| Introduction
Klonoa is Namco's cat, rabbit, flying type thing.
No we don't really know what it is, but regardless of
this minor detail, gamers worldwide seem to find him
very appealing. There's a Playstation 2 adventure on
the way and the old PS1 version (if you can get your
hands on it) is currently fetching over $100 on the
likes of EBay. Empire of Dreams though, is a completely
original game, specially crafted for the GameBoy Advance
and, as Klonoa seems to have reached cult status in
the rest of the gaming world, let's hope he can do the
same on the GBA.
GamePlay
Klonoa is set over an incredible 40 levels, called
visions, which are divided up between five worlds. Before
each vision a mission screen tells you exactly what
you must do in order to complete it. Missions usually
consist of collecting stars and dream stones although
not all of the latter have to be collected right away.
You'll realize early on that you're going to spend a
great deal more time figuring out how to solve a puzzle
than actually seeking out the stars. You see, everything
is explained to you making the learning curve very pleasant
indeed. Even when it gets really tough there's always
help at hand. Things really do start out simple but
it's always worth exploring the whole level as bonuses
and extra lives are scattered everywhere.
You'll start your quest with a map screen which can
be scrolled around with the shoulder buttons, and visions
appear as a red button. Once in the vision it's a simple
matter of completing your mission objectives without
losing too many lives in the process. It should be mentioned
here that each world also contains two red and yellow
buttons which signify slightly different levels. These
are the action stages and all Klonoa has to do is survive
them. The athletic challenge is really quite tough and
will be very frustrating initially. Here, you must get
to the end of the level with the screen constantly scrolling
so running out of platform is a common occurrence. The
other is a Hover Board stage which really is a great
deal of fun and just involves jumping and ducking various
obstacles whilst speeding along on your board. Your
last vision of each world will be a boss. Challenging,
enjoyable, powerful, but never impossible.
By the second world you'll find most of the stars
out of reach and this is where the gadgets come in.
These come in all shapes and sizes and knowing how to
use them is everything in the dream worlds. You'll encounter
creatures called Boomies that explode after a countdown
and can be incredibly useful, there are magnet blocks
that grab onto walls when you jump whilst holding them
and also bomb boxes that will channel explosions in
a given direction. All this could be incredibly complicated
except that every time you encounter a new gadget there's
a sign next to it to explain just how to use it. Press
'up' and the sign will be revealed. They look like ancient
cave paintings in silhouette form, but are very explanatory
and indicate what you should do and what will happen.
Simple eh?
Saves are done very efficiently, with a battery backup,
and automatically after each level. There really is
a great deal of gameplay here and the manual promises
that even when you've finished the game, if all the
dreamstones are collected, even more areas will be opened
up to you. If you haven't done this first time around
just go back to the level you need to complete. What
more could you ask for?
Controls
The control system is pretty simple to start with
but does get more complicated as you progress through
the worlds. You do always have the directional control,
jump and shoot, but you'll require considerable skill
when you need to use a combination of these. An example
of this would be getting from one platform to another
using only floating balloons. Here, Klonoa, or you really,
will have to jump, shoot, rise, move forward, shoot,
rise, move forward and so on until you're out of danger.
It's not that the controls aren't responsive, they are,
but you will require a great deal of practice before
you master this and you will need to master it.
Graphics
Fantastic. Your main character is easily the best
animated character we've seen on the GameBoy Advance
up to now and with the amount of moves here and objects
Klonoa has to interact with, this really is impressive.
Everything else is just as good with jaw-dropping backgrounds,
environments and enemies (especially end of level bosses)
a joy to watch. The cut scenes really help the plot
and it's obvious that a great deal of thought has gone
into the story too. Even the map screen is better than
some other game graphics we could mention. In short
this is a visual feast and what we should really be
expecting from the GameBoy Advance.
Sound & Music
Absolutely wonderful music here from the word go.
Get yourself a set of headphones and let the soundtrack
fully immerse you in this dreamworld that Klonoa inhabits.
There is variety and the music changes when you visit
the different worlds, but this has to be one of the
first games where the music really is a pleasure to
listen to. In addition to this the sound effects are
also excellent and include some crystal clear samples.
While we're on this subject though, if anyone knows
what an earth Klonoa says at the startup screen please
post it on the boards.
Final Comments
This is, without a doubt, a must have platform/puzzler
for the GBA. Everything here is fantastically implemented.
Graphics, sound, presentation, puzzles, learning curve,
everything. The masters of the arcade game, Namco, appear
to have everything covered. But, what are you still
hanging around reading this for? Go out and buy this
now, or at least go and save up for it. Gaming perfection
which, if a higher mark than five stars was available,
would get it.
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