Klonoa Remaster Reveals Door to Phantomile Opening Cutscene

For fans of classic PlayStation platformers, one of the best announcements to come from the February 2022 Nintendo Direct presentation wasKlonoa Phantasy Reverie Series. For years, fans of Bandai Namco’s beloved platformer series have been eagerly awaiting its return, ever since the franchise’s final outing with the remake ofKlonoa: Door to Phantomilefor the Nintendo Wii in 2008. Now, 14 years later, this Nintendo Wii remake isreceiving a major remaster alongside PlayStation 2 sequel withKlonoa Phantasy Reverie Series, which has now revealed the remastered opening cutscene for the first game.

Klonoadebuted on the original PlayStation in 1997with the release ofKlonoa: Door to Phantomile, and was a surprise hit, receiving praise for its unique blend of 3D and 2D platforming. The game was followed in 1999 withKlonoa: Moonlight Museumfor the WonderSwan and in 2001, a full sequel released for the PlayStation 2 titledKlonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil. WhileLunatea’s Veilfeatured full 3D visuals, it retained the 2.5D gameplay style established in the original game and introduced new elements such as surfing segments making full use of the PS2’s enhanced memory.

RELATED:Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series Gets Release Date, 2-Player Mode, and More

Klonoa’s last outing (until now) would be the Nintendo Wii remake ofDoor to Phantomilefor its 10th anniversary, which was a last ditch effort from Bandai Namco to return the character to relevancy and renew interest in the series. The poor sales of this title resulted in a14-year break which is coming to an end with the release ofKlonoa Phantasy Reverie Series, which uses this Nintendo Wii remake and the PS2 original version ofLunatea’s Veilas base for some very impressive looking remasters.

Almost every element of the original games has been polished, with the environments' textures enhanced to recreate the look of the original artwork for the games. This is especially evident in the recently released opening cutscene for the first game, which is based on the Nintendo Wii remake. Running both versions side by side, not only has Klonoa’s model been entirely reworked, but the colors are more vibrant and the image is far clearer.

It seems like Bandai Namco is putting a lot of effort into these remasters, which makes sense consideringthe Japanese title for the collection refers to the publisher’s ongoingEncoreremaster series. These have previously included beloved titles likeKatamari Damacy RerollandMr. Driller: DrillLand, which include theEncorebranding in Japan.

Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Serieswill release for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on July 8th 2022.

MORE:Why 3D Platformer Fans Should Watch The New Kao The Kangaroo Game