What a magical world that of video games. When a developer has lost hope and his game has been forgotten because it never came out, almost thirty years later, someone willing to publish it shows up. So here we are, ready to judge Clockwork Aquario and understand not only if it was worth it, but willing to do it by looking at it with the eyes of a different videogame context, one where thehigh score and the immediacy of playability were the masters.
- Title: Clockwork Aquario
- Platform: PS4, Nintendo Switch
- Version analyzed: Nintendo Switch
- Gender: Platform, action
- Players: 1-2
- Publisher: ININ Games, Strictly Limited Games
- Developer: Westone
- Tongue: English, Italian (texts)
- Exit date: November 30, 2021
- Availability: physical (limited), digital delivery
- DLC: nobody
- Note: is a title developed in 1992 but officially released only in 2021
We reviewed Clockwork Aquarium with a Nintendo Switch code given to us free of charge by ININ Games.
The story of Clockwork Aquario
No, the header does not refer to a phantom plot of the title (not that it needs it), but instead to its curious publication history. To trace this epic with a bitter aftertaste, it is necessary to understand who they were Westone, who most will know for being the creators of the series Wonder Boy, as well as some tie-in from Evangelion and even a chapter of Bomberman for SEGA Mega Drive. It was the year 1992 when Westone, already strong in his successes, set himself the goal of creating a title co-op that made the most of the potential of SEGA cabinets. It was in this context that it was born Clockwork Aquario, initially designed for three players, but then reduced to two. By 1993 the game was almost done and over and the work of testing they began in the two pre-established locations of Shinjuku And Ueno.
An astral coincidence, however, wanted him to be unfortunate Clockwork Aquario not only did it not meet the favor of the players, but it ended up being put on test right in the period between the ’93 and the ’94, that is when the 3D graphics began to take hold and to collect a wide consensus. This led to the inexorable and unappealable cancellation of the project and Westone’s commitment to focus on console titles. It is the year 2020 and the publisher ININ Games he is interested in the issue and rediscovers the obscure title never released from Japan and announces to publish it after having acquired the rights from SEGA. Indeed, the company manages to get some members of the source reworked a bit team original, improving it and fixing some defects. The title would normally be distributed only digitally on PlayStation and Nintendo stores, but the German publisher Strictly Limited Games he was responsible for producing, in limited edition, some physical copies of the title which are currently on sale at their site, to the delight of the most avid collectors.
Rogue nostalgia
But then, in the face of all this, how is Clockwork Aquario? And especially: how does it hold up the weight of the years? It is useless to go around it too much: the title is a work of its time, with all the pros and cons that go with it. The graphic impact is undoubtedly immortal. The sprites and colored backdrops, combined with the animations and general fluidity, not only return an undoubted nostalgia effect, but also that immediacy of the titles arcade and gods platform of those years, which then saw their mechanics change and polish over time. The three selectable characters (Huck, Elle And Gush the robot) have feeling essentially the same and can be hit twice before dying completely. The graphic effects of the shot are very reminiscent of Ghosts’ n Goblins, being able to keep track of the life bar in this way, rather than with a bar that could be annoying and occupy the screen. Our darlings can hit enemies by jumping on their heads, with the tip of their head if they hit them from below or pick up the enemies and throw them away.
The speech becomes even more chaotic and crazy (but in a funny way) if you decide to play with two, being able to create really explosive combinations and throwing our partner left and right. But don’t worry: whether you play alone or with a friend, the game difficulty is set down and the only parts a bit more challenging are the final ones. When playing it, you must always keep in mind that we are talking about a title originally designed for cabinets and therefore destined to end in twenty minutes, thirty at the most, and this is therefore the greatest weakness of Clockwork Aquario, which perhaps also gives us an idea of why he got lost in the chaos of games of this genre during the ’93 tests.
There is nothing wrong with it: the soundtrack is crackling and impactful, the gameplay is fast and addicting, the situations are varied and the fun is there, but you cannot ignore the price at which it is proposed, counting that if you are not a fan ofhigh score at all costs, after a few games there won’t be much else to do. Definitely Clockwork Aquario represents a very welcome mirror in the past, with a captivating style and that focuses all on nostalgia (worthy of note are the extras, represented by processing images and concept art of the game), and that will be able to breach the hearts of those who have long been looking for the experience of the cabinet, but which will hardly take root in those who are far from this world.
Who do we recommend Clockwork Aquario to?
Clockwork Aquario is a title with a not negligible price, which taking into account its duration (between 20 and 30 minutes), would discourage anyone from buying, especially if you are not a fan of the titles arcade. The game (perhaps discounted) is therefore advisable for those who expressly want to go back in time and therefore know exactly what they are going to buy. For fans of the platform fun, colorful and immediate it is a more than discreet game, but it could leave everyone else disappointed.
- A pleasant blast from the past
- Colorful and aesthetically delightful
- Fun and immediate
- Really very short
- Price a bit high for what it offers
Clockwork Aquarius
Better late than never
Clockwork Aquario it really is an anomaly in the gaming market. Seeing a title so blatantly arcade offered at a price that should not be underestimated given its negligible duration, undoubtedly makes more than one nose turn up. Yet it is undeniable: the charm of the early 90s, its immediate mechanics, the captivating style is there and it would be a crime to deny it. We must therefore take it for what it is: a game of three decades ago published overnight in a videogame world in constant motion and which, at least here with us (but not in the land of the Rising Sun) no longer has room for arcade. However, Clockwork Aquario leaves that genuine happiness of plunging into a simpler, more immediate and unpretentious world. And that’s no small feat, all things considered.
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