Software:The Last Clockwinder
| The Last Clockwinder | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Pontoco |
| Publisher(s) | Cyan, Robot Teddy |
| Director(s) | John Austin, Matt Blair |
| Composer(s) | Joel Corelitz |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
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| 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]
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]
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's 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.
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 | Template: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 Game of the Year | Nominated | [15] | |
| Immersive Reality Technical Achievement | Nominated | |||
| 15th Unity Awards | Best AR/VR Game | Template:Runner up | [16] |
References
- ↑ The Last Clockwinder - Official PS VR2 Announcement Trailer - IGN. January 19, 2023. Retrieved June 24, 2024 – via www.ign.com.
- ↑ Tailby, Stephen (2023-03-11). "Review: The Last Clockwinder (PSVR2) - A Satisfying, Chilled Out Puzzler" (in en-GB). https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/psvr2/the-last-clockwinder.
- ↑ Stanichar, Joseph (17 June 2022). "The Last Clockwinder Takes You Home to an Automated Zen Garden". https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/the-last-clockwinder/the-last-clockwinder-review.
- ↑ "The Last Clockwinder: la recensione del miglior puzzle per PS VR2" (in it). https://multiplayer.it/recensioni/the-last-clockwinder-recensione.html.
- ↑ "The VR games and apps I've been playing in February 2023" (in en). 2023-02-19. https://www.techradar.com/news/the-vr-games-and-apps-ive-been-playing-in-february-2023.
- ↑ Goh, Clement (2023-02-28). "The Last Clockwinder (PSVR 2) Review - CGMagazine" (in en-CA). https://www.cgmagonline.com/review/game/the-last-clockwinder-psvr-2-review/.
- ↑ "Best of Quest 2022: Designing 'The Last Clockwinder' and its Time Looping Puzzles | Meta Quest Blog" (in en). https://www.meta.com/en-gb/blog/quest/designing-last-clockwinder-best-of-quest-2022/.
- ↑ "The Last Clockwinder" (in en). https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-last-clockwinder/.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 VR, Road to (2022-12-19). "Road to VR's 2022 Game of the Year Awards" (in en-US). https://www.roadtovr.com/road-to-vrs-2022-game-year-quest-pc-psvr/.
- ↑ "Festival 2022 Nominees – IndieCade". https://www.indiecade.com/festival-2022/nominees/.
- ↑ "Best of Quest 2022: A Look Back at the Year's Top VR Games + Apps | Meta Quest Blog" (in en). https://www.meta.com/en-gb/blog/quest/best-of-quest-2022/?intern_source=blog&intern_content=designing-last-clockwinder-best-of-quest-2022&utm_source=www.meta.com&utm_medium=oculusredirect.
- ↑ Staff, H. G. (2022-12-19). "Hardcore Gamer's Game of the Year Awards 2022" (in en). https://hardcoregamer.com/features/hardcore-gamers-game-of-the-year-awards-2022/435054/.
- ↑ "UploadVR's Best of VR 2022 – Game Of The Year & More" (in en). 2022-12-21. https://www.uploadvr.com/uploadvr-best-of-vr-2022/.
- ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (2023-01-18). "New York Game Awards 2023: Elden Ring Wins Two Awards as Phil Spencer Is Honored" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/new-york-game-awards-2023-elden-ring-wins-two-awards-as-phil-spencer-is-honored.
- ↑ "26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists". https://www.interactive.org/awards/26th_dice_awards_finalists.asp.
- ↑ "The Unity Awards | Film, Video Games, and Industry" (in en). https://unity.com/awards.
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