Clockwillows™ Voy Quest

For a game aiming for an old-school feel, the story follows the same approach. It begins with a sinister wizard appearing out of nowhere and kidnapping the main character Voy’s love interest. Voy sets out to rescue her with the help of his flying companion, who has been with him since birth and offers guidance along the way. There is a difficulty setting, but you might as well stick with the default option. The alternatives simply double the damage or reduce you to a single hit, making the experience even more frustrating. You can change the difficulty at any time, so you are never locked into a choice. You also have a limited number of lives, though this barely matters since you can always restart a stage. Extra lives are awarded for collecting 100 green orbs, which are easy to grind because they respawn whenever you reenter an area. Another collectible is red coins, which behave the same way but serve as the game’s currency and can be spent in safe locations. If you find a stage where both collectibles appear right at the start, you can farm them by repeatedly restarting, since everything you collect carries over. Unfortunately, the coin counter is not visible on screen, and the only way to check your total is by opening the inventory, which is not always accessible. Progression takes place on a world map that allows free movement between nodes, with the next objective clearly marked. However, the map feels dull and offers little incentive to explore, so you can simply follow the main path. Occasionally, you will encounter safe locations where you can talk to NPCs, though most of them have little to say unless they are tied to the main quest. You can also rest at an inn, which serves little purpose, and visit shops. Shops offer a few interesting items. Green orbs are not worth buying since they are abundant, but other options are more useful. Heart fragments can also be found in hidden areas or earned in special stages, and collecting three grants an extra heart. Sculpture pieces are purely collectible items that can be viewed in a museum at the starting location. Lastly, there are perks, such as one that increases the range at which you attract coins or double the amount of coins. Most nodes lead to platforming stages filled with enemies and obstacles. Each stage is linear, and you primarily rely on jumping on enemies to defeat them and punching boxes for rewards. While you can punch enemies, the range is extremely short, often causing you to take damage before landing a hit. Combat feels clumsy, requiring you to move directly into enemies while facing the correct direction. Some enemies are tall enough that they initially seem impossible to defeat without taking damage. It is worth pushing through until you defeat the first boss, after which you gain a higher jump that makes earlier sections more manageable. Later on, new enemies appear that are immune to jumping, though most remain vulnerable. You also unlock additional abilities over time, such as opening blue chests, reading stone tablets, and moving heavy crates. More are rewarded after beating bosses, which are pretty simple. All you need to do is dodge their attacks until they get tired and punch them three times. Orbs are plentiful throughout stages, so grinding them is rarely necessary, unlike red coins. Another way to earn extra lives is through a minigame unlocked by finding a special collectible in each stage. The objective is to catch falling orbs, but their speed is so high that the best strategy is to stand still and hope to catch a few at random. Reaching the end of a stage is enough to progress, but you can earn medals for completing specific objectives, such as collecting all orbs or finishing without taking damage, which can be quite frustrating. You do not need to earn all medals in one run, and you can replay stages from the map to collect any you missed. Medal progress is displayed when you hover over a stage node. However, the game does not show everything. Some stages have secondary exits that lead to secret areas, and without a full map, it is difficult to track which stages are incomplete, which medals are missing, or where secrets might be found. This makes the game less appealing for completionists. Overall, while the game has a certain simple charm, several design choices hold it back. The lack of quality-of-life features and meaningful exploration makes the world feel less rewarding than it could be.