With its release date getting closer and closer, Bandai Namco is hying up the Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series collection by dropping the remastered opening cutscene of Klonoa: Door to Phantomile. For those who missed this exciting announcement during February‘s Nintendo Direct, the Phantasy Reverie Series will contain complete remasters of both the first Klonoa title and the PlayStation 2 sequel Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil.
Originally released for the PlayStation in 1997, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile introduced players to the titular character, who is capable of exploring dream worlds. One of the best platformers of the PlayStation era, the game is now one of the most valuable and rare titles from the time period. At the time of writing, a used copy is being sold on Amazon for $799. A remake of the game was released for the Wii in 2008. Sadly, poor sales resulted in a 14-year hiatus coming to an end with this exciting release in July.
Check out the remastered opening below:
Door to Phantomile sees Klonoa teaming up with a ring spirit named Huepow. Traveling the world of Phantomile together, the two defeat enemies while trying to save the world of dreams from becoming the world of nightmares.
The sequel, Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil, was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2001. A direct sequel, the game features similar gameplay to the original title, with 2D side-scrolling in a 3D environment. It was listed by many publications as the best platformer of the year, and while the gameplay seems relatively simple and straightforward, many have applauded its difficulty.
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series will be released on July 8, 2022 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. While Europe and Asia will be getting a physical version, North America seems to only be getting a digital release. If the game sells well, maybe the Klonoa series will finally get the respect it deserves abroad.
