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Clockwork KnightFrom Sega Retro
StorySir Tongara de Pepperouchau III ("Pepper" for short) is a toy soldier. He is in love with the Clockwork Fairy Princess, Chelsea, whose voice wakes up the toys of the house every night at midnight. But he is clumsy and something of a laughingstock, especially when compared to his friendly rival Ginger who is also after Chelsea's heart. One night Chelsea is stolen away by an unknown force, which also hypnotizes some of the lesser toys to become fierce minions and stand in the way of anyone who would try to rescue her. If there's no voice to wake them up anymore then the toys will never live again, so Pepper and Ginger head off to find Chelsea before it's too late. Characters
GameplayThis game is a side-scrolling platformer in the vein of the Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog series. Unlike those games however, the game uses prerendered digitized 2D sprites of high-resolution 3D models similar to the Donkey Kong Country series, or Killer Instinct, on top of fully 3D levels (and with fully 3D bosses). Pepper attacks enemies with his key. A quick tap of the button (usually B) will thrust it out horizontally. (He cannot do this vertically.) Likewise, repeatedly tapping the button over and over will cause him to twist the key around and around. This makes it a bit more powerful (e.g.: an enemy could be knocked out temporarily with a simple jab, but running into the key when twisting it will instantly take it out with a pop sound and lots of confetti). In addition to all this, he can also pick up unconscious enemies, or the objects such as footballs or springs that have been scattered around the stages and, toss them (in this case, vertical attacks are possible). The goal is to reach the end of the stage before time or hit points (typically three, though Gold Keys can increase that maximum) run out. There are no checkpoints: dying sends a player back to the beginning of a level. The levels are fairly large (but not as large as the sequel's levels) and contain numerous side areas with treasures. Every third level, Pepper must face off against a large, fully polygonal boss in a one-on-one battle. Each boss has a weakness that must be exploited. For instance, the first boss is a doll with a gigantic indestructible hat that it uses for cover; the doll can be hit during the moments when it is revealed under the hat. The final boss is an insane television that is bent on Pepper's destruction. The game is not very long, with only thirteen levels. It does not save a player's progress; turning the Saturn off requires the player to start from the beginning next time. The thirteen levels take place in four different rooms with two normal levels and one boss each, plus a final boss that can only be fought when playing it on Normal or Hard; in Training difficulty, the game ends at the level just before the final boss. ItemsClockwork Knight has these items lying around for collection:
RoomsThere are four rooms in the game with three levels each, and a final boss level at the very end. Betsy's RoomThis level is rather linear, making it an easy start for newcomers. Boxes in the background fall onto unsuspecting players. Books slide back and forth in their shelves, threatening to knock Pepper off. Dinosaur bones hang from the ceiling and can hold various goodies for those willing to go up and check them out. The boss is Bob, the giant hat-carrying, blue-skinned (much like the Edisons from Maniac Mansion), tuxedo-wearing doll. Kevin's RoomThings get tougher here, with numerous battery-powered trains riding tracks over bottomless pits; Pepper had better hop on or else things could get ugly. The floors of the world are often made of LEGO-like blocks, mostly contrasting from the blue background of the stage. Switches can lift various obstacles out of a player's way, or trap them inside if they're not careful. The boss is a large mech, which can transform into a speedy jet. KitchenSinks fill with water and drain right back on as Pepper hops from sponge to plate keeping himself from a scalding-hot fate. The metal floors seem to be highly slippery, mimicking the common ice-floor downfalls in many other video games. Watch out for flames from the stoves - pushing some soap and then riding it over them is advised. The boss is a chef-shaped salt shaker with a large pot he carries around, hiding under on the slippery floor. AtticDark, damp and dusty would describe Pepper's final destination (in this trip, at least). Various mazes and platforms that rise and fall are scattered everywhere... Pepper's definitely getting closer to Chelsea and her kidnapper. The boss is yet another mech, a monkey-like one, that breaks apart early on causing its main body to float around, using all but its head as protection by spinning them around at high speeds. Final BossThis is the very end of this game - a final one-on-one battle with what appears to be the perpetrator over just who gets Chelsea. But is there a bigger foe at work here? The boss seems to be implying such...The final boss seems to be a television set. Soltian RouletteAfter finishing the boss level of a room (save the Attic or the final boss), the player can play this mini-game with Soltia, Prunchau and Le Bon. Essentially, the player bets Imperial Crowns on the likelihood of getting something from a roulette of various things (ranging from more Imperial Crowns, 1UPs, 3UPs, to clown faces, from which the player gains nothing). After betting 5, 10 or 15 Imperial Crowns, the roulette boxes will reveal the contents (the amount of everything varies depending on how much the player bets) then go for a quick spin, after which the player chooses which box the player thinks has what is desired. If the player gets something, it can be kept, or spin again for a double-or-nothing round (this can be done four times, with the amount of doubles going down by one each time). It's certainly not a bad idea to play this, as the later levels can be pretty tricky. Saving DataThe game makes use of the Saturn's internal battery back-up to save data for system configuration.
Production CreditsExecutive Producer: Mamoru Shigeta Opening Theme (Clockwork Knight)Vocals By: Misumi Kosaka, Shiori Fujita Credits Theme (A Lullaby)Vocals By: Misumi Kosaka Physical Scans
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