Klonoa is a remake of a platformer that originally came out on the first PlayStation and has since held a reputation as one of the best-designed games of its kind. The Wii version redrew the whole world in three-dimensional, brightly colorful form, while keeping the original structure and pace. The hero, with long ears and a cap, travels through the dreamlike world of Phantomile, where something evil is stirring, and his only weapon is a ring that fires a ball of air.
The entire game rests on a single mechanic, which it wrings dry to the last drop. Klonoa doesn't hit or stomp enemies, he inflates them and lifts them overhead. From there he can throw them forward, throw them into another enemy, or throw them downward and bounce off them for a higher jump. This gives rise to puzzles, since enemies stop being obstacles and become tools. The key is the so-called two-and-a-half-dimensional path: the character moves along a clearly defined line, but that line winds through space, so the player often throws an enemy into the depth of the screen or catches them on the other side of the arena. The level design is textbook clean, each level adds one new idea and never overstays its welcome.
The atmosphere is dreamlike and unusually gentle, with its own invented language that the characters speak. The story's endings were already considered surprisingly powerful in the original version and remain untouched in the remake. The music holds the same line, playful melodies with a hint of sadness beneath the surface. Reviews of the Wii version welcomed it warmly, mainly because it made a hard-to-find classic accessible again, though they criticized its short length and low difficulty. Commercially the game never succeeded as much as it deserved, merely repeating the original's fate. Anyone who likes precise, kindly designed platformers should give it a try. On Wii it's a pleasantly short game that can be finished in an evening or two, and that's exactly why it's easy to return to repeatedly. Anyone who finishes it usually starts hunting down the sequel, which once came out on a Sony console.
Game 21 of 140 for Nintendo Wii
