Door to Phantomile is my favorite.
Lunatea's Veil usually is the fan-favorite, and... Door to Phantomile is still the better game for me, even tho L'sV is a game i still like, just, not as much as Door to Phantomile.
I already made a few posts before trying to elaborate points not many people really care for or realize as to what makes DtP so special to me instead of L'sV.
I feel like, it all goes to surface things really, which L'sV's strengths are for me all surface level things, it doesn't really do anything better than Door to Phantomile, but i feel like what makes L'sV a fan favorite is simply the world and atmosphere (which is shamefully absent in PRS alongside DtP's), which yeah, i agree! That is my favorite in atmosphere, but, not as in consistent or as good as Door to Phantomile either, Door to Phantomile is the most fun, well designed, and the soundtrack is, to me, better in Door to Phantomile, because every, EVERY single track in Door to Phantomile is for some reason amazing and really leaves a mark, like, even just, cutscene music is just, still stuck in my head... But L'sV, it has some amazing, amazing, AMAZING tracks, but, it is not consistent, and has a lot of unremarkable tracks really...
But for most, those overshadow a lot of tracks, some tracks just feel out of place even, like "Going to Lunatea" and "Stepping Wind" don't fit where they are at.
I disagree with the early game of L'sV also sounding like Door to Phantomile music, it is not, at all.
The world of Lunatea's Veil is less believable than Door to Phantomile to me, i don't like how over the top things can be in it, it is fine for most since it is a video game, but, i still like believability.
L'sV story is better and worse than DtP's if you ask me, in its meaning i feel like what it pushes is better, but... Man this story is just, not very well thought out with a lot of things that, really could've been better or more consistent, or elaborated with just another draft, DtP's story was simple, but, what carried the game, was its moments and world, which i don't think L'sV really could get a lot right, even if L'sV does have a lot to like about this World, it is not fleshed out enough, DtP was such an unexpected game as well for how simple and friendly it all starts, but has so many strong moments... It also happens to have quite unelaborated moments or plotholes.
The characters of L'sV? I like'em, but, not as much as Door to Phantomile, nor does it have as many to keep this world believable, everyone feels disconnected from the main characters in L'sV but, in DtP, they act more directly with Klonoa the more, normal people of this world, and even creates some like Balue!
I made an entire post dedicated as to why i don't like Lolo as much as Hewpoe, and Lolo is a character considered only better at a surface. (here it is btw)
https://forum.klonoa.network/?topic=2733.0Door to Phantomile also had the better levels, no repeats either, the pacing and challenge of DtP is just right! Whereas L'sV is... At times it kinda makes me feel sleepy honestly...
And i don't like how levels feel to big and empty, besides not feeling believable, how did any one even make this world? In DtP, things that were built, felt believable, and built by the people from here, but, again, L'sV just feels like everything is disconnected from the player. 3 hit points is also not a very good idea, and limited their choices of adding enemies. DtP also stabilished the background and foreground mechanic of the game, but it still felt like it wasn't fully fleshed out, and could only go up from here...
Turns out only DtP and L'sV have that (excluding Wii-make)
And L'sV utilized that mechanic even less than DtP, and did nothing to really innovate with it, for the most part, L'sV feels more like it is related to Moonlight Museum if anything.
The hoverboard levels are, under-utilized in L'sV... I wish it also played more with the physics as well. The NTSC-U cover of Lunatea's Veil even happens to feature the hoverboard lol- But, eh.
I also don't like the world map being available right-away, yeah, probably a good thing for many since it allows you to back-track and do some challenges, but makes everything less immersive, again, everything felt more believable and immersive in DtP, but L'sV doesn't, it takes me away...
Despite all my criticism towards L'sV and how i don't actually think it is a masterpiece like everyone says, i still like it, it is my 2nd favorite game in the Klonoa series!
Just one i think is painfully overrated, but then again, Lunatea's Veil is the best selling Klonoa game, and most people came off of this game, without playing Door to Phantomile first, so it was harder to connect. I guess L'sV just, really has such an "of-its-own" identity, that makes me like it, that is unmatched, even tho i am a fan of the super 90s feel DtP had.
L'sV is also a game that makes most people think of Klonoa as Sonic.
For the love of Christ, how can no one realize how Klonoa feels more like Kirby and NiGHTS?