...Klonoa of course! Who?! You don't know who Klonoa is?!
Developer: Namco/Namco Bandai (today)
First Appearance: Klonoa: Door to Phantomile
Other Appearances: Klonoa 2: Lunatae's Veil, Klonoa Beach Volleyball, Namco X Capcom, Klonoa (Wii remake of Door to Phantomile)
Who is Klonoa:
Klonoa made his debut appearance in Klonoa: Door to Phantomile for the PS1. Namco wanted a character to engross younger gamers to their attention and get them into gaming. Thus Klonoa was born.
Typical Klonoa Gameplay:
Klonoa plays much like Kirby. Klonoa can catch and inflate enemies, once he holds them above his head they become ammunition or other things. For one Klonoa can throw these baddiss to take out other baddies or armored enemies. But these inflated enemies also aid in advancing through visions (levels). Throwing them also activates switches and retrieves far off items as well. Another edition is the ability to double jump only by throwing an inflated enemy to the ground (another means if attack or retrieving). This midair jump can also be performed again and again with the same air time. Klonoa's floppy ears too serve a purpose. By jumping in midair without an inflated foe, Klonoa flaps his ears to increase airtime and slightly raise the peak of his jump.
Typical Klonoa games usually have the same, simple, untouched ganeplay we adore today. The gameplay is that of a 2.5-D sidescroller. Although limited movement is apparent, game interaction was unsupersceded. There was the middle-ground, your walking path, but there was also a back and foreground as well. By inflating enemies you can toss them towards either composition to activate unreachable switches or other goodies you couldn't get by normal means. This style of interactivity created a fun form of puzzle solving and even provoked gamers to experiment by these means.
Appearance:
Klonoa seems to be a cross between a cat and a rabbit. Having long floppy ears and mostly cat-like characteristics made Klonoa a cutesy character. Appealing to children but strangely to an older audience as well.
Klonoa's Characters:
The Klonoa series boasts many colorful characters such as the ignorant Belue, the pirate Leorina, the love interest Lola, the devious Joker/Joka, and the foul-mouthed Janga. You will grow quite an attachment to many if these characters with their fun, crazy, and even tragic personalities.
Today's Klonoa Games:
Sadly there are very few recent Klonoa games. For the smash hit PS1 game it was birthed, the character and series has quite an underappreciated past today. Yet there are still devoted fans emphasizing on the series cult following and the appreciation of what started Klonoa was remastered exclusively for the Nintendo Wii. This remake of Door to Phantomile (although short) boast beautiful visuals, a variety in voice acting, untouched gameplay, and the best musical score Namco can give you. If it does well enough, expect a remake of Lunatae's Veil.
Voice Actor:
Klonoa's long time and still current voice actor is Kumiko Watanabe.
In All:
Klonoa is a delightful character spawning even more delightful games. With this Klonoa recieves the very first honor of being inducted into the VGEC Hall of Gaming.
To The Hall of Gaming
