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Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil

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Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil
North American cover art
Developer(s)Namco
Publisher(s)Namco
Director(s)Tsuyoshi Kobayashi
Producer(s)Shigeru Yokoyama
Masaya Nakamura
Designer(s)
  • Masao Kunimori
  • Toshiyuki Nakanishi
  • Hideyuki Ishida
Artist(s)Yoshihiko Arawi
Writer(s)Hideo Yoshizawa
Yoshihiko Arawi
Composer(s)
  • Kanako Kakino
  • Eriko Imura
  • Katsuro Tajima
  • Asuka Sakai
  • Go Shiina
SeriesKlonoa
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
  • JP: March 22, 2001
  • NA: July 25, 2001
  • EU: November 9, 2001
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil[a] is a platform game developed by Namco. It was self-published by Namco in Japan and North America, and by Sony Computer Entertainment in Europe for the PlayStation 2 in 2001. It is the direct sequel to 1997's Klonoa: Door to Phantomile.

The game puts players in the role of Klonoa, who, along with a new cast of friends, has stumbled into another adventure, this time to save the world of Lunatea and help unveil the mysteries of the enchanted world. The game features gameplay inspired by the original Klonoa with 2D side-scrolling in a 3D-rendered environment. Klonoa's equipped weapon is a crystal ring which contains the life of Lolo inside helping him.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil is comparable to its predecessor Klonoa: Door to Phantomile,[1] consisting of standard platforming stages and boss battles, as well as board-riding stages. After a specific point in the game, the player has the option of choosing which stage, or "Vision", to play on the game's world map. For most of the game, the player is restricted to a side-scrolling 2D path in a 3D environment, with the ability to move left, right, up, or down. The player can also turn toward or away from the screen to interact with or throw things at objects in the foreground or background. In the standard stages the goal is to reach the end of level by means of using the enemies to overcome obstacles and solve puzzles. Klonoa has a limited amount of health in the form of hearts, which is reduced when coming in contact with enemies and certain obstacles.

In addition to being able to jump, Klonoa can shoot enemies with his signature "Wind Bullet" using the ring he carries. Once Klonoa has shot an enemy with a Wind Bullet, the player can throw it or use it to double jump by tossing the enemy towards the ground after jumping. There are also special kinds of enemies that are required for progressing through each Vision. These include the enemies called "Boomies," which will explode after a certain amount of time and must be used to break certain barricades; "Likuries," which absorb the enemies they are thrown at, resulting in them changing color from which point the player can use them to break crystals of the matching color; "Erbils" that give Klonoa the ability to jump higher than normal; and "Kitons," enemies the player can use to fly for a short time. There are also jet-like enemies and large cannons that rocket Klonoa towards distant parts of a Vision. Additionally, there is a feature that lets a friend use a second controller to make the character Popka give Klonoa an extra boost while jumping. Other than that, however, there is no multiplayer mode in this game. Board-riding stages put Klonoa on a fixed, continuously-moving path towards the end goal. Boss battles normally consists of grabbing enemies or objects to throw at the boss until its health depletes.

In each Vision, there are a number of items for Klonoa to collect. For example, Hearts will refill Klonoa's health and Alarm Clocks serve as a checkpoint in the event the player dies. Each Vision, aside from boss battles, contains at least 150 "Dream Stones" scattered around. The item called the "Mirror Spirit" temporarily makes each stone worth double its original value. Every Vision also contains six star-like items called "Moon Stones." Collecting 150 Dream Stones for a Vision will unlock a picture in the game's "Scrapbook," while collecting six Moon Stones earns the player a "Momett Doll," used to unlock other in-game features.

Plot

Setting

The game takes place in the dream world of Lunatea. It is composed of four kingdoms. The Kingdom of Tranquility, La-Lakoosha, is a peaceful kingdom that lies at the north of Lunatea and where the High Priestess resides. The Kingdom of Joy, Joilant, is a kingdom to the south of Lunatea and resembles an amusement park. The Kingdom of Discord, Volk, which lies to the west, resembles several metalworking factories and its people wage a neverending war. The Kingdom of Indecision, Mira-Mira, is secluded and snowbound all year long. Each kingdom contains a bell housing its element.

Story

The story begins with Klonoa, in what appears to be a dream, being asked for help by an unknown silhouette. Klonoa suddenly starts falling into water. A flying ship, carrying sky pirates Leorina and Tat, appears above him. Before they can take his ring, the priestess-in-training Lolo and her sidekick Popka appears and they fly off, not wanting to risk losing the ring. Klonoa wakes up and is greeted by Lolo and Popka, they mention that he is in Lunatea and that they should see The High Priestess. Along the way to meet the priestess, Klonoa uses the ring, with Lolo in it, to ring a giant bell. After talking with the High Priestess, Lolo is granted the title of a priestess. Klonoa learns he must get the elements from the giant bells spread throughout Lunatea, but Leorina and Tat manage to get in his way, and take them.

After catching up with her, Leorina explains that with the power she has, she'll make everyone realize sorrow, but instead, she gets cursed by it, turning into a giant silver bird-like creature. After Klonoa saves her, she decides to help him. With the power of the elements, Klonoa opens the gate to the Kingdom of Sorrow. It is revealed that the King of Sorrow is the one who summoned Klonoa to Lunatea, in the end however, the king decides to use Klonoa as a vessel for the pain he suffered in isolation but gets defeated in battle.

Klonoa promises the King of Sorrow that the world would remember sorrow. Klonoa rings the bell, and the king turns to light and fades away. Sometime later, Leorina and Tat decide to restore the Kingdom of Sorrow, and Klonoa decides to return to his home world, saying his goodbyes to Lolo. In the credits, it is revealed that the inhabitants of the four Kingdoms in Lunatea are now moving about freely to the other Kingdoms, with most of them assisting Leorina and Tat in rebuilding the Kingdom of Sorrow while others are exploring the other four Kingdoms with curiosity and wonder.

Characters

The protagonist of the game is the anthropomorphic cat Klonoa, known by the people of Lunatea as the "Dream Traveler," one who is summoned to save unbalanced dream worlds. Throughout most of the game, he is accompanied by Lolo, a priestess in training. She has continuously failed the test to become a full-fledged priestess, but is asked by the High Priestess of the Goddess Claire to aid Klonoa in his journey to save Lunatea. She is hinted to have feelings for Klonoa. In the game, she provides the energy of Klonoa's ring. Klonoa is also joined by the dog-like creature Popka, who acts as the rude but charismatic sidekick of Lolo.

Early in the game, the trio seek the aid of the enigmatic prophet, Baguji, who apparently predicted Klonoa's arrival and directs the team throughout the early parts of their journey.

The game's primary antagonist is the pirate Leorina, a former priestess who eventually lost her patience and set off to gain "The power of the gods." She is accompanied by Tat, a floating cat-like creature who has the power to split herself into two beings. She shows a liking to Klonoa at the beginning of the game, giving off a few tips to Klonoa when he is pursuing her.

Development and release

A port for the Nintendo GameCube was announced, but cancelled.[2] It was stated by Hideo Yoshizawa, the executive producer and director of the Klonoa series, that if the Wii release of Klonoa: Door to Phantomile was received well, he would likely make a Wii version of Lunatea's Veil too, but never materialized due to poor sales of the first game's remake.[3]

The soundtrack for Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil was composed by eight individuals. A two-disc, 73 track set was released exclusively in Japan by Scitron Digital Content on August 21, 2002.[4] The score includes the vocal song "Stepping Wind", sung by Klonoa voice actress Kumiko Watanabe in the character's fictional in-game language. Despite this, the guidebook released by Enterbrain contains a Japanese translation for the lyrics.[5]

In Japan, Enterbrain released an official strategy guide to Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil in 2001.[6] Another guide was released by BradyGames in North America.[7] Yujin released a 4-inch tall gashapon figure of Lolo and Popka as part of the "Namco Girls" Mini-Figures Series 5 collection.[8]

Reception

Reviews

Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil was well-received from most game critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the video game received an average score of 91, based on 18 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[10]

GamePro gave it an acclaimed review, awarding it five out of five, saying "A prime lesson on simple yet addictive gameplay with awe-inspiring visuals-a blend that no gamer should miss."[16] Benjamin Galway from GameSpy gave the game a positive review, saying "While the story isn't quite as moving as the original, Klonoa 2 has a wonderful mix of action, great control, nice challenge [...], and just beautiful presentation."[18] IGN's David Smith gave the game a positive review, saying "With the aid of PS2 graphics, not only is Klonoa the star of a superior platformer, he's the star of one of the most beautiful games available."[20] GameZone too gave it a positive review, saying that this game is a certain game that would make you "smile."[19] GameSpot gave it a positive review, saying "Because of its airtight gameplay, awesome visuals, and great soundtrack, Klonoa 2 is an almost perfect platform game [...] almost."[17]

Jim Preston reviewed the PlayStation 2 version of the game for Next Generation, saying: "Worth renting for its first-rate visuals, but this is short, sweet, and shallow."[21]

Although the game was well-received from many game critics, the commercial success lacked. Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil sold 133,401 copies in Japan during 2001, making it the 85th best-selling game of the year.[23] Famitsu reported that the game sold 33,785 copies during its first week of release in that region.[24] Klonoa 2, along with Moto GP and Seven: Molmorth no Kiheitai, were expected to sell a combined 900,000 copies during the release quarter, but only managed to sell 290,000 units together.[25] Lunatea's Veil was re-released in Japan on June 27, 2002 as part of Sony's The Best range of budget titles.[26]

Accolades

Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil won GameSpy's PlayStation 2 "Platform Game of the Year" in 2004 and was later named the 20th best PlayStation 2 game by the website.[27][28] Gaming Age also named it the best platformer in its "Best of 2001 Awards".[29] It was also a runner-up for GameSpot's annual "Best Platform Game" award among console games, which went to Conker's Bad Fur Day.[30] It was called the tenth best PlayStation 2 game for the system's first year by IGN.[31] In 2004, staff of IGN also included it as "one of twelve games you've probably never played, but should."[32]

References

  1. ^ Kaze no Kuronoa 2: Sekai ga Nozonda Wasuremono (風のクロノア2 世界が望んだ忘れもの); "Klonoa of the Wind 2: The Thing That The World Wants to Forget" in Japanese
  1. ^ Minkley, Johnny (August 18, 2004). "CVG speaks to Klonoa chief". Computer and Video Games. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  2. ^ "GameSpy.com - The Most Wanted Games of 2002". GameSpy. 2001. Archived from the original on 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  3. ^ Nintendo Power (Issue 237, January 2009). Future Publishing. December 21, 2008. p. 71.
  4. ^ The Paladin. "Klonoa of the Wind 2 ~Something Forgotten Wished by the World~ Original Soundtrack". Chudah's Corner. Archived from the original on 2006-10-27. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
  5. ^ "Kaze no Klonoa 2: Something Forgotten Wished by the World Official Book". Enterbrain. April 2001. p. 127.
  6. ^ "Amazon.co.jp: 風のクロノア2・世界が望んだ忘れもの・オフィシャルガイドブック: ファミ通書籍編集部, ナムコ: 本" (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  7. ^ "Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil Official Strategy Guide". BradyGames. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  8. ^ JoshB (October 13, 2005). "Diamond Offers Previews Exclusive Video Game Vixens". CollectionDX. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  9. ^ "Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  10. ^ a b "Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  11. ^ Frankle, Gavin. "Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil - Review". Allgame. Archived from the original on 2014-11-15. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
  12. ^ Edge Staff (June 2001). "Klonoa 2". Edge (98).
  13. ^ EGM Staff (September 2001). "Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil". Electronic Gaming Monthly (146). Ziff Davis Media: 141.
  14. ^ "プレイステーション2 - 風のクロノア2 ~世界が望んだ忘れもの~". Famitsu. 915: 60. 30 June 2006.
  15. ^ "Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil". Game Informer (100). August 2001.
  16. ^ a b Four-Eyed Dragon (July 19, 2001). "Review : Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil [PS2]". GamePro. Archived from the original on 2009-08-25. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
  17. ^ a b Davis, Ryan (July 27, 2001). "Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  18. ^ a b Galway, Benjamin (July 24, 2001). "Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (PS2)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2002-06-02. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  19. ^ a b The Badger (September 20, 2001). "Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil Review - PlayStation 2". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2008-10-04. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  20. ^ a b Smith, David (July 23, 2001). "Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil". IGN. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  21. ^ a b Preston, Jim (September 2001). "Finals". Next Generation. Vol. 4, no. 9. Imagine Media. p. 66.
  22. ^ "Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. 2001.
  23. ^ "2001 Top 100 Japanese Console Game Chart". The Magic Box. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  24. ^ "GID 755 - Klonoa 2 - PS2". Garaph.info. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  25. ^ "Namco tries to deal with financial strife". Spong. March 1, 2001. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  26. ^ "PlayStation.com(Japan)｜ソフトウェアカタログ｜風のクロノア2～世界が望んだ忘れもの～PlayStation" (in Japanese). Sony Computer Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2009-01-29. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  27. ^ GameSpy Staff (2004). "GameSpy.com - Game of the Year Awards - 2001". GameSpy. Archived from the original on 2009-02-03. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  28. ^ GameSpy Staff (March 29, 2006). "GameSpy: Top 25 PS2 Games". GameSpy. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  29. ^ Cordeira, Jim (February 20, 2002). "GA's Best of 2004 Awards Feature (Page 1)". Gaming Age. Retrieved 2009-12-07.[permanent dead link‍]
  30. ^ GameSpot VG Staff (February 23, 2002). "GameSpot's Best and Worst Video Games of 2001". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 3, 2002.
  31. ^ IGN staff (October 26, 2001). "PlayStation 2 Year One Top 10". IGN. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  32. ^ Dunham, Jeremy; Sulic, Ivan; Lewis, Ed (July 14, 2004). "Dirty Dozen: Hidden Gems". IGN. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
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