I was always very curious about this game, a Sega hidden gem that is rarely mentioned nowadays and that they probably lost the source code at some point. I finally got a copy and my very own Sega Saturn, so I can finally check it out. Clockwork Knight is a short and sweet game, one you can (or should I say, have to) finish in a single sitting. It could have been released on the Genesis or even the NES (without the pre-rendered graphics). It does not have saves, it only has 6 or so stages and it does not do anything too special with the Sega Saturn hardware, considering it was a launch title. But I really had fun with it even though my disc is heavily scratched and I had to restarted it a couple of times due to the game crashing in some cutscenes, but my fault. It's fun enough that replaying it does not feel like a chore. And I really liked the 90's karaoke-style soundtrack, it's charming and something I would casually listen to in a YouTube gaming playlist.

Throughout my many years of playing games from Sega’s lineup of consoles, the one console that I have little to zero experience with whatsoever would be the Sega Saturn. I have played some games from the system, such as Nights Into Dreams and maaaaaaaaaaaaybe Sonic R, even though I’m not sure if that’s a real game, but aside from those two, I have had zero experience with any Sega Saturn exclusive games whatsoever. It is a shame too, considering that from what I have seen, it looks like there are a lot of quality games for the system, ones that probably don’t reach the same quality as many other games of the era, but enough to where anyone who owned the system could definitely get their money’s worth from a nice selection of titles to choose from. So, I figured it is about time that I dip my toes further into the pool that is the Sega Saturn library, starting with a game that was a launch title for the system for us Americans, Clockwork Knight.

I have never played this game or it’s sequel before, but I have known about them for quite a while, seeing them being played on some YouTube channels that I have been subscribed to over the years. It looked charming enough with its toy-themed setting, and it did look short enough to where I could get through it in one afternoon, so I figured “Why the hell not?”, and I did blaze through it in that same afternoon, finding a charming and fun game that… doesn’t really do that much. It is a solid platformer all throughout for the most part, and it does the job that it is supposed to do, but there are definitely plenty of other titles that were out around this time that could do what this game did a whole lot better.

The story is fairly standard for a game like this, where in a seemingly average household at midnight, all of the toys in the house are brought to life by the voice of lovely Clockwork Fairy Princess Chelsea, and everybody goes about their merry way as a result, but suddenly, she is kidnapped by an unknown and mysterious force, so it is up to Sir Tongara de Pepperoucha III, or just Pepper, to set out on a journey to rescue her and stop her vile kidnapper, which is all presented in a charming, yet understandably terrifying, intro cutscene, which does give the story much more charm despite how generic it is. The graphics are pretty good, using pre-rendered sprites for the characters and enemies like Donkey Kong Country, and mixing them together with 3D polygonal environments, all of which blend together pretty well, despite it obviously looking dated, the music is pretty good, having plenty of enjoyable tunes to listen to throughout your journey, and the gameplay/control is pretty standard for a 2D platformer, but it all works out pretty well, and you can get a handle on things with no problem whatsoever.

The game is a 2D action platformer, where you take control of Pepper, go through four different worlds, each with two levels and a boss, all themed around different toys and other objects and places you would find in an average house, go through many different platforming challenges while taking out plenty of enemies using your trusty keyblade weapon (wait a minute…), gather plenty of different coins, health upgrades and pickups, and extra lives to give you an advantage for what comes up ahead later down the road, and take on several boss fights that range from being piss easy to mildly annoying, all for the purpose of saving the one girl who is responsible for your entire existence. It’s the same song and dance you have seen time and time again, with very little to make it stand out amongst other titles, but again, it does manage to still be fun for the time it lasts, and its simplicity does help make it more appealing for those like myself who were looking for something to play from the console as an introduction.

Given that this was a launch title for the Sega Saturn (for us Americans, anyway), it is important for the game to not only be fun, but to also show off some of the things that the system was capable of, and while it doesn’t push the system to its limits, it does a good job at showing some of the things it can do. There are plenty of different cutscenes throughout the game, showing the characters animated with a CG style, and while nowadays these cutscenes look terrifying just from the toy designs alone, I imagine this must’ve looked really impressive back in the day. Not only that, but once again, the pre-rendered sprites for the characters and enemies mesh together really well with the 3D environments, and the main gameplay style is familiar enough for those who owned plenty of other well-known titles for the Sega Genesis, being able to bring them into this new generation smoothly without anything too crazy or intimidating getting in the way.

With all that being said though, from the lens of a modern-day player like myself, there isn’t much else the game has going for it other then that. It is a very basic platformer, where ya run, ya jump, ya grab the shiny objects, ya save the girl, ya drill these guys in the ass with your keyblade, we all know how it goes. It manages to do everything right, and it feels good to play, but at the same time, it doesn’t go out of its way to really shake things up or do anything crazy, which leads it to being somewhat generic as a result. Not to mention, the game is REALLY short, only having eight main levels and five bosses, all of which can be beaten fairly quickly if you know what you are doing, which is definitely a letdown. If only there was maybe one or two more worlds with more fleshed out mechanics, as well as possibly adding one or two more levels to the already existing worlds, then maybe this would feel like a complete package, but as it stands, it does feel like it ends too quickly once you beat the final boss, leaving you wanting a little more.

Overall, despite how basic and short the game is, Clockwork Knight manages to not only do a good job at being a launch title for the Sega Saturn, but also for being just an all around enjoyable platformer, full of plenty of platforming challenges for those that are fans of the genre, an impressive visual style and graphics for the time, and having a sense of charm to it that does make it much more appealing as a result. I would definitely recommend it for those who are looking for something to play on the system, or for those who are just fans of 90s platformers in general, because while this isn’t the meatiest one of the bunch, it should provide a good amount of fun and leaves you satisfied by the end of it all. Although, speaking of which, it does kinda suck that it ends on a cliffhanger of all things, which really paints a picture of what they are trying to do. “Aw, you wanna know what happens to Chelsea? Well, you can certainly find out, for a small $60 fee, thank you very much…”

Game #570

Clockwork Knight was my pick for October's TR theme of 5th gen platformers. It wasn't exactly my first choice, but everything else I could think of I'd either already played or is weirdly very rare and expensive here in Japan (annoyingly enough). But this is a game I've been meaning to give another try for quite some time. I tried it briefly back on my American Saturn many years ago, but I never gave a ton of effort or time to beating it. I guess I've gotten a lot better at games since then, since I managed to beat the (mechanically identical) Japanese version in only 80 minutes, but I still enjoyed my time with it well enough.

Clockwork Knight was a very early Saturn release and one clearly designed to show off the audio and 3D graphical capabilities. The story is a very simple "knight must rescue the princess" sort of affair, but the added spin is that everything is toys~. You're the titular clockwork knight off to save the princess toy from whatever mysterious evil force in the house kidnapped her and turned a bunch of the other toys evil. It's a very simple story told mostly through dialogue between levels and unvoiced cutscenes, but it does the job it needs to for the kind of game this is.

And the kind of game this is a quite short 2.5D platformer. It's only 8 levels with 5 bosses, and I can certainly see why it didn't exactly blow people away when it dropped back in '94/95, and I can't imagine it made Japanese players feel terribly satisfied with their Saturn purchases compared to what the SNES was getting back then. You have some levels with maze elements, but it's ultimately really nothing special. You have a jump, a dash, a short-range melee attack, and that's all she wrote. You can get coins to play a ball-and-cup game between levels, and being pretty good at ball-and-cup games, I was able to get a crap ton of extra lives, so getting a game over was never a terrible concern of mine. That said, the game is pretty tough, especially in its later levels, but a lot of that feels more down to less than stellar stage design rather than a game that's both tightly designed and challenging (not to mention how you completely restart a stage upon death, and more health is quite uncommon).

The presentation is quite nice, and is definitely one of the things Clockwork Knight was created to show off. The vocal song that the game opens with is fun and poppy, and the other tracks the game has are also that 90's Sega brand of groovy and fun. The graphics seem to have taken the same approach that Pixar did with Toy Story: if all of our 3D-rendered CGI looks like plastic, why not make a game about toys? The toys have bright, colorful designs that are a delight to the eye and have unique and fun designs. However, the one drawback of that is that the 2.5D art style can at times make hitboxes not terribly clear.


Verdict: Hesitantly Recommended. Clockwork Knight is and always has been an okay game, but I don't think it's worth giving time to for most people. There's just really nothing special or unique about it outside of its historical significance to the Saturn to justify slapping down the time or the money to give it a go. If you do give it a go and you like 2D platformers, you'll probably enjoy it well enough, but it's one that, like me, you'll probably put back on the shelf forever and seldom think about again.

US Saturn Release #002 - Clockwork Knight

Played on a real American Sega Saturn with the Fenrir ODE

Clockwork Knight is a platformer that does most things very well. The controls are responsive, the actual physics of your character are comfortable to work with, levels are designed well enough to not be frustrating and each contains enough to stand out. However, Clockwork Knight also lacks challenge, and is extremely short. That's not bad, per say, but it prevents this game from really reaching the heights of action platforming you see in Castlevania, Mega Man, and Mario.

The benefit of those issues is that this game is super easy to jump into and it's super comfortable to run through. Nothing feels unfair but for someone like me, nothing feels exciting either.

I really enjoyed the visuals. This game demonstrates early that the Sega Saturn was well suited for 2D games. This takes a lot of what Donkey Kong Country did and runs with it in 32 bits. more colors, fully polygonal boss fights and levels, and no slowdown. It's not the kind of game that immediately stuns you with its visuals, but definitely shows off the Saturn's 2D potential.

Despite my gripes about difficulty and length, I do appreciate how everything is designed. There really are no bad levels. The whole thing of playing as a toy is used rather well in designing both how stages look and how they play (for example, the kitchen level is like an ice level, with extra polished kitchen counters, and the sink provides as a rising-falling water hazard level).

Clockwork Knight is certainly creative and well designed for pretty much anybody to jump into, but as someone who loves platformers and has played many of them, this doesn't really compare to most others. This is definitely a game I recommend playing, and it's very good, but I wouldn't expect anything amazing.

7/10

You ever just play a game basically for no reason besides you see one review of it and you are mildly interested and you find out it's only, like, 1 hour long?
No?
Well, thanks MegaTheRealOne anyway for the inspiration.

This is one of the most 3/5 star games I've ever played. To me, a 3/5 game is something that "has potential and some good parts, but fairly significant flaws that I believe harm the experience." Yeah, that perfectly describes Clockwork Knight for me.
The gameplay is very simple. Walk (or run, I didn't find this out until maybe halfway through the second world) around, jump, and kill enemies with your key sword thing (wow that's familiar), which you can do buy stabbing or spinning it. In some levels you can find an invincibility power up, and you can collect gears for your healthbar (I think it goes up to 5 gears but I'm not completely sure). You can also pick up items like footballs to throw at enemies. Simple idea, pretty good execution. The controls are..............FINE. It's not amazing to control, but once you get the hang of it, you can have a pretty good time with it. The bosses are pretty worthless. Dumb simple attack patterns, pretty easy as well. The final boss (both phases) was great, though. Using the item throwing feature was really fun, honestly.
The graphics are pretty meh, if I'm being honest. All the charcters in the game are toys, so it makes sense that the artstyle would look off, but most of the game is unappealing to look at in general. The graphics remind me of Super Mario Kart 64, where the characters are prerendered sprites, but the environments are 3D. It worked pretty well there, but it just doesn't look too good here. The cutscenes are also in 3D and...ooh, they're rough, but they're not horrible. I can see them looking fairly good on an old CRT.
The music, honestly, the music was great. It ranges from energetic, fun jazz music to more laidback stuff to whatever that train level music was with the harmonica. My favorite song was probably the second Boss theme. It had a more latin feeling and it really made the bosses more exciting for me, even if the bosses the song was played for didn't really fit (two robots lmaoo). But overall, this is a solid soundtrack. I really like how they went for something new by basically doing a fully jazz soundtrack. You could see it as a precursor to Cuphead, almost, in that regard.
The game is incredibly short. About the length of Super Mario Land in terms of levels, which is insane, but it's true. There are four "worlds", which are just rooms in the house, which are Betsy and Kevin's rooms, the Kitchen (eugh ice physics), and the Attic. Each "world" or room has three levels, and even that's a stretch, seeing how the final level in each world is just a boss fight. Because of the length, there are no checkpoints in the levels. A little annoying, but I digress.
All in all, it's got a fair bit of charm for a little 2D platformer. I could've seen this series getting pretty big and becoming a Sega mainstay, but seeing as I had never heard of it before yesterday, it's fair to say that did not happen. Might have to play the sequel, Clockwork Knight 2...

I played this for Retro Achievements Challenge. What a fun little 2d platformer with charm! The music is jazzy/big band and its fantastic! The game isn't that hard but it ramps up in the final two stages. Eight total stages with five boss fights. And one boss fight, you need to know how to pick up items to throw or you aren't finishing the boss. And with 6 buttons, the manual tells you that X,Y, and Z aren't needed. So they thought that holding down the attack button was the best bet for this action. Other then that, still a fun playthrough.

Love the aesthetic. Unfortunately, this is one of those games from this era that tries to make up for its short length with some really cheap segments. This is made worse by pretty long levels with no checkpointing to speak of. If you die or fall off a ledge with a mistimed jump, you're sent back to the very start of the level. The controls are also a bit floaty, and the level design is fairly basic.

Realistically it's 2.5 stars, but I'm adding .5 for the ending song and cinematic. Also this guy is a cooler keyblade user than Sora KingdomHearts.

Come on out!
Everyone!
It's alright!
Join the fun!
I came to the realization that during my over 20 years of gaming, I've never sat down and played through a Sega Saturn game. Clockwork Knight is the game I've picked for my first game.

It's a simple but fun 2D platformer. The game itself is very short but has limited continues. Still not too hard of a game. Our hero, Pepperouchau is a simple guy. He can jump, hit with his keyblade (eat your heart out Sora) and pick up certain enemies/objects to use defensively or offensively. The stages are varied and interesting. I just wish the last stage didn't go for a tedious maze which is a pain to figure out and I would just look up online. The Saturn's hardware is used for some cool 2.5D stage gimmick shenanigans and an awesome presentation. The FMVs look pretty good. Since these are toys and not real humans, it doesn't fall into that uncanny valley. I must also mention that the music, especially the vocal tracks in the game are just catchy af.

So all in all, Clockwork Knight is by no means some outstanding must-play piece of work. However, it is still a solid and charming experience that is worth a bit of your afternoon.

The game is an award-winning game, but I didn't find it to be award-winning. The game is a platformer with a 2D linear flow. Since our character in the game is a knight, he uses the key in his hand as a weapon, just like a fencing sword. It consists of 13 chapters and it is a game with 5 bosses and 8 levels. It still feels like it is short. When you finish, you don't wish it was longer, nor do you leave the game halfway through. The game was only released for Sega Saturn. Although it looks good, it's a terrible situation because Although the SGI color palettes used in the game are very beautiful, the marketing of the console is ahead of the game because it is based on showing the power of Sega Saturn. The game cannot go beyond being a technology demo.

The story of the game, Sir Tongara de Pepperouchau III (short for "Pepper"), is to save Chelsea, the Fairy Clockwork Princess, who wakes up the toys in the house every midnight from a toy knight.
Pepper, a friendly rival named Ginger, is both in love with Chelsea, but one day Preneses disappears and evil takes over the toys. Pepper sets out to save Chelsea to save them and make her love real.

Sega initially thought of the game as a game with dark-themed magic and swords, but gave up on this and designed a fantasy world with live toys, and Pixar released Toy Story about a year later. The game was released exclusively for Sega Saturn. It used how well Sega Saturn uses 3D SGI technology and color diversity. However, the graphics resolutions are lower than Donkey Kong Country and Killer Instinct, which came out in the same year and use the same technology.

The game doesn't have much to offer you. It's a plain platformer. There is nothing I can say about the game. When you play the game, you will say that you played a part with the same design in another game. It takes time to get used to the walking control, the character slides in places, but you get used to it in a short time. It can be frustrating due to its slowness. It's nice that the size of the enemies come and go sensitively from the background. We see different enemy models and enemy types in each section. There are small, extremely easy puzzles in the game. Although it seems like a game, there is gambling in the game and the doll's head is cut off. (They painted the doll blue later because it was scary.) You start with full life at the beginning of each episode. There are enough collectibles. There are collectibles like coins and life shields and you can use these collectibles as bets in every gamble. .There are sections with extra hidden bonuses in the game. I didn't need to listen to their music later, but it has a soundtrack that fits the game perfectly. The sound effects are also in place. The background drawings outside the Attic section are very nice, it feels peaceful to stop and look at the background. Boss fights It's very nice, especially fighting the last boss is a lot of fun.

Due to the name of the game, I expected a mechanical gameplay related to time, but it is only mentioned in the name of the character, but it still does not promise such gameplay. The train section and the kitchen section are fun. I like the enemy models outside the Attic section, they have various models from tea to helicopter. Occasional cinematics It was a nice detail. It can be boring to wait for the character to switch to another section in the map, but it is still well thought out that they feed the loading screen like this. It was also didactic that the last boss was the television, which is the enemy of the children. Finally, this game is finished and played even for the music played at the end of the game.

By jumping through lots of hoops I'm rather clueless towards, I managed to get Beetle Saturn running, and it works wonders surprisingly enough. So I can finally run Sega Saturn games well, good shit. I decided to start with a short and simple launch title.

Nowadays it looks a tad bit messy, and doesn't quite show the Saturn's capabilities as well as Panzer Dragoon or Virtua Fighter did at launch, but nonetheless it's pretty impressive. Some bonus points go towards pulling off the aesthetic quite nicely, like a second rate but still charming version of Toy Story (which this actually predates the release of). Gameplay is super simple and a bit unengaging, but it's a great platformer for kids I would imagine. Quite an alright game here.

For my 250th review, I'm writing about... C... Clockwork Knight? Oh I really should have planned this better...

Much like NiGHTS into Dreams, Clockwork Knight is a game with Christmas vibes, and one that's become a bit of a yearly tradition. The whole "living toys" trope kinda suits the season, and there's a sort of nutcracker-esque aesthetic to Pepperouchau that I'm into. In general, I really like the look of this game, a lot of these toys are straight up grotesque and the pre-rendered sprites give them a very uncanny quality amid the low-poly 3D backdrops.

The gameplay is competent, but unremarkable. It's a really standard 2D platformer. Pepperouchau controls well, jumping around and exploring feels satisfying enough, and enemies provide good variety, but there's no gameplay hooks or gimmicks to really sink your teeth into. Stab things with your key blade(?), unlock hidden areas, and generally just run to the right until you hit the goal. Between levels you can wager coins to gain extra lives, and even go double or nothing if you're feeling especially lucky, which is a nice way to give them some added utility.

Clockwork Knight is fine. In fact, I'd say it's just a little bit better than fine. I have never played this game while sober.

Immediately, you're taken aback by how ugly it all is. When upscaled and in RGB quality, the pre-rendered assets for 2D sprites clash horribly with the 3D background. It's nowhere near as seamless as a visual style Donkey Kong Country (which funnily enough released the same month as this did in Japan), but somehow, it's all the more interesting to look at because of it. Its colorfulness and dank 90s SEGA designs are obvious boons to its dated aesthetic, which is somewhere between Toy Story on the Genesis and the aforementioned DKC. The endearing part of it is that there almost certainly will never be another game that looks quite like it, which is refreshing in today's age of throwbacks, revivals, and 'memberberries.