Lost Westone arcade game Clockwork Aquario finally gets release date
Considered lost for nearly three decades, Clockwork Aquario will finally be released for PS4 and Switch.
A lost arcade platforming game is finally getting its time to shine. Clockwork Aquario, a previously-unreleased arcade game developed by Westone, is coming to the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch courtesy of ININ Games and Strictly Limited Games.
The arcade platformer, developed by Westone, was originally meant to be released in 1993. However, Westone and SEGA never published it, making it a game considered lost for nearly three decades. Now ININ Games and former Westone developers have completely restored the game.
Check out the trailer for Clockwork Aquario below, courtesy of ININ Games on YouTube:
The history of Clockwork Aquario
Westone originally created the game back in 1992 on SEGA’s System 18 arcade board and performed location tests in 1993. Despite its colorful graphics, catchy soundtrack, and fun gameplay, the developer received poor feedback from testers. Coupled with fighting games taking the spotlight in the arcade, Westone decided to scrap it.
Over time, efforts to finally release Clockwork Aquario began in earnest. Unfortunately, parts of the source code were lost and wouldn’t be rediscovered until 2012.
Strictly Limited Games acquired the rights to publish the game from SEGA in 2017 and announced in 2020 that the game was coming to the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. Now, after nearly 30 years, we’ll finally have the chance to experience this lost title.
The game’s original designer and Westone co-founder, Ryuichi Nishizawa, is one of the many people excited to see this game resurface:
Who would have thought that it [Clockwork Aquario] would be restored and playable again? I would like to express my heartfelt respect and gratitude to those who have worked so hard to restore it. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that this work is a great piece of 2D art, where the pixel artists of that time put their hearts and souls into. I’d be happy if people would appreciate and enjoy it.
Ryuichi Nishizawa, Co-founder of Westone and Designer on Clockwork Aquario
Clockwork Aquario is developed by Westone Games and ININ Games and published by Strictly Limited Games. It will launch for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on Nov. 30 in Japan and Europe and on Dec. 14 in North America.
