Arcade game Clockwork Aquario has resurfaced after disappearing for 27 years after being the last arcade game ever developed by Westone Bit Entertainment. As trends changed in 1992 from 2D to 3D games, Clockwork Aquario’s release was cancelled. Now, the game is being revamped and coming to a Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 near you in 2020.
Here’s the backstory on this 2020 release of Clockwork Aquario:
As a company that is striving for the preservation of video games, it has also become a part of Strictly Limited Games’ mission to unearth unreleased games that are an essential part of the cultural video game heritage.
So, three years ago, Strictly Limited Games set out to find the whereabouts of Tokeijikake no Aquario, the Japanese title of Clockwork Aquario, and to bring the game back to life.
ININ Games then joined in the endeavors to convince Sega / LAT that Clockwork Aquario will finally see the light of day, by signing to create a digital release and making the game accessible to a wider audience.
Some parts (including sound, music, and several graphics) were not recoverable from the source code, so the particular emphasis is placed on involving as many members of the original Westone team as possible in the project to be true to the game—from the chief programmer, Takanori Kurihara, to the musical genius, Shinichi Sakamoto, to Mr. Wonder Boy himself, Ryuichi Nishizawa, who expressed his joy and excitement about seeing the title screen again after 27 years on Twitter.
“Clockwork Aquario is a great piece of 2D art, into which the pixel artists put their hearts and souls,” Ryuichi Nishizawa said. “I would like to express my heartfelt respect and gratitude to those who have worked so hard to restore it.”
Check out Clockwork Aquario’s teaser website and let us know what you think!
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