Overview
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is a platform game originally released for PlayStation in 1997 in Japan, followed in 1998 by North American and European releases. The game revolves around the protagonist Klonoa and his sidekick Huepow. The game also spawned a sequel Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil. It was subsequently re-released via PlayStation Network in Japan and North America in 2011 and Europe in 2012, as a part of the “PS One Classics” line – a version which was ultimately compatible with PS3, PSP, and PS Vita.
A remake of the game (simply titled Klonoa for the West) developed for the Wii platform was released in Japan on December 4th 2008 and in North America on May 5th 2009 and in Europe on May 22nd of the same year.
Gameplay
Throughout the game the player controls Klonoa, a cat-like creature with wings as ears, and his trusty sidekick Huepow, a spirit enchanted inside of a ring. The gameplay in Klonoa is rather unique as the game is played in 2.5D, this means the majority of the game is a 2D sidescrolling platformer but at certain points the player will need to interact with objects outside of the 2D dimensions. Klonoa can fire Huepow from his ring to interact with objects and enemies. Once Klonoa has hit an enemy he can use it to double jump or fire it at another enemy causing them to collide and explode. Other core elements of the gameplay include running, jumping and solving puzzles to progress through the games next set of levels which are called Visions. The game consists of 6 Visions each with two sections in which the second section contains a Boss fight at the end. Bosses are an integral part of the gameplay in Klonoa, however they have been criticized for their difficulty.
Plot
The games plot starts in the Town of Breezegale which is fueled by its inhabitants dreams, though no one can clearly remember them. However, Klonoa is able to remember one dream, specifically vivid of an object falling from the sky and crashing into the nearby mountain. One day Klonoa awakes to a find that an object has infact crashed into the mountain and he sets off with his best friend Huepow to find out what happened. When they reach the top of the mountain they find two strange men, Ghadius and Joka who are searching for a pendant with magical properties. They then kidnap the Legendary Diva Lephise which spurs Klonoa and Huepow to chase after them.
Locations and Bosses
Breezegale: The Wind Village
Breezegale is the wind village of Phantomile. The villagers of Breezegale all resemble anthropomorphic rabbits, with long furry ears and catlike faces. As can be expected, it is the village that our hero Klonoa calls home. Among the many outstanding features of this town is the Bell of Wind, a giant golden bell placed at the top of the aptly named Bell Hill with the Moon Pendant of Lephise is hidden inside. Besides the Bell, another landmark of Breezegale is the gigantic Windmill near the town's center. This windmill is shown as being the source of the Wind Spirit's power during the second game cinematic. Last but not least, Balue's Tower is also located in Breezegale. Although construction on this tower was only beginning as the game started, by the end of the story it has been completed. Upon unlocking the Tower as a bonus level, it is revealed to be several stories high... one of the largest structures in all of Phantomile. The boss of this stage is the Rongo Lango, one of Joka's pets. When returning to a corrupted Breezgale later in the game, the boss will be Baladium, a winged cobra with various unusual abilities.
Forlock: The Tree Village
Forlock is the ancient wood village of Phantomile. The entire village consists solely of a colossal tree-house, the home of many jungle citizens. The most ancient and well-known citizen in all of Forlock is Granny, who knows large amounts of old legends, myths, and other forgotten stories. She lives at the very top of Forlock in a gigantic mansion of wooden machinery. Located on the very side of Granny's house is a huge cog, which if stops turning stops the flow of water to Jugpot. It is also interesting to note that the Wood Spirit of Phantomile gives its energy from this very contraption during the second game cinematic. The boss of this stage is Gelg Bolm, a bizarre bomb-like creature that is only defenseless to attacks from above.
Jugpot: The Kingdom of Water
Jugpot is the large Phantomilian kingdom of Water that connects directly to Forlock. In the very center of Jugpot is a giant seashell with a cog in the center. Besides holding the power of Phantomile's Water Spirit, this structure is also the source of all water for the three Kingdoms and the Castle of King Seadoph himself. He rules alongside his "servant" Pamela: a fishlike creature with the ability to fly. Pamela has a son named Karal who befriends Klonoa during the game's story. During the story Ghadius possesses both Seadoph and Pamela in an attempt to destroy Jugpot. It is only due to Karal's help that Klonoa meets and confronts the distressed King, ultimately freeing him from the Ghadius' powers. Once freed, Seadoph directs our two heroes to Forlock, the Tree Village in order to stop Ghadius. The boss of this stage is Pamela. She can only be defeated by throwing Seadoph at her.
Coronia: The Temple of the Sun
Coronia, the Temple of the Sun, is a floating Kingdom located high above Phantomile. Klonoa and Huepow are brought to there after defeating Gelg Bolm in the Forlock. The only inhabitants of Coronia that the player meets are the priests Solare, Soleil and Coronia's High Priest Moire. These three are dedicated to guarding their Kingdom at all costs. At the very top of Coronia floats some sort of circular altar. It is at this very place that Klonoa must defeat Ghadius' servant, Joka. Unlike the past three Kingdoms, Coronia does not seem to have a related Spirit. Instead, this Temple appears to be the key which summons the ancient Moon Kingdom of Cress. How exactly this was achieved is unclear, but seems to be related to the large blue Crystal at the arena's center. Once Joka has been defeated, it explodes in a burst of energy, triggering the similar reactions of the other Three Kingdoms. The boss of this stage is Joka .
Cress: The Moon Kingdom
The Legendary Moon Kingdom of Cress was long considered a legend until it is returned during the game's epic second cinematic. This h kingdom consists solely of a huge golden Castle, which is in turn seated upon an array of crystals. Once released from its underground captivity, Cress ascends high into the night skies of Phantomile. Living in the Moon Kingdom is the Queen of Cress and her Prince. The Moon Kingdom is also where the Diva Lephise sings her Song of Rebith. The boss of this stage is Ghadius.
Wii Release
Namco-Bandai announced that Klonoa: Door to Phantomile would be remade on the Wii via Famitsu and the first gameplay videos were shown during Nintendo's press conference in August 2008. The game includes improved graphics and can be controlled with the Wii Remote held sideways (also includes support for multiple other controllers). The remake features no CG cut-scenes and uses an in engine cut-scenes instead. Players are able to select between Japanese audio and the original Klonoa gibberish. The game also features a more finely tuned difficulty, new levels and bonuses, unlockable outfits for Klonoa among other things.
Reception
The game was released in Japan to high critical acclaim. Japanese magazine Famitsu gave the game 36 out of 40 praising its enjoyable gameplay and wide color palette. The game was however criticized for being too easy by many other critics. Klonoa was also praised for staying true to the original and evolving the graphics significantly.
The game was subsequently released in North America on May 5 2009 and in Europe on May 22 2009.
Soundtrack Release
There are two CDs packed inside one package that was released based on this game, and it features over a whopping 68 soundtracks. It was released on February 25, 1998, and was published by Nippon Crown.
Disc One
- And I Begin to Wonder
- Inquisitive Waltz
- Darken
- The Windmill Song
- Balue & Lephise
- Mine of Lights
- Spiral Truck
- Ghadius Appears
- The Rongo Lango
- A Pendant
- Grandpa's Chair
- Sad Forest Drum
- Melancholy Soldier
- Jugpot Falls
- Weeping Karal
- Mad Seadoph Blues
- Cursed Pamela
- Joker Mood
- Jugpot King Speaks
- Forlock Twist
- Truck a Go Go
- Count Three
- Beats from Above
- Granny's Word
- I See
- The Ruin's Air
- Blue Cave Echo
- When the Wind Stood Still
- Joker's Move
- Baladium's Drive
- For the Time We've Spent
- Fry Over the Wind
Disc Two
- Red Heat Coronia
- Nevertheless
- Dawn Over Dawn & Dark into Dark
- Out of Time
- No Jokes Around
- Facade & Blade
- Cress
- Untamed Heart
- Difficult to Say
- The Closing Encounter
- Ghadius Laughs
- Wheel of Woe
- Quiet Choir
- Nightmare's On
- The Instrumentality
- Rapid Eyes Inside
- The Ring
- Advent
- Peaceful Moment
- I'm On Your Side
- Farewell
- Resurrection
- Staff Roll
- Good Night
- Continue
- Title
- Let's Go For a While
- The Tower of Balue
- Thankful Suite
- 3-2 Prototype
- Demo Prototype
- Opening (Movie)
- Cress (Movie)
- Ending (Movie)
- Thankful Suite (Instrumental)
- S.E. Track
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