Reader Reviews

Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (PS2)

by Peej

Well-worn phrases such as "3D Platformer" and "Old School Action" are bandied about more in reviews than any other, but with Klonoa 2 the old clichés are more than justified on several counts. Firstly, it really is a platformer in every sense of the word, harking back even as far as hoary old classics like "Miner 2049er" and everything else in-between. This time though, the 3D aspect doesn't involve horrible blind jumps into space, you still more or less get a side-on "traditional" view in most levels but often the camera will pan around the action quite madly, producing some of the best graphical effects yet seen in a humble jump-and-collect effort.

So what is Klonoa? A moggy? A Rabbit? Some hideous genetic experiment that managed to escape the Island of Dr Moreau? It's difficult to say and to be honest you'll find yourself skipping the storyline and cut-scenes quicker than granddad skips to the bookies with a hot tip. The game starts with a vast map, which you move around, pretty much like the Mario series of games. You choose a level and enter it, and then the pseudo-3D madness begins.

Running smoothly in 60Hz mode Klonoa 2 is a graphical tour de force, which harks back not only to its predecessor but also to that other PS1 classic Pandemonium, which shared a similar camera-tracking system. The objective is pretty much the same in this - collect a bunch of stuff, solve a bunch of puzzles then defeat a big-assed boss character.