Klonoa is one of the most lovable gaming mascots ever created, with huge floppy ears and a can-do attitude. He first debuted on the PS1 with 1997's Klonoa: Door To Phantomile, and while the game initially got lost in a sea of cutesy mascot platformers, it slowly built up a following; its PS2 sequel, Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil, performed similarly.
Both of these original games are hard to come by these days, so the release of Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series — which compiles the two games in modern HD glory — is much-appreciated. But as much fun as these games are, there are a few strange questions that will stick in your mind after you've finished them.
10 ༒ ꧑ What Language Are They Speaking?
Back in the PS1 era, developers took advantage of the extra 🔥storage space offered by CDs by cramming their games chock-full with voice acting, CG cutscenes, and other fl🎃ashy stuff. Klonoa was no exception to the trend, featuring gorgeously surreal CGI and plenty of voice acting... that also happens to be total nonsense.
The voices sound like they're speaking some bizarro version of French mixed with Animal Crossing gibberish. Even more confusing is the fact that, in the obscure spinoff Klonoa Beach Volleyball, the characters all speak regular-degular English. Are we in the real world, or an alternate universe?
9 How Does Klon🧜oa Still Have The Ring In The Second Game?
In Door To Phantomile, the game's opening cutscenes show Klonoa finding a magic ring that houses his little friend Huepow. This implies that Klonoa's ability to grab enemies using the Wind Bullet ability comes from Huepow, since the Wind Bullets are tied to the ring. But then, at the end of the game, Klonoa is sucked out of the world of Phantomile while Huepow stays there... which implies that Klonoa's abilities will stay in Phantomile too.
So then why is Klonoa still able to use the magic ring in the second game? Why does he ev🌞en have it at all? Did the ending of the first game just... not happen?
8 🔜 Where Does Klonoa Even Come From?
The ending of Door To Phantomile is a real gut-punch: it reveals that Klonoa's friendship with Huepow was an elaborate deception, created to motivate Klonoa to save the land of Phantomile. Klonoa isn't actually from Phantomile, and he's only there because Huepow needed someone to battle the forces of darkness with him.
Lunatea's Veil opens with Klonoa falling into another world, called to yet anothཧer strange location by yet another mysterious dream denizen. But neither game shows us where Klonoa actually lives. Who is Klono▨a, and where does he come from? Does he even have a home?
7 Why Is Klonoa The Only♚ One Who Can Save ⛄The World?
This leads to another unsolvable dilemma. In Door To Phan𓄧tomile, Klonoa is revealed to be the only creature wh𝐆o can save the world of Phantomile from the encroaching darkness. This is despite the fact that Phantomile contains magical flying dolphins, an army of soldiers, a floating mechanical city, and a magical kingdom in the sky.
How is Klonoa, a diminutive fuzzy weirdo, the on๊ly one who has the power to save Phantomile? Are the other kingdoms just... too busy?
6 ❀ How Does Klonoa Know What Pac-🐈Man Is?
Klonoa's a pretty weird little guy — and we'll get to that in a minute, don't worry — but for now we'll focus on his threads. He's definitely got a bit of that 90s 'tude about him, what with his baggy jeans and the devil-may-care flop to his baseball cap, but it's what's on his cap that confuses me.
Why is Pac-Man on Klonoa's hat? Is a Pac-Man arcade machine buried in a windmill in Breezegale village? Is Pac-Man a character in Klonoa's fantasy realms? Or did Klonoa's favorite clothing emporium just randomly happen to design a hat featuring one of the most iconic video game characters ever?
5 🎀 When Did Klonoa Learn To Surf? ♛
One of the first game's most charmingly retro features is the way it switches from side-view platforming to on-rails segments seen from behind. It's easy to imagine that the game designers wanted these sections as a way to harness the newfound power of the PS1, showing off the system's 3D capabilities.
Lunatea's Veil preserves these gameplay changes, but with a slight twist. Instead of being trapped in a runaway mine cart or a swinging bridge, Klonoa suddenly hops on a surfboard or a snowboard and races through fast-paced courses. When did Klonoa learn how to surf? Did he take classes at his local community center in between games?
4 Why Can't Klonoa Leave The Linear Path?
Both of the games included in Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series are 2.5-D platformers, meaning that they're 2D games with 3D environments and assets. So far so good.
But both games also include the ability to interact with objects in the background and foreground to solve puzzles and find hidden items. Which begs the question: why can't Klonoa just, like, walk off the path to these foreground or background elements? Why is he glued to the single path? Is he trapped? Do we need to send a rescue party?
3 🍌 How Old Is Klonoa? ꦑ
In Door To Phantomile, Klonoa looks like he's about eleven years old; he's short in stature with a high-pitched, chirpy voice, and his pants are clearly way too big for him, since they come up to his chest. Some time obviously passes between the two games, since the Klonoa we see in Lunatea's Veil has a slightly edgier, cooler look, and his clothes actually fit.
But then we factor in the Wii-exclusive remake — known simply as Klonoa — and the whole thing becomes baffling. In that game, Klonoa looks like he's about 20 years old, with a deeper, more masculine voice. Klonoa is a dream traveler, yes. But is he also a time traveler?
2 ꦰ How Can K💃lonoa Float With His Ears?
Sure, Klonoa is cute and friendly. And sure, pretty much every platformer needs some sort of double-jump mechanic that gives you extra precision in aiming and landing your jumps. And sure, these games technically take place in a surreal dreamscape that doesn't obey normal physical logic. Like, I get it.
But how can Klonoa use his ears to float? Leaving aside the strange biological chain that would lead to such a trait, Klonoa looks like he weighs as much as a normal human. How are his ear muscles so strong that they can bear that weight? Does Klonoa generate an antigravity field? Should we st🐬udy him?
1 ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ Wꦛhat Even Is Klonoa, Anyway?
Klonoa is a strange chimera of a beast. He wears clothes, but he's obviously not human. He has yellow, catlike eyes, and he wears a stylish collar, but he's not a cat. He has long floppy ears and soft fur, but he's not a rabbit, either. Even more confoundingly, his eyes actually change between Door To Phantomile and Lunatea's Veil, becoming more doglike and less feline.
So... what kind of creature is Klonoa, that can speak with a human tongue and flutter-float with his long ears? What eldr𒁏itch horror has Bandai Namco unleashed upon us?