4.5/5 ★ – ElementaryGaming's review of Klonoa: Door to Phantomile - Phantasy Reverie Series.

A wonderful, imaginative platformer. The game does so much with the simplicity of a jump button and a button which lets you pick up enemies. Every single level is filled with so much color and detail, and the soundtrack is a delight. There are definite influences of Rayman, or vice versa, in the colorful style, hover ability, and similarity with how game item pickups work, and this is not a bad thing. Both its world and its gameplay are tons of fun. And there's a unique song for every single stage, which is great, and the overall quality of each song remains high and uniquely "Klonoa". Something this game does especially well is the placement of the bonus collectibles. There are six characters to free in each stage which require you to go off the beaten path to rescue, but none of them are hidden in overly obscure areas which require a guide to find (which can be contrasted with Rayman's trapped characters in each stage, which were often hidden in absurd locations). For this reason, rescuing all of the characters in each level remains a fun extra challenge throughout, and you're rewarded with a very challenging bonus level for doing so, which I died approximately 100 times in before reaching the end. There are a few questionable design decisions, such as why the cutscenes progress using an optional "fast-forward" button rather than through the use of individual dialogue boxes like the original, and the occasional nonlinear level design which just doesn't work as well as the usual linear structure. Also, the final levels just do not feel as fun or well-designed as the rest, and can be difficult in a not-good way that hurts the momentum of the overall experience. Klonoa is a delight, and it's awesome that it was brought to the PS4. Oh, and that ending...incredible.