Klonoa 2

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LifesBane(4Corners)

Active Member
Sep 27, 1999
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Just rented this game, and I'm going to have to say this is one of my all time favorite games. There's just something about it that kept bringing me back for more and more.

It's a platformer, but with unique gameplay. First, I'd like to point out the simplistic controls: Jump, Move, and Shoot. There was an option where a 2nd player could control something that had to do with saving you when you fell, but I never messed around with that. But, I digress. Even with these limited controls, the game plays beautifully (no wishing you had more options for keys or what not). Sometimes the most simplistic control setup is the best.

The way the game plays is very unique. In fact, that's what really makes me like the game so I will go in depth into the mechanics. It's linear movement-- vertical, left and right movement, although the 3D world wraps you around to get the perception of not just moving in a straight line. Your jump is just a normal jump, but holding down the jump button gives you a small hover in the air. Your primary attack is a "Wind Bullet", a little light blue sphere which fires out a short distance and returns to you. This attack doesn't do any damage though. When you hit an enemy with it, it effectively drags the enemy back to you and you carry it (in most cases).

Now, holding this enemy is where you can do some interesting things. To defeat an enemy right off the bat, you can just throw it anywhere (in most cases) and it will hit the wall and poof. But, you can also throw it at other enemies to hurt or kill them. And, then one of the truly unique and fun things to do is a Double Jump. With an enemy in hand, after jumping in the air, when jumping again in mid air you throw the enemy down to the ground, giving you another jump into the air, and hitting anything below you.

There are different types of enemies though with different things. I don't know the real names of the enemies, but I know the general type.

You have your standard nothing special hit and throw enemies. You also have the big version of them. Shooting them will just stop them momentarily, allowing you to use them as step stones. To defeat them though, you must throw an enemy at them. But, what you can do is shoot one to still it, grab another enemy, stand on top of the big one's head and use it as a way to reach higher areas via a double jump off of a raised surface.

Then you have your bomb enemies. They walk around minding their own business. For the "Mini Bombs", when you near them, they light up and shortly start flashing and then explode, taking out anything near them, including some obstacles. You can take advantage of this and pick them up and throw them to clear the path. You then have your "Big Bombs". They walk around but don't arm til you pick them up (with the wind bullet). They then arm, but take a while to detonate. You can use this to place them in certain areas, then grab more things to set up chain reactions.

You also have your Electric enemies. When you pick up one of these enemies, they act as normal. Even when throwing. But, if you do a double jump, it charges you with electricity and blasts you in the direction you are pressing, killing anything in your path, or clearing obstacles.

You then have Color Changers. Throughout some levels are crystals. There are Red, Blue, and Yellow. They all block your path. But with this special type of enemy, every time you throw it at an enemy, it will change colors and return to you. It starts out non colored, and with the first hit, it turns yellow and then returns to you. Then it goes to blue, and finally red. To clear the crystals, you must hit them with appropriately colored enemies. This sets up for some complex puzzles, as when you throw the changer, that gives you time to position yourself in ways you normally can't when holding enemies, and then have it return to you. It's hard to explain, you'd really have to play it to see what I mean.

Then, you have things that aren't really enemies but more of transportation. One type you simply jump into and it launches you through a pre determined path to another part of the level. The other type you grapple on to and after a few seconds you launch high into the air. Another type just brings you up in the air a little bit, while a similar one lets you control how high you go.

All of these make for some very interesting puzzles, a few of which took me a little to finally figure out.

Now that the basics are down, I'll move on to graphics.

The world is all beautiful 3D settings. The thing I love about the environments is the setting specific events. In the first area, a stormy sea, trees can be blasted by lightning and you can watch them shrivel up and blacken. Then in a city at war, you see paratroopers jumping into the city, bombs taking out houses complete with civilians running out, and other such events. They are all beautifully rendered with very vibrant colors and crisp graphics.

The unique thing is all the other graphics-- they're 3D, but the rendering method gives it a very anime look. It's kinda hard to describe, you'd probably have to see some screenshots. But all in all-- it's an awesome affect.

There are some great camera changes too-- grabbing onto the enemy that shoots you into the air pans the camera under you, allowing for positioning of where to fly up. Then, you zoom into the air and the camera pans over you to show all the action from above. A very cool affect.

The sounds are all very fitting, from the gems to the explosions to the other ambient sounds. The only thing that takes a while to get used to is the voices. It's all in a hodgepode Japanese mixed with other languages, and subtitled. Some of it is a little weird sounding, but after playing the game I couldn't imagine the characters with any other voices than what they had.

The music. Wow. I'm really mad right now. I just went on Morpheous and no one has any MP3s. And, I can't find any soundtracks. Most of the music in that game is incredibly good to my ear. There is a variety of tracks to, from ambient to a weird Japanese rock and roll song complete with singing ;) It really adds a lot to the game. Coming from a stormy sea to an ice cavern, it plays the same music, but this time with different wintry instruments and very fitting reverb.

The story is there, but it's a little weird. I really can't give away much, or it would ruin the way the game progresses-- which leads into my next area.

The level progression is fairly linear. You usually get a choice of one of two levels to play, but you do end up having to play both of them so it really doesn't matter which you pick. In some cases, you have to make side trips back to levels, but they are always different in very noticable ways.

The types of levels I will get into later, but they all have side things you can do in them. In each level are sometimes hard, sometimes easy, to get stars. There are 6 in each, and if you collect all 6 you get a Mommet Doll which can be used later in the game to access some hidden features. You also have your gems. Every 100 gives you an extra life, but if you get 150 per level (hard to do), you get a new high quality drawing added to your scrapbook which you can view later in the game.

There are three types of levels though-- your standard scroller, bosses, and the "surfing". Now, your scrolling levels are different in many cases. You have goals in some of them you have to do, like in one starting up engines. But, it is all linear. You don't really have a choice to do things out of order. The other type of level are the surfing levels, where you are on your board and must race down the course, doing jumps and various other things. I find them a definate relief from the standard scrolling. The final type of battle is the boss battle. Each of them has a unqiue way of being defeated. In a couple instances, you must beat the boss while travelling on your board too. Those make for some interesting challenges.

Bad points? There are really only two I've found. But, they're what prevents this game from being as big as it could be. For one, it's easy. Really easy. Except for a few levels later in the game which really add some challenging parts, most of them are incredibly easy. Most of the star collecting which I figured would add challenge is easy too. Again, only a few areas that were hard to do. The only hard thing in the levels would be going back for the 150 gems. But, it's tedisouly hard, because in some levels if you miss even ONE, you have to start all over from the last "Memory Point" or else you can't get the 150 by the end of the level. And, it's not really worth it. All it gets you is a picture.
If you get the bonus level 2 though, there is a good display of difficulty. I think some of the levels should've been around this difficulty. (Maybe not quite as much though-- it took me 25 mins to beat it :D)

My final gripe is how short the game is :\ I rented it, and beat it on the third day, almost 100% complete. I didn't play it much on the first or third day either. The game could have been SO much greater if it would've had more levels.

What does this total up to? A great great rental. I wouldn't buy it myself. There's no multiplayer, and really nothing that would make you replay it. But for a rental, it is an >incredible< game for the first time through. Since most of the levels are really unique, you really want to come back for more and keep playing it through. And even at the end, it should be fun to go through and get the rest of the stars you missed. But after that...there really isn't any more point in playing.

So-- if you have a PS2 and haven't tried this one out yet, don't mind a linear progressing platformer, and strange voice acting (;)), then I would highly suggest you go rent this today.

As a question from me though-- does anyone know if there >is< an OST out for this game that I just can't find? If so, a link would be very very appreciated ;)
 
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LifesBane(4Corners)

Active Member
Sep 27, 1999
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36
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Some Pictures:

klonoa2_screen001.jpg


klonoa2_screen015.jpg


klonoa2_screen009.jpg


klonoa2_screen012.jpg


Movies:

Go to Movie 4 for a good sample

http://gamespot.com/gamespot/filters/products/media/0,11100,374317,00.html
 

Mr. Apocalypse

My brain must be broken
Oct 16, 2001
1,097
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0
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Hey that looked like the picture i keep showing you everytime i see you...plan to be unveiled later /muhahahahahah...anyway that was a lot of test and i think you could have said something valid had I read it but i didnt so i just looked at the preety pictures...i need sleep