A standout title in the Play Station's immense game library, Klonoa: Door To Phantomile is a lavish, largely forgotten gem of a platformer.
The game is technically a side-scroller, but it has 3-D backgrounds and branching paths to take advantage of, ala "Kirby 64". Our hero is a cat/rabbit thing that is capable of hovering with his ears, and has a ring called the "Wind Bullet" which he can use to grab enemies and hold on to them. He can either throw them, or throw them down to thrust himself into the air, allowing him to reach platforms otherwise inaccessible. He can also aim in the direction of objects in the foreground and background.
The goal is to get to the end of each level, while rescuing six people in each level, as well as collecting a bunch of gems. Each of the six worlds consist of two acts and a boss fight. The levels are open and wide, with twists and turns and branching paths, puzzles and hazards to pass, but i never feel overwhelmed or confused. Whenever i complete a level after getting everything i can accomplish done in it, i feel a genuine sense of accomplishment when i'm done.
The story is a fairly kiddy plot, but the characters are as cute as buttons—they also speak in this amusing pseudo-language that adds some personality to the game. The ending is surprisingly heartbreaking, though...
The graphics are fairly standard, blocky PS 1 stuff, but they at least look crisp and represent the art well. The CGI cutscenes are also surprisingly great looking and have aged astoundingly well, almost worth sitting through just to look at 'em. The music is surprisingly catchy and perfectly establishes the games atmosphere.
But Klonoa isnt flawless. For starters, the game is short—REALLY short. 12 levels short, to be exact. You can probably beat it in 5-6 hours, not counting the extra levels. And on that note, the game is pretty easy, which might bore some gamers—but the later levels certainly make up for this, almost TOO well—World 6 in particular is easily the hardest part of the game, and will take you a lot of tries to get through the first time.
Despite these road bumps, Klonoa is still a game so fresh feeling and good that the only thing it left me wanting is more meat in the package. I'll be gladly revisting it in the future.
Klonoa: Door to Phatomile (PS 1) Review
A standout title in the Play Station's immense game library, Klonoa: Door To Phantomile is a lavish, largely forgotten gem of a platformer.
The game is technically a side-scroller, but it has 3-D backgrounds and branching paths to take advantage of, ala "Kirby 64". Our hero is a cat/rabbit thing that is capable of hovering with his ears, and has a ring called the "Wind Bullet" which he can use to grab enemies and hold on to them. He can either throw them, or throw them down to thrust himself into the air, allowing him to reach platforms otherwise inaccessible. He can also aim in the direction of objects in the foreground and background.
The goal is to get to the end of each level, while rescuing six people in each level, as well as collecting a bunch of gems. Each of the six worlds consist of two acts and a boss fight. The levels are open and wide, with twists and turns and branching paths, puzzles and hazards to pass, but i never feel overwhelmed or confused. Whenever i complete a level after getting everything i can accomplish done in it, i feel a genuine sense of accomplishment when i'm done.
The story is a fairly kiddy plot, but the characters are as cute as buttons—they also speak in this amusing pseudo-language that adds some personality to the game. The ending is surprisingly heartbreaking, though...
The graphics are fairly standard, blocky PS 1 stuff, but they at least look crisp and represent the art well. The CGI cutscenes are also surprisingly great looking and have aged astoundingly well, almost worth sitting through just to look at 'em. The music is surprisingly catchy and perfectly establishes the games atmosphere.
But Klonoa isnt flawless. For starters, the game is short—REALLY short. 12 levels short, to be exact. You can probably beat it in 5-6 hours, not counting the extra levels. And on that note, the game is pretty easy, which might bore some gamers—but the later levels certainly make up for this, almost TOO well—World 6 in particular is easily the hardest part of the game, and will take you a lot of tries to get through the first time.
Despite these road bumps, Klonoa is still a game so fresh feeling and good that the only thing it left me wanting is more meat in the package. I'll be gladly revisting it in the future.
Grade: A-