Lost Gems – Clockwork Knight (Sega Saturn)

Hello! It is that time again, with the next entry in my series discussing classic games that are no longer officially available. In this instalment, I am going to be discussing a forgotten classic for the SEGA Saturn, Clockwork Knight. This is the first part of a duology of games, with the first being a launch title for the western Saturn launch. So let’s take a look at this (at the time) revolutionary platformer in this entry of Lost Gems.

Disclaimer: while the game discussed here is no longer officially on sale, there are ways to obtain the game. This can either be through the second hand market, or through unofficial digital roms/rips. I do not condone or promote piracy, so there won’t be an links to roms or rips of the game being covered.

So with the introductions out of the way, let’s get started. I will be starting with the general game experience, then giving my personal thoughts on the title.

About the game

Clockwork Knight is a 2.5D platformer, using a combination of pre-rendered sprites, polygon models and stages that make good use of 3D depth. This title also featured full video cutscenes, with these videos at a much higher quality compared to early FMV offerings. These video scenes play out during the opening and ending of the game, as well as being used to push the story forward at key points. This was a big leap in game video quality at the time.

The premise of the game is simple, at midnight each night, the toys in the house are awoken by the princess Chelsea. During one night, two Clockwork Knights Ginger and Tongara de Pepperouchau (Pepper) are trying to win the love of the princess. During their contest, the lights go out and the princess is kidnapped. Now the two Knights go into action to save her, while many of the toys become hostile in order to stop her rescue.

The gameplay loop for this release is easy to understand, with the player taking control of the protagonist Pepperouchau. As the titular Clockwork Knight, they must travel through various parts of the house they are in, battling the evil toys in order to save the princess. There are 4 rooms to travel through, made up of two stages and a boss each, with a final boss battle to cap the adventure off. Each room has unique gimmicks and themes that make them unique.

This platforming title follows the traditional action structure, where the player can move left and right, as well as jump across gaps or over enemies. There will also be hazards and obstacles that can damage the player, like enemies that will jump from the background, spikes on the ground and pitfalls. Pepper starts each life with 3 gears, losing one when damage is taken, but they can be restored and increased by collecting clockwork keys.

As Pepper is a Knight, he is armed with a sword in the shape of a key, which is used to battle the various enemies that appear. The player can use this weapon to attack by thrusting directly in front of him. This will stun many of the enemies, or outright destroy them. if an enemy is stunned, they can be attacked again to kill them or picked up and thrown. Players can also tap the attack button, causing his body to spin as he turns the key.

While travelling through the different stages, there will be elements that are distinct to them. Betsy’s Room is the starting zone, with dolls houses that can fall over and story books that will try to crush pepper. Then there is Kevin’s room, which has battery powered elements, like trains and mechanical cranes. The kitchen uses water, as well as low traction platforms to make them more hazardous. Last is the Attic, which contains spikes and explosive enemies.

The different stage mechanics keep the experience exciting and fresh, keeping players on their toes during the course of the game. But there is one more thing that enhances the general experience, which is the alternate path system. Like other platformers, the stages are not just a straight line to the goal. In most of the stages, the player will be able to use special boxes, which are opened with his sword and can transport him to a new area.

These boxes aren’t the only form of transportation in the game however, as some stages contain tunnels to move through. There are even some secret passages in stages to be discovered, expanding the replay value of the game. At the end of a stage, the player is given a challenge to fill a missing letter in the word clockwork, by jumping on a moving platform. If this is successful, the player gets an extra life to go into the following stages.

Moving onto the bosses, each of the boss battles will have their own challenges, where pepper has to hit them in a weak point. These battles will have multiple phases and patterns for players to figure out. The Bosses will have a theme that is similar to the stage that they are in, with the exception being the Attic boss, which plays out before the final true boss. After the first three boss battles, there is a special bonus round that occurs.

In this special bonus round, the player can wager coins they have collected during the stages. The player can wager 5, 10 or 15 coins and take on a spinning box challenge, where the player must follow the boxes as they spin to get the item they seek. But if they get a clown face, they get nothing. If the player does win, they can try to double it and go for a huge payout, but if they fail they lose it all. It is important not to waste your coins.

If the player runs out of lives, they will be sent to the continue screen, where 20 coins must be paid to keep playing. When this happens, the player will be sent back to the stage they died on.  To keep the game going, extra lives can be collected in stages and in the bonus game, these are shown as helmets with blue giving one life and red giving 3. If the player clears the game, all remaining lives are converted into points for the players score.

Speaking of Score, this is the main replay value of the game. The player will score points based on performance, with bonuses for time and damage taken at the end of the stage. To ensure the best score is obtained, with as little damage taken as possible, it is important to make good use of items that appear. These include items like footballs, springs and even an invincibility orb that will make Pepper invulnerable for a time.

Personal Thoughts

I first experienced Clockwork Knight as a kid, being blown away by the leap from the Mega Drive and SNES, to this whole new world of 3D gaming. There was something special about it and everything that made it new and fresh has stuck with me since I first played it. I will admit that it does have some small flaws, like the length of the game with only 13 stages, including the bosses. But this is for a reason, as the first game ends on a cliffhanger.

The general moment to moment action of the game is fun, with a lot of exploration, secrets and bonuses to be found during play. this game can even be run through pretty quickly, as there are secret exits, letting players pass to the boss from the second stage pretty quick. Then there are the fun boss battles, which really keep the player on their toes. These are very challenging, as you can suffer a lot if you try to rush for a quick kill.

The thing that stood out to me the most is the music and cutscenes, which were something that was pretty revolutionary for the time. The animation between scenes is really good, pushing the story forward without the need for dialogue. Then there is the music, which is wonderful to listen to, offering a selection of tracks that enhance the experience for players. Then there is the opening song which sets everything up for the adventure ahead.

I really love the experience that Clockwork Knight and the sequel provides (which will be covered in the future), as it is just a good simple platformer. This was a showcase for the SEGA Saturn, with the use of depth for the stages and backgrounds, making it feel less flat than the games that came before. It is a real shame that the game is still locked to the Saturn, as there are emulation options out there to bring the game to new systems.

I wish that SEGA would bring this series back, but not as a remake as I feel that would spoil the experience. Last year was the 30th anniversary for the game in japan, with this year being the anniversary in the west, a long time to ignore such a wonderful series. Thankfully, the games are not too expensive on the secondary market, with the game being affordably priced. This is good as games of this age on dead hardware often explode in price.

Thank you for checking this piece out. if you enjoyed it, please take a look at the other content that is available on the site, as well as the other entries in this feature. More content will be coming soon, so stay tuned for that and see what catches your eye.