Clockwork Knight

From Sega Retro

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ClockworkKnightJP Title.png

Clockwork Knight
System(s): Sega Saturn
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Sound driver: SCSP/CD-DA (2 tracks)
Genre: Action

















Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Saturn
JP 		¥4,8004,800 GS-9004
Sega Saturn
US 		$39.9939.99[2] 81007
Sega Saturn
EU 		€3636 MK81007-50
Sega Saturn
BR 		191x86

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 "2.5D" platform game, released as a launch title for the Sega Saturn in all major territories.

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 of room, 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.

It does not save a player's progress; turning the Saturn off requires the player to start from the beginning next time.

Items

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.

Levels

This game has thirteen levels, four different rooms with two normal levels and one boss each, plus a final boss. After finishing the boss level of a room 1/2/3, the player can play mini-game with Soltia, Prunchau and Le Bon.

Clockworkknight Saturn JP SSSt1-0.png

Betsy's Room (Room 1)
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 Dandy Bob, the giant hat-carrying, tuxedo-wearing doll. In the original Japanese version, he has white, human-like skin and blonde hair, while in the NTSC and PAL releases of the game, Dandy Bob is blue-skinned (much like the Edisons from Maniac Mansion) with blue hair. The reason for this change is unknown.

Clockworkknight Saturn JP SSSt2-0.png

Kevin's Room (Room 2)
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 Double Jetter, a large mech, which can transform into a speedy jet.

Clockworkknight Saturn JP SSSt3-0.png

Kitchen (Room 3)
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 Chef de Popot, a chef-shaped squeaky toy with a large pot he carries around, hiding under on the slippery floor.

Clockworkknight Saturn JP SSSt4-0.png

Attic (Room 4)
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 Iron Kong X, a monkey-like mech 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.

Clockworkknight Saturn JP SSLst.png

Final Boss
This stage can only be fought when playing it on Normal or Hard. 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 boss is a demented television set named Crazy TV.

Clockworkknight Saturn JP SSBns.png

Soltian Roulette (Bonus stage)
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 Pierron 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.

History

Development

Pepper's model being viewed in Softimage version 2.66

Clockwork Knight is one of Sega's first significant forays into rendering 3D imagery on a computer, being created with Silicon Graphics workstations running Softimage. While the Super NES game Donkey Kong Country is usually credited for being the first big-budget title to take advantage of this technique, Clockwork Knight was just a few weeks behind in Japan.

While it can never be proved, it is likely that Clockwork Knight was inspired by the works of John Lasseter and Pixar, who had been producing groundbreaking computer animated shorts, usually based on normally-inanimate objects, since the mid-1980s. In 1988 Pixar released Tin Toy - a five-minute short featuring senitent toys (which later became a catalyst for Toy Story in 1995). The similar ideas seen in Clockwork Knight beat Toy Story to market by several months (in Japan at least), though was far less of an influence in popular culture. Like Pixar, Sega likely realised that computers of the era was more suited to rendering simple geometric shapes made of plastic or metal, rather than realistic organisms such as animals or humans.

Clockwork Knight was one of the first Sega Saturn games to be announced, being first shown to the public under the working title of "Action Game" at Winter CES 1994. At the time, the Saturn console had not been finalised, and the Clockwork Knight demonstration consisted solely of a jerky, pre-rendered 3D video demonstrating concepts that might appear in the game. The video demonstrates Pepper running, jumping and picking up objects, but also includes a sequence where the character pushes a stack of tins off the edge of a shelf, pushes a floor switch, and fights a jack-in-the-box with a small, red umbrella rather than his "key sword" in the final game.

While only brief, this fight is more involved than anything seen in the final product - Pepper is seen blocking and kicking, as opposed to the enemy exploding when hit once. There is no known accompanying sound to any of the footage, and the world Pepper inhabits is far more subdued than the vibrant kids rooms seen in the final game. This video was included as a bonus in Clockwork Knight: Pepperouchau no Fukubukuro and the US release of Clockwork Knight 2.

Clockwork Knight was intentionally made harder for the US and European markets, because it was believed American consumers preferred tougher games than their Japanese counterparts (and Europeans tougher still)[4].

Legacy

It is not known if the Clockwork Knight story was always meant to span two games, however by releasing the game in Japan as Clockwork Knight: Pepperouchau no Daibouken Joukan ("Joukan" literally translating to "first volume"), a sequel was expected, and arrived the following year as Clockwork Knight 2. Clockwork Knight 2 is often seen as a refined version of the first game - the gameplay remains almost identical and many of the graphics and audio cues were not changed.

The two were later compiled into one release, Clockwork Knight: Pepperouchau no Fukubukuro in Japan, becoming the definitive version of Clockwork Knight.

Versions

Localised names

Also known as
Language Localised Name English Translation
English Clockwork Knight Clockwork Knight
English (US) Clockwork Knight Clockwork Knight
Japanese クロックワークナイト ペパルーチョの大冒険・上巻 Clockwork Knight: Pepperouchau no Daibouken Joukan

Production credits

Clockwork Knight -Staff-
Game Designers
Programmers
Artists
Sound Staff
Marketing Staff


Source:
In-game credits
Clockworkknight Saturn JP SSEnding.pdf
[5]
Source:
US manual
Clockworkknight sat us manual.pdf
[6]

Soundtrack

A soundtrack album, Clockwork Knight: Pepperouchau no Daibouken Fantastic Soundtrack, was released exclusively in Japan two days before the Japanese release of the second game.

Magazine articles

Main article: Clockwork Knight/Magazine articles.

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
52 [7]
84 [8]
92 [9]
74 [10]
60 [11]
60 №20, p75
70 №72, p38
83 №48, p21
65 №315, p37
100 №324, p44
89 [12]
82
79
83 [13]
75 [2]
56
74 №15, p69
83
95 [14]
90 [15]
83
40 [16]
82 [17]
60 [3]
60 [18]
87 [19]
89
57 №65, p63
91 №42, p34/35
88 №49, p50
74 [20]
70 [21]
80 №1, p89[22]
78 [23]
Sega Saturn
 76
Based on
34 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
50
[24]
Alaab Alcomputtar (SA)
90
[25]
CD Consoles (FR)
52
[7]
Consoles + (FR)
84
[8]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
74
[10]
Digitiser (UK)
78
[26]
Edge (UK) NTSC-J
60
[11]
Electronic Entertainment (US) NTSC-U
50
[27]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
70
[28]
Excalibur (CZ)
83
[29]
Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
65
[30]
GameFan (US) NTSC-U
83
[12]
Game Players (US) NTSC-U
56
[31]
GamePro (US) NTSC-J
83
[32]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
75
[2]
Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL
74
[33]
Hobby Consolas (ES)
83
[34]
Joypad (FR) NTSC-J
95
[14]
Joypad (FR)
90
[15]
LeveL (CZ)
75
[35]
MAN!AC (DE) NTSC-J
84
[36]
MAN!AC (DE) PAL
83
[37]
Maximum (UK)
25
[16]
Mega (UK) NTSC-J
65
[38]
Mega Force (FR) NTSC-J
86
[39]
Mega Fun (DE) PAL
73
[40]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) NTSC-J
82
[17]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
60
[3]
Next Generation (US) NTSC-J
50
[18]
Player One (FR)
87
[19]
Power Unlimited (NL)
89
[41]
Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J
75
[42]
Saturn+ (UK) PAL
85
[43]
Score (CZ)
90
[44]
Sega Magazin (DE)
74
[45]
Sega Magazine (UK) PAL
70
[46]
Sega Power (UK) NTSC-J
57
[47]
Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-J
91
[48]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
88
[49]
Sega Megazone (AU)
62
[50]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
74
[20]
Super Juegos (ES)
89
[51]
Todo Sega (ES)
85
[52]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
80
[53]
Ultimate Future Games (UK) PAL
58
[54]
Ultimate Future Games (UK) NTSC-J
70
[21]
Ultimate Gamer (US)
80
[22]
Última Generación (ES)
78
[55]
Video Games (DE)
50
[56]
VideoGames (US) NTSC-U
70
[57]
Sega Saturn
 74
Based on
50 reviews

Clockwork Knight

Saturn, US
ClockworkKnight Saturn US Box Back.jpgClockworkknight sat us cover.jpg
Cover
Clockworkknight sat us disc.png
Disc
Clockworkknight sat us manual.pdf
Manual
Saturn, EU
Clockworkknight sat eu cover.jpg
Cover
Clockworkknight sat eu disc.jpg
Disc
Saturn, JP
Clockwork sat jp backcover.jpgClockworkknight sat jp front cover.jpg
Cover
Clockworkknight sat jp disc.jpg
Disc
Clockwork Knight Sega Saturn Japan Manual.pdf
Manual
Saturn, BR
<div style="margin:auto; max-width:Expression error: Unexpected < operator.px"> 320x120px
Cover

Technical information

ROM dump status

System Hash Size Build Date Source Comments
Sega Saturn
✔
CRC32
MD5
SHA-1
247,696,176 CD-ROM(EU) MK81007-50 V1.000
Sega Saturn
✔
CRC32
MD5
SHA-1
247,830,240 1994-11-15 CD-ROM(JP) GS-9004 V1.000
Sega Saturn
 ?
CRC32
MD5
SHA-1
247,698,528 CD-ROM(US) 81007 V1.002

Track list

1. [data track]  
2. Clockwork Kinght (Opening demo 1) (00:46) 
3. Clockwork Kinght (Opening demo 2) (02:09) 
► Running time: 2:55

External links

References

  1. ↑ Press release: 1995-05-19: Sega Saturn launch takes consumers and retailers by storm
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 GamePro, "August 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 54
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Mean Machines Sega, "October 1995" (UK; 1995-08-25), page 90
  4. ↑ GamePro, "January 1996" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 49
  5. ↑ File:Clockworkknight_Saturn_JP_SSEnding.pdf
  6. ↑ File:Clockworkknight sat us manual.pdf, page 22
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 CD Consoles, "Février 1995" (FR; 1995-xx-xx), page 120
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Consoles +, "Février 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 118
  9. ↑ Consoles +, "Septembre 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 136
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Computer & Video Games, "February 1995" (UK; 1995-01-15), page 28
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Edge, "March 1995" (UK; 1995-01-26), page 72
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 GameFan, "Volume 3, Issue 7: July 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 13
  13. ↑ GamePro, "April 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 150
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Joypad, "Décembre 1994" (FR; 1994-1x-xx), page 162
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Joypad, "Septembre 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 70
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Maximum, "October 1995" (UK; 1995-09-01), page 145
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Mean Machines Sega, "February 1995" (UK; 1994-12-30), page 84
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Next Generation, "April 1995" (US; 1995-03-21), page 89
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Player One, "Juillet/Août 1995" (FR; 1995-0x-xx), page 64
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Sega Saturn Magazine (readers), "Final data" (JP; 2000-03), page 14 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:SnGwSISDRZK Book JP.pdf_p14" defined multiple times with different content
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Ultimate Future Games, "March 1995" (UK; 1995-02-03), page 82
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 File:UltimateGamer US 01.pdf, page 89 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:UltimateGamer US 01.pdf_p89" defined multiple times with different content
  23. ↑ Última Generación, "Abril 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 81
  24. ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 48
  25. ↑ Alaab Alcomputtar, "" (SA; 1995-08-xx), page 74
  26. ↑ Digitiser (UK) (1995-07-11)
  27. ↑ Electronic Entertainment, "August 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 77
  28. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "July 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 38
  29. ↑ Excalibur, "" (CZ; 1995-08-01), page 1
  30. ↑ Famitsu, "1994-12-30" (JP; 1994-12-16), page 1
  31. ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 8 No. 8 August 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 36
  32. ↑ GamePro, "April 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 144
  33. ↑ Games World: The Magazine, "September 1995" (UK; 1995-0x-xx), page 69
  34. ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Agosto 1995" (ES; 1995-xx-xx), page 98
  35. ↑ LeveL, "Červen 1995" (CZ; 1995-06-01), page 36
  36. ↑ MAN!AC, "02/95" (DE; 1995-01-11), page 26
  37. ↑ MAN!AC, "08/95" (DE; 1995-07-12), page 46
  38. ↑ Mega, "April 1995" (UK; 1995-03-30), page 18
  39. ↑ Mega Force, "Janvier 1995" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 52
  40. ↑ Mega Fun, "08/95" (DE; 1995-07-19), page 83
  41. ↑ Power Unlimited, "Jaagang 3, Jul/Aug 1995" (NL; 1995-06-28), page 38
  42. ↑ Saturn Fan, "1995 March" (JP; 1995-02-08), page 40
  43. ↑ Saturn+, "Christmas 1995" (UK; 1995-12-14), page 56
  44. ↑ Score, "Květen 1995" (CZ; 1995-05-01), page 30
  45. ↑ Sega Magazin, "August 1995" (DE; 1995-07-12), page 65
  46. ↑ Sega Magazine, "August 1995" (UK; 1995-07-13), page 60
  47. ↑ Sega Power, "April 1995" (UK; 1995-02-16), page 63
  48. ↑ Sega Pro, "March 1995" (UK; 1995-01-26), page 34
  49. ↑ Sega Pro, "September 1995" (UK; 1995-08-10), page 50
  50. ↑ Sega Megazone, "August 1995" (AU; 1995-0x-xx), page 24
  51. ↑ Super Juegos, "Agosto 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 82
  52. ↑ Todo Sega, "Septiembre 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 36
  53. ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 44
  54. ↑ Ultimate Future Games, "September 1995" (UK; 1995-08-01), page 89
  55. ↑ Última Generación, "Abril 1995" (ES; 1995-0x-xx), page 78
  56. ↑ Video Games, "8/95" (DE; 1995-07-26), page 67
  57. ↑ VideoGames, "June 1995" (US; 1995-0x-xx), page 72


Clockwork Knight

ClockworkKnightJP Title.png

Main page | Comparisons | Credits | Hidden content | Magazine articles | Video coverage | Reception | Technical information


Books: Clockwork Knight: Pepperouchau no Daibouken (1994) | Clockwork Knight: Pepperouchau no Daibouken Joukan Koushiki Guide Book (1995)
Music: Clockwork Knight: Pepperouchau no Daibouken Fantastic Soundtrack (1995)

Sega Saturn
Prototypes: 1995-02-06



Clockwork Knight series of games
Sega Saturn
 Clockwork Knight (1994) | Clockwork Knight 2 (1995) | Clockwork Knight: Pepperouchau no Fukubukuro (1995) | Clockwork Knight: Pengin War (Cancelled)
Nintendo GameCube
 Knight'n Knight (Cancelled)
Sampler Discs
Sega Saturn
Clockwork Knight Sample (1994) | Prime Selection Vol. 1 (1995)
Clockwork Knight related media
Music
 Clockwork Knight: Pepperouchau no Daibouken Fantastic Soundtrack (1995) | Israelites (1996)
Book
 Clockwork Knight: Pepperouchau no Daibouken (1994) | Clockwork Knight: Pepperouchau no Daibouken Joukan Koushiki Guide Book (1995) | Clockwork Knight: Pepperouchau no Daibouken Gekan Koushiki Guide Book (1995)
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