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The Last Clockwinder

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  • Comment: Full disclosure: I like this game, a lot (even though it's frustrating – the bomb berries keep being too much for my middle-aged reflexes!). At the moment, the draft doesn't show that it is notable, according to Wikipedia's definition of notability, though. WikiProject Video games says that games need to meet the general notability guideline, which means there has to be multiple independent sources talking about it in some detail; we're looking for significant coverage (please read WP:SIGCOV). Mentions in lists of nominees or winners of awards are not significant coverage (though they should stay in the draft to verify the claims!). At the moment, the only source that meets the SIGCOV criteria is the Gaming Nexus review, if that site is considered to be reliable (I think it is, but am not certain.)
    You can ask for help identifying reliable sources for games at at the discussion page for WikiProject Video games. Not every review site is reliable, and adding a bunch of non-reliable sources won't improve the draft, so it is better to find that out beforehand. bonadea contributions talk 12:27, 12 June 2024 (UTC)


The Last Clockwinder
Developer(s)Pontoco
Publisher(s)Cyan, Robot Teddy
Director(s)John Austin, Matt Blair
Composer(s)Joel Corelitz
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release
  • Microsoft Windows, Meta Quest
  • June 2, 2022
  • PlayStation 5
  • February 22, 2023
  • PICO 4, PICO Neo3 Link, PICO 4 Pro
  • June 15 2023
Genre(s)Adventure, puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

The Last Clockwinder is a virtual reality puzzle-automation game developed by Pontoco and published by Cyan. In the game, players use motion controls to record their actions and create automatons that repeat those actions, allowing them to automate various tasks. The game was released on Microsoft Windows and Oculus Quest on June 2, 2022, and PlayStation 5 on February 22, 2023.[1]

Plot

The player plays as Jules, a young woman who is tasked with restoring an ancient structure known as The Clocktower. The Clocktower serves as a sanctuary for a collection of plants from across the galaxy, which until recently had always been cared for by the tower’s Clockwinder. The tower has fallen into disrepair, beginning to sink into the water that surrounds it, and there is no sign of Edea, the previous Clockwinder. With the help of Levi who monitors the tower and communicates via the radio, Jules sets off to save the tower. Jules uses a pair of Clockwinder’s gloves that allow her to create automatons by recording her own actions. These automatons, called gardeners, replicate her movements to tend to the plants, harvest resources, and repair the machinery. As the game progresses, the player works through not only Jules’ complicated past with Edea but also uncovers the Clocktower’s long lost functionality as a ship, ultimately taking off to begin the Clocktower’s next chapter.

Gameplay

Using the Clockwinder’s gloves, the player can record their own movements and actions in two, four, or eight-second intervals to create mechanical clones that will endlessly repeat the recorded actions on a loop.[2] The game consists of a series of rooms that must be progressively unlocked by spending different types of fictional fruit, which can be harvested on the ship. Instead of traveling from room to room, the player stays in a central chamber and uses a console to bring rooms into the chamber on an elevator-like mechanism.[3] Each room is a different type of puzzle requiring the player to create and coordinate several clones to grow plants and harvest enough resources to unlock a new room. The aim is often to optimize fruit production using the least number of clones. Over the course of the game, the player encounters a variety of plants that introduce new gameplay mechanics such as Luftapples - balloon-like fruit that float and bounce.[4][5] The players have to clone themselves actively grabbing, throwing, and handling machinery to achieve the goal of the room.[6]

Development

The game was developed by Pontoco using the Unity Engine. Originally inspired by the Zachtronics programming games, the game underwent a year and a half of prototyping during which time the developers settled on the framework of loose puzzles that could be solved in any number of ways. The art style was somewhat inspired by Studio Ghibli and Mœbius.[7]

Reception

The Last Clockwinder was well received by critics, winning Quest Game of the Year in 2022. According to Metacritic, the game received “Generally Favorable” reviews on both PC and Playstation.[8] It was also named “PC VR Game of the Year” by Road to VR.[9]

Accolades

Year Award Category Result Ref
2022 Indiecade 2022 Awards Performance Award Nominated [10]
Best of Quest Awards Game of the Year Won [11]
Best Narrative Game Selected
Road to VR’s Game of the Year Awards PC VR Game of the Year Won [9]
Hardcore Gamer’s Game of the Year Awards Best VR Game Won [12]
UploadVR Best of VR 2022 Game of the Year 2022 Nominated [13]
Favorite New Quest Game Nominated
2023 New York Game Awards Coney Island Dreamland Award for Best AR/VR Game Nominated [14]
26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Immersive Reality Technical Achievement Nominated [15]
Immersive Reality Game of the Year Nominated
15th Unity Awards Best AR/VR Game Runner-up [16]

References

  1. ^ The Last Clockwinder - Official PS VR2 Announcement Trailer - IGN. 2023-01-19. Retrieved 2024-06-24 – via www.ign.com.
  2. ^ Square, Push (2023-03-11). "Review: The Last Clockwinder (PSVR2) - A Satisfying, Chilled Out Puzzler". Push Square. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  3. ^ Stanichar, Joseph (17 June 2022). "The Last Clockwinder Takes You Home to an Automated Zen Garden". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  4. ^ "The Last Clockwinder: la recensione del miglior puzzle per PS VR2". Multiplayer.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  5. ^ Hamish Hector (2023-02-19). "The VR games and apps I've been playing in February 2023". TechRadar. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  6. ^ Goh, Clement (2023-02-28). "The Last Clockwinder (PSVR 2) Review - CGMagazine". Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  7. ^ "Best of Quest 2022: Designing 'The Last Clockwinder' and its Time Looping Puzzles | Meta Quest Blog". www.meta.com. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  8. ^ "The Last Clockwinder". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  9. ^ a b VR, Road to (2022-12-19). "Road to VR's 2022 Game of the Year Awards". Road to VR. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  10. ^ "Festival 2022 Nominees – IndieCade".
  11. ^ "Best of Quest 2022: A Look Back at the Year's Top VR Games + Apps | Meta Quest Blog". www.meta.com. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  12. ^ Staff, H. G. (2022-12-19). "Hardcore Gamer's Game of the Year Awards 2022". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  13. ^ "UploadVR's Best of VR 2022 – Game Of The Year & More". UploadVR. 2022-12-21. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  14. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (2023-01-18). "New York Game Awards 2023: Elden Ring Wins Two Awards as Phil Spencer Is Honored". IGN. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  15. ^ "26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists". www.interactive.org. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
  16. ^ "The Unity Awards | Film, Video Games, and Industry". Unity. Retrieved 2024-06-11.
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