| Klonoa | |
|---|---|
 European Wii box art | |
| Developer(s) | Paon |
| Publisher(s) | Namco Bandai Games[a] |
| Producer(s) | Hideo Yoshizawa |
| Composer(s) | Yoshitaka Hirota |
| Series | Klonoa |
| Platform(s) | Wii |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Klonoa[b] is a 2008platform game developed byPaon and published byNamco Bandai Games for theWii. It is a remake ofNamco's 1997PlayStation gameKlonoa: Door to Phantomile, the first game in theKlonoa series, updating the game with fully 3D graphics, additional content, and gameplay changes. It was released in Japan in December 2008 and in North America and Europe in May 2009.
The game was conceived in an effort to revive the series for its 10th anniversary. It was produced byHideo Yoshizawa, the director of the originalDoor to Phantomile, who brought in other former team members. Despite being released to positive critical reception, with some deeming it one of the best titles released on the Wii, it was a commercial failure, resulting in Bandai Namco abandoning its planned revival of the franchise at the time. TheKlonoa series would not see another entry in over a decade untilKlonoa Phantasy Reverie Series,[c] a compilation consisting of remastered versions ofKlonoa andKlonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil, which was released in July 2022.
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Klonoa is a side-scrolling platform video game, serving as a remake ofKlonoa: Door to Phantomile. The game follows the eponymous Klonoa and his companion Huepow as they journey to save the songstress Lephise from the evil Ghadius. Players control Klonoa as he runs and jumps through each stage, using his ring to fire a "Wind Bullet" that can inflate enemies. These enemies can be thrown in multiple directions to attack enemies or break obstacles, or launched from to perform an extra jump in mid-air and attack enemies from above. The remake additionally adds an optional "Whirlwind" move that can slow down enemies.[1] The remake features fully 3D graphics as opposed to the original game's mixture of 2D sprites and 3D environments, as well as full voice acting in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish or Japanese, depending on the game's region, in addition to the "Phantomilian" language from the original game. The remake also includes an unlockable Reverse Mode in which players play through mirrored versions of each stage, each containing hidden challenge areas, as well as unlockable costumes based on other games in the series and a Time Attack mode.[1][2]
Following the merger ofNamco andBandai to formBandai Namco Holdings in 2005,Namco Bandai Games vice president Shin Unozawa expressed interest in reviving theKlonoa series due to its large fan community.[3] The company chose to remake the originalKlonoa: Door to Phantomile for its 10th anniversary, using it to determine if the series would be suitable for a proper revival, and chose to develop it for theWii due to its wide appeal, allowing the game, like the original, to appeal to both older and younger players.[4] Development of the game began in October 2007.[3]
The remake was developed by Japanese studioPaon, with the original game's directorHideo Yoshizawa serving as producer. The development team was formed of former members of the Klonoa Works development studio, including chief planner Tsuyoshi Kobayashi, Yoshihiko Arai, and sound designer Kanako Kakino, as well as fans of the series from within the company.[3][4][5] Unlike the original game, which featured 2D character sprites in 3D environments, the entire game features 3D graphics similar to the game's 2001 sequel,Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil, with cutscenes recreated in-game.[6] Yoshizawa stated that the Wii's hardware capabilities allowed the team to bring the world ofKlonoa closer to its original vision, allowing for elements such as transparent water and sunlight.[3] The remake added gameplay and level tweaks from the original to make the game more "playful", while the unlockable Reverse Mode and costumes were added to appeal to hardcore fans of the genre.[3][4][5] The game also features full voice acting in Japanese for the Japanese version and English, French, German, Italian and Spanish for the International versions, in addition to a Phantomilian language option voiced by the Japanese cast. The Japanese cast includesKumiko Watanabe as Klonoa,Akemi Kanda as Huepow,Yuko Minaguchi as Lephise, andBin Shimada as Joka.[7] The remake was officially unveiled at the 2008 Tokyo Game Show and released in Japan on December 4, 2008.[8][9]
During development of the international version, Namco Bandai released a public survey which proposed a region-specific redesign of Klonoa with more cat-like ears, as Yoshizawa felt that the original design would be considered too "old-fashioned" and "cute" for Western audiences.[10] This design was met with negative reception from critics;Joystiq andKotaku both found the design unappealing and compared it to a bat.[11][12] As a result, Namco Bandai decided to scrap the redesign and keep Klonoa's original design for the international release instead. The Western release also dropped theDoor to Phantomile subtitle from its title and added a new "whirlwind" attack which utilized theWii Remote's motion functionality.[4][3] The game was released in North America on May 2, 2009, and in Europe on May 22, 2009.
In February 2022, it was announced thatKlonoa: Phantasy Reverie Series, a remastered compilation ofKlonoa: Door to Phantomile andKlonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil, would be released forNintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5,Xbox One,Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC viaSteam on July 7, 2022.[13][14] It is the fourth remastered title in Bandai Namco Entertainment'sEncore series following remasters ofKatamari Damacy,Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan, andMr. Driller Drill Land.[15] The remaster ofKlonoa: Door to Phantomile is based on the Wii remake, albeit with HD graphics and updated character models, with the art style being based on the original PlayStation game.[16] The Japanese version had downloadable costumes as pre-order bonuses, and a downloadable Special Bundle was released worldwide that includes the bonus costume items, original soundtracks, and a digital artbook.[17][18]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 77/100[19] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 7.25/10[20] |
| Edge | 6/10[21] |
| Eurogamer | 7/10[22] |
| Game Informer | 7/10[23] |
| GamePro |   [24] |
| GameRevolution | B+[25] |
| GameSpot | 7.5/10[26] |
| GameTrailers | 8/10[27] |
| GameZone | 8/10[28] |
| Giant Bomb | [29] |
| IGN | 8/10[30] |
| Nintendo Power | 9/10[31] |
The game received mostly positive reviews from critics, earning a 77 out of 100 rating from Metacritic.[19] The title experienced low sales in Japan, however, debuting as the 33rd highest-selling game in the region during its first week with only 5,800 copies sold.[32] Its poor commercial performance resulted in Bandai Namco scrapping plans for reviving the franchise, including plans for a remake of thesecond game and a new third game for the series.[33]
Reviews of the gameplay have been mixed.Weekly Famitsu felt that the game was overall enjoyable, awarding it a 36 out of 40 score and a Platinum Award, but criticised it for a lack of freshness.[34] The magazine also felt that the graphics had "evolved significantly",[34] sentiments echoed byKotaku, who also praised its gameplay while criticizing the game's overall simplicity, calling it a "fairly stock platformer".[35]GameSpot also felt the game was enjoyable, but criticised the game for being linear and easy.[36]GameSpot praised the game for a large amount of detail, and called the environment "bright and colorful".[36]IGN similarly praised the colours of the game, calling it "visually impressive" due to its "lush water palette" and "great water effects".[37]1UP.com compared the graphics to those of the original game's successor,Klonoa 2,[38] and would later include the title in their list of the "Six Obscure Wii Games You Must Play".[39] Editors ofNintendo Power namedKlonoa as one of the 30 "Wii Essentials" in June 2012,[40] and later ranked it as the 63rd greatest game ever released for a Nintendo console in their farewell issue the following December.[41] GamesRadar placed the game 38th on its own list of the Top 50 Wii games in 2013.[42]