Game #32/200

Klonoa: Empire of Dreams is a weird one for sure. It definitely gives off "C-list" video game series/character, but I kind of enjoyed this game for what it is. It's a platformer at heart, but the bulk of levels are puzzle-based, way more so than something like Mario or Sonic, yet something still feels wrong about calling it a puzzle-platformer (like Limbo or Mario vs. Donkey Kong would be for me). There are 40 stages, including "action" stages where you auto-scroll on a snowboard and boss stages (all of them are painfully easy and unoriginal), but the normal levels are actually pretty well thought out and a good bit of fun. There are optional collectable stars sprinkled in the levels, which also contain plenty of mandatory collectables to advance the puzzle screens, and you use Klonoa's unique gameplay mechanic of picking up an enemy or object and double jumping once holding them. You also have a flutter mechanic, but that's the basic gist of it. Not much more to say, other than I had a solid time with my ~4 hours controlling Klonoa and solving some rather simple, but not too simple, puzzles. The pixel art is just OK and the music was rather meh. I was however charmed by the character designs, while acknowledging that Klonoa is more or less a rip off of Sonic and could honestly probably fit into his universe with minor adjustments. But the crappy little world Namco created does have a pathetic charm to it.

This Klonoa GBA entry is a puzzle-platformer that smartly adapts the Klonoa series to handheld play while retaining its signature charm. Unlike the console entries, which lean more heavily on cinematic storytelling and action-oriented stages, this installment focuses on compact, puzzle-driven levels that challenge the player to think as much as they jump. Klonoa uses his signature wind ring to grab and throw enemies, not just as weapons but also as tools to reach higher platforms, trigger switches, and solve increasingly complex puzzles.

This was my first ever Klonoa title, and I admit that I couldn't quite understand why so many people praise this franchise, even though I'm a fan of platformers. Not that I dislike puzzle platformers, but I also like the balance of the traditional platforming challenges, which this title simply does not offer. Fortunately I played another Klonoa title in the future, which finally make this franchise click, and now I'm yet another big fan of this videogame, just not of this particular GBA entry though.

The game is structured around short stages, each with a mix of platforming and logic-based obstacles, making it ideal for quick sessions on a portable device. Its visuals are colorful and expressive, capturing the whimsical atmosphere of the series despite the GBA’s limitations, and the soundtrack is bright and upbeat, complementing the lighthearted tone. Boss battles add variety by testing both reflexes and puzzle-solving skills.

Though it doesn’t have the narrative depth or emotional impact of the console titles, this title succeeds by carving out its own identity. It offers a satisfying blend of accessibility and challenge, making it a standout puzzle-platformer for the GBA and a worthy entry in the Klonoa series. I recommend this if you are a fan of this frachise, otherwise, just stick to the regular Klonoa entries, they are much more enjoyable in my opinion.

Platform:

Gameboy Advance version.

Graphics/Sound:

The graphics are colourful and more or less perfect on the system, I don't know what I would change. All the characters from the Playstation game can be clearly identified, and the pixel look works well on the characters. The sound is as with most GBA titles a bit scratchy, especially the constant "Yahoo!" screams of the main character, but it's ok, I had not problems with it.

This is more or less a remake of the Wonderswan title, so the game play is the same as that, you have to find 3 stars in each level until you can exit. It's much more puzzle oriented than the playstation game. It still works well for this series, since puzzles were always a part of this series. Every world here has I think 8 levels, one boss stage, one autoscrolling level and one hoverboarding level. The hoverboarding and autoscrolling for me was a welcomed change from the usual "get the 3 stars" puzzle levels.

Difficulty:

The puzzles are nice, I was able to figure out everything without too much guessing. Enemy difficulty is almost not present here, I almost never got hit by anything, and you can take your time to figure out the right way, so you won't do mistakes due to time pressure. The bosses weren't that hard either.

I liked this game, as I like the whole series. It's cute and the puzzle focus is more relaxing than some of the action platformers. I don't have any real complaints about it, everything seems very polished. I can't put my finger on it but at some point it felt a little lifeless for me. Maybe it's because they had this fixed amount of levels each world which might have been one too many to really deliver unique levels. But since they basically got criticized for making the first game too short, who can blame them that they made this longer.