Klonoa Empire of Dreams

by Namco

Product Details

• ASIN: B00005LZY2
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,439 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

The weirdest ears in gaming come to the Game Boy Advance in Klonoa: Empire of Dreams. Klonoa, the supercute critter with limblike ears, must help Emperor Jillius, who has been struck with a strange illness that robs him of the ability to dream. It's up to Klonoa to defeat the monsters that are terrorizing the empire and solve the mystery behind the emperor's ailment.

Featuring 40 levels spanning five worlds, this title mixes up gameplay nicely. Action stages are traditional 2-D platform levels, similar to classic Mario and Sonic games. In these levels, Klonoa runs or rides a hover board through obstacle-filled lands. Boss stages pit Klonoa against a large creature with a hidden weak point. The most engaging levels are the puzzle stages, which require Klonoa to gather three keys to unlock the exit. These stages are very well designed, requiring thought and imagination on the player's part. In order to reach some keys, Klonoa will need to grab certain objects, monsters, or a combination thereof to reach his goal. Because each monster produces a different effect when thrown, and various surfaces react differently when hit, lots of trial and error is required.

Although the game's graphics are very bright, they aren't as detailed as in other GBA games. The sound is excellent, but the cute music and effects--particularly the gibberish language spoken by the characters--might be annoying to older gamers. Those with an aversion to cuteness should just hit the mute button, sit back, and enjoy one of the best platform games for the GBA. --Raymond M. Padilla

Pros:

• Excellent level design
• Good use of the GBA's sound capabilities
• Classic gameplay that's perfect for fans of 16-bit platform games

Cons:

• Sound might be too cute for mature gamers
• Graphics lack detail
• Can be finished in fewer than 10 hours

Amazon.com Product Description

Klonoa is a clever side-scrolling action game. As Klonoa, a catlike character with wings on its head, you must outmaneuver the bad guys with a prowess that isn't merely limited to smacking them upside the head--this cat has one mean jump! The game's graphics are highly engaging, and, even though Klonoa is a side scroller, its environment strives for a 3-D look. Challenging bosses and diverse levels test your gameplay.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So close, but.. okay, maybe not so close., September 20, 2001

By 

"tymelordx" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Klonoa Empire of Dreams (Video Game)

This game kills me. Not because of how bad it is, but because of how GOOD it COULD have been. The original Klonoa had that special something that made me want to play it over and over, even though the game took only a scant few hours to complete. Maybe it was the pseudo 3-D look of the levels, the addictive gameplay, the character.. whatever it was, it was addictive, and fun.
Klonoa: Empire of Dreams lacks a lot of these, as well as being a painfully short game. Don't let the '40+ levels' fool you. 5 of those levels are nothing more than a simple boss screen, and to get to the boss in each of the five worlds, you can skip 2 of the stages over in each world. They've messed with the simplicity of the original, which involved jumping and throwing in different patterns to take you to where you needed to go, with limited puzzle solving. It kept thing going at a nice clip. This game is nearly all puzzle solving, with a couple of 'action' stages which are so easy it's laughable.
This wouldn't even be so much of a complaint if there were just MORE of them. Didn't they think there would be a problem of people turning the game inside out in three hours tops?
I loved Klonoa, it's just a shame this game didn't live up to it. The graphics are nice, sound is okay, but who cares when it's over so fast? At least Mario had the multiplayer aspect.
Rent this one, spend the 35 bucks you have left to get Advance Wars, you'll be happier.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hidden gem for the GBA!, July 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 Empire of Dreams (Video Game)

This is the first Klonoa game for Gameboy Advance, released in 2001. If you've played the more recently released sequal, you know what to expect from this game. For those that haven't, in my humble opinion, it truly is a hidden gem! It's a 2D platformer specializing in solving enviromental (the kind were certain things and items block your path and such, not tetris type) puzzles. The cool thing about this game is how much you can do with the simple amount of moves given to you, by the time you get to the 3rd of the 5 worlds you'll start to think there's not much more you can do with the moves, but there is! The moves include walk (of course), jump (but dont be trying to jump on badies, you'll only hurt yourself), hover, and attack with the ring. When you attack, instead of killing the enemies, you pick them up and then can throw them or do a double jump - the biggest part of solving puzzles. All the enemy's serve a purpose. In the normal stages (or "visons") you have to solve the puzzles to advance and collect the three stars that open the door out of the level. Also, aside from the normal puzzle/platform levels, there are also "action stages". The first type is snowboarding, which is defententaly a good change of pace, and the moving stages (where the screen moves and you have to keep up). Note for those who like to keep to the slower paced normal stages, the snowboarding and moving stages are optional. Unless your trying to "really" completet the game by getting all the blue and green gems called "dream stones" scattered in the levels. 30 per normal stage and 100 per snowboarding or moving stage. Collecting the gems adds to the reply value alot, and is not to hard - not to easy (alot harder in action stages). Succesfully acomplishing this nets you the EX stages - two of which are time attack stages and one that's just a really hard normal stage. Pretty good rewards. There are also boss stages (which are required and not optional), they are pretty basic, hit the boss three times to win. They are also very easy. This great game has two main flaws though: too easy (unless you aren't a good puzzle solver, the puzzles do get pretty hard), and too short. If you can overlook these though, this (and it's sequal) is defenetly one of the best games on the GBA. I sure enjoyed it anyway! I hadn't played or even heard of any of the Klonoa games when I saw this at the store, but I decided to buy it anyway - and I was so glad I did!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best!, June 3, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Klonoa Empire of Dreams (Video Game)

This was my second game for the GBA, and I loved it! I was merely only eight years old, but the game was absolutly wonderful! I am now a huge fan of the Klonoa series. They are the best games I have ever played in my life! I am using this review also as a compliment to the wonderful creators of this game, Namco. Please Namco do keep making more Klonoa games. Platform game buffs all over our United Nation are counting on you, and the rest of your great company.