Klonoa: Empire of Dreams

Empire of Dreams was my first playthrough of a Klonoa game, and it was a good first impression. Basically, you grab enemies and blocks to solve some physics-based room puzzles and collect shinies. The level design is really well thought-out and the final stages had me pretty stumped at points, but it's all at a manageable pace that will keep you progressing every time you pick it up.

There are also snowboarding (?) stages that have gems to collect, and you can't turn around when you're going downhill, making you collect it all in one go if you're aiming for 100% completion (I was not). There's also auto-scroller stages that start as a fun diversion and end as a horribly frustrating demonstration of why Empire of Dreams' platforming isn't suited for precision. But here's the beautiful part: both of these stage types are completely optional, which means your puzzling never has to be interrupted.

The music is pretty great, there is a simple but interesting plot that had effort put into it with lively cutscenes, and the boss battles were very fun and had lots of personality. Genuinely recommended for GBA enthusiasts, even if I can't tell how it compares to other Klonoa titles just yet.