Klonoa remake: Losing something in translation?

Klonoa is an old-time friend to lots of gamers who will fondly remember the floppy-eared character from the PSX era. Like his older fans, the cat-rabbit hybrid has aged over the years. Formerly a wide-eyed, innocent-looking creature resembling a stuffed animal, he’s now hardened into a tallish young adult with facial hair and more angular features.

Over a decade after he first debuted, this cool cat is now available for today’s audiences in Klonoa for the Wii. This remake of the original platformer certainly gives the title a facelift, and by all means, it’s a great reimagining.

But even so, some gamers will miss the innocent, unassuming Klonoa they grew up with.

A naive PSX Klonoa gazing inquisitively at the Wind Bullet, his weapon of choice.

Older games have a special style, and even though newer ones might be better on the surface, something about the classic gaming experience is simply irreproducible. For instance, this recent Klonoa remake feels different from the original, as if it lost some of the magic that made the first encounter with Klonoa so great.

Just look at the opening scene, which was an FMV sequence in the PSX version and has been recreated using in-game graphics on the Wii. Not to say that the new graphics aren’t superb, but comparing the two scenes today, the style of the original FMV definitely feels dreamier, which better emulates the game’s dreamy themes.

The PSX version’s gibberish has also been upgraded with new English voiceovers. However, the characters’ Chipmunk-like squeaks contributed to its cutesy nature, and replacing the gibberish with spoken words detracts from its flavor. (Note: The option to change to the old PSX language is available, but it’s not the same as the old days.) Gamers were also previously forced to read on-screen text to understand what was going on, and including voiceovers makes the game — on a certain level — less interactive.

Are some games timeless? Can they be art?

And as a result of Klonoa’s edgier appearance, the gamer no longer views the world through his awestruck, inexperienced eyes. The main evil baddie, Ghadius, is less threatening than he was when Klonoa was a more childish hero. Now we see Ghadius as a cheap, archetypal anime rip-off rather than the genuinely sinister villain from our we saw in our youth.

Sure, the game still plays great, and if anything, the gameplay has gotten better with age. But these and other small changes alter the overall Klonoa experience. Even if the newer version suits the new generation, the original has a quality that no remake will ever capture quite the same way.

People have been clamoring for an FFVII remake (myself included) for years, but if it ever happened, would the game lose something valuable in translation? Like a masterpiece painting or literary work, do video games have unique compositions that can make them timeless, even works of art?

Like a shot-by-shot remake of a movie, even if you create a near-exact translation of a game, it just won’t be the same. I’m not saying we shouldn’t remake older games. But you can’t alter an original without losing its integrity in the process.