Clockwork Knight

When SEGA brought its 32-bit Saturn console to market, it needed a platformer that would show what the new hardware could do. Clockwork Knight became one of the first such flagships and remains to this day among the titles that defined the Saturn's early period. It's a platformer that enchants with its adorable toybox atmosphere and a visual style built on pre-rendered models.

You play as a knight named Pepperouchau, a toy that comes to life at night and sets out to rescue his beloved. The gameplay is classic platforming: you run, jump and wield a giant key with which you bash enemies and puzzle your way through levels full of toys, clockwork mechanisms and household objects blown up to giant proportions. The game's charm lies precisely in the perspective of a tiny toy lost in the ordinary human world, where everyday things turn into adventurous backdrops.

Visually, Clockwork Knight used pre-rendered graphics that made the characters and environments look sculpted and detailed. SEGA wanted to demonstrate the Saturn's power with it and set itself apart from the competition. Although the game essentially remained a 2D platformer with backdrops pushed into depth, it was precisely this combination that gave the title its characteristic storybook-playful look.

In development terms it was an important launch title, whose job was to convince players that the Saturn had something to offer even in a genre then going through the transition from 2D to 3D. The game got a sequel and, within the Saturn's early years, built up the status of one of the platform's hallmarks, even if more ambitious titles eventually overshadowed it.

Today Clockwork Knight is above all a fond nostalgic reminder of an era when consoles were searching for their identity and developers experimented with how to combine classic platforming fun with new technical possibilities. For fans of SEGA's history it's an unmissable piece of the puzzle.

Why play: A charming toybox platformer from the Saturn's early years that shows how SEGA carried the genre into the 32-bit era.