Clockwork Knight

From Sega Retro

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Clockwork Knight
System(s): Sega Saturn
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Genre: Action

















Release Date RRP Code
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Clockwork Knight, known as Clockwork Knight: Pepperouchau no Daibouken Joukan (クロックワークナイト ～ペパルーチョの大冒険・上巻～) in Japan, is a side-scrolling platform video game, released as a launch title for the Sega Saturn in Japan on December 9, 1994 and in North America and Europe in 1995. It was followed by a sequel, Clockwork Knight 2.

Story

Sir 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

  • Sir Tongara de Pepperouchau III ("Pepper") - the main protagonist and sole playable character in the main game. He's brave, dashing, and quite clumsy.
  • Barobaro - Pepper's nearsighted but ever-faithful donkey-for-a-steed. He appears to be a wine bottle on a wheeled basket. He has a crush on Soltia. Pepper rides on Barobaro's back in a few stages of Clockwork Knight 2, but in this game he only appears in cutscenes.
  • Prunchau - Pepper's valet and close friend, this top is also very conscientious of Pepper and sometimes treats him like a little boy. He gives suggestions in the Soltian Roulette.
  • Sir Ginger - Pepper's chief rival and something of a showoff, but he works with Pepper in saving Chelsea.
  • Silver - Ginger's steed. A horse-shaped clothesbrush, he's quite snobby in thinking he's the perfect horse for the perfect warrior.
  • Le Bon - Ginger's valet. Like Prunchau, he also gives suggestions in the Soltian Roulette.
  • Sir Oneon de Pepperouchau - Pepper's father. He's a bit overly dramatic; he thinks, for whatever reason, that his family has forsaken him.
  • Sir Garluch de Pepperouchau - Pepper's highly-respected, if somewhat misguided, grandfather. He's mysteriously gone missing.
  • Pa Zur - Ginger's lord and mentor. All the toys think that the sliding puzzle is a wise old mystic.
  • Soltia - A hot-tempered perfume bottle who loves music, cards, and games of chance. She has a crush on Pepper and considers Chelsea to be a rival for his affection. She hosts the Soltian Roulette mini-game that occurs between worlds, also giving suggestions to players like Prunchau and Le Bon do.
  • Clockwork Princess Chelsea - This beautiful young doll's voice has the power to wake all the toys every night at midnight. Both Pepper and Ginger compete for her heart. Her kidnapping starts the events of this game and its sequel.

Gameplay

This 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.

Items

Clockwork Knight has these items lying around for collection:

  • Imperial Crowns - Bottle caps with pictures of crowns on them, these are used in the Soltian Roulette mini-game or to earn a game continue.
  • Pocket Watches - Scattered around almost as much as Imperial Crowns, these award either one or five bonus seconds on the timer.
  • Keys - These wind-up keys will refill health. They come in three colors; Bronze Keys refill one point, Silver Keys refill all points, and Gold Keys refill all points and increase the maximum by one (this works twice per life, giving up to five hit points total). If Pepper is already at full health with five hit points, the gold key awards an extra life.
  • Helmets - A blue helmet awards an extra life, and the much-rarer red helmets award three extra lives.
  • Pa Zur Sphere (Invincible) - This makes Pepper invincible for a short time.

Rooms

There are four rooms in the game with three levels each, and a final boss level at the very end.

Betsy's Room

This 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 Room

Things 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.

Kitchen

Sinks 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.

Attic

Dark, 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 Boss

This 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 Roulette

After 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 Data

The game makes use of the Saturn's internal battery back-up to save data for system configuration.

Clockwork Knight Save Data
Name Comment File Size
CLOCK__DATA FUKUBUKURO 1

Production Credits

Executive Producer: Mamoru Shigeta
Producers: Noriyoshi Oba, Yoji Ishii, Makoto Oshitani
Director: Tomoyuki Ito
Sound Director/Music Composer: Hirofumi Murasaki
Main Character Artists: Toshiyuki Mukaiyama, Ryichiro Kutsuzawa
System Programmer/Main Character Programmer: Yoshio Fukushima
Background Programmer/Visual Effect Programmer: Akira Ohe
Front Stage Artists: Namie Manabe, Takehiko Miura, Yoshihito Takahashi
Background Artists: Shiro Kinemura, Masahiro Sanpei, Osamu Ogata, Yumiko Miyabe
Visual Coordination: Katsuhisa Sato
Map Condstrction: Hiroshi Ohba
Enemy Programmers/Trap Programmers: Takashi Amami, Toshihiro Aumazaki (Hitachi Microsoftware System. Inc.)
Boss Enemy Programmers/Trap Programmers: Shinya Tsukizaki, Hiroaki Sakamoto, Tetsu Katano
World Map & Goal Programmer: Hiroshi Momota
Opening Programmer/Ending Programmer: Yoshio Inoue
Bonus Game Programmer: Yuichi Matsuoka
Boss Enemy Designer: Yusuke Yoshida
Opening Artist/Ending Artist: Norihiro Nishiyama
Graphical Supervisor: Mayayuki Hasegawa
Sound Effects: Seirou Okamoto, Katsuyoshi Nita
Sound Programmers: Kazuya Fujishima, Naomi Yamamoto, Kenichiro Okuma
Sega Sound Libary: In Vision
Recording Studio: Sega Digital Studio
Recording Producer: Tatsutoshi Narita
Recording Director: Fumitaka Shibata
Recording Engineer: Naoyuki Machida
Product Manager: Tomoaki Ogawa, Kazuhiro Hanaya
Promotion: Tadashi Takezaki
Special Thanks: Toru Sasaki, Tsutomu Kataoka, Asami Sasaki, Shinji Kawahira, Yosuke Okunari, Tomoko Hasegawa
Produced & Published By: Sega Enterprises. Ltd.

Opening Theme (Clockwork Knight)

Vocals By: Misumi Kosaka, Shiori Fujita
Words By: Reiko Waters
Music By: Hirofumi Murasaki
Arranged By: Tomoko Tsuyama
Manipulated By: Nobuo Ito

Credits Theme (A Lullaby)

Vocals By: Misumi Kosaka
Words By: Reiko Waters
Music By: Hirofumi Murasaki
Arranged By: Tomoko Tsuyama
Manipulated By: Nobuo Ito

Physical Scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
52 №4, p120/121/122/123
92 №46, p136/137
70
83
56
83
95 №37, p162/163
90 №45, p70/71
83
82 №28, p84/85/86/87
91 №42, p34/35
88 №49, p50
Sega Saturn
 80
Based on
12 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
50
[1]
Alaab Alcomputtar (SA)
90
[2]
CD Consoles (FR)
52
[3]
Consoles + (FR)
84
[4]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
74
[5]
Digitiser (UK)
78
[6]
Edge (UK) NTSC-J
60
[7]
Electronic Entertainment (US) NTSC-U
50
[8]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
70
[9]
Excalibur (CZ)
83
[10]
Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
65
[11]
GameFan (US) NTSC-U
83
[12]
Game Players (US) NTSC-U
56
[13]
GamePro (US) NTSC-J
83
[14]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
75
[15]
Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL
74
[16]
Hobby Consolas (ES)
83
[17]
Joypad (FR) NTSC-J
95
[18]
Joypad (FR)
90
[19]
LeveL (CZ)
75
[20]
MAN!AC (DE) NTSC-J
84
[21]
MAN!AC (DE) PAL
83
[22]
Maximum (UK)
25
[23]
Mega (UK) NTSC-J
65
[24]
Mega Force (FR) NTSC-J
86
[25]
Mega Fun (DE) PAL
73
[26]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) NTSC-J
82
[27]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
60
[28]
Next Generation (US) NTSC-J
50
[29]
Player One (FR)
87
[30]
Power Unlimited (NL)
89
[31]
Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J
75
[32]
Saturn+ (UK) PAL
85
[33]
Score (CZ)
90
[34]
Sega Magazin (DE)
74
[35]
Sega Magazine (UK) PAL
70
[36]
Sega Power (UK) NTSC-J
57
[37]
Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-J
91
[38]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
88
[39]
Sega Megazone (AU)
62
[40]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
74
[41]
Super Juegos (ES)
89
[42]
Todo Sega (ES)
85
[43]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
80
[44]
Ultimate Future Games (UK) PAL
58
[45]
Ultimate Future Games (UK) NTSC-J
70
[46]
Ultimate Gamer (US)
80
[47]
Última Generación (ES)
78
[48]
Video Games (DE)
50
[49]
VideoGames (US) NTSC-U
70
[50]
Sega Saturn
 74
Based on
50 reviews

Clockwork Knight

Saturn, US
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Saturn, EU
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Saturn, JP
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Saturn, BR
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  1. ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 48
  2. ↑ Alaab Alcomputtar, "" (SA; 1995-08-xx), page 74
  3. ↑ CD Consoles, "Février 1995" (FR; 1995-xx-xx), page 120
  4. ↑ Consoles +, "Février 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 118
  5. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "February 1995" (UK; 1995-01-15), page 28
  6. ↑ Digitiser (UK) (1995-07-11)
  7. ↑ Edge, "March 1995" (UK; 1995-01-26), page 72
  8. ↑ Electronic Entertainment, "August 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 77
  9. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "July 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 38
  10. ↑ Excalibur, "" (CZ; 1995-08-01), page 1
  11. ↑ Famitsu, "1994-12-30" (JP; 1994-12-16), page 1
  12. ↑ GameFan, "Volume 3, Issue 7: July 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 13
  13. ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 8 No. 8 August 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 36
  14. ↑ GamePro, "April 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 144
  15. ↑ GamePro, "August 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 54
  16. ↑ Games World: The Magazine, "September 1995" (UK; 1995-0x-xx), page 69
  17. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Agosto 1995" (ES; 1995-xx-xx), page 98
  18. ↑ Joypad, "Décembre 1994" (FR; 1994-1x-xx), page 162
  19. ↑ Joypad, "Septembre 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 70
  20. ↑ LeveL, "Červen 1995" (CZ; 1995-06-01), page 36
  21. ↑ MAN!AC, "02/95" (DE; 1995-01-11), page 26
  22. ↑ MAN!AC, "08/95" (DE; 1995-07-12), page 46
  23. ↑ Maximum, "October 1995" (UK; 1995-09-01), page 145
  24. ↑ Mega, "April 1995" (UK; 1995-03-30), page 18
  25. ↑ Mega Force, "Janvier 1995" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 52
  26. ↑ Mega Fun, "08/95" (DE; 1995-07-19), page 83
  27. ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "February 1995" (UK; 1994-12-30), page 84
  28. ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1995" (UK; 1995-08-25), page 90
  29. ↑ Next Generation, "April 1995" (US; 1995-03-21), page 89
  30. ↑ Player One, "Juillet/Août 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 64
  31. ↑ Power Unlimited, "Jaagang 3, Jul/Aug 1995" (NL; 1995-06-28), page 38
  32. ↑ Saturn Fan, "1995 March" (JP; 1995-02-08), page 40
  33. ↑ Saturn+, "Christmas 1995" (UK; 1995-12-14), page 56
  34. ↑ Score, "Květen 1995" (CZ; 1995-05-01), page 30
  35. ↑ Sega Magazin, "August 1995" (DE; 1995-07-12), page 65
  36. ↑ Sega Magazine, "August 1995" (UK; 1995-07-13), page 60
  37. ↑ Sega Power, "April 1995" (UK; 1995-02-16), page 63
  38. ↑ Sega Pro, "March 1995" (UK; 1995-01-26), page 34
  39. ↑ Sega Pro, "September 1995" (UK; 1995-08-10), page 50
  40. ↑ Sega Megazone, "August 1995" (AU; 1995-0x-xx), page 24
  41. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "Readers rating final data" (JP; 2000-03), page 14
  42. ↑ Super Juegos, "Agosto 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 82
  43. ↑ Todo Sega, "Septiembre 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 36
  44. ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 44
  45. ↑ Ultimate Future Games, "September 1995" (UK; 1995-08-01), page 89
  46. ↑ Ultimate Future Games, "March 1995" (UK; 1995-02-03), page 82
  47. ↑ Ultimate Gamer, "July 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 89
  48. ↑ Última Generación, "Abril 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 78
  49. ↑ Video Games, "8/95" (DE; 1995-07-26), page 67
  50. ↑ VideoGames, "June 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 72
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