The Klonoa franchise is a series close to my heart. I played through Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil several times as a kid. I remember the first time being after renting it at Blockbuster and spending several days playing with my mom, just enjoying the colorful levels and cute characters. When the Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series was announced, it felt like a nostalgic rush of excitement to revisit the characters and areas I loved so much when I was younger.

The Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is a remastered bundle of Klonoa: The Door to Phantomile which was released in 1997 and Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil which was released in 2001. Both games star the titular character Klonoa, known as the Dream Traveler. Klonoa must save the worlds of Phantomile and Lunatea from evil, using his ring to cast Wind Bullets and perform various actions in platforming and puzzle sequences.

If you’ve never played a Klonoa game, then you’ll be right at home with the Phantasy Reverie Series. Both games have an easy mode that gives you unlimited lives, as well as the normal mode which gives you 3 lives and the option to get more. By collecting 100 dream stones (or extra life coins) in levels, you can gain more lives in normal mode. In each game, there are also 6 special collectibles in each level (minus boss levels) that unlock extra levels at the end of the game.

Klonoa can pick up enemies using wind bullets, using them to double jump. He can also throw them and depending on the enemy he can do other things. This main mechanic of grabbing enemies is the key element of puzzle solving. This is no typical platformer, there are puzzles throughout the levels that really set it apart. Additionally, Klonoa has a Yoshi-style flutter mechanic to give him just a little more lift when he jumps.

If you have a second player, you can engage in support mode, which gives Klonoa a second jump without needing to be carrying a character. This is a fun little way to incorporate a second player, potentially a younger kid who wants to be included. I should also mention that you can play the Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series either with the original graphics or the new remastered ones. I personally think the new graphics look great.

The levels are colorful, the character designs are fun, and even the bosses are imaginative and interesting. I wouldn’t call either game in this Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series a standard platformer. I would compare it to Mascot platformers such as Sly Cooper, which incorporate puzzle elements as well as collectibles. There are some tough platforming sections, and some tough puzzles, but I think the Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is a great and accessible platformer, especially on Switch.

While I did have a few issues with the chase sequences in several levels, most of the levels are a load of fun. They even incorporate some interesting mini-games that add a bit of flavor to the formula. The loading times are relatively quick, and I didn’t have any crashing issues or issues with bugs.

If you’re a fan of the series, I would definitely recommend picking this up. Even if you have never played or have never heard of the Klonoa games, there is a reason they are considered a cult classic. You’re getting two great games in one here, and I hope more people pick these up. Maybe one day we’ll see a Klonoa 3 announcement.

A Nintendo Switch review copy of Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series was provided by Bandai Namco for this review.

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Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series

$39.99 USD

9.5

Score

9.5/10

Pros

• Beautiful Levels
• Fun Puzzles and Gameplay
• Imaginative Bosses
• Solid Controls
• Multiple Difficulty Levels

Cons

• Certain Chase Sequences Suck