Klonoa 2 was one of the early PS2 releases that caught my attention. I had always assumed that the quirky and cute original release was a one-off, but when Lunatea’s Veil was announced it seemed like the raccoon skunk creature might be a shoe in as Namco’s new mascot. Then poof. He just kind of disappeared. Outside of a few handheld releases this was the last time Klonoa had much relevance in the gaming community. To make matters worse this title has never seen release outside of the PlayStation 2 hardware. Today we’re going to look at this forgotten PS2 exclusive platformer.
I’m not one to harp on story in games like this. Klonoa 2 has a pretty weird scenario wherein you return as the titular anthropomorphic animal. This time he’s thrust into a dream world (the locals refer to him as the dream traveler). With his magical ring (which also serves as his weapon) he must ring four magical bells to push back the growing number of monsters and save this colorful world. It’s very basic but has some charming characters and locales. I didn’t care for the story cut scenes but these can all be skipped. I’m very thankful for that fact.
Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil retains the 2.5D style of gameplay its precursor. In most areas you can only move left and right, but the the stage designs move into the foreground as well as background. This means that while gameplay is two dimensional Klonoa 2 transcends this limitation by keeping all space in play. This means that enemies can attack you or jump in from the background, or you can activate switches in the foreground. You have to be mindful of what’s behind and in front of your line of movement. I’ve played nary a platformer that forced me to pay such close attention to 3D space and ways that I can interact with it.
Klonoa can walk and jump like any old mascot character. His life bar is measured by hearts at the top of the screen of which he has three. Every time you’re hit by an enemy, attack, or hazard you lose one of these. When they’re depleted you lose a life and start back from the last alarm clock you reached. Klonoa’s one special skill involves his ring. He can throw it at enemies which either stuns them or grabs them. Basic foes can be thrown. This can be used to attack horizontally, but it also grants you an extra jump. Believe you me this skill will be put to frequent use.
Some enemies offer different abilities when thrown. These include bombs, rockets (which blast you into the sky), etc. Some flying foes allow you to flutter in the sky until they disappear. I really like that using a few of these completely changes the camera perspective. The rocket for example gives you a close up view of Klonoa while you try to line him up with gaps in the ceiling so that he can fly out and above the current area. There are no power-ups in Klonoa 2 per se, but the variety of effects from throwing enemies more than makes up for this. You’ll also find a fair variety of gameplay styles as well. In one stage you’ll surf down a river, and another has you running from an incoming robot setting fire to the scenery.
The level designs are absolutely sublime here. For the era it looks limiting but Klonoa 2 has so many tricks up it’s sleeve that every area is unique and has its own quirks. Slowly but surely the game begins introducing puzzle elements which take advantage of 3D space. Klonoa 2 does a wonderful job of easing you into these elements. Activating switches is easy enough, but later on this will need to be done in specific order. Later on you’ll have to find out of place hazards in the environment to strike with thrown enemies to open the way forward. I felt an urge to keep going just to see what was around the next corner. It’s that well designed.
I do have a few complaints though. First of all the system for continuing is a little archaic. You save your game after completing every level. This wouldn’t be an issue except for the fact that it keeps track of how many lives you have. This is odd because you can get stuck if you’re not careful. If you get unlucky you’ll have to complete the game with one life. It makes little sense to me, and if you don’t have a memory card you’re out of luck. Secondly Klonoa 2 is rather short. I was able to complete it in a few hours. There are collectibles yes, but the rewards are rather sub par. Namco should have focused more on this area if you ask me.
Maybe I’m just a fan of cel-shading, but Klonoa 2 is one of my favorite games of its generation in terms of visuals. It’s vibrant and colorful, and the cartoon style is a perfect fit to the Klonoa universe. The backgrounds and scenery are also great looking with lots of animation and details. It makes checking each area for interactive elements all the more pleasant. The soundtrack doesn’t fare quite as well, but it’s all catchy and fits the action. For the most part the music is pretty forgettable and it’s plain to see why this soundtrack isn’t widely heralded.
