Genre: Platformer
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Players: 1
Retail Price: $20 or less used
Availability: PS2
Namco’s recent relaunch of the Klonoa franchise on the Wii might encourage proactive gamers to actively seek out other entries in the series. Aside from the two excellent GBA titles, the original “Door to Phantomile” received a sequel on the Playstation 2, titled Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil. This game is an audiovisual upgrade over its Playstation one predecessor, but more of a lateral slide than a step forward in the gameplay department. This may have been a selling point in 2001, but the gorgeous Wii-remake nullifies this as a point of purchase today. That said, Klonoa 2 isn’t a bad game; it’s only crime is that it’s mostly more of the same.
Like the original game, Klonoa 2 is a side-scrolling platformer. You grab and use enemies as projectile weapons or to perform a double-jump and have the ability float a few extra feet on every jump. The stages ramp up in terms of complexity as the game goes on, and even add a pretty good amount of puzzle-based gameplay to some of the rooms. These may consist of needing to hit a few switches in a short amount of time, or killing enemies in a specific order to continue. Unfortunately, there’s nothing that truly tests the player’s grey-matter. The developers also added a few levels where you’re riding a surfboard, which also doubles as a snowboard, or whatever-board you might need at the time. These segments switch between viewpoints, sometimes multiple times a stage, though it’s never disorienting or confusing. Some may frown upon what initially seem to be simple and infrequent diversions, but these challenges provide a nice break from the platforming.
While the levels and their inherent challenges don’t stray too far from the pre-established Klonoa formula, there are several segments that border on tedious. Being chased through a level by a large enemy can result in a few unnecessary deaths, so it’s a good thing the game loads you up on extra lives. Also, the game has a few “revisited” levels, which is a chore in almost any game. Even so, these flaws do little to mar the entire experience. The levels are still cleverly designed and the occasional puzzle will make you feel smarter than you probably are.
The story starts of as an annoyance, to be frank, but picks up a bit as the game ventures forth. The characters in the world of Lunatea just aren’t as endearing as those found in Phantomile, and the narrative is mildly jarring at times. A notable example of how strangely disjointed this story involves a few bits of blatant cross-species flirting, strung closely together then never revisited later in the plot. They feel senseless, are out of place and might deepen your disdain for furries. Things get a little more serious toward the final few sections but it never reaches the emotional pitch of the first game. It’s a decent conclusion but it lacks punch.
Platformer fans who missed out on this game the first time around or those who were introduced through the Wii-remake would do themselves well to track a copy of this game down, just expect more of an evolution than a revolution. Klonoa 2 is a fine entry in the series, but does little to differentiate itself from its brethren.
