Way back in January of 2022, German publisher ININ Games announced that it would be releasing Clockwork Aquario on Xbox. 23 months then passed with no release in sight, so we thought the game had been quietly canceled. Amazingly, though, Clockwork Aquario is actually coming out on December 7! What's more, ININ is also releasing Pocky & Rocky Reshrined (also co-op), Cotton 100%, Panorama Cotton, Ultracore, and Irem Collection Vol. 1 on Xbox on the same date!
Clockwork Aquario
Clockwork Aquario is a 2D platformer with large, gorgeous cartoon-like sprites, backgrounds filled with vibrant colors and parallax scrolling, and a soundtrack composed by Westone’s Shinichi Sakamoto. Our co-op review of the PlayStation version praises the game's visuals and co-op mechanics, though an odd button-mapping issue and the lack of widescreen borders slightly detract from the fun.
Clockwork Aquario is already available on PlayStation and Switch, where it sells for $19.99.
Pocky & Rocky Reshrined
Pocky & Rocky Reshrined is the latest game in the Pocky & Rocky/Kiki Kaikai series of top-down shooters. a very pretty game that honors the classic art style while adding lots of extra detail and graphical effects. It's quite challenging too, mostly due to old-fashioned controls that make it hard to move and aim at the same time. The unlockable Easy mode takes the sting out, though. The cooperative Free Mode must be unlocked as well, but there's a code for that. Despite a few strange design decisions, this is still a gorgeous and interesting game. See our co-op review for more details.
Digital versions of Pocky & Rocky Reshrined sell for $29.99 on PlayStation, Switch, and Steam.
Non-cooperative titles:
- Cotton 100% - Beyond Co-op review
- Panorama Cotton - Beyond Co-op review
- Ultracore
- Irem Collection Vol. 1
All six games will be released on Thursday, December 7. ININ promises more Xbox releases will follow in 2024. Let's hope that Xbox gets the Bubble Bubble, Darius, and Space Invaders games!