Review JAM 3/5 · Feb 15, 2024
Kaze no Klonoa: Moonlight Museum (Bandai WonderSwan)
Pros:
+ Snappy 2D platforming controls
+ Fun/tricky puzzles to figure out
+ Each world incorporates new gimmicks
Cons:
- VERY repetitive music
- No bosses or challenging enemies to deal with whatsoever
-
Final Thoughts:
In 1998, I first discovered Klonoa after reading Electronic Gaming Monthly’s stellar reviews …
Pros:
+ Snappy 2D platforming controls
+ Fun/tricky puzzles to figure out
+ Each world incorporates new gimmicks
Cons:
- VERY repetitive music
- No bosses or challenging enemies to deal with whatsoever
-
Final Thoughts:
In 1998, I first discovered Klonoa after reading Electronic Gaming Monthly’s stellar reviews of Door to Phantomile, which I became an instant fan of upon playing. Having recently replayed the PS1 classic on the PS4’s Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series, I decided to embark on a chronological journey through the entire game series before continuing on to Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil.
Moonlight Museum for the Bandai WonderSwan was Klonoa's first official sequel and clearly the building blocks for what the Game Boy Advance titles would later become. When I started the game, I was instantly hit with the feeling of "Hey, this is just like Empire of Dreams!" It felt familiar, in a good way. There are no real surprises if you've played any of the other titles in the franchise, but that in itself has always been the charm of playing as everyone's favorite cat... rabbit... thing.
The majority of the game is simple enough, with a few tricky puzzles sprinkled in. I gave a few puzzles too much credit, believing they'd require a complex solution and wasting probably an hour of my life that I'll never get back. It left me feeling like an idiot afterwards, but that just adds to the fun of these games! The platforming was fun and snappy, despite running at a questionable framerate. I also enjoyed the levels that required you to turn the console vertically.
The real meat of the game is the EX world after viewing the ending. The stages are challenging, but they become especially satisfying to complete when you're playing with RetroAchievements enabled. All in all, the game's a fun, short romp that any Klonoa fan would enjoy. I just wish there had been some bosses to bonk!