Klonoa Might Get Re-Design?!
Namco Bandai is remaking the original Klonoa: Door to Phantomile for the Wii, but they are also considering re-designing Klonoa himself (via NintendoWiiFanboy). They're not just thinking of updating his look, but completely removing the distinguishing traits of the character. Are they kidding? Take a look at the picture and you'll see the re-design on the left with the classic look on the right. Klonoa's ears could go from long and floppy to long and pointy. They would also take away his Pac-Man hat! Sacrilege! If Klonoa was to wear his ears up, they wouldn't look like the ears in the re-design. Hell, part of the gameplay mechanics of the Klonoa games was that Klonoa would flap his ears to extend his jumps; Those new gelled-up ears couldn't possibly flop about in the wind. The re-design reeks of "Sonic extreme." There are a few things I do like about the new design, such as the updated clothing and boots, but the re-designed Klonoa is of a completely different species. I could see if this was Klonoa's cousin, but it's certainly not Klonoa.
Fortunately, Namco hasn't decided what to do with the character yet and are currently running a Klonoa survey asking for opinions on the old and new design of Klonoa. Make your voice heard and vote for old Klonoa! If Namco's thoughts behind the re-design are to make Klonoa more marketable they should keep in mind to actually market Klonoa, which they hardly did with the old games. Advertising helps far more than a completely altering a character.Klonoa was the only anthropomorphic / mascot style character that ever appealed to me on the original PlayStation. I've played all four Klonoa games released in North America (PS One, PS2 and two on GBA) and while I know he doesn't have a huge following, I consider Klonoa to be a classic character. What Namco should do is give the old Klonoa the new pants and boots, because I'm sure the little guy could use a change of clothes. Klonoa's clothes have got to be full of the cold sweats given how intense his dreams get. Something else that would be cool is if Klonoa got some new hats. Just think if Klonoa could change his hat. He could have a Galaga hat, a Dig Dug hat, and a Mappy hat. What the hell, how about a Ridge Racer racing jacket and an Ace Combat bomber jacket? DLC on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 eh, Namco Bandai? We would love it if Klonoa cam to the PS3 and Xbox 360 and we know you just love DLC.
So Namco Bandai, I'm cool with giving Klonoa new clothes and boots, but Ghadius help you you had better keep the floppy ears and hat. And seriously, think about the PS3, 360, if just for charging us for downloadable hats.
Klonoa, Wow! D:
