Know Your Enemy
The ancient Chinese general Sun Zhu once wrote, “know thy enemy, and know yourself”. While Klonoa doesn’t require such leaps of military genius, having a firm grasp of the various enemy types will stand you in good stead, especially if you’re attempting to speed run visions (levels). Each buoyant enemy holds valuable properties to help you scale heights and dangerous drops. In contrast, others can open paths yet unexplored with a bang! Knowing how to use these creatures to your advantage will also help unlock many collectables that require extra effort.
In Klonoa, the enemy aren’t there to simply be beating. They are a thing to be used to your advantage.
The common enemy is the round creatures that’ll walk forward and backwards. These aren’t dangerous unless they have armor plating. You’ll want to use these guys to jump high for gems and collectables or as cannonballs to wipe out other enemies. Often you’ll have to jump to much higher ledges, and this is where the second enemy type comes in. These green birds fly upwards and downwards in formation, so time your jump carefully. Lastly, dog-like bombs can blast blockages, but be careful! Some have shorter fuses than others. You’ll encounter other creatures, but their usage is pretty apparent when you meet them.
Popping The Clock
You’ll come across large red clocks floating in bubbles at each level. These are not to be ignored and will make your experience much smoother. Pop these bubbles with an enemy or wind bullet, and your current progress will be saved. You will die a lot in Klonoa, whether through ill-timed jumps, eagerness to rush through a level or allowing an enemy to get too close, so this checkpoint system is invaluable.
If you see a clock, pop it! Checkpoints will help you avoid redoing difficult platforming sections.
Be warned, however. Popping these clocks will have no impact if you exit the level. You’ll be sent back to the start if you rage quit because of a specific section’s difficulty. While neither game’s numerous levels aren’t tricky per-say, extra vision in Klonoa: Road To Phantomile and Chamber o’ Horror/Chamber o’ Fun in Klonoa 2 is very difficult. If you’re a completionist, you’ll have to beat all three, so if you see a clock, pop it and move on with the mission. Just don’t rage quit.
Don’t Ignore Collectibles
Klonoa is a hero, and what do heroes do? Save people! Specifically, in the first game, many citizens of the world have been hidden in bubbles that Klonoa must pop to liberate. These trapped citizens act as collectables, all of which must be found for total completion and the extra vision upon finishing the game. Luckily, there’s no need to get all these collectables in one go. Finish the main narrative, popping those you see and returning to the levels as often as you like once the credits roll.
Tracking down all collectibles will open extra visions that’ll put your skill to the test.
Klonoa 2 takes a different path, but the goal and outcome are the same. A character called Moomet requires you to collect a total of twelve dolls, of which pieces can be found Strawen throughout almost every level. Returning six dolls will unlock a Chamber O’ Fun extra level. Bring all twelve back, and the last and most challenging, Chamber O’ Horror, will open. These two levels will put your platforming skills to the test.
Time Your Jumps
Knowing how and when to jump is critical in all platform games, and Klonoa is no different. Much of your time is spent shooting wind bullets to grab enemies and using them to propel yourself to the next platform. Sometimes you’ll have to chain together jumps, catching and jumping multiple times to reach higher places. These sections can be tricky, especially in later levels. The sequel adds snowboarding levels that demand precision jumps while staying on the path, but, thankfully, you also get checkpoints.
Catching some air!
These snowboarding sections make for a refreshing change of pace from what is a homogenous experience throughout both games. Boss fights also take advantage of these sections, making things feel fresh, despite using the exact same method of defeating the boss as you would on foot. There are boarding levels late in Klonoa 2 that require near pinpoint accuracy or risk falling into the endless void. Ultimately, all this comes down to repetition and practice. Thank god for those checkpoint clocks mentioned above, huh?
Conclusion
I sincerely hope that these Klonoa: Phantasy Reverie Series beginners tips give you some idea of how to hit the ground running through the worlds of Phantomile and Lunatea. Both games still hold up well, but the extra lick of paint will surely help welcome new players and those looking for a dose of nostalgia.
Klonoa: Phantasy Reverie Series is available on PS5/4, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch.