For enthusiasts of the survival horror genre, a sincere “thank you” is due to Human Entertainment for its 1995 classic, Clock Tower. The newly released Clock Tower: Rewind serves as an enhanced worldwide remaster, introducing the iconic game to North American audiences for the very first time. Unlike a remake, this remaster allows players to immerse themselves in the original terror of the game, presented in all of its nostalgic, vintage allure.
Although its graphics may seem outdated, its B-horror charm endures. Personally, despite never having played Clock Tower myself, the series holds nostalgic significance for me. As a child, I watched a friend navigate through the game’s sequel—not Ghost Head, but the true sequel. I was bewildered, especially when he reached Ending C where Jennifer meets her grim fate, and the scene reveals a surviving Scissorman, ominously hinting at his continued terror. This moment blurred in my memory with a recurring nightmare, convincing me that Scissorman lurked within air vents. It’s fascinating how our minds can distort memories, particularly for those of us plagued by nightmares. Consequently, this confusion bred a ludicrous fear of checking air vents, as if a deranged killer might peer back at me. Thus, engaging with Clock Tower: Rewind offered not just a reliving of horror gaming history, but also a chance to conquer my fears and look into vents without dread.
The narrative of Clock Tower: The First Fear is straightforward, as it’s not an overly lengthy experience. It begins with Jennifer Simpson and three other girls from Granite Orphanage visiting the Barrows mansion, having been adopted by its patriarch. Their teacher, Mary, instructs them to wait while she fetches Mister Barrows. But when Jennifer goes to check on Mary, she is startled by a horrific scream echoing through the night, marking the inception of her perilous exploration through the Barrows house, where she must evade the relentless Scissorman. As her harrowing journey unfolds, Jennifer may encounter the horrifying remains of her friends, and she remains the only one who survives that infamous night.
While the concept of a vulnerable protagonist in horror games is now quite common, Clock Tower: The First Fear was a pioneer in this respect. During its development, doubts arose over whether a horror game without combat would succeed. However, director Kono’s vision has proven to be influential. Regardless of your personal feelings towards the Clock Tower series, it’s difficult to ignore its substantial impact on the horror gaming landscape, as it effectively laid the groundwork for survival horror.
Confronting the Scissorman is futile—Jennifer lacks the means to fight back, relying instead on designated evasion points throughout the mansion. For instance, she can hide behind an armoire within a storage room. Throughout my runs, I found that Scissorman failed to detect my hiding spots, suggesting that this aspect of the AI may be limited. Subsequent titles, like Haunting Ground—though more of a spiritual successor—feature smarter enemies that catch onto your hiding spots if used repeatedly. Despite the constraints of 90s technology, I can see why Human Entertainment chose not to make Scissorman overly clever; the manor’s compact layout means triggering his pursuit too often could hinder progress if he learns your hiding locations.
I should mention that Clock Tower: Rewind includes a rewind feature, allowing players to reverse time briefly. I humorously claim my runs were flawless, but the truth is, my curiosity about its limits led to a bug that rendered the game unresponsive. Although I could access the main menu, Jennifer became immobile, leaving me trapped in a bathroom and forcing a game restart. This experience deterred me from utilizing the rewind feature extensively, resulting in just one instance to test Scissorman’s spawn behavior. Regardless of this minor mishap, I managed to clear the game without too much concern.
Your main objective is to escape the Barrows mansion. As you explore, you’ll find various items essential for your survival. Some items are critical; for instance, without discovering the Ham during a specific scene where Jennifer finds herself caged, you have no choice but to restart the game or revert to an earlier save. The game randomizes item and room locations, necessitating significant trial and error as you navigate. Once you’re familiar with the necessary items and their general locations, progress becomes smoother.
As a product of 1995, the game isn’t particularly lengthy. Setting aside encounters with Scissorman, it took me roughly one to two hours to attain a positive ending. It also lacks modern features such as maps, requiring players to rely on memory or create their own notes. Given the randomized layout of the Barrows mansion, pre-existing online maps may not be entirely accurate, so attentiveness with every new game session is crucial. Fortunately, while the rooms may shift, they only do so within their hallways. For instance, if you’re searching for the taxidermy room, it will always be in the west wing, eliminating the need for extensive backtracking.
While Human Entertainment may not have aimed for this, the nostalgic charm of 90s aesthetics is palpable. Various spooky moments within rooms evoke memories of old educational DOS games or Fisher-Price: Dream Dollhouse, where strange noises and movements surprised players. Furthermore, the game employs a unique control system that is relatively rare today. When maneuvering Jennifer, she continues in the set direction until you direct her to stop. Interacting with items, using stairs, or opening doors requires you to point and click using the analog stick, which can create anxiety when time is of the essence and you’re fumbling through your inventory.
That said, retro games aren’t without their drawbacks, and Clock Tower: Rewind is no exception—particularly concerning the titular antagonist, the Scissorman. Despite having terrified me as a child (especially in the sequel), he’s more of an annoyance here. The game’s sound design leaves the player primarily hearing Jennifer’s footsteps; thus, his arrival jolt can serve as a mild jump scare. Scissorman is tenacious, pursuing Jennifer relentlessly through turns and doors, yet the game offers considerable leniency. While this generosity is great, it diminishes tension during encounters and turns them into more of an irritation than genuine fright.
In terms of speed, Jennifer can outrun the Scissorman, who moves slowly; however, if she becomes fatigued, Scissorman can overpower her and deal a lethal blow. Despite his slow speed, Jennifer can take brief pauses to regain stamina before continuing to flee. Although this may be humorous in description, it’s essential to remember that this is a serious horror experience.
As previously mentioned, hiding from the Scissorman is vital for exploration, yet at times, players might need to navigate past him if they find themselves disoriented. It’s crucial to maintain maximum stamina to survive confrontations with him. Interestingly, when at full strength, Jennifer can fend off Scissorman’s shears. Additionally, Scissorman has invincibility during room transitions; hence if you attempt to exit while he’s entering, it results in an instant death.
An interesting addition to the game is a retro instruction booklet in which Human cautioned against saving during screen transitions, likely due to potential bugs from events like Jennifer knocking Scissorman away. Nonetheless, avoiding deaths is generally manageable, making the Scissorman more a nuisance than a genuine fright factor. Often, he drives you away from areas you wish to explore, forcing cumbersome backtracking through the mansion, which, while small, can still feel tedious. This makes Scissorman more of an inconvenience than a real danger—though this isn’t a significant complaint, as many horror games tend to evolve to that point.
Another appealing aspect of Clock Tower: Rewind is its collectible nature. It integrates motion comics, complete with voice acting, and includes documentation from the original release, adding a unique layer to the package. However, I found the notification system for unlocking new scenes in the motion comic to be quite distracting. Often, these alerts interfere during crucial moments, such as when encountering Scissorman, obscuring the screen at inopportune times. A notification appearing after gameplay or on the main menu would have been preferable.
I genuinely hope for Clock Tower: Rewind’s success to pave the way for more re-releases or remasters of other titles in the Clock Tower franchise. I have a particular desire to see Haunting Ground, which serves as a spiritual successor. It’s unfortunate that the last significant entry in the Clock Tower series was Clock Tower 3 in 2002, as Capcom has since neglected the franchise. Though Clock Tower may not rank among my top five horror games, its immense influence and historical significance are undeniable, making it surprising that it took this long for an official English release. While some might be put off by its dated visuals and gameplay, experiencing this piece of gaming history is essential for any horror aficionado.
That said, I don’t believe finishing this game has alleviated my irrational fear of vents; perhaps a Clock Tower 2: Rewind will be necessary to address that.
Clock Tower: Rewind launches on October 29, 2024, for PS4, PS5, and Nintendo Switch.
Images Credit: Siliconera.com
Leave a Reply