The Klonoa series can be considered more of an action puzzler game moreso than a traditional platform adventure. While the main premise of this series does consist of eluding traps and obstacles to reach the exit at the end of each level similar to other popular platform adventures such as Mario and Crash Bandicoot series, the difference lies in the execution. In an attempt to ingest some brains to match the brawn in how levels are negotiated within Klonoa's world, Namco devised obstacles that require some creative thinking and some examination of the surroundings on behalf of the gamer. Enemy drones no longer serve the simple purpose of stalling your quest to the goal; awaiting a blast from a tornado spin or grim death underfoot; but rather they become integral pieces to solving the necessary steps needed to reach the exit.

These games contains a unique gimmick where the gamer can physically grab enemy drones and use them to vault to higher ledges, throw them at switches, and even utilize special properties they are imbued with such as the ability to hover vertically for a short distance, and even have access to a destructive bomb. New to the GBA edition of the series, Klonoa can now pick up various crates, magnet boxes, and other useful items all of which play integral roles in solving the puzzles inherent in each level. This is not an adventure you simply run and jump through, but rather one that takes caution and some keen observation to proceed through. Gamers that have played the classic series Lost Vikings may find Klonoa: Empire of Dreams somewhat reminiscent in style and play.

That isn't to say the title is all about solving puzzles either, Namco has injected several boss battles throughout the adventure that will test your reflexes and skillful knowledge of your abilities to defeat. In typical Klonoa fashion, these bosses are large, and feature creative defenses that hide the weaknesses for you to exploit. Other diversions include a featured snowboard level in each world you visit which puts your action platforming skills to the test as the speed of which these levels play out is akin to cruising through a typical Sonic adventure.

Visually, Klonoa makes great use of the Game Boy Advance's vibrant color palette. Worlds are extremely colorful and feature multiple levels of background parallax. The sprites that make up Klonoa and the enemies you face are animated extremely well. While it surely does not compete with the visual powerhouse of the recent PS2 release in the series, it certainly stands up quite well and is a title that shows off some of the rich colors that the GBA is capable of displaying. From an aural perspective, the music is well composed and the quality of the audio is quite good considering the limited hardware capabilities of the GBA sound processor. The game does features in-game voices that are crisp and clear sounding, as the samples seem ripped straight from the previous Playstation games. Plot progression is told through unique animated cutscenes between each world that unfortunately do not share the voice work that the other titles carry, but rather feature subtitles only.

While Namco did put a great amount of effort into injecting some variety in the levels and how they are approached, unfortunately the game follows a highly structured pattern of progression, which can be a slight turnoff to some. Whereas the previous titles in the series introduced new worlds with highly imaginative settings and interesting areas to progress through, this game essentially features 7 levels all containing nearly the same background art graphic within each world you play. Essentially the only change that occurs within each level is the puzzles you must face to reach the goal. It can feel tedious at times reaching a new realm knowing what to expect for the next 7 levels you play. The sense of surprise and wonder is somewhat lost compared to the other games in the series, which had wildly differentiating environs to explore. Of course the level designs are interesting and feature a few stumpers that may have you backtracking and replaying before you progress, but a few more pieces of background artwork would have gone a long way to keeping the experience constantly feeling fresh.

With over 40 levels, including a few secret levels to discover based on your performance, Namco has crafted a delightful adventurous romp that adds a nice dose of variety to the Game Boy Advance lineup. This game comes recommended.