"Nice puzzle game..."

~Introduction~
I think this would be a great game for you if you are one of those people who like solving puzzles and have a clever mind. The levels and worlds are full with puzzle stages, which Klonoa has to get to in order to defeat the four monsters terrorizing the Empire of Dreams. Some of the puzzles are pretty tough, yet this game is pretty fun in the bored times.

~Gameplay~
Whoa, quick witted, smart or people who feel like making more than just 10% of their brain work must try this game! It really makes you think, especially if you try and play the stages without the help of any FAQs, guides or codes. Even if you get stuck and think there is no way: the always is. You just have to figure it out! Klonoa **Empire of Dreams** isn't one of those “oh my God this is so seriously hard!” games. Its simply one where logic is needed. I really don't understand why it is in the Action Genre… Hardly any action, I should say.
Fun fun fun is definitely there. The special stages, where your brain can rest from puzzles, is pretty fun to do! Snow/surfboarding being one of those ‘relaxing’ stages. And the game saves on its own one you pass through a mini-scene or complete or get to a monster etc.

~Story~
Um… Well, for those who've played the earlier Klonoa games will know what this one's mostly like. Just hunt down the four monsters to get away from Emperor Jillius's execution. Collect the small (yet sometimes big one's are there to collect) jewels to complete a stage COMPLETELY. Um… you'll need to, of course, solve the puzzles and move further on through the current World you're in. At the end of each World there is the Boss. Five different Worlds and six different Bosses.

~Audio and Video~
Weee…. I love the music in this game. Simple rhythms, yet they fit very nicely to the stages, each stage having a different one, of course. Klonoa's animations have sound effects and the dialogue's included have a nice… how can I say? Background rhythm? Yeah. The dialogue's have a nice, yet very simple background rhythm that you hardly notice, but I'd say it means a lot.
Ah… But the graphics! Very, very detailed. Lovely animations and actions, not to mention the beautiful stage designs! Colorful, bright and very entertaining they are. Yet again, simple and plain, but they make the stage much more interesting to play through. Um… I think that's all I can say about these great graphics!

~Controls~
Ah. Now, something not so easy to rate: the controls. Basic and not too difficult, but they can confuse you sometimes. Throwing things, hovering for a short time, and all those things can sometimes confuse one, I really cant understand why, they seem easy to remember and understand but… Gah, on to the next bit. All I can say: the controls are OK. Not excellent, or perfect, just OK.

~Replayability~
Yes. Yes, yes, yes and yes. Replayability is a great thing in Klonoa **Empire of Dreams**. You can play it many times, because the puzzle solutions and tricks aren't easy to remember and to get all the jewels again is a pretty tough job! So the replayability is very high.

~To buy, or to rent? That is the question!~
Um… I'd rather say to buy. Its because of the puzzle stages. They're not done in 3 days, it may take you weeks to finish off a few stages FULLY. So you'd better buy than rent Klonoa. Or another good decision would be to find out if a friend has this game and then ask if you could borrow it for a couple of days. You know, just to try out and see if this is something for you to enjoy. No money, and you get to decide if you want to buy it! But really, it's actually completely your decision on whether you buy it or not!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/05/02, Updated 10/05/02