There's no reason not to immediately play this follow-up after completing the first game; not only does it pick up where it left off story wise, but also it adds onto where the median difficulty ended up. The title screen even refers to the new levels as "Part 2". At the end of the day they offer practically identical experiences with different level designs, so it is clear that these two games are best played back to back. When doing so, you actually feel a lot more satisfied because the amount of content when combined is much more appreciable. On their own, they are paltry lengthed.

The cast of characters and enemies are the same, the controls and mechanics are shared wholesale, and the jagged 2D/3D mishmash aesthetic isn't "improved" upon whatsoever (not a bad thing). Even the bosses from the first game return, exactly how they were, in the context of a cool boss rush mode. Speaking of, the new big bads are surprisingly far more dynamic and actually rather stunning when compared to the first game's vanilla encounters. It's the only aspect that SEGA felt to pizzazz up rather than keep the same.

Clockwork Knight 1/2 are certainly still worth playing, mind you. Not in today's world of retro revivals will you get an experience quite like this. Its inherent nicheness and forever-exclusivity to one of the biggest flops in console history will mean that your own time playing it will feel a lot more special than the ubiquity of more well known releases.