Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil (PlayStation 2)

Klonoa, our floppy-eared hero, along with his two newly found buddies, Lolo and Popka, have to foil a sinister force which is causing a mire of gloom to plague the land of Lunatea. By ringing the four bells across the land, Klonoa can restore harmony, but the Sky Pirate Leorina is in hot pursuit, after Klonoa’s magic ring…

Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil is a 3D side-scrolling platformer. The main goal of the game is to get to the end of each level (or ‘Vision’), but there are also special goals to achieve. Firstly, each Vision contains six Momett Dolls hidden in each level. Secondly, there are Dream Stones scattered throughout each level – green ones are worth one, while blue ones are worth five. Certain puzzles also contain tricky use of the “Dream Spirit”, which doubles the value of all collected Dream Stones. New to Klonoa 2 are hoverboard sections, which play at a faster, more action-oriented pace.

But what makes Klonoa unique is his abilities. Klonoa can shoot a ‘wind bullet’ into foes, which puffs them up and allows Klonoa to carry them. Klonoa can then launch them straight at foes, or jump with them, giving him an extra boost. If he needs extra length to his jump, holding the jump button will allow him to hover for a little longer, too. Different enemies have different effects – for example, certain foes have propellers on their heads and will rocket you into the sky, while others will act like time bombs and explode after a short while.