Klonoa -Door to Phantomile-

There are certain undeniable truths in this world. Japan makes amazing whiskey, dogs are better than people, and 1998 was the best year for video games in North America. Don't believe me? Go look it up. Across every platform available at the time a cornucopia of outstanding games was unleashed in every genre. On a personal level it was slightly transformative as I went from someone who simply played video games to a full-on gamer. It was only natural given the immense amount of quality games just released for my dear original Playstation. That's to say nothing of Nintendo 64, PC, Game Boy Color, or the brilliant death line-up for the Sega Saturn.

Amazing as it may sound, for a year that brought gamers the likes of Final Fantasy Tactic, Ocarina of Time, Panzer Dragoon Saga, or countless others, my favorite was title so little known that I didn't even know it existed before finding it on a rental store shelf.

Let's set the stage: It's springtime, April I believe or maybe May, I'm twelve years old and hungry for my next game. Not having the scratch to buy something new, I'm able to peruse the aisle of Mammoth Video. Searching for something good I stumble across a game entirely unknown to me. Klonoa -Door to Phantomile- Apparently a platformer. The only real indication of quality I could work with was the company logo. I knew Namco from Tekken, Soul Edge (before it became Soulcalibur), and Ace Combat. That pedigree seemed strong enough to warrant giving this odd little title a shot.

Within minutes of starting the game I'm faced with obnoxiously colorful and adorible cartoon creatures. I'm talking sickeningly cute, like they speak their own chirpy nonsense language and everything. Even so, the music seemed pleasant and the opening hinted at the story possibly having more to it than cute things screeching at each other so I pressed on.

Just a few minutes into the first level, I was hooked. Klonoa is one of those special games where the actual gameplay itself is simple enough for anyone to understand, yet the potential for almost limitless complexity from those simple actions was there. You better believe they lived up to that promise.

Klona can only do a few basic moves. He can jump of course with a tiny bit of floating by flapping his ears. On the offensive he can use his ring to inflate and carry an enemy. He can then use that enemy to either throw at other baddies and objects, or use it to double jump. Sound's simple enough right? Now take into account that the game is played in two-and-a-half-dimensions. This means that while he may only move left or right he can still interact with objects in the background and foreground which can also effect him. Add to that a variety of enemies who fly, explode, carry shields, or attack from other plains along with timed switches, floating platforms, and other hazards. Each level finds new ways to mix these elements into new challenges.

That mix of simple actions in a complex setting made for one of the best difficulty curves I've ever encountered in a game. The first few levels can be easily completed by anyone which makes them the perfect safe place to practice your skills for the later stages which feature challenges that send your heart up into your throat. It's never insurmountable but there's still a major difference between the beginning and ending portions.

The storyline much like the difficulty steadily deepens and expands throughout the game. Early on it's just cute animals trying to stop a nightmare man. Later on there's death and destruction yet even that can not prepare a player for the sudden onset heartache this game throws at you before the credits roll. In it's final minutes the story pulls out a crazy twist followed by an ending that will rip your heart right out. No way will I ever spoil it for you but if you ever have the chance to play the game, have some tissues ready.

The presentation for the time was excellent. The mixture of 2-D and 3-D elements made it look sharp and keep it from looking as dated as many platformers of the era. Namco was also quite adept at making nice FMV cut scenes so those were a treat though I'm sure they've lost a bit of luster by now. Then there's the music which was just beautiful with a full variety of moods to fit the upbeat opening segments and the grim final stages.

If it seems like I'm just heaping praise on the game there's good reason. Klonoa is about as close to flawless as most games could ever hope to get. The only issues I have with the experience is that it was a bit short and the unlockable bonus stage was pretty irritating. Consider what that means. The worst thing this game has going for it is that is doesn't overstay its' welcome and it provides an extra super challenge for those who crave such things.

In the following years the game would earn one direct sequel on the PS2, a volleyball game on PS1, a few of spin-offs on the GBA and wonderswan, a remake for the WII, plus a few cameo appearances here and there. While that may sound like a decent run there hasn't been anything new from the series in close to a decade. I'm more than willing to take some of the blame since I often missed out on these extra games either by them not reaching our shores or me not having the right console at the time. I have played Klonoa 2 and while it is another very solid platformer, it can't quite stand up to the almost perfect nature of the first.

I'm fairly confident that both this and the Parasite Eve article from Christmastime mark the Begining of more video game content around these parts. Obviously the future of such posts is going to depend on you, dear readers. If I find these are coming in around half or a quarter the views of Sentai coverage, then we'll move on to something else. For the foreseeable future however I'd like to continue sharing some great games both retro and modern with you all. Suggestions are always welcome, and stay tuned as I've got some nice surprises coming up.