Clock Tower: Rewind Review

Gameplay

Graphics

Audio

Value

Summary: A creepy curio that survival horror fans should give some time to.

3.5

Can't you give me some time?

Clock Tower is a curious game, an Argento-inspired survival horror point-and-click originally released for the SNES and later the PS1, has finally come westward after almost 30 years trapped in the land of the rising sun.

But was this almost legendary game in the minds of many horror fans worth the wait? Well yes, and no. Those interested in the history of horror games are bound to get a kick out of it, but those with just a passing fancy may find it a little disappointing as some of the game’s mechanics feel about as rusty as that old pair of sheers you left out in the rain.

Clock Tower: Rewind comprises the original SNES release and the enhanced PS1 port First Fear, which added some extra scenarios and minor gameplay tweaks, and a solid stack of extras that includes promotional materials, motion comics, and a series of candid interviews with series creator Hifumi Kono.

You play as Jennifer Simpson, one of three orphaned teens invited to live at a creepy mansion with a big Clock Tower. After her friends vanish, Jennifer is confronted by a deranged killer named Scissorman, who stalks the halls of the mansion looking for his next victim.

Thus it’s up to Jennifer to find her friends, (or what’s left of them) and escape from the mansion before she’s hacked apart with a big pair of scissors, well, jabbed a bit until she falls over because most of the violence is implied.

Jennifer is also almost completely defenseless and has to run and hide from Scissorman whenever she sees him. You can resist the Scissorman bringing his giant shears to bear by mashing the panic button, but if it gets to that you’re probably about to see the game over screen because it never works.

The health system is cleverly constructed and ties in brilliantly with Jennifer’s last girl status. Rather than have a traditional health bar Jennifer instead has a stamina meter that depletes the more she runs from Scissorman. The lower it goes, the slower she runs and she’s more likely to fall over.

This can be replenished by collapsing down on the ground in despair occasionally ( just like in real life), thankfully Scissorman likes to take his time so you’ve usually got plenty of time to catch your breath before he murders you.

Still, when that murderous gremlin creeps toward Jennifer with that huge pair of shiny sheers it’s legitimately panic-inducing. Especially when you wander into a room and end up bumping into him or run to a place you thought was safe and he kicks the door in.

This tension is heightened further by the cleverly constructed controls that work like a strange mash-up of a point-and-click adventure game and an endless runner.

For a start, you have no direct control over how Jennifer moves other than tapping a button to have her continuously run left, right, or stop. There’s also a cursor so Jennifer can interact with objects, or use something from her inventory but that’s your lot.

This lack of control makes every encounter with Scissorman feel buttock clenchingly tense as you urgently try and guide Jennifer to safety by tapping on exits before she dashes past them, drag her to her feet with an invisible hand when she falls, before narrowly escaping to the next room and hopefully a half decent place to hide.

However, much like the films that inspired Clock Tower, these nerve-wracking sequences are bookended by a much more sedate and plodding adventure game full of obtuse puzzles and a lingering sense of dread.

It’s a brief, unique, and fairly chilling experience, but definitely for horror fans rather than general gamers, who may rub up against its awkward controls and love of murdering your character at every available turn.

As you make your way through the game you’ll unlock a motion comic that serves as both a prologue and fills in some of the gaps of First Fear. Featuring some great performances and lovely artwork, it’s worth checking out.

There’s also a music player that includes sound effects and music from the game, including a lovely remix of the main theme, for when you want to hear a murderous parrot repeatedly scream “I kill you”.

Final Thoughts

Clock Tower: Rewind is a brilliant collection for fans of survival horror and game history.

Though admittedly Clock Tower hasn’t aged that well. The ability to play it on modern hardware, in a language other than its native Japanese, is an exciting prospect, thanks to the technology that underpins this very unlikely port.

Not only for fans of culturally significant yet somewhat obscure horror games but for what other forgotten gems could be recovered next. .

Clock Tower: Rewind is not going to set the world alight but for those who have been longing for an official Western release for decades, are interested in game preservation and history, or are wondering what all the fuss is about this is one mansion in the woods you’ll want to visit.

About the Author

Gareth Newnham

Clock Tower: Rewind Review