplay with the simple core mechanic of grabbing and throwing enemies.”Īll that gameplay takes place in plenty of comfy dreamland levels called “Visions,” a space that gives Kirby’s own cozy dream world a run for its money. “The biggest feature of Klonoa is the side-scrolling platformer action,” Ishida told me. Klonoa producer Ryo Ishida explained what made the series unique when I spoke to him earlier this month. Klonoa titles are solid games that have tons of unique design features that differentiate themselves from their peers. Thankfully, this particular drop is one made of liquid gold.

At face value, the Klonoa series is yet another drop in the bucket of classic “ scrimblo bimblo” platformer series.

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