Review
Release Date: 1997
Platform:
PlayStationDeveloper:
Namco, Ltd.Publisher:
Namco Hometek, Inc.Reviewed by
Andrew McClure on 12.15.2003
| Review Rating: 10/10 | User Rating: 7.2/10 |
If you were to round up all the gamers in the world and asked them, “What’s the best platformer on the PlayStation?” Most of the room would probably say
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. However, a much smaller group would reply
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile. I’m sure some of you reading this article are saying, “Who the hell is Klonoa?” Well, you might have seen him already. He’s a weird anthropomorphic puppy/skunk with huge ears and a giant ring. Now I know the same people from before are now saying, “Cute mascot? How can that possibly compare to Alucard, the dark prince with the flowing locks who totally isn’t a rip off of every Anne Rice character ever?” To these people I say, “Go and find yourself a copy of
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile. Not only does it have graphics, gameplay, and level design on par with
Symphony of the Night but it also has a much better story.” Still need convincing? Okay, allow me to elaborate.
The gameplay in
Door to Phantomile can best be describe as 2 ½ D. Essentially it is a 2D game in a 3D environment. Though you can only move in a straight line, the track curves and splits off with tons of background interaction (i.e. grabbing an enemy from the foreground and using him to hit a switch in the background). All the levels are rendered in beautiful 3D with about as much detail as the Playstation could muster. Klonoa, the supporting cast, and most of the enemies are all rendered in equally lovely sprites. This system is the perfect evolution of the 2D platforming game: it allows for the expansive and breathtaking levels of 3D games while maintaining the classic 2D gameplay. Unfortunately very few developers have chosen to make games in this style, usually choosing to just go with straight 3D, which just goes to make the
Klonoa games that much more unique.
The gameplay of
Door to Phantomile is all based around Klonoa’s ring. By pressing the action button, the ring shoots a wind bullet which you can use to grab hold of enemies and items which you can either throw to hurt other enemies and flip switches or use them to double jump. It’s a simple premise which gives the game something a bit deeper than mere run and jump gameplay; there are some rather ingenious puzzles scatter through out the game though they are a bit more numerous in the sequels.
Bolstering the brilliant gameplay is the wonderful level design. It always amazes me how many platforming games seem to think that once you come up with a unique environment your job is over, just throw some gaps and platforms in there and you’re done. Well the guys over at Namco were having none of that. Though the environments themselves might seem a bit cliché (quaint villages, cities built into jungle roof tops, a giant flying fortress) what happens within them is anything but. It seems like the developers spent most of their time mapping out levels, coming up with ingenious jumping puzzles and hiding items, which into turn really makes the flow and the feel for each level just right. The bosses are given just as much care: Namco made sure that all seven of the boss battles are unique and memorable.
As I mentioned earlier the one area in which
Door to Phantomile surpasses
Symphony of the Night is the story. At its heart, it is the simple tale of good versus evil, the young Klonoa and his best friend (who just happens to live inside a giant ring), Huepow, happen upon a plot from the Nightmare Ghadius to destroy the world. Being the upright citizens that they are, they decide to stop Ghadius and save the world. Sounds like just about every other platformer but, like a lot of great stories, it’s the presentation not the plot that matters. The story is chock full of wonderful dialogue and characters, some genuinely tragic moments, and what might just be my favorite ending in a videogame.
One of the most unfortunate trends on the Playstation was the replacement of wonderful Japanese voice tracks with sub par American voice acting. Luckily
Door to Phantomile manages to dodge that bullet. In all the
Klonoa games the characters speak in a fictitious language which means that the game retains the wonderful Japanese voice actors. This, combined with the amazing score, makes the game a treat for the ears.
There is only one complaint that can really be leveled against
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, it is too short (which in and of itself is a bit of a compliment). Luckily there are more
Klonoa games out there for your enjoyment:
Klonoa 2 for the Playstation 2 and
Klonoa: Empire of Dreams for the Gameboy Advance are both great games but neither of them quite match the original. In the end
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is a forgotten masterpiece easily on the same level as
Symphony of the Night. Unfortunately, like most forgotten masterpieces
Door to Phantomile is rather rare so prepare to spend some time looking for a copy, but don’t worry: your search will be well worth it.
