Gamertell

It’s no secret that the Wii’s success with casual markets has made the system a dumping ground for shovelware and complete crap. A quick walk down the aisle of your local game retailer will reveal stacks and stacks of titles that any self-respecting gamer would be hard-pressed to play for more than two minutes if it were a free browser game, let alone a full-priced retail product.

This is exactly why a game like Klonoa stands out - in a sea of colorful, family-friendly fare, it stands out like a beacon of quality, satisfaction, and pure, absolute joy. Sure, there are some great games on Wii - but aside from Nintendo’s own stable (Mario, Zelda, Metroid) and a few excellent but adult-oriented experiences (Resident Evil 4, MadWorld, House of the Dead: Overkill), there’s very little worth mentioning.

Klonoa, for the uninitiated, is a 2D platformer (set in a gorgeous 3D world) wherein your adorable hero (the titular Klonoa) hops and bops through devious branching paths in order to save the world. What sets the experience apart from, say, Mario, is his ability to grab onto enemies and use them to solve the many environmental puzzles (and gain more height for his jumps). It’s a beautifully implemented mechanic that the entire game was clearly built around - and despite the title’s short length, it keeps things thoroughly satisfying (and challenging) right up until the end.

Here’s the fun part - the game is actually twelve years old, and it still feels incredible fresh and fun. Namco Bandai overhauled the graphics (this is a gorgeous game, to be sure), but thankfully didn’t touch anything else, leaving players with one of the best Wii experiences of 2009. We need more games like this on Wii - whether they be twelve years old or newly developed from the ground up.

So if you have any fondness at all for platform games, do yourself a favor and pick this up. It’s retailing for $29.99, and honestly deserves all the love (and adoring adjectives) that fans could possibly through at it.

Read [Klonoa] Read [Nintendojo]