Clockwork Aquario Reviews

Clockwork Aquario is ranked in the 51st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
10 / 10.0
Nov 29, 2021

Clockwork Aquario is a restorative labour of love 27 years in the making. What’s not to like?

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9 / 10
Nov 30, 2021

Clockwork Aquario has been a long time coming, but it was definitely worth the wait. An obvious labour of love, this ill-fated arcade gem has been improbably recovered, restored, and reassembled, and it never feels like anything less than a carefully unearthed treasure that's been polished until it shines. It won't take long to beat - and it shouldn't, because a good 30-year-old arcade platformer is supposed to be short and sweet - but what the game lacks in length it more than makes up for in entertainment and raw creativity, with stages pitting you against everything from mechanical flying fish to a gigantic egg-dropping robo-penguin. It's the sort of game you come back to again and again because you want to rather than have to, and we feel lucky to have it.

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9 / 10
Dec 3, 2021

It is fabulous to find a game that was once lost be brought back to life but not only that, brought back to life with such care and commitment. Yes, it’s really short but you will love beating up robot penguins and crazy fish heads and you genuinely will feel a sense that you have been given the privilege to play this game at long last. This has to be in your game collection not just for the nostalgia but quite simply because it is one superb piece of gaming.

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8.5 / 10.0
Dec 21, 2021

Clockwork Aquario is a great title if you are looking to be transported to the arcade from your house. It's bright, colourful, and has a fun co-op mode so you can share the experience with a friend. If you have a Switch this is a title to check out!

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Ken McKown
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Jan 19, 2022

Clockwork Aquario is a wonderful example of how awesome of a time in games we are truly in. A forgotten gem that likely would have never seen the light of day makes an appearance some 30 years later. I had a blast with its simple mechanics and gorgeous art style. If you are like me and grew up hanging out in arcades far too much, this one will spark that childhood nostalgia we all strive for as we grow old and jaded. Definitely recommended.

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4 / 5.0
Dec 14, 2021

Clockwork Aquario is a fantastic action-platformer that blends quick-moving playable characters and enemies alongside an inventive attack strategy.

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77 / 100
Nov 29, 2021

‎That such a project (so inspired by the love of retro) goes ahead is always a joy. The game itself blames certain imbalances in the difficulty curve and becomes somewhat short, but it is undoubtedly agile, friendly and direct, in the style of those arcades that stole the fourth decades ago, without it "hurting" us to empty the wallet.‎

Review in Spanish | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Dec 20, 2021

Clockwork Aquario is a very short 2D platformer that may or may not be worth your time. It’s a fascinating play knowing how long it took to release and it looks great but you’ll quickly experience all that it has to offer.

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7.5 / 10.0
Nov 29, 2021

There's no denying how wonderful it is that a long-lost arcade gem was completed and released nearly 30 years later and Clockwork Aquario certainly provides enough frantic fun that you'll come back whenever you want a quick fix of over-the-top retro action.

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7.2 / 10.0
Jan 17, 2022

Clockwork Aquario is a fascinating piece of arcade history and an enjoyable action platformer. While it may be extremely light on content for today’s standards, this title offers gameplay that takes you back to the 90s in the ways you expect. And, for that reason, it should satisfy your enthusiasm for retro gaming.

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
7 / 10
Dec 23, 2021

An obvious labour of love that finally provides a full release for one of the best looking 2D arcade games ever made, although it'd be wrong to paint it as a lost classic in terms of gameplay.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 16, 2021

Clockwork Aquario is here. 30 years late, but soaked in old-school style. Westone Bit Entertainment’s final release would not win any awards for originality, but offers a short, fun, and attractive journey to the halcyon days of the ’90s arcade renaissance. The package on offer is a little thin, and the price will be a tad high for the average player’s taste, but important work has been done by publishers ININ Games and Strictly Limited — here’s hoping they will be rewarded in kind.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 16, 2021

There isn't much to say about Clockwork Aquario. It's a side scrolling game. It doesn't stand out, looking good and having solid controls doesn't make it a must play. While Clockwork Aquario is a fun game, it's price of admission doesn't make it a must play for anyone other than a diehard 90s arcade fanboy.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 20, 2021

Clockwork Aquario is a miracle of preservation, but that doesn't make it a game for everyone. Arcade fans will welcome it, but others will find it difficult to continue playing after finishing it the first time, and the scoring system isn't particularly creative. In any case, the low price should keep even the merely curious happy.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Dec 11, 2021

Clockwork Aquario was made for a very specific crowd of people, by an incredibly passionate team. Obviously a short and simple arcade platformer like this isn't going to be a smash hit today, but there are still plenty of people out there who clamor for old-school '90s arcade bliss. If you're one of those people, then Clockwork Aquario is the game for you. It's short and easy, but fun and beautiful. An arcade classic that was almost lost to time, and I'm so happy that it wasn't.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 15, 2021

The five stages have a high score element, but if you're in it to explore the levels, beat the difficulty modes, and romp around it all with a friend, there's still not a lot to do here. I'm happy I can say I played Clockwork Aquario, but outside of supporting game preservation, I can't say it's something you need to drop everything and play. It's cute and fun, but more as a curiosity than a game to keep coming back to.

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Evan Norris
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Dec 15, 2021

If you're concerned about investing in a game that was canned 30 years ago, worry not. Judging by the final product, lovingly restored by Steve Snake, Ratalaika Games, and several of the original Westone employees, this game should never have been cancelled.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 13, 2021

Clockwork Aquario is an incredibly colorful, fun arcade gem restored and finally released after so many years, leading to a great platformer that feels like the perfect sister game to Monster Lair. This port job is pretty decent, though the lack of some expected features from other Ratalaika Games releases is rather disappointing, especially considering the completely asinine lack of button remapping.

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7 / 10.0
Dec 21, 2021

As a game, Clockwork Aquario is a clearly dated product that would have little room in the modern world, now extremely bloated with daily released games, something that couldn't be conceived back in the day. However, it's a valuable historical piece from a time that feels nostalgic, and still inspires people who develop and create games nowadays.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

3.5 / 5.0
Jan 27, 2022

Clockwork Aquario isn’t without its shortcomings, such as its occasionally uneven challenge to its blink-and-you’ll-miss-it runtime. However, it’s hard not to appreciate finally being able to experience this long-lost piece of gaming history three decades later. With its distinctive presentation and solid platforming action, the game’s a delightful throwback to a simpler time, when the arcades represented the pinnacle of what video games could be and rainbow-haired heroes and heroines dominated the landscape. If you’re looking to take a trip back to those glory days of gaming and don’t mind the issues I mentioned above, Clockwork Aquario is time well spent.

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