Even though remakes are now in vogue across the entertainment industry, the video game industry is still a top producer of remakes, reboots, and remasters. The current gaming industry sometimes gets accused of producing remakes that are cash grabs, but video games have more trouble aging well than movies and TV due to how rapidly the medium evolves, so the regular release of game remakes and remasters makes sense. Bandai Namco's Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series shows that video game remasters can have a ton of value.
One particular trend that has become more prevalent in recent years is the nostalgia for platformers of all kinds. Every retro console with prominent platformers in their library, such as the NES, the Super Nintendo, the Nintendo 64, and the PlayStation has been honored in these recent trips to memory lane, whether through remakes or original titles with retro aesthetics. Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is another throwback to the PlayStation. With its current success, the compilation could possibly inspire the development of more original platformers, whether as a continuation of Klonoa or the introduction of a brand-new work.
The Trend that Klonoa Could Possibly Contribute To
Originally, the nostalgia people had for platformers was mostly limited to the sprite-based side scrollers. The popularity of Shovel Knight and the decision make a remastered version of the NES DuckTales demonstrated a newfound affinity for the oldest titles the genre has to offer. However, as time goes on, so do the current nostalgic trends. Soon, the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis’ own games and visual style gained retroactive appreciation. Sonic Mania being the one critically and commercially successful Sonic game in the past decade shows the demand for 1990s shoutouts. Lastly, the first big 3D consoles, the Nintendo 64 and the PlayStation, began getting attention of their own with remakes such as Crash N. Sane Trilogy and Spyro Reignited Trilogy.
Having first been released on the PlayStation, Klonoa continues the trend of bringing back old school, former Sony icons started by the Spyro and Crash trilogies. Like the aforementioned orange bandicoot and purple dragon, the eponymous Klonoa lives in a brightly colorful and cartoonish world accompanied by other similarly fantastical and anthropomorphic characters. While cutesy and family friendly, the games are unafraid of provoking strong emotions out of the player, from invoking fear with surprisingly nightmarish creatures, to inspiring bittersweet feelings through Klonoa's journey.
These games are simplistic and far more driven by their gameplay than any semblance of a plot that they have. Despite this apparent handicap, there is a genuine effort to immerse players into the world of Klonoa. With the help of the sentimental value the series has for countless people nowadays, the series still holds a lot of appeal. The old school candy colored landscape was brought to life in the modern era, proving that Klonoa is not a product of its time and that there is an audience and the necessary resources for these cheerful platformers.
There are always certain trends that dominate particular eras, but it looks like the game industry will finally make a transition. Genres like multiplayer shooters and action RPGs as a whole have been dominating the medium for several years. The fatigue is being felt by some gamers, and nostalgia for the trends of the 1990s looks like it'll only get stronger. If Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, and Klonoa are any indication, the future Pac-Man World remake will also be successful. Platformers are back, and if the trends keep being in their favor, then they will likely rediscover a dominant spot in the industry, hopefully inspiring a trend of new works in the genre.
Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series is available now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.