Klonoa - that one weird rabbit cat thingy is now a quarter of a century old.

[IDanceonTrannyGraves]

My Japanese copy with English came today.

Fuck Korea. I wish Japan would take them over again.

 

[Overcast]

 

[Begemot]

Spoiler: More remake ending spergery

Couple more things.

That camera effect during the opening cutscene of the King of Sorrow fight where it closes in on his face as he speaks three lines in a row is just significantly less impactful in the remake compared to the original. His model looks so dull in the remake that it looks like he's just casually staring as the camera gets closer after each line, instead of the implicit "intensity" that the cutscene direction seemed to be wanting to imply, whereas in the original, it made the KoS seem appropriately somewhat unhinged, possibly due to the graphical simplicity of his design.

If you look closely during those "injured" poses, it's like they made an ATTEMPT to adjust the shape of the eyes, but it's just not as pronounced as in the original either, making it also fall flat.

Also, the issue from the first Baguji cutscene rears its ugly head once again in the ending in that Lolo fails to properly smile in the remake, like she does in the original, which is incredibly unfortunate.

I love these games and I agree entirely.

The Klonoa fanbase is legitimately made up of the worst kinds of furries.

I guess I have to become a furry now....

 

[Marissa Moira]

View attachment 3494044

They should have made Klonoa themed fish tacos, at least it would have been tradition.

My Japanese copy with English came today.

Fuck Korea. I wish Japan would take them over again.

Why would one USA vassal state be taken over by another?

 

[Begemot]

I played the demo on the ps4. It was....okay. Cute as heck but pretty basic, I guess that's the whole vibe of the game, though....

 

[Jonah Hill poster]

Gamerant recently played the new versions of the old Klonoa games and wants to talk about the fixes that the remastered version needs

Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series has the remastered versions of the Wii remake of the first game, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, and an upgraded version of the base PS2 game Klonoa 2: Lunatea's. The first game was a PS1 title that still holds up today, even with the dated graphics. Some fans may argue that it is a better game than the Wii remake. It’s hard to buy games on the old PSN stores now, but players were able to buy the first game on the PS3, PSP, and PS Vita.

Other than that, emulation is the only option to play the original. Whether the original is better than the remake is debatable, but either way, it would have been nice to get both versions in this collection. A remastered collection should be chock-full of content, and this is only one example of how Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series could have been better.

Getting the PS1 version into Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series would be great, but it wouldn’t be as worthwhile as a complete collection of the entire series. It’s great that the collection included the main games, but there are so many spinoffs that old-school fans, and new ones, would enjoy if only they got patched in. Klonoa: Moonlight Museum was a Japanese exclusive for the WonderSwan, which was an exclusive handheld in Japan. It was also a platformer but in pure 2D.

Remastering more than two games is understandably a difficult task. This is especially true for games on the PS1 and the various portable systems. Plus, most of those games in the series have only been released in Japan. It’s not an impossible task, but again, fans can see why those games didn’t make it into the collection initially.

However, why are there no extra modes in Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series? That is the wildest thing about this collection, as art galleries, movie galleries, and music galleries are pretty standard nowadays. Any one of those features would have been nice to see in the bundle, but maybe Bandai Namco can try it again with a future patch. Of those options, the art gallery seems like the most important.

There is some DLC for the game planned to add new costumes for Klonoa. Most of them give the fuzzball a different hat that celebrates other popular Bandai Namco games. There is one that puts Pac-Man around Klonoa’s head and another that gives Klonoa the Prince’s hat from Katamari Damacy. New costumes are something developers like to put in remastered collections.

Bundles like Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series should be a celebration of not only the included series but the developer’s brand overall. The only problem is that this is paid DLC and not free DLC. It’s not expensive, admittedly, but since this collection is already lacking in extra content, charging for costumes seems like a bad idea. Making these costumes free could bring in some goodwill when they do launch.

The story in either game is not something to write home about. Most platformers, including the plumber over at Nintendo, don’t have gripping narratives. One of the better platforming series that does have good and funny stories is Ratchet and Clank. There’s another thing in those games that both of these Klonoa games lack: voice acting.

There is a key thing in platformers that makes one stand out from another: secrets. Both Klonoa games have longer than normal levels, and each is chock-full of collectibles. Players can collect jewels to get extra lives or rescue citizens.

Doing both on every level has the potential to unlock secret stages and other bonuses. Saying more would spoil the surprise, which is half of the fun. The downside to all of this is that the layouts of levels can be confusing without a map. There is often no clear way of knowing which path is the main one and which is the side path until it is too late. That’s why a mini-map, at the very least, would be much appreciated.

 

[Gravemind]

I played the demo on the ps4. It was....okay. Cute as heck but pretty basic, I guess that's the whole vibe of the game, though....

Klonoa's vibe is that the aesthetic and storytelling is very cutesy and fanciful. Until the game suddenly sucker punches you with tonal whiplash.

 

[Begemot]

Klonoa's vibe is that the aesthetic and storytelling is very cutesy and fanciful. Until the game suddenly sucker punches you with tonal whiplash.

Yeah, not hating it, but it feels kind of inconsequential, I'd pay like $15 AUD for the 2 games I guess.

 

[Gravemind]

Yeah, not hating it, but it feels kind of inconsequential, I'd pay like $15 AUD for the 2 games I guess.

Oh, I agree completely. This remastered bundle is incredibly barebones and definitely isn't worth the price it's being pushed at right now.

Problem is, idiots like myself will gladly pay it if it would convince Bandai Namco to bring the series back proper and put more love and care into it.

Klonoa's been dead for way too long simply because Namco left in the dust due to it not being a huge seller of a franchise, despite the positive reception its received over the years.

 

[Begemot]

Oh, I agree completely. This remastered bundle is incredibly barebones and definitely isn't worth the price it's being pushed at right now.

Problem is, idiots like myself will gladly pay it if it would convince Bandai Namco to bring the series back proper and put more love and care into it.

Klonoa's been dead for way too long simply because Namco left in the dust due to it not being a huge seller of a franchise, despite the positive reception its received over the years.

Do you think this is kind of a nostalgia cash-grab? Like, I get the vibe of this game, I'm just currently seeing Australian prices like AUD $60+ at a minimum and the demo just doesn't justify it for me, frankly. I'd pay like $10 AUD max, I guess....

 

[Gravemind]

Do you think this is kind of a nostalgia cash-grab? Like, I get the vibe of this game, I'm just currently seeing Australian prices like AUD $60+ at a minimum and the demo just doesn't justify it for me, frankly. I'd pay like $10 AUD max, I guess....

To some extent, probably. It also kind of feels like Bandai Namco testing the waters and gauging interest over whether Klonoa is worth bringing back, considering that it gained a bit of renewed interest and relevancy due to certain streamers bringing the games back into the public's awareness in the last year or so.

 

[Overcast]

To some extent, probably. It also kind of feels like Bandai Namco testing the waters and gauging interest over whether Klonoa is worth bringing back, considering that it gained a bit of renewed interest and relevancy due to certain streamers bringing the games back into the public's awareness in the last year or so.

Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to release a unpolished product in order to gauge interest, but hey, I'm not a game publisher so what do I know?

That being said, the game's seem to have done pretty well. A video I watched said it had 800,000 copies pre-ordered and that wasn't including the US. Plus, the collection was able to hit the top ten sales charts.

I'm happy Klonoa is doing so well. Probably the best he's had since the original came out. Just wished the collection was better polished.

 

[Gravemind]

Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to release a unpolished product in order to gauge interest, but hey, I'm not a game publisher so what do I know?

Bandai Namco did exactly this once before back in 2008-2009 with the Klonoa 1 remake on the Wii. They had planned to revive the franchise back then depending on that game's success, and when it proved to be a commercial failure, Bandai Namco shitcanned their plans.

A lot of people consider that particular remake incredibly shoddy as well, so it comes as little surprise that they'd pull the same stunt again.

At least this time around, as unpolished as the collection is, it seems to be selling extremely well right out of the gate. Although I can all but entirely guarantee it's mostly because they finally made Klonoa 2 playable on modern platforms and available to a new and larger audience, given that Klonoa 2 went untouched for years and it seemed all but certain it was going to be left to die in near-anonymity on the PS2 until now. I'm not certain this release would have sold nearly as well if it just ended up being yet another re-release of Klonoa 1 by itself.

 

[Manul Otocolobus]

From what I have seen Namco say, Klonoa is meant to be a "Cabbit", 1/2 cat & 1/2 rabbit.

 

[IDanceonTrannyGraves]

Oh, I agree completely. This remastered bundle is incredibly barebones and definitely isn't worth the price it's being pushed at right now.

Problem is, idiots like myself will gladly pay it if it would convince Bandai Namco to bring the series back proper and put more love and care into it.

I paid $35 bucks on Amazon.jp. Pretty reasonable for a collection of old games, honestly. It's just that North Americans are paying more for import prices. Why the fuck this got a physical in Europe but not NA is beyond me, and simply retarded.

 

[Gravemind]

I paid $35 bucks on Amazon.jp. Pretty reasonable for a collection of old games, honestly. It's just that North Americans are paying more for import prices. Why the fuck this got a physical in Europe but not NA is beyond me, and simply retarded.

I paid $40 on Steam for the digital NA release.

 

[Calandrino]

I have enjoyed the lifecycle of this thing

• (literally what is a Klonoa)
• omg Klonoa remakes announced on Nintendo Direct, very hype now that we know this exists apparently
• it's finally out!!!!!!
• kinda sucks tbh
• eh what the hell everybody just buy it anyway, otherwise Namco won't do more shitty remasters

 

[Overcast]

I have enjoyed the lifecycle of this thing

• (literally what is a Klonoa)
• omg Klonoa remakes announced on Nintendo Direct, very hype now that we know this exists apparently
• it's finally out!!!!!!
• kinda sucks tbh
• eh what the hell everybody just buy it anyway, otherwise Namco won't do more shitty remasters

I have seen people buying multiple copies of the game and pushing people to do the same.

It’s ridiculous really, we’re only rewarding lazy devs and helping ensure the next game is trash.

 

[Gravemind]

I have seen people buying multiple copies of the game and pushing people to do the same.

It’s ridiculous really, we’re only rewarding lazy devs and helping ensure the next game is trash.

This collection isn't bad at its core though, that's the thing. Both Klonoa 1 and 2 are still solid, good games and the flaws of the remaster work itself aren't complete and utter hindrances to either game – more like they're just technical oddities and questionable design decisions.

The remaster itself is inherently lazy, but it doesn't necessarily guarantee that a potential sequel is going to be trash. Call it pure copium, and it probably is, but the hope is that decent sales will convince them to put more care and effort into a proper sequel should they decide to continue the franchise off of KPRS' sales figures.

Maybe it'll be a case of the monkey's paw curling, maybe it won't. Some of us at least want to see one way or the other.

 

[Overcast]

This collection isn't bad at its core though, that's the thing. Both Klonoa 1 and 2 are still solid, good games and the flaws of the remaster work itself aren't complete and utter hindrances to either game – more like they're just technical oddities and questionable design decisions.

The remaster itself is inherently lazy, but it doesn't necessarily guarantee that a potential sequel is going to be trash. Call it pure copium, and it probably is, but the hope is that decent sales will convince them to put more care and effort into a proper sequel should they decide to continue the franchise off of KPRS' sales figures.

Maybe it'll be a case of the monkey's paw curling, maybe it won't. Some of us at least want to see one way or the other.

I know. Just became kinda jaded with the gaming industry and the people that enable its shitty practices.