Klonoa for Wii Reviews by Gamers

Great fun with great movement of the screen to give the environment a 3d fell for a side-scrolling adventure. A good play and even challenge side quests after play of the game for those looking for a real game teaser.

While essentially the same game as the original, the Wii version of Klonoa manages to feel fresh and original. For those who wondered if a pure platformer was possible in our modern gaming landscape, this is the game that shows it's viability.
The closest thing I can compare Klonoa to is NiGHTS. Both are pseudo-side-scrolling games revolving around the theme of dreams. Both are remakes with stilted dialogue, fairly annoying voice acting and a weak story. The big difference: NiGHTS is bad, Klonoa is good.
The basic gameplay here wil remind you of the original Mario games, as you spend much of your time jumping, collecting and dispatching enemies. Klonoa tries something different by making your enemies your main asset. Grab an enemy and you can use it to smash obstacles, eliminate other enemies or double jump. Many of the challenges in the game revolve around catching and using your enemies, a very unique game mechanic that is implemented well.
Then you have the levels. While the paths are linear, you can interact with the environment in front and in back. Getting to different locations will twist the landscape as the camera angles and rotates to heighten the feeling of a 3-D world.
If anything ha suffered with age, it's the presentation, as mentioned above. And it's length of four hours means that while it's great platforming, it won't last long. Luckily, the game gives you some unlockables at the end that might keep you playing longer, but not much longer.
It's nice to see an innovative platformer that holds up over time. Let's hope this signals a relaunch of the franchise, because there's still room for Klonoa in our modern gaming world.