VIDEO GAMES: Nostalgia I didn't know I had: Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series

Dec. 3—(PC, Switch, PS4/5, Xbox One/X/S)

It takes a truly special remake to be able to evoke the joy of playing the original game again, but when that game can bring out those feelings even in new players, you know you've got something wonderful.

"Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series" is a remastered compilation of games from Bandai Namco's cult classic series, "Klonoa," bringing the adventures of the titular Dream Traveler to a brand-new generation of gamers.

Both installments, "Klonoa: Door to Phantomile" and "Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil," have received a massive graphic overhaul, allowing players to enjoy the classic platformer gameplay with a fresh and beautiful coat of paint.

Speaking of gameplay, while the overall feel of the game has remained untouched, new options have been implemented to make the experience a little more accessible for unfamiliar players, such as infinite lives, a larger range on your attacks, and a two-player mode.

The first game in the pack, "Door to Phantomile," in which Klonoa embarks on a journey with his friend, the wind spirit Huepow, to save the songstress Lephise from the vile Ghadius, is packed with charm, featuring unique level design, wonderful music and fun characters.

There unfortunately isn't a lot in terms of a narrative, which wasn't exactly uncommon for games of its time, but surprisingly, "Door to Phantomile" still manages to pack a lot of emotion into its story. While most of the existing plot threads felt rushed, I won't lie in saying that the final moments of the game were genuinely heart-wrenching.

Its sequel, "Lunatea's Veil," makes a much better attempt at a story, having Klonoa aid priestess-in-training Lolo in ringing the four bells of Lunatea and gather their respective elements before the pirate Leorina can use them to usher in an era of sorrow.

While a lot of characters in "Door to Phantomile" felt rather one-dimensional, "Lunatea's Veil" tries its hand at character arcs, giving a lot of attention to Lolo's struggle to prove herself and Leorina's motives for being at odds with the heroes.

However, the worlds, levels and music aren't nearly as endearing as they were in the previous game and a lot of the new mechanics and level gimmicks "Lunatea's Veil" tries to implement tend to fall flat.

There's some diamonds in the rough but I can't deny I had more fun playing the first game than the second.

My previous mentioning of the gameplay remaining untouched is also a bit of a double-edged sword for the compilation as a whole; aside from a new time trial mode, the aforementioned difficulty options and a costume or two, there's not much new for longtime fans of "Klonoa."

The biggest draw of this game is being able to play these classics on a modern console with more polished graphics — which is certainly still great, especially since both of these games are very hard to come by on their original consoles. But in terms of remakes, I can't deny that the lack of bonus content is a little lackluster.

That being said, there's something special about "Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series" that's hard to ignore and impossible not to mention.

Before this, I had never even played a "Klonoa" game. My only real experience with the character was from reading a profile on him in a Nintendo Power magazine about 10 years ago. But somehow, playing through this collection filled me with this strange sense of nostalgia.

Maybe it wasn't necessarily for those games specifically, but during my whole playthrough, especially during "Door to Phantomile," it felt like I was remembering things from my childhood I'd long forgotten, recapturing fond feelings I'd never had in the first place.

Sometimes I could almost picture myself playing the game when I was a kid, going through it all for the very first time and enjoying it as much as I was as an adult. If this game can evoke those feelings in a first-time player, there must be something truly special going on here.

Even if you've never even heard of "Klonoa" before today, definitely give this collection a try.

Davis Cobb is a reporter with The Tifton Gazette.