QCF: Clockwork Aquario

’d say leading up to this review I felt a bit out of my element. For one, I think it’s safe to say that George would be our resident Westone fan with their legacy of games including the Wonder Boy series. And that in the early 1990’s I did not own any consoles, let alone was going to the arcades. However, I do have an appreciation for the arcade genre and its history which is why the release of Clockwork Aquario is such a milestone. For a game that was in limbo for thirty years to finally have a console release is worth all the accolades. And although this may not be a game for everyone, it showcases the expert design and gorgeous artwork that made this developer such a legend in the industry even to this day.

A game thirty years in the making has finally resurfaced!

As I mentioned previously, the developer of Clockwork is best known for its Wonder Boy / Monster World series of games and had an undeniable presence in the arcade market before transitioning to home consoles. Clockwork was originally developed in 1991, but through several changes and a shift in focus to the consoles the game was cancelled in 1994. Through a labor of love and dedication to restoring this title for fans and new players alike, Steve Snake and the team were able to piece together the original source code and finish the game. They also were able to bring in the original composer to handle the soundtrack and the original developers had a hand in bringing the game to life.

It's important to take out enemies effectively to increase your score.

The gameplay sounds simple enough, but like any arcade game made to eat tokens it can be challenging to avoid getting hit and rack up a high score. The game is also co-op which I sadly did not have the ability to take advantage of locally. This also rules out a specific mini game that was included as a bonus that requires two players to complete. The player can choose from Huck Rondo, Elle Moon or the robot Gash as they stomp or headbutt enemies and either hit them a second time to vanquish them or grab them to throw into oncoming enemies to get a score multiplier. The same works stomping into multiple enemies as well, shades of other well-known platformers. The character can take two hits before losing a life, and the character will display the damage dealt before obtaining a healing potion or power up. This detail to attention is not present even today in modern platformers and it’s very impressive that a developer was doing this type of art thirty years ago.

Co-op is recommended, and includes a bonus stage.

The player gets a certain number of lives before it’s Game Over depending on which difficulty is selected and there is also a training mode that walks you through the first two levels. I believe there were six levels playable total, and my playthroughs were quick. Achieving a high score does not go very far either, since at launch in the States there were no leaderboards online that I could locate. As of now it seems that the game is going to cater to a specific audience and may be too niche for curious players to take a chance on.  The artwork to me is the star, each animation seems smooth and precise, and colors jump off the screen with unique enemy designs and backgrounds that feel alive. I imagine plenty of work went into restoring the game to its current state but also the original concepts and designs laid most of the groundwork.

This game is from 1991 and looks as good as games releasing today.

Plenty of credit also goes to the original composer of the title who reprised the role for this release, and the game includes a 14-track set of remixes on top of the 18-track OST which are included in the game menu. Also included is an image gallery with original concept art and sketches, promotional art and some thank you messages from Steve Snake. An arcade mode is available to play, and each mode allows the player to change display ratios, filters and shader to please traditional arcade enthusiasts. These additions are great for fans of the developer and genre but may not be enough content to sway some players.

Boss battles were not easy to clear without losing some credits.

The culmination of three decades of development is a huge achievement and I was glad to be able to see the results. The game also just recently received a Guinness World Record, beating out Duke Nukem Forever as the longest time a game went from development to release. Ultimately this won’t be a game that everyone seeks out. The length of content is short and unless some other features were to be offered in the future, I wouldn’t imagine many players would keep playing. I hate to even admit that because I know the history and the importance of Clockwork finally being released. I hope the publisher may try to put it into a collection of other titles from the same company, but with the licenses and rights to many of those games being up in the air that would be a very hard task to complete. For now, I think this title may be reserved for hardcore fans and veterans of the arcades but hopefully more will come to acknowledge the history and importance of this developer and their last gift to the genre they helped evolve.