Posted by Bob Mackey
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, a mostly-forgotten mascot platformer for the PSX, may be far less forgotten in the not-too-distant future. 1UP reports that the first--and admittedly, best--Klonoa game will see new life on the Wii in a fully-refurbished remake this December, which is great news--for Japan, anyway. Not only will this remake excise the game's lousy pre-rendered sprites; everyone who missed Namco's mascot of indeterminate species back in 1997 will finally get a chance to see why they should regret all of their decade-old mistakes.
Here's a video of the original game in action, lest we've forgotten:
I've always held a bit of disappointment in my heart for the general failure of the Klonoa series; despite the furry trappings, the first game was a whimsical adventure with a seemingly contrary bittersweet--and slightly depressing--tone. And the economy of effective storytelling fit in well with the game's deceptively-simple puzzle-platforming mechanics; Klonoa is a solid little game, and very similar to the 8-bit 2D platformers that undoubtedly inspired it. Unfortunately, the series was launched at a time when 2D vs. 3D was a common argument, back before people realized they could live together--kinda like Ebony and Ivory (ask your parents).
We can only hope that the Klonoa remake comes out here--and hopefully, without any Wii-mote gimmicks. I'd hate to see the elegant simplicity of the game ruined by excessive waggling. And who knows; maybe this remake will spark a Klonoa revival? The only thing to say to that is "Doopa-loo-doo."
Once again, ask your parents.
Related Links
Where is Shuichi Sakurazaki, Creator of Ninja Gaiden?
9/9/99 9 Years Later
Abominations of Technology: Pre-Rendered Graphics
+ DIGG
+ DEL.ICIO.US
+ REDDIT
About Bob Mackey
For a brief period of time I was Bull from TV's
Night Court, but some of you may know me from the humor column I wrote for Youngstown State University's The Jambar, Kent State University's The Stater, and Youngstown's alternative newspaper, The Walruss. I'm perhaps most well-known for my bi-weekly pieces on Something Awful. I've also blogged for Valley24.com and have written articles for EGM, 1UP, GameSpite and Cracked. For all of my writing over the years, I have made a total of twenty American dollars. It's also said that I draw cartoons, which people have described with words such as "legible." I kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby and am looking to do so again in the future.
If unsatisfied, please return unused portion for partial refund.