Sometimes it's funny when you first experience a long-running video game franchise you aren't familiar with. You learn and realize things that you wouldn't have even believed if you hadn't engaged with the series beforehand. And it doesn't matter if those things are good or bad because, at the end of the day, they're just surprising. Jumping into the "Klonoa" series has certainly raised my eyebrow more than a few times, even without playing the games. I can't pretend I don't look at other reviews and scores to get an idea about the games I play, and in the case of the "Klonoa" franchise...I missed out on quite the critical acclaim. I knew the series had its fanbase, but I didn't realize the review scores were so high for this. Hell, no matter how reliable this site is, "Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil" has a 91 on Metacritic. A 91! That's within the Top 2% of all qualified games on that site. Where in the world was I when all this happened? Oh, right...I was three years old. But okay, I didn't mean to tangent and focus on review scores, and I promise this review won't be arguing about review scores. Because...why would you? It's their opinion. I only added that because I wanted to provide some context on the level to which this series has been acclaimed. Praise like that doesn't just get handed off like nothing; praise like that indicates a game is "essential," and must be experienced by all. Given that I personally was a little lukewarm toward the first game, I was just hoping this game would scratch an itch that that one didn't. As it is...it wasn't a huge improvement but it was solid enough.
"Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil" offers up a bit of what made the first game good, but adds enough to it to create a better experience. The writing remains solid enough for a platformer, with more of the adorable, memorable characters that we came to expect after the first game. The visual style is as bright and bursting with color as the first game was, and the music is solid enough. As far as the gameplay goes, it's largely similar to the first game, which does mean it brings back what made that game good; the simplistic gameplay is good for a younger crowd, and the controls are solid. I think there are also a few nice new additions that make things a bit better: the chase scenes and boss encounters can be pretty gripping, and I honestly really enjoyed the board-riding sections. I was a bit sad there weren't more of them, but while the game lasts, those moments were pretty fun.
All that being said, though, I can say that this game still felt a little too much like the first one. While there were some decent changes to the formula, the overall structure of the game is similar enough to the first one to the point where I don't see it as a leaps-and-bounds improvement. It's not like this game necessarily gave the "Klonoa" series the identity I felt the first game lacked; it just kinda took the first game, added a few new things, and sent it on its way. As a result, there are still some shallow ends to the gameplay loop that hold it back from being something incredible.
Overall, while I wouldn't put "Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil" in my upper echelon of gaming as some others would, I do think it's a pretty good time. It's not the most mind-blowing, wheel-reinventing game that I've ever played, but it's a fine enough 2.5D platformer for the young at heart. I still wouldn't say that I've been able to get that "specialness" out of it that some others have, but at the very least, "Klonoa 2" was an enjoyable game. That's all that should really matter. Is it essential? I wouldn't say so. But it's fun enough overall.
Final rating: 7 out of 10 "Good"