Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil
Encyclopedia
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil, known in Japan as . is a PlayStation 2
platform
video game by Namco
released in 2001. It is the sequel to 1997's Klonoa: Door to Phantomile
. It was planned for Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil to be ported to the Nintendo GameCube
. The port was cancelled for unknown reasons.
The game puts players in the role of Klonoa
, who, along with a new cast of friends, has stumbled into another adventure, this time to save the world of Lunatea and help unveil the mysteries of the enchanted world. The game features gameplay inspired by the original Klonoa with 2D side-scrolling
in a 3D-rendered environment. Klonoa's equipped weapon is a crystal
ring which contains the life of Lolo inside helping him.
stages and boss battles, as well as board
-riding stages. After a specific point in the game, the player has the option of choosing which stage, or "Vision", to play on the game's world map. For most of the game, the player is restricted to a side-scrolling 2D
path in a 3D environment
, with the ability to move left, right, up, or down. The player can also turn toward or away from the screen to interact with or throw things at objects in the foreground or background. In the standard stages the goal is to reach the end of level by means of using the enemies to overcome obstacles and solve puzzles. Klonoa has a limited amount of health in the form of hearts, which is reduced when coming in contact with enemies and certain obstacles.
In addition to being able to jump, Klonoa can shoot enemies with his signature "Wind Bullet" using the ring he carries. Once Klonoa has shot an enemy with a Wind Bullet, the player can throw it or use it to double jump
by tossing the enemy towards the ground after jumping. There are also special kinds of enemies that are required for progressing through each Vision. These include the enemies called "Boomies," which will explode after a certain amount of time and must be used to break certain barricades; "Likuries," which absorb the enemies they are thrown at, resulting in them changing color from which point the player can use them to break crystals of the matching color; "Erbils" that give Klonoa the ability to jump higher than normal; and "Kitons," enemies the player can use to fly for a short time. There are also jet-like enemies and large cannons that rocket Klonoa towards distant parts of a Vision. Additionally, there is a feature that lets a friend use a second controller to make the character Popka give Klonoa an extra boost while jumping. Other than that, however, there is no multiplayer mode in this game. Board-riding stages put Klonoa on a fixed, continuously-moving path towards the end goal. Boss battles normally consists of grabbing enemies or objects to throw at the boss until its health depletes.
In each Vision, there are a number of items for Klonoa to collect. For example, Hearts will refill Klonoa's health and Alarm Clocks serve as a checkpoint in the event the player dies. Each Vision, aside from boss battles, contains at least 150 "Dream Stones" scattered around. The item called the "Mirror Spirit" temporarily makes each stone worth double its original value. Every Vision also contains six star-like items called "Moon Stones." Collecting 150 Dream Stones for a Vision will unlock a picture in the game's "Scrapbook," while collecting six Moon Stones earns the player a "Momett Doll," used to unlock other in-game features.
Lolo and Popka take Klonoa to visit Baguji, an enigmatic but wise prophet. He explains that the four Kingdoms of Lunatea each house a bell, which maintain harmony throughout Lunatea. However, a fifth bell which does not belong to any of the kingdoms has appeared. This fifth bell has begun to spread chaos across Lunatea, spawning monsters and causing priestesses to fall ill. Despite this, no one in Lunatea seems to notice. He then instructs them to visit the High Priestess. Upon reaching the High Priestess, Lolo is officially designated as a full priestess. The High Priestess orders Lolo to visit and gather the power from each bell in order to contain the evil. The three then set off to visit each bell.
During their journey, the group is often stalked and attacked by Leorina and Tat, who desire the power of the bells for their own purposes.
. The Kingdom of Tranquility
, La-Lakoosha, is a peaceful kingdom that lies at the north of Lunatea and where the High Priestess resides. The Kingdom of Joy
, Joilant, is a kingdom to the south of Lunatea and resembles an amusement park. The Kingdom of Discord
, Volk, which lies to the west, resembles several metalworking
factories and its people rage a neverending war. The Kingdom of Indecision
, Mira-Mira, is secluded and snowbound all year long. Each kingdom contains a bell housing its element.
, cat-like creature Klonoa. Throughout the game, he is accompanied by Lolo, a timid priestess-in-training, and her sidekick Popka, a loud-mouthed, somewhat insensitive, but protective dog-like creature. The game's primary antagonists are Leorina, a pirate who aims to thwart Klonoa, and Tat, a floating, cat-like creature who is capable of splitting herself into two separate beings.
on August 21, 2002. The score includes the vocal song "Stepping Wind," sung by Klonoa voice actress Kumiko Watanabe
in the character's fictional in-game language. Despite this, the guidebook released by Enterbrain contains a Japanese translation for the lyrics.
reported that the game sold 33,785 copies during its first week of release in that region. Klonoa 2, along with Moto GP 4 and Seven: Molmorth no Kiheitai, were expected to sell a combined 900,000 copies during the release quarter, but only managed to sell 290,000 units together. Lunatea's Veil was re-released in Japan on June 27, 2002 as part of Sony's The Best range of budget titles.
Despite its lack of commercial success, Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil met with a very positive critical reception. The game currently has a score of 91 out of 100 on Metacritic
("universal acclaim") and a score of 85% on Game Rankings
. Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil won GameSpy
's PlayStation 2 "Platform Game of the Year" in 2001 and was later named the 20th best PlayStation 2 game by the website. Gaming Age also named it the best platformer in its "Best of 2001 Awards". The game was nominated for Best Platformer in GameSpot
's "Best and Worst of 2001". It was called the tenth best PlayStation 2 game for the system's first year by IGN
. In 2004, staff of the website included it as "one of twelve games you've probably never played, but should."
It was stated by Hideo Yoshizawa
, the executive producer and director of the Klonoa
series, that if the Wii
release of Klonoa: Door to Phantomile was received well, he would likely make a Wii version of Lunatea's Veil too.
released an official strategy guide
to Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil in 2001. Another guide was released by BradyGames in North America. Yujin released a 4-inch tall gashapon
figure of Lolo and Popka as part of the "Namco Girls" Mini-Figures Series 5 collection.
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
platform
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
video game by Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
released in 2001. It is the sequel to 1997's Klonoa: Door to Phantomile
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile
is a 1997 platform game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation. The game's story focuses on an anthropomorphic creature and a "spirit" encapsulated in a ring. The game was critically praised, with high sales in Japan, but low sales elsewhere. The game was followed by a sequel, Klonoa...
. It was planned for Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil to be ported to the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
. The port was cancelled for unknown reasons.
The game puts players in the role of Klonoa
Klonoa
is a video game series created by Namco and Klonoa Works, as well as the name of the titular character of the series.-Setting and gameplay:The games are set in different worlds, though the primary and known ones are Phantomile and Lunatea. It revolves around Klonoa and how he, the Dream Traveler,...
, who, along with a new cast of friends, has stumbled into another adventure, this time to save the world of Lunatea and help unveil the mysteries of the enchanted world. The game features gameplay inspired by the original Klonoa with 2D side-scrolling
Side-scrolling video game
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling computer display technology...
in a 3D-rendered environment. Klonoa's equipped weapon is a crystal
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
ring which contains the life of Lolo inside helping him.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil is comparable to its predecessor Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, consisting of standard platformingPlatform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
stages and boss battles, as well as board
Surfboard
A surfboard is an elongated platform used in the sport of surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding a breaking wave...
-riding stages. After a specific point in the game, the player has the option of choosing which stage, or "Vision", to play on the game's world map. For most of the game, the player is restricted to a side-scrolling 2D
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
path in a 3D environment
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
, with the ability to move left, right, up, or down. The player can also turn toward or away from the screen to interact with or throw things at objects in the foreground or background. In the standard stages the goal is to reach the end of level by means of using the enemies to overcome obstacles and solve puzzles. Klonoa has a limited amount of health in the form of hearts, which is reduced when coming in contact with enemies and certain obstacles.
In addition to being able to jump, Klonoa can shoot enemies with his signature "Wind Bullet" using the ring he carries. Once Klonoa has shot an enemy with a Wind Bullet, the player can throw it or use it to double jump
Double jump
Double jump may refer to:* Double jump , performing the same jump twice in a row in cheerleading* Double jump , Two revolutions in a figure skating jumps* Double jump...
by tossing the enemy towards the ground after jumping. There are also special kinds of enemies that are required for progressing through each Vision. These include the enemies called "Boomies," which will explode after a certain amount of time and must be used to break certain barricades; "Likuries," which absorb the enemies they are thrown at, resulting in them changing color from which point the player can use them to break crystals of the matching color; "Erbils" that give Klonoa the ability to jump higher than normal; and "Kitons," enemies the player can use to fly for a short time. There are also jet-like enemies and large cannons that rocket Klonoa towards distant parts of a Vision. Additionally, there is a feature that lets a friend use a second controller to make the character Popka give Klonoa an extra boost while jumping. Other than that, however, there is no multiplayer mode in this game. Board-riding stages put Klonoa on a fixed, continuously-moving path towards the end goal. Boss battles normally consists of grabbing enemies or objects to throw at the boss until its health depletes.
In each Vision, there are a number of items for Klonoa to collect. For example, Hearts will refill Klonoa's health and Alarm Clocks serve as a checkpoint in the event the player dies. Each Vision, aside from boss battles, contains at least 150 "Dream Stones" scattered around. The item called the "Mirror Spirit" temporarily makes each stone worth double its original value. Every Vision also contains six star-like items called "Moon Stones." Collecting 150 Dream Stones for a Vision will unlock a picture in the game's "Scrapbook," while collecting six Moon Stones earns the player a "Momett Doll," used to unlock other in-game features.
Plot
The game opens with Klonoa during what appears to be a dream. A mysterious figure calls out for his help. Suddenly, he is seemingly teleported to Lunatea and falls into an ocean. The tide sweeps him towards a rocky outcrop, where he is spotted and rescued by Lolo and Popka. The two direct him towards an island which houses a bell, which Lolo must ring to become a full priestess. With Klonoa's help, the group make their way to the bell and Lolo, much to her excitement, manages to ring it.Lolo and Popka take Klonoa to visit Baguji, an enigmatic but wise prophet. He explains that the four Kingdoms of Lunatea each house a bell, which maintain harmony throughout Lunatea. However, a fifth bell which does not belong to any of the kingdoms has appeared. This fifth bell has begun to spread chaos across Lunatea, spawning monsters and causing priestesses to fall ill. Despite this, no one in Lunatea seems to notice. He then instructs them to visit the High Priestess. Upon reaching the High Priestess, Lolo is officially designated as a full priestess. The High Priestess orders Lolo to visit and gather the power from each bell in order to contain the evil. The three then set off to visit each bell.
During their journey, the group is often stalked and attacked by Leorina and Tat, who desire the power of the bells for their own purposes.
Setting
The game takes place in the dream world of Lunatea. It is composed of four kingdomsMonarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
. The Kingdom of Tranquility
Tranquillity
Tranquillity is the quality or state of being tranquil; calmness; serenity n. The word tranquillity appears in numerous texts ranging from the religious writings of Buddhism, where the term passaddhi refers to tranquillity of the body, thoughts and consciousness on the path to enlightenment, to an...
, La-Lakoosha, is a peaceful kingdom that lies at the north of Lunatea and where the High Priestess resides. The Kingdom of Joy
Happiness
Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources....
, Joilant, is a kingdom to the south of Lunatea and resembles an amusement park. The Kingdom of Discord
Discord
Discord may refer to:* Dissonance Discord may also refer to:* Discord , an album and single released by the punk rock band Bomb Factory* Dischord Records, a punk and alternative record label...
, Volk, which lies to the west, resembles several metalworking
Metalworking
Metalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewelry. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills,...
factories and its people rage a neverending war. The Kingdom of Indecision
Decision making
Decision making can be regarded as the mental processes resulting in the selection of a course of action among several alternative scenarios. Every decision making process produces a final choice. The output can be an action or an opinion of choice.- Overview :Human performance in decision terms...
, Mira-Mira, is secluded and snowbound all year long. Each kingdom contains a bell housing its element.
Characters
The player once again assumes the role of the anthropomorphicAnthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
, cat-like creature Klonoa. Throughout the game, he is accompanied by Lolo, a timid priestess-in-training, and her sidekick Popka, a loud-mouthed, somewhat insensitive, but protective dog-like creature. The game's primary antagonists are Leorina, a pirate who aims to thwart Klonoa, and Tat, a floating, cat-like creature who is capable of splitting herself into two separate beings.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil was composed by eight individuals. A two-disc, 73 track set was released exclusively in Japan by Scitron Digital ContentScitron
-List of Video Game Albums Released:A -B - C -D - E -F - G -H - I -J - K -L - M -N - O -P - Q -R - S -T - U -V - W -X - Y -Z-A:* ACECOMBAT 04 shattered skies Original Sound Tracks SCDC-00146...
on August 21, 2002. The score includes the vocal song "Stepping Wind," sung by Klonoa voice actress Kumiko Watanabe
Kumiko Watanabe
is an actress and voice actress from Chiba Prefecture affiliated with Arts Vision.-Overview, character, and career:*She has a wide vocal range, ranging from boys and girls to middle-aged women. She is also known to be a large professional wrestling fan, especially of Pro Wrestling Noah's Kenta...
in the character's fictional in-game language. Despite this, the guidebook released by Enterbrain contains a Japanese translation for the lyrics.
| Kaze no Klonoa 2: Something Forgotten Wished by the World: Original Soundtrack tracklist | |
|---|---|
Disc 1 (70:35)
|
Disc 2 (73:37)
|
Reception
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil sold 133,401 copies in Japan during 2001, making it the 85th best-selling game of the year. FamitsuFamitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
reported that the game sold 33,785 copies during its first week of release in that region. Klonoa 2, along with Moto GP 4 and Seven: Molmorth no Kiheitai, were expected to sell a combined 900,000 copies during the release quarter, but only managed to sell 290,000 units together. Lunatea's Veil was re-released in Japan on June 27, 2002 as part of Sony's The Best range of budget titles.
Despite its lack of commercial success, Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil met with a very positive critical reception. The game currently has a score of 91 out of 100 on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
("universal acclaim") and a score of 85% on Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
. Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil won GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
's PlayStation 2 "Platform Game of the Year" in 2001 and was later named the 20th best PlayStation 2 game by the website. Gaming Age also named it the best platformer in its "Best of 2001 Awards". The game was nominated for Best Platformer in GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's "Best and Worst of 2001". It was called the tenth best PlayStation 2 game for the system's first year by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
. In 2004, staff of the website included it as "one of twelve games you've probably never played, but should."
It was stated by Hideo Yoshizawa
Hideo Yoshizawa
is a video game developer and director currently employed by Namco. Prior to being employed by Namco, he worked for Tecmo and was involved in the original Ninja Gaiden trilogy for the Nintendo Entertainment System under the name "Sakurazaki".-Games credited:...
, the executive producer and director of the Klonoa
Klonoa
is a video game series created by Namco and Klonoa Works, as well as the name of the titular character of the series.-Setting and gameplay:The games are set in different worlds, though the primary and known ones are Phantomile and Lunatea. It revolves around Klonoa and how he, the Dream Traveler,...
series, that if the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
release of Klonoa: Door to Phantomile was received well, he would likely make a Wii version of Lunatea's Veil too.
Merchandise
In Japan, EnterbrainEnterbrain
is a Japanese magazine publisher established on April 1, 2000. Enterbrain magazines are generally focused on video games and computer entertainment as well as video game and strategy guides. In addition, the company publishes a small selection of anime artbooks. Enterbrain is based in Tokyo, Japan...
released an official strategy guide
Strategy guide
Strategy guides are instruction books that contain hints or complete solutions to specific video games. The line between strategy guides and walkthroughs is somewhat blurred, with the former often containing or being written around the latter. Strategy guides are often published in print, both in...
to Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil in 2001. Another guide was released by BradyGames in North America. Yujin released a 4-inch tall gashapon
Gashapon
is a Bandai brand trademark widely used throughout the world for their capsule toys. It is also referred to as ." Both gashapon and gachapon are Japanese onomatopoeia, made up of two sounds: "gasha" or "gacha" for the turning of a crank on a toy vending machine, and "pon" for the sound of the toy...
figure of Lolo and Popka as part of the "Namco Girls" Mini-Figures Series 5 collection.
External links
- Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil at Game RankingsGame RankingsGameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...