Klonoa Heroes: Densetsu no Star Medal (2002). Play online

Summary

Klonoa Heroes: Densetsu no Star Medal swaps the series' usual side‑scrolling for a Zelda‑style top‑down adventure where you toggle between Klonoa, the pistol‑wielding Guntz and bomb‑tossing Pango. Each foe is marked with a red or blue aura, and every character fires a matching colored attack—Klonoa’s Wind Ring, Guntz’s handgun or Pango’s bombs—making color matching a core combat mechanic. The game also layers classic RPG growth: defeated enemies drop Dream Shards that translate into experience, and gold that funds items found in chests or bought from town merchants. Players can reassign points among attack, defense and agility at any time outside of a level, essentially reshaping each hero on the fly. Full voice acting features Kumiko Watanabe as Klonoa and veteran cast members for the allies, and the soundtrack even includes the theme “Sign of Hero,” which was later released on modern music platforms. Though it never left Japan, the title earned a 31/40 from Famitsu and remains a rare gem for GBA collectors.

Storyline

Klonoa Heroes takes place in an alternate universe where Klonoa lives in his hometown of Breezegale and dreams of earning a Hero Medal, a mystical emblem of heroism. The adventure opens with Klonoa and his friend Chipple hunting the rare Hikari Sakura flower, said to grant good luck.

After retrieving the blossom, Popka warns them of monsters threatening the town. Klonoa visits Lolo, a priestess‑in‑training, who reports sightings on Bell Hill. Ambushed by round Moos, he is saved by Guntz, a motorcycle‑riding bounty hunter with a bronze Hero Medal, who briefly claims the flower before Klonoa defeats him and returns it to Lolo.

During a bounty mission, Klonoa and Guntz are captured by Janga, a foe linked to his father’s death, but escape with help from Pango, a bomb‑expert pangolin seeking a cure for his son. Their quest leads to the Sky Temple, a blank Hero Medal, Joka’s kidnapping of Lolo, and a rocket launch to the moon where Garlen reveals a plot to resurrect the demon Nahatomb using Lolo as a living battery.

In the climax Janga poisons Klonoa, Guntz kills Janga, and Klonoa awakens from a nightmare to help defeat Garlen and Nahatomb. The Hikari Sakura cures Lolo, the heroes return home, Guntz departs, and Klonoa’s medal reverts to blank, prompting him to declare he can be a hero anytime.