Platformers on portable systems may be a dime a dozen, but few handle the genre as well as Namco when it comes to their Klonoa series. Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament is the perfect example -- the game can easily be labeled as a thinking-man’s platformer, with its heavy focus on puzzle solving rather than twitch-based gameplay. Anyone looking for a good platforming experience will find a great deal to enjoy in Klonoa 2; even jaded platforming fans may find solace in this title due to its unique take on the genre.
Klonoa 2 picks up where its predecessor left off, offering up mind-bending puzzles instead of combat-intensive action. Series hero and titular character Klonoa is a smooth controlling cat (he’s some kind of mammal, anyway). Since this is a platformer it should come as no surprise that Klonoa can jump, but he can also float for a short period if the player holds down the button -- it feels similar to Yoshi’s floaty-jump in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. Klonoa can also double-jump, but only when he grabs an enemy.
The enemies in the game are placed strategically throughout levels, so if something requires you to double-jump, the game always provides a way to do so. In addition, getting to higher platforms usually will require a combination of double-jumping and floating. The fact that the enemies respawn after being used to double-jump is lucky for the player since the jumps can be kind of tricky sometimes. It’s also useful because enemies can be thrown into treasure chests which may be blocking your path or can be used to flip switches. Klonoa can also double-jump by grabbing boxes that are sometimes in the stages, though the boxes don’t disappear and respawn after use -- they simply drop to the floor and can be reused whenever.
"... can easily be labeled as a thinking-man’s platformer..."
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Klonoa 2 is spiritually close to Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time (PS2, GC, Xbox) in the fact that the environments are the real enemy. Stages look deceptively simple, but getting through them can take some real thinking -- something not often found in a platformer. Sometimes boxes will be used to hold down switches, or you’ll have to use enemies that explode after a limited time to blow-up obstacles. Sometimes you’ll have to drop enemies into a pot and climb the vine that grows afterwards, or sometimes avoid hazards on a conveyer belt. Many times these elements are mixed together into an extremely challenging blend, offering up some of the most satisfying platforming puzzles the GBA has ever seen. Believe me, you’ll be relieved after completing some of these challenges, and a genuine feeling of triumph will usually follow the hardest of the bunch.
Each puzzle-based level has anywhere between five to ten screens to get through. Each screen is usually littered with items to grab, obstacles to avoid, and puzzles to solve. Each level has thirty gems and a medallion hidden in it, and getting all of them can sometimes be quite the feat. You’ll have to combine enemies in ways you’d probably never think of otherwise. For example, say the medallion is on a platform you can’t get to without an enemy, but there’s no enemy near the platform. One particular puzzle requires the player to pick up a box, and hold it at the edge of a platform so an enemy will walk off the platform and onto the box you’re holding. You’ll then have to carry the still-walking enemy on your box to another part of the level, so you can use them to jump to the previously unavailable platform. The game is filled with clever moments like these, and requires a lot of creative thinking from players. The important thing to note is that no matter how impossible a puzzle looks, there is always a solution.
There are five worlds in Klonoa 2, and each world has ten levels -- seven are puzzle-based platforming levels, but three of them are different. The first variant level type you’ll come across feels vaguely familiar to the bonus levels in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The viewpoint is set behind Klonoa and the stage rushes towards the camera. Littered throughout these stages are obstacles that need to either be avoided or jumped over. The second variant level is platforming-based, but it scrolls automatically. There aren’t any real puzzles in the scrolling levels, just timed jumps, which are more twitch-based than anything else in the game.
"Players are rewarded for careful play..."
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The final variant level is a stage/boss battle combination that comes at the end of each world. In this level you’re not only timed for completion, but at the end there is usually an epic battle with an oversized character. The bosses have fairly simple patterns, but getting past them without getting damaged is tough. All three of these levels, while only appearing one time each in a world, help to break up what would have been a monotonous experience if it were left only to the puzzle-based gameplay.
Players are rewarded for careful play, and are ranked at the end of every level on a letter scale. Getting all of the gems and hidden medallions in the level, and not getting hit will rank the player with an S. Practically nothing is unlocked for S-ranking every level, but the game is hardly challenging otherwise. Sure, some of the puzzles will twist your mind into some complex knots, but they are spaced far enough between each other that casual players won’t put the game down after twenty minutes. That’s not to say there aren’t any secrets, though. Finding all of the hidden medallions will open up a set of extremely challenging bonus worlds. There are only five, but they’re definitely the hardest in the game and are reserved for the most serious of players.
The story in Klonoa 2 is probably the game’s biggest misstep. Platformers are never known for amazing stories, but this one is especially dull. Klonoa is entered involuntarily into a tournament with the world’s greatest heroes. The heroes then compete for the prize money, though pure lil’ Klonoa competes simply for supremacy. Certain characters aren’t what they seem, and others will try to warm your heart. Overall, it feels like a Dragon Ball Z story arc they decided not to use because it was too similar to every other arc in the series. It would have been nice to see a better story attached, but since it doesn’t affect the gameplay, it’s not that big a deal.
"... one of the most enjoyable platformers on the GBA."
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The only other problem with this game is how the puzzles occasionally work the player into a corner if they make a mistake. There only seemed to be three or four times this happened through the entire game, but having to restart an area of a level, or sometimes an entire level, is a slightly irksome quality in what is otherwise an intricately and expertly designed game.
All in all, Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament is one of the most enjoyable platformers on the GBA. Platforming veterans will get the most out of this title by S-ranking every level, but for the most part the game is easy enough for casual fans as well -- only a few puzzles will make players pull out their hair or want to use a walkthrough. Lame story and minor puzzle snags aside, Klonoa 2 is one title platforming aficionados will want to scoop up before it’s too late.
