Klonoa on GBA in Japanese version, dreamy and endearing platformer. Original double-jump mechanics, fairy-tale atmosphere. An often overlooked 2.5D platformer gem, magnificent on GBA.
Your verdict
Category
Platformer1 player3+
Description
Platform game developed by Namco and published in the United States in July 2001. Klonoa explores the Empire of Dreams to free captured inhabitants from Emperoryan. Gameplay grabs and uses enemies as bouncing platforms or projectiles to traverse 2.5D perspective levels, imposing bosses and the dreamlike atmosphere characteristic of the franchise. American version, GBA launch title in the platform genre.
Klonoa - Empire of Dreams review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Namco transposes the series' depth onto a single plane: levels unfold sideways but the scenery is built in curved layers that create the illusion of a wrapped corridor, with elements visible in the background before you reach them. The soft pastel colours sustain the dreamlike character even in the most mechanical areas.
The soundtrack cultivates an imaginary language and rounded timbres: voices singing without real words, flutes, bells and light percussion that establish a constant gentleness. The themes avoid any emphatic tension, even in dangerous passages, and that restraint gives the journey the tone of a children's tale without excluding melancholy.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first minutes"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Average"
Technical info
💾2,4 MB📅10/07/2001
Published by Namco
Klonoa - Empire of Dreams (GBA) price, value & rarity
European PAL edition of the first GBA Klonoa, distributed by Namco under the Empire of Dreams title instead of the Japanese Yumemiru Teikoku, which makes it a regional variant identifiable by cover and title. Namco Europe run was short, the European cardboard box is fragile, and the current state of the Klonoa franchise, long dormant before the Phantasy Reverie remaster, retrospectively raises the price of a PAL identified complete copy among Wolfteam enthusiasts.
An underrated gem
Klonoa brings its blend of 2D and 3D platforming to handheld with stunning fluidity, grabbing enemies to bounce off them and crack clever puzzles. Kept in Japan, it was ignored by an audience already cooling on the series at home. Charming and inventive, it'll enchant fans of platforming that's both gentle and demanding.
Is Klonoa - Empire of Dreams still worth playing in 2026?
The first Klonoa on GBA, Empire of Dreams turns the PlayStation formula on its head by shifting to a pure 2D platformer built around small single objective stages, both platforming and puzzling. The capture and throw mechanic stays the soul of the gameplay and works particularly well on a handheld screen. The dreamlike Namco universe keeps its strange charm and the difficulty climbs with subtlety. Probably the most unjustly overlooked of the GBA's strong platformers.
