We’re getting older here at Honey’s Anime and like many other gamers out there, we have fond memories of the PS1/PS2 era. Mascots like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro still linger in our souls but many of us die-hard action/adventure gamers also remember another little less known hero in the form of Klonoa. This dog/bunny/cat hybrid was released way back on the PS1 and since then has kept reappearing at seemingly random intervals during the various gaming generations. Well, folks, Klonoa is back twofold with two classic titles reimagined on the current consoles. Titled Klonoa Phantasy Reverie, this title contains both Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil but is it worth returning to nostalgia or should we leave our fond memories in the past? We shall find out in our review of Klonoa Phantasy Reverie!

Klonoa Phantasy Reverie returns us to our past gaming days—where we were hyped to just see games run at 480p—by remastering two of the more popular Klonoa titles. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile which was originally on the PS1 and Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil—a PS2 title that has been re-released more recently—are included in this title and both games play and feel like their original versions. Now though, the graphics have been a major overhaul—not so much for Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil—which was desperately needed for these titles to be even remotely successful in 2022. We do feel Klonoa Phantasy Reverie is a bit misleading as it has a title that has little to do with either game but we can forgive it as you’re getting two great classics for the price of half a modern game now.

Now in case you’ve never played a Klonoa game—we can’t blame you if you haven’t, here’s a bit you can expect. Players assume the role of Klonoa, and/or his friend in the co-op option, who is armed with a powerful ring that can grab his enemies and use them as projectiles and a means to reach higher locations. Each level plays out similarly with you guiding our cute warrior through an enemy-filled 2D stage with 3D elements and trying to collect gems for extra lives and other hidden goodies. Klonoa Phantasy Reverie brings us back to simpler platforming days where a little ingenuity could help you reach a high platform but you won’t rage if you mess up as Klonoa Phantasy Reverie wasn’t like hardcore games of the current age. Even on normal, Klonoa Phantasy Reverie’s two titles are ridiculously easy—of course, this makes sense as it’s geared for everyone 10+--so no need to worry about broken TVs or controllers.

Honestly, Klonoa 2 looks good and plays extremely well, plus, it has a lot more variety than the original but we couldn’t help but love the original over the sequel. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile lacks a strong story like the sequel and has an extremely simple format of gameplay but not only does it look fantastic for a PS1 game—you can tell there was love put into updating the visuals here—but it just felt more tuned with us older gamers. Klonoa 2 has annoying text breaks during your adventure and reminds us of the groan-inducing interruptions found in games like Mega Man X4. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile is, in our opinion, the more enjoyable game of this package but if you want a more visually appealing title then 2 will definitely hook you.

We said this already but why is Klonoa 1 and 2 combo packaged into Klonoa Phantasy Reverie, yet, the title seems to imply a third game. Seriously, this is a minor gripe but we would have rather Klonoa Phantasy Reverie been titled Klonoa 1 and 2 just to not feel so misleading. At least both games include co-op which is a welcome addition but still…we need a third Klonoa game!