little creature saves land of dreams from darkness and nightmares. (8/10)
i've first known about klonoa like 2 years or so when their remasters were announced for the switch :0 i was very fascinated about the protagonist design and thought they were very cute!! since then, i've been meaning to play it... i WANTED to pirate it (i am broke) but never really got around to it. blehhhhhh...
thankfully my anbernic handheld had the game on it, so!! i remembered to actually play it!! :D
i actually went in blind, so i had no clue what i was in for. figured it was one of those simple cute bouncy platformers, expecting something like kirby maybeee? in a way, it kind if is aligned with that sort of vibe?
for a ps1 game, the controls are pretty simple. you have your movement buttons, of course. then you only either jump/float or shoot (involves shooting "air bullets" to infkate enemies into.. balloons..) the story line is also a simple "hey this guy wants to plunge the world into darkness, go stop him pretty please?" but i find that it works. it tries to be unique and spins it into their own at the end - and while simple, i find that it's still enjoyable.
besides for a ps1 game, i have to be at least a little generous. i do think that if this is a game i find myself growing up with, i'd love it to BITS... even if i know i wouldn't have finished it way back then.
because to be honest... this game is pretty challenging!! ... or maybe i'm just bad with platformers? listen, i may have beaten hollow knight and celeste—but that was all through sheer persistence!! not skill, unfortunately. LOL.
still!! i'd say that this game sometimes requires you to be pretty precise with your movements, as with the other two games i've mentioned. i'll be honest and say... i used my emulator's save states for the later part of the game. but only because the old school style of running out of lives and then having to do the already long, complex level is... well, it would have probably driven me insane. i was near that point at some parts, having to repeatedly do sections at a time due to dying a lot u_u ... but i really like it!! the level design in terms of all the obstacles, puzzles, platforming sometimes makes you stop and think about the next move. genuinely fun. and coupled with the lovely art direction (super vibrant and unique) and the 2.5d environment, it made playing each level very engaging!! very charming!! i like one of the forest levels where everything felt like a colorful maze. that's the second one, i think? klonoa was in the forest grandma's house. the vision 6 levels, while it made me VERY tense with its difficulty, had very nice music too.
it's a charming game. the story, i don't have too strong of an opinion for (SPOILER!!!) the twist was that klonoa wasn't even part of the dream world he's trying to save, which is sad. i appreciate their own spin on the cliche "saving the world from darkness" plotline. but really, the gameplay REALLY makes up for it anyway. also rest in peace grandpa. (SPOILER OVER!!!) anyway, the game is short and sweet enough. the plot isn't too huge of a complaint, as everything else compensates for it.
came for the cute fuzzy protag, stayed for the fun challenge. nothing TOO brutal, but it REALLY tests you. not what i'd expect, but in a good way!!
one day i'll get around to playing the second game :) not any time soon maybe, because thinking about the difficulty is enough to make me shudder... yes, it really is that challenging. at one point, though!
ps: klonoa has one of The character designs ever. what a funny little guy.
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✉️: angelais@protonmail.com