That said, there are certainly a few things here and there that show the games? ages. Rather, they feature bright, colourful worlds that pop off the screen. Somehow, despite the fact the games were designed in the late ?90s/early ?00s, they don?t look like they?re from the era. It also helps that both Door to Phantomile and Lunatea’s Veil look fantastic.

While you always have a clear logical progression, the games also give you just just enough opportunity to explore and uncover treasures, so that it doesn?t just feel like a straight line from point A to point B. The levels are well-designed, with checkpoints and puzzles and enemies that feel like they?re spaced out just right. In fact, if anything, competing against lots of other 2D platformers makes it even more clear how good these two games are.

If nothing else, then, the resurgence of 2D platformers over the last decade-plus makes KLONOA Phantasy Reverie Series seem less like an anachronism. As for Klonoa 2, even back in 2004 it was known for having low sales ? presumably, in part, because 2.5D platformers still felt too much like a relic. The game was re-released on the Wii in 2009, but like lots of other third party games on that system, no one really noticed it then either. Door to Phantomile, was originally released back in 1997, when Super Mario 64 had suddenly made the 2D platforming of Klonoa (or, more accurately, 2.5D) feel tame by comparison. The game is a re-release of a pair of Klonoa games, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile and Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil, both of which failed to set the world alight their first time out, not due to any fault of their own. It kind of feels like KLONOA Phantasy Reverie Series is a testament to the power of bad timing.

Also on: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One

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