SummaryThe side-scrolling action game can either be played alone or with a friend in co-op. Players can choose from three different characters, each of them with her/his individual moveset: Huck Londo, the daring ghost hunter, Elle Moon, the brave adventuress and Gush, the warmhearted giant robot.
Rated Efor Everyone
Developer:Westone Bit Entertainment
Clockwork Aquario
Released On:
Dec 14, 2021
Metascore
Mixed or Average
70
User score
Mixed or Average
6.3
My Score
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All Platforms
Metascore
Mixed or Average
70
30% Positive
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
70% Mixed
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Nov 30, 2021
90
Clockwork Aquario has been a long time coming, but it was definitely worth the wait. An obvious labour of love, this ill-fated arcade gem has been improbably recovered, restored, and reassembled, and it never feels like anything less than a carefully unearthed treasure that’s been polished until it shines. It won’t take long to beat — and it shouldn’t, because a good 30-year-old arcade platformer is supposed to be short and sweet — but what the game lacks in length it more than makes up for in entertainment and raw creativity, with stages pitting you against everything from mechanical flying fish to a gigantic egg-dropping robo-penguin. It’s the sort of game you come back to again and again because you want to rather than have to, and we feel lucky to have it.
Dec 2, 2021
80
After decades collecting dust in Sega’s archives, Clockwork Aquario is finally out in the world, and what a joy it is to play! A conceptually simple action platformer done well can be a delight, and with its playful energy and comic charm, delight is exactly what you’ll find here. But as much fun as Clockwork Aquario is, the more important part is what an achievement this is as far as game preservation goes: a long-lost game, developed almost to completion but never released, finally gets to shine.
Jan 17, 2022
70
The Guinness World Record winning Clockwork Aquario has gorgeous visuals and great music but some mechanics that aren't fully realized. If you're interested in this as a fan of Westone or arcade games, you will find a lot to like here assuming you're ok with how short it is.
Dec 16, 2021
70
There isn’t much to say about Clockwork Aquario. It's a side scrolling game. It doesn’t stand out, looking good and having solid controls doesn’t make it a must play. While Clockwork Aquario is a fun game, it’s price of admission doesn’t make it a must play for anyone other than a diehard 90s arcade fanboy.
Dec 14, 2021
70
Clockwork Aquario was made for a very specific crowd of people, by an incredibly passionate team. Obviously a short and simple arcade platformer like this isn't going to be a smash hit today, but there are still plenty of people out there who clamor for old-school '90s arcade bliss. If you're one of those people, then Clockwork Aquario is the game for you. It's short and easy, but fun and beautiful. An arcade classic that was almost lost to time, and I'm so happy that it wasn't.
Dec 1, 2021
64
Clockwork Aquario is a product of its time. The short game length and high difficulty are similar to its 90s counterparts. Unfortunately, due to this, there aren’t many reasons to revisit the game after playing through the meager number of stages. The score-based gameplay is a fresh twist and makes for an addictive platforming experience. Gaining multipliers and working out routes is fun whether playing on your own or with a partner. Even with its beautiful, chunky pixel art and vivid backgrounds, the game’s shortage of content and high price, make this a forgettable re-emergence rather than a celebrated return.
Dec 17, 2021
50
On the one hand, I can say Westone’s arcade “treasure” was worth the wait when viewed as a piece of gaming history. But, as an ININ Games published release in 2021, not as much. Once the warm fuzzies wear off, you’re left with a short game with little replay incentive due to a lack of online leaderboards. Combined with a lack of both standard and extra features, I’d wait for this $19.99 release to get a sizable discount unless you’re an arcade fanatic who has someone readily available for two-player co-op.
User score
Mixed or Average
6.3
43% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
29% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
29% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Dec 16, 2021
7
With its huge character sprites, vibrant colors, and old-school side-scrolling design, Clockwork Aquario should certainly charm retro gaming fans. The fact that it was never completed or released, and now has been brought back to life and finished by a modern team, adds greatly to that appeal for the old-school crowd as well. The thing is, outside of that pretty dedicated niche audience I’m not positive there’s enough here in terms of quality core play to demand more than an appreciative look. The controls are just a bit too loose, and the rules for what you can hit and how a bit too inconsistent, for it to stand on its own as a great action game and though its presentation is fantastic, it may be easier to appreciate simply taking it all in through a gameplay video than strapping yourself in to play. ****/2021/12/mini-reviews-december-16th-edition.html
Oct 23, 2022
4
Looks good, plays bad. Just an interesting piece of history in sense, how it's been released so many years later, but that's all it's really got going for it.
Platforms:
- PlayStation 4
- Nintendo Switch
- Xbox One
- PC
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox Series X
Initial Release Date:Dec 14, 2021
Publisher:
