Clockwork Aquario is a lost game that’s finally making its way back

Clockwork Aquario is a lost game that’s finally making its way back

Westone’s unreleased project finally seeing light of day

I don’t remember Clockwork Aquario, but after watching this trailer, and reading up on its history afterward, I realized that I probably should have been paying closer attention. The game was originally created for arcades by Westone, but during development in 1992 it ended up being scrapped — arcades had changed, shifting from 2D platforming to fighting games and 3D, things that could bring more return quarter crunching to the venues. Back in 2017, the rights were acquired from SEGA by Strictly Limited Games, and some of the original staff was brought on board to finish the project.

Now, the final project has been revealed.

Clockwork Aquario is a 2D action platformer played by one or two players, with big, colorful visuals and characters, giant bosses, and that classic 16- and 32-bit arcade feel of early Nineties gems. The new/updated/completed version has three characters to select from, each with unique movesets. It should bring a ton of nostalgia, and maybe even calls for a sequel or two, based on what some fans are already screaming about online.

The game is coming later this year, alongside physical and digital versions of the game, for the Switch and the PS4.