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Clockwork KnightClockwork Knight is an adventure video game, released as a launch title for the Sega Saturn in 1995. It has a sequel, Clockwork Knight 2 - go to its page for more information on that title. Story The game focuses on Sir Tongara de Pepperouchau III ("Pepper" for short). He is the lovable (but clumsy) toy soldier (one of many in the house, in fact) that is owned by the members of the household. He is fiercely in love with the Clockwork Fairy Princess, Chelsea, whose voice wakes up the toys of the house, every night at midnight on the dot. However, his aforementioned clumsiness can sometimes make him something of a laughing stock, especially when compared to his friendly rival Ginger, who is also after Chelsea's heart. However, as fate would have it, Chelsea was stolen away by an unknown force, which had also hypnotised some of the lesser toys into fierce minions on a mission to stop anyone from rescuing her. Naturally, 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 antagonist and sole playable character in the main game. He's brave, he's dashing, but he's also quite clumsy... Barobaro - Pepper's nearsighted but ever-faithful donkey-for-a-steed. Apparently he consists of a wine bottle on a wheeled basket. Pepper rides on his back in a few stages of the next game, while this time he's relegated to just being in the cutscenes. He also has a crush on Soltia... Prunchau - Pepper's valet and close buddy, this top is also very consciencious 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 works with him 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 Gaulic 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 even has a big crush on Pepper himself, considering 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 young, beautiful doll's voice has the power to wake all the toys every night at midnight. Both Pepper and Ginger compete for her heart. It is her kidnapping that sets both this and the next game off. Gameplay Overview Effectively, this game is a side-scrolling platformer, much in the vein of the Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. However, unlike the aforementioned titles, the game has full 3D graphics, and doesn't just sit on that fact with numerous segments taking Pepper all over the back- and foregrounds, the paths sometimes having full 90 turns, and fully-polygonal bosses to fight (most of the in-game objects are pre-rendered sprites, much like Donkey Kong Country). Pepper doesn't go head-bopping like many other video game stars do, but rather attacks them with his key. A quick tap of the button (usually B) will thrust it out horizontally at any would-be enemies. 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 satisfying pop and lots of... confetti...). In addition to all this, he can also pick up unconscious enemies or even the various objects such as footballs or springs that have been scattered here and there, and toss them at things (in this case, yes, vertical attacks are possible). The goal is simple: just get to the end of the stage alive and well, before time or your hit points (typically three, though Gold Keys can increase that maximum) run out. Unfortunately there aren't any checkpoints to aid players here, so finishing a level has to be done in one go. The levels are fairly large (but not as large as its sequel), with numerous areas to check out and get the treasures out of, so exploration is anything but unadvised. Then come the boss levels. Every third level, Pepper must face off against a large, fully-polygonal enemy in a one-on-one battle. Each of these have a weakness to them that must be exploited, which is easier said than done at times. For instance, the first boss is a doll with a gigantic hat that it uses as a cover - the hat would be indesructible, while the doll itself is the weak spot. Most of the boss fights share this uniqueness to them, ranging from said doll to a few robots to an insane television that is bent on Pepper's destruction. Ultimately the main game is only 13 levels long, so it's not terribly long (which is good, as the game doesn't save your progress in the main game). That 13 levels hosts four different rooms with two normal levels and a boss each, plus a final boss that can only be fought when playing it on Normal or Hard; if you tried Training out first, the game ends at the level just before, and you don't get to see the ending. Items Few platform games have nothing around to collect while traveling throughout the levels; Mario has his coins, Sonic has rings... Clockwork Knight is no exception; it has the following items lying around for collection: Imperial Crowns - Essentially bottle-caps with pictures of crowns on them, these are used in the Soltian Roulette mini-game or to determine whether you get a continue or not. Pocket Watches - Scattered around almost as much as Imperial Crowns, these give you either one or five seconds on your timer. Keys - These wind-up keys will refill your health. They come in three colors; Bronze Keys refill a whopping one hit point, Silver Keys refill all your health points, and Gold Keys refill all your hit points while adding a new one to your maximum (this works twice per life, giving you up to five hit points total), unless you already are at full health with five hit points, in which case it just gives you an extra life. Helmets - In a word, "lives". Blue Helmets are 1UPs, while Red Helmets are 3UPs (and much rarer, too). Invincible - As it implies, this makes Pepper invincible for a short time. Rooms (Levels) There are four rooms in the game consisting of three levels each, with a final boss level at the very end. Betty'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 verious 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 carful. 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... Soltian Roulette After finishing the boss level of a room (save the Attic or the final boss), you can play this mini-game with Soltia, Prunchau and Le Bon. Essentially you bet your Imperial Crowns on the likelihood of your getting something from a roulette of various things (ranging from more Imperial Crowns, 1UPs, 3UPs, to clown faces, which gain you squat). After betting 5, 10 or 15 Imperial Crowns, the roulette boxes will reveal the contents (the amount of everything varies depending on how much you bet) then go for a quick spin, after which you choose which box you think has what you want. If you get something you can keep it, 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.
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