Kaze no Klonoa: Door to Phantomile / Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (PS) (1997)
Developer: Namco

Review by Faididi and Co.

Open the door to magic and wonder

Story: Excellent

Klonoa is a kindhearted, puppy-like boy who lives in a realm of dreams. When a villain threatens to summon a being of nightmares, our hero sets out to save the day. This story is clearly inspired by that of Thandra no Daibouken (Whirlo). It starts off simple but grows into a mini-epic, with Klonoa journeying across exotic, eye-catching locales, facing strange foes, and befriending quirky allies. Compared to its predecessor, however, this story is far more sophisticated. It avoids the preachy nonsense while never pulling its punches on the hero, and the protagonists and the antagonists alike have better developed personalities and motives. The game spends a greater amount of time on the supporting characters instead of breezing past them, too. The resulting tale is a deeply moving one that charms the audience like nothing else before it.

Gameplay: Excellent

Namco's Kaze no Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is a side-scrolling action platformer that's essentially what Thandra no Daibouken should have been. (That earlier game itself is a prequel within Namco's Valkyrie series.) The story is mixed seamlessly with the gameplay, where the characters meet and trade dialogue as Klonoa reaches certain points throughout his adventure. His progress can be recorded in between every level.

The key difference, of course, is this game is far easier to enjoy, and its hero's signature move serves creatively both as an attack and as a leaping maneuver. Instead of jabbing bad guys with something pointy like Thandra does, Klonoa uses his wind magic to capture and then throw enemies against other obstacles. This is no silly copy of the antics from HAL's Hoshi no Kirby, however, because Klonoa can also throw a captured enemy downward when he's in midair to hurl himself upward. Where there are multiple bad guys in the air, Klonoa can even chain his throw-jumps to literally soar skyward.

This simple yet brilliant twist on the familiar double-jump is fantastically incorporated into the level and enemy designs. Although our hero moves along preset paths, the game's world is actually three-dimensional, and sometimes there are multiple routes that wind over and around one another. More importantly, Klonoa can toss captured enemies not just forward, but toward and away from the camera as well, allowing him to hit objects located in the foreground and the background. The 12 beautifully constructed levels (along with a hidden bonus level) are neatly balanced, and they continuously present different takes on the throw-jumping and trackside-targeting challenges that are easy to learn but require a small amount of practice to master.

Controls: Excellent

The responsive, intuitive controls are perfect. Running, jumping, and attacking are a breeze to do.

Graphics: Excellent

The distinctive blend of fluidly animated 2D characters and gorgeously rendered 3D environments brings out the visual splendor of Door to Phantomile. From the wind-swept verdant valleys to the dazzling crystal-lit caverns, and from the arcane clockwork labyrinths to the sparkling celestial palaces, the game's world is a storybook come to life.

Audio: Excellent

The audio effects are just as wonderful. Klonoa captures and throws bad guys with a forceful snap and whoosh, while the items ring out pleasantly. The scenery is flush with the gentle murmur of streams, the creaking of old mine carts, and many other ambient noises. The dialogue is fully spoken in a constructed language, which sounds cutesy yet is far better realized than that of Sega's Panzer Dragoon. Most impressive of all, however, is the score. Be it the playful song of the windmill village, the deeply reflective pieces of the forests and caverns, or the delightfully melodic main theme, the music tells the game's tale with breathtaking effect.

Overall: Excellent

Kaze no Klonoa: Door to Phantomile weaves together an enchanting story, flawless controls, vibrant visuals, and absolutely lovely music. Experiencing this elegant action platformer and its clever twist on double-jumping will prove to be a pure joy.

OST: Excellent

Published by Nippon Crown, the Kaze no Klonoa: Door to Phantomile soundtrack contains all the music from the action platformer, including the audio portions of the movies (both original and in-game versions). It also comes with a few extra tracks, which consist of two prototype tunes and a collection of the various sound effects, vocal effects, and jingles.