Most developers eagerly pushed their new games and old franchises alike into the 3D realm immediately following the launch of the 32/64-bit consoles. The 2D platformer was, by all indications, a thing of the past with only a few devoted game companies still pushing the format. We had excellent games such as Tomba, Astal, Mischief Makers and the like, but the problem is that most of them were completely overshadowed by the flashier three dimensional titles released in the same time period. It’s unfortunate because for the most part these games hold up significantly better than the flashier releases of this era. One such game, Klonoa, attempts to blend the second and third dimensional mechanics and does so better than any other similar title I’ve played. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile might just be the best platformer across the entire console easily surpassing the likes of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon.
Klonoa takes place in a fantasy world called Phantomile which is based off of people’s dreams. Living here is a cat/human boy hybrid named Klonoa who one day finds a golden ring sticking out of the ground. Upon removing it he meets, and quickly befriends a magical little ring spirit named Huepow. Soon after an airship crashes into a nearby mountain, the two set out to investigate this strange occurrence. It turns out that an evil being named Ghadius along with several henchmen who are seeking out a magical pendant. All is not well, and it’s up to Klonoa to stop them. Compared to most platforming titles this one puts much more emphasis on its story. I didn’t like this fact because the dialogue sequences are quite cheesy, and the spoken gibberish is offensive on the ears. This game was clearly designed with children in mind which generally isn’t bad, but Namco took themselves too seriously here.
In general Klonoa: Door to Phantomile plays like most other side scrolling platform games. You guide the mascot character through levels as you run from left to right jumping over chasms and fighting enemies. Every hero for this type of game needs a gimmick, and Klonoa’s is his ability to grab and carry enemies using his magical ring. They can be thrown left/right, downward, and even into the background. When carrying one of these enemies you can perform a double jump in mid-air by using them as leverage, and this mechanic is one of the most used across the entire game. You cannot simply jump on your opponents heads and must rely on the grab and throw technique as your only means of dispatching foes. There are no real power-ups in this game, and Klonoa’s life is measured by three hearts located on the bottom of the screen, and these are depleted as you are touched or attacked by enemies. Thankfully restorative items are scattered throughout each level and are generally easy to find.
What pushes this game above the rest is are the 3D mechanics. While you can only move left and right the singular plane generally swirls around the terrain as the camera follows. Elements from both the background and foreground both affect gameplay and in some very interesting ways. Often times you’ll see items or enemies in the background that can be hit by throwing enemies that way. Also, foes will approach from the background or appear in front. Once you pass the first few worlds the uses of space becomes even more creative. You’ll have paths that connect with one another but are not accessible due to the two dimensional movements of Klonoa. With some creativity you can reach these areas, and it’s always interesting to explore each level in new ways using this dimensional space. It’s like a blend of the best elements between 2D and 3D games, and the level design benefits greatly from this. The boss fights in particular usually take place on ring areas and the developers were truly creative with the use of 3D elements. This was a labor of love from start to finish.
It’s also worth noting that this game makes use of puzzle elements moreso than your typical platformer. Generally you need only find a key and bring it to a door, but the level design is very creative in opening up new paths or challenging you to get past roadblocks. This game is much less linear than your typical platformer, and despite its 2D nature some of the levels are actually quite complex and maze-like. This is because in many areas you’ve got multiple paths to traverse; either paths that cross over each other taking advantage of the game’s 3D dynamic, or by doorways. In a few areas you’ll need to hit switches to change the terrain or even to reach a new area in the background. The level design is quite complex, and surpasses that of most side scrolling platform titles. The only major issue I have with Klonoa is the fact that this is a fun, but extremely short lived romp. Experienced gamers can complete it in just a few hours with minimal trouble. Considering this game is an expensive title due to its rarity it’s best to go with the Wii remake released just a few years back.
Despite using sprites for characters and simple polygonal backgrounds Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is one of my favorite PS1 games on a visual level. The art style is absolutely whimsical and charming with colorful graphics and abstract designs. The windmills strewn across the green plains of the opening stages is one of the most memorable moments for me in a video game, period. The sprite based characters are the only real issue I have with the graphics engine. Klonoa himself looks just fine, but enemies when they get close to the camera or are huge tend to look rather bad. Thankfully boss characters are generally polygonal and all look very impressive. The soundtrack is also very well done. Each piece of music makes liberal use of flutes which gives it a very whimsical and organic feel. The soundtrack is catchy and perfectly conveys the style of this game. This is one soundtrack I wouldn’t mind tracking down.
Klonoa was widely ignored when it was released, and I’m very happy to see that it has managed to gain a cult following over the years. Frankly, this game puts pretty much every platformer on the original PlayStation to shame, and it’s disappointing that it was overshadowed by the flashier games of this era. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is extremely unique by genre standards and there’s nothing else quite like it. This is one of the best platformers ever.
