Clock Tower

"A new type of survival-horror!"

In 1997, the Sony PlayStation saw a new type of survival horror game coming out of the shadows. The game, Clock Tower, was different from several survival horror games already out for the PlayStation and due to this difference the game didn’t sell as much as other survival horrors. Nevertheless, this game is amazing – filled with suspense, mystery, and horror. Is this game worth buying? Well, read on to find out…

GAMEPLAY – 6/10
Clock Tower isn’t the same run-of-the-mill survival horror game – it’s different. The gameplay itself makes it stand out of the crowd. The game is a point-and-click adventure – which basically means there will be a cursor on-screen almost all the time. Instead of using the directional buttons on the controller to move the character it’ll move the cursor which can be used to inspect objects of interest, talk to people, or get yourself out of tough situations. The game is pretty fun but the only thing that can get boring is the slow gameplay. The cursor moves rather slowly, which can get annoying after a while. The game itself is pretty fun – if you’re the type for suspense point-and-click games. You’ll be chased by a serial killer named Scissorman for basically the entire game and you’ll have to be quick to escape from Scissorman’s… well… giant scissors. Scissorman will keep you on the edge of your seat for sure.

The game’s difficulty varies as you progress through the game. In the beginning you’ll be in a small environment with simple tasks but eventually you’ll travel to bigger environments with several tasks – so the game gets harder as you progress through it. For most of the game you’ll be searching for items and solving puzzles while being chased by Scissorman. Scissorman is easy get off your tail – you can hide or knock him out temporarily – so all you’ll really be doing is trying to solve the puzzles.

Clock Tower’s controls are really simple and basic – anyone can get the hang of the game’s controls in a matter of seconds (even people who have below average IQs). You’ll be guiding the cursor around the screen, and with it, searching for anything interesting in several rooms. The cursor will divide into three dots when it comes across an item of interest. Besides being the white thing that moves across the screen constantly it also acts as a panic meter. Whenever you’re character is in a dangerous situation and is cornered by the enemy he/she can escape and run away. Each time you survive a “dangerous situation” you’re cursor will change colors. The colors will range from white, yellow and red. Once your cursor is red and the enemy is about to attack you cannot escape and will die. If you walk around and let your character calm down, the cursor will slowly change back to white. It will also flash purple and blue when your character is in a dangerous situation.

STORY – 9/10
I really liked Clock Tower’s plot – it was filled with suspense, mystery, and had me guessing till the end. The game starts with Jennifer Simpson (one of the two main characters) climbing a cliff from a strange looking creature (Scissorman) below her. She desperately tries to escape from this madman. She grabs the top ledge of the cliff but it breaks off – sending a crate down towards Scissorman. The crate explodes upon impact of the evil serial killer – but is he truly finished? After the traumatizing experience, Jennifer loses some of her memories from the shock. She is introduced to Helen Maxwell, a professor of criminal psychology. She tries to help Jennifer remember the Clock Tower murders so that Norway could finally know what really happened at the scene of the murders. But before long more people are found dead – apparently cut open with giant scissors. Scissorman is back! You take control of either Jennifer or Helen in an attempt to destroy Scissorman once and for all!

GRAPHICS/SOUND – 6/10
By just looking at some screenshots, you can tell that Clock Tower has dated graphics – even for a game that was released in 1997. The characters and environments seem blocky and the special effects (like gunshots) are unimpressive. You can travel Oslo, Norway when on intermissions and whatever destination you head to you’ll be given a screenshot of the general area. The screenshot looks very cheap – it looks like a toy town instead of a horrified real life city. The FMV sequences are okay – they could have been done better though. The environments in the game are detailed very nicely – so you’ll be searching detailed rooms for clues about Scissorman. But then again – graphics don’t make a game, so, to me, it’s not a big deal.

As in most survival-horror games, there is hardly any music. In Clock Tower, it’s no exception. Music does play when Scissorman is approaching – a clue telling you that Scissorman is getting close to your current spot. The game doesn’t have a huge musical score but the small selection of music in this game is great and catchy. Since music doesn’t play until something big happens, you’ll most likely be walking around in silence – hearing the protagonists footsteps, hearing their hands searching through paper, the opening and closing of doors, and so on. The game fits well with no music and it adds a great feeling of terror. You never know when something scary will happen and music will start playing. Overall, pretty good music (although it has a small selection) and nice sound effects.

PLAY TIME/REPLAYABILITY – 7/10
Clock Tower is a fairly long game – it has ten different endings, five for Jennifer and five for Helen. The endings are pretty good but some seem too short. The endings range from E to A, E being the worst possible ending for that character and A being the best possible ending for that character. The endings are later stored for you to watch again. Besides the different endings there really isn’t much else to do. There are alternate outfits you can obtain for the protagonist of the game – which also requires you to get a perfect A ending. After you have gotten all the endings that’s all the game has to offer in terms of replayability. This game is fun – I’ve played it over and over. Every new game you begin starts random – you won’t play the same game twice. For example, if in game one I encountered Scissorman in an office, in game 2 I may find him hiding inside the elevator. You don’t know what to expect each time you play the game.

FINAL RECOMMENDATION – 8/10
Clock Tower is a great game – if you’re into slow point-and-click survival-horrors. If you’re the type who like to go in guns blazing shooting everything in sight – just like a one man army – this game may not be for you. But otherwise, it has exceptional graphics, good sound, a pick-up-and-play gameplay, surprisingly good replayability, and most importantly an amazing story. Clock Tower features one of the most coolest and lethal video game villains I have seen. This game is a must-have for any survival-horror fan – good luck trying to find it, though.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/20/04