Klonoa 2 Dream Champ Tournament

by Namco

Product Features

• Five new worlds to explore - with intricate, puzzle-packed challenges and interesting creatures
• Race against time to collect stars, sun and moon stones to become the Dream Champ
• Solve the fiendishly clever puzzles, using boxes, bombs, switches, Goomis, springs and scales in your quest for glory
• Each world has its own hoverboard race - a fast-paced thrill ride of gem collecting

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00076OMPQ
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 5 x 1.2 inches ; 1.6 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: February 23, 2005
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,332 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Amazon.com

Though there was another game entitled Klonoa 2 (on PS2, 2001), this latest GBA offering from Namco is the same only in spirit – though this is a completely different game, tight 2D platforming with delicious puzzle elements are still the order of the day in Dream Champ Tournament. And if some of the later stages are painfully tough, who ever said video games had to be easy?

Most of Klonoa 2's levels are more reminiscent of Lode Runner than Mario. You'll have to figure out which enemies to pick up and where to throw them, push around boxes, find keys, and otherwise solve some of the better puzzles around. Farther into the quest, your reactions will be tested along with your brain as you'll be dodging obstacles or working under tight time constraints while desperately trying to get all of the pieces into place to advance to the next room. You have the option to scroll your view around the room you're in, which is immensely helpful, considering the complexity of Klonoa 2's many multi-part puzzles. It's a wonderfully unique variation on 2D action, and an absolute blast to play through.

For the most part, new elements are introduced at a good pace and utilized well to continually diversify the style of puzzles the player faces. About halfway through the game, though, the difficulty suddenly goes through the roof, as the puzzles get much larger and harder. In and of itself this is a minor annoyance; however, taken along with the abrupt need to execute intricate and precise platforming wizardry in the process of enacting the solution, it makes for a mighty strong temptation to launch your GBA through the nearest window. Of course, when you actually beat these occasional monstrosities, it's a great feeling.

Some variety is thrown into this basic formula in the form of levels where you have to race against a boss, auto-scrolling stages, and some basic Mode 7 F-Zero-like levels. For the most part, the 2D ones are a fun break from the standard gameplay while the pseudo-3D Mode 7 parts are dumb – fortunately, you always have the option of skipping the 3D ones and doing a regular level instead. Unless you're going for the insane task of collecting every single item in the game, of course (which nets you some bonus stages). Remember the trouble you had with those brutal levels? It's infinitely harder to pick up all the goodies on top of beating them in the first place.

As much of an irritation as the trouble spots can be, perseverance pays off with Klonoa 2. There's a lot of great platforming to be had here, and the infrequent annoyances of those nasty levels and the questionable localization are a small price to pay for the opportunity to revisit the 2D nirvana that so few modern games give us a chance to experience.

Concept:
Bring another helping of Klonoa's unique puzzling platforming to the GBA

Graphics:
Sharp and colorful, the visuals do a good job of drawing you into this cartoony adventure

Sound:
Boring and forgettable, just like most titles on the GBA

Playability:
It's a rare title that creates such a tight link between player and character

Entertainment:
Despite some punishingly difficult levels, this is head and shoulders above the vast majority of GBA offerings

Replay:
Moderate

Rated: 8.25 out of 10
Editor: Adam Biessener
Issue: March 2005

2nd Opinion:
Ignore the kiddie characters and the ludicrous story – this game is straight up platform puzzling goodness. The colorful stages are varied and enjoyable, even if the music and sound effects that accompany them aren't. The mild variations on the traditional platforming pattern make for a slightly slower paced, but no less enjoyable jaunt as you steadily cross the 2D landscape. Several of the puzzles are downright mean in later levels, a distinction that may not win it a lot of fans with the demographic most attracted to these cutesy visuals. For myself, I would have enjoyed a little more action to keep the pace up, but overall this cat emerges from the proverbial bag as a quality offering for the GBA.

Rated: 7 out of 10
Editor: Matt Miller


Subscribe to Game Informer

Product Description

Floppy-eared hero Klonoa returns in another fast-paced colorful side-scrolling adventure for the Game Boy® Advance. In his latest challenge Klonoa must race against time and other dream travelers in the Dream Champ Tournament to collect stars sun and moon stones to become the ultimate Dream Champion. Combining platform puzzle and adventure elements Klonoa 2: Dream Champ Tournament for the Game Boy® Advance is just the adventure fans of the series have been anticipating.Features:Five New Worlds Explore the intricate and puzzle-packed worlds where you ll meet a wide variety of interesting creatures!Solve Fiendishly-Designed Puzzles Use Boxes Bomb Boxes Switches Pressure Switches Goomis Springs and Scales in your quest for glory!Hoverboard Races Each world contains a fast-paced thrill ride of gem collecting fun!Master your Skills to Win Klonoa must prove his skills against other dream travelers in the Dream Champ Tournament!Format: GBA Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: E - Everyone UPC: 722674500067 Manufacturer No: 50006

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You've never seen such a variety of puzzles., March 20, 2005

By 

Tom Batchelor "just a beerfrog" (Kiester, southern Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Klonoa 2 Dream Champ Tournament (Video Game)

All the Klonoa games are fun, kind of classic-feeling side-scrolling games with a very fresh feel. This one is another action-puzzle game like the first GBA Klonoa, with none of the PS1 and PS2 games' 3D thrills but a definite charm of its own. Its simple-yet-deep gameplay, refreshing storyline, and incredible variety of level design make it a very worthwhile purchase, even if you have played the first GBA Klonoa.

The first GBA Klonoa took the series in a new, puzzle-filled direction. This one continues that tradition with an all-new array of levels, whose complexity and ingenuity reach levels well beyond those of the first by the end of the game. The perplexing and annoying multi-key juggling from the first game is gone here, leaving nothing but fresh, shrewd puzzles. You'll love 'em.

This game has a good difficulty curve, starting very easy, progressively getting tougher, and including some VERY difficult challenges for the hardcore gamer who seeks the top ratings in all the levels. The game's storyline stays very interesting, even to a gamer that's seen it all. Another thing that sets this game apart, once you get to the more complex levels, is just how many ways the designers found to use Klonoa's fairly simple play engine. The game will have you doing things you have never done in any other game. To progress you have to come up with puzzle solutions that you never would have thought of; I swear that the designers found every single thing you can possibly do using Klonoa's simple array of moves. DESIGNERS TAKE NOTE: Prove me wrong and make Klonoa use his abilities in even more ways in GBA Klonoa 3!!! :) Nothing would make me happier.

The graphics (*** out of 5) are cartoony; they're good but not the most impressive part of the game. The game play (*****) stands out, so simple yet lets you do such a variety of things. The challenge (*****) ranges from ridiculously easy to puzzles you may not figure out for half an hour. The story (****) is fun and may surprise some by the end, and the game's variety (****) is bogged down a bit by the constant barrage of time-consuming puzzles, but enhanced by a few boogie-boarding levels in a pseudo-3D that break the monotony. Overall (*****), this is a game you should buy.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you loved Empire of Dreams, you'll love this!, April 29, 2005

By 

TearsOfNightfall "The Lost One" (WA, USA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Klonoa 2 Dream Champ Tournament (Video Game)

This game that was realeased in Japan back in 2002, now finnaly sees an english realease, which is good as it's an extremly fun and addictive game, and is also quite original. It is a platform game with puzzle elements (sort of an action puzzler). But the thing about this game is that you have a very limited amount of simple moves at your disposal, all Klonoa can do is jump, and shot out "wind bullets" from his magic ring to capture enemies or boxes with. Once he has an enemy (or box) he can jump in midair or throw it. Also, without an enemy or box, he can jump and hover in mid air with his ears if you hold down the jump botton. And these are all the abilitys you have to work with, but yet the game never gets repetitive and you always have to come up with new ways to use these few skills. It's easy in the beggining, but gets harder in the later stages (or visions as they're called here). There are many different types of enemys for you to use however, including ones that explode or ones that absorb another enemy then come back to you. There are also "action" or forced scroller stages and "hoverboarding" stages. The action ones can be fun (depends on how you feel about forced scrollers) and the 3D-ish hoverboarding stages offer a bit of variety. If these stages arn't your cup of tea though, you can simply skip them (not if you're trying to unlock all extra stages though) and move on. The boss battles are races (in the first you're actually trying to escape the boss) in which you must remove all the main monsters and obsticles in your path and be the first to the goal. There are extra stages in the game, if you collect all "sun stones" (one per vision). And if you collect all "dream stones" you get a picture. You can also try to get all "S" ranks on all of the visions (the most challenging part of the game). Anyone who has played Klonoa Empire of Dreams knows bassicaly what I'm talking about. There are a few new things and a few changed things, but bassicaly this an advanced Empire of Dreams, so if you liked that game get this one! As for everyone else, this is a game I highly recommend (as I do all the Klonoa games) and think most players would engoy it. Simple but Fun.

0 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pepe' Le' Pu, March 11, 2006

A Kid's Review

= Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Klonoa 2 Dream Champ Tournament (Video Game)

All I have to say is Booooo!This game is not worth it, I would be better of playing 'Piglet's BIG Game'.