HEY MAN, I LIKE YOUR PAC-MAN HAT. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ANYWAYS?

People are always talking smack about the Wii these days. Some gamers go so far as to say that it’s destroying video games altogether. That’s being a bit extreme in my opinion. In fact, games like Klonoa remind me of the heyday of gaming. The style of play immediately bring about memories of a classic NES release – with better graphics. Klonoa’s 2D play field, simple controls and cutesy character design will most likely get it labeled as a kids game. And while that may be true, it has enough of that old school nostalgia feeling to hold the interest of anyone who was around for the Super Mario Bros. 1 release. In other words: it might surprise you. Check this out.

Half of the fun of the Klonoa is its surroundings. The level design is clever in the way it gives the player a smaller 3D area with lots of paths but holds the camera at a 2D point, panning whenever you turn. So struggling with the camera isn’t an option like so many other platformers – and you still get a lot of scenery to take in. The graphics and animation are beautiful and some of the best seen on the Wii. Everything is bright and colorful and the eyes get drawn everywhere. The areas are diverse and constantly interesting – so don’t be afraid to pause and soak it all in. The storyline is sparse and hard to follow but that doesn’t really matter a whole lot since it’s really just the same ‘rescue the girl to stop the end of the world’ setup. The controls are super tight yet simple – but give you enough options to keep things interesting. You can use the Wii-mote, Nunchuk, Classic controller or the Gamecube controller, so have at it, it’s your pleasure.

Your  main attack is to pick up your enemies and toss them (throwing motions for the Wii-mote as usual), which is way more fun than expected (especially when some of them balloon up when grabbed – it’s like picking up an Ethiopian and having them change into John Candy suddenly). The ability to throw an enemy into the foreground or background adds more depth than you think and helps in reaching certain areas, hitting certain items and defeating certain bosses. All in all a great package.

Really, the only thing that brings Klonoa down is the severely short play time. The game is over in a matter of hours – six would be a long play through – so players are going to have to make the choice between what’s more important: cost or fun, if only for a short while. At around $30 it doesn’t dent the wallet as much as other titles and that’s and advantage Klonoa has. But even so, for some it may be a bit much for a game you can beat in one sitting.

Overall if you’re looking for a nice classically styled hop n’ bop game, then Klonoa is the game for you. The rest of you gamers might do well with a rental to see if it’s your cup of tea. It may not be the longest game, or even the most involving. But once you pop this sucker in your Wii, you’re eight years old again – minus the worm eating. I hope.