Reader Reviews

Clock Tower (SNES)

by Kami

Woo. Look at the swirly flashback effects! Yes, we're going back again. This may be a shock to you... but we're going to see Survival Horror, SNES-style! [Nothing surprises me after survival horror on the bloody Dragon 32 -Ed] And yes, again it's a Japanese-only affair (unless you've played the patched ROM). Clock Tower - the original and, undoubtedly, still the best of the series for scares and atmosphere.

The story starts off very strangely - Jennifer has been adopted by Mr Barrows. The story goes that he lost her twins at birth, and has now - years later - has decided to adopt some kids. And not just Jennifer. Also, her friends Laura, Ann and Lottie. After being settled in by his representative, Mary, Jennifer decided to be nosey and explores a little. She doesn't get further than the next room before the screams of her friends forces her back to find... they've vanished.

The game is unsettling, and at times blatantly in-your-face scary. Jennifer is not armed with anything to defend herself with. She doesn't have any fancy spells, or holy water, or bow and arrows. Jennifer... is defenceless. But that doesn't mean she is helpless. Jennifer's best tactic is to hide. And there are numerous places in the huge mansion to hide, from the oddly sinister bad guy...

And this bad guy, Scissorman, stalks Jennifer throughout the whole game. A weird, podgy little man with big-as-heck scissors to cut you up with. He is freaky, disturbing and often pops up when you least expect it. There are many ways to get him off your back though. Some are dull hiding spots. Or you can take a chance and pull off some rather funny and swanky tricks that will be rid of him for a little while. Jennifer doesn't have a health bar, she has an Adrenaline meter - and it should be taken very seriously. If she is running too high on the adrenaline, she trips up. Too low, and she's a bit sluggish. Keeping a balance between this is key to survival, being in the green is not always the best tactic, or you may get skewered.

Clock Tower does, however, give you multiple endings. You can peg it as soon as you get the chance with a spot of underage driving... or play through, and uncover the sinister evil that has brought her to this god-forsaken place. Being given such opportunities is refreshing... if a little boring after finishing the game in five minutes to see the bad ending.

And there are some of the scenes that even today are pretty gross. I'll say nothing but that the first victim you find - that scene is truly sick! But still, it scares the pants off you.

Controls are point-and-clicky, so the fumbling around is not quite as awkward as you expect. And the puzzling is still spot-on, nothing too fancy, nothing too complex. Just taxing enough to keep you on your toes.

Wth Clock Tower, you must expect the unexpected. Graphically, it still holds up today thanks to the sterling work originally put into it. Sound wise, it's creepy and often silent, which builds up the tension. And story-wise, it is worth going all the way through, several times, to see each different ending. The only let down is the usual survival horror problem. It is still rather short, two hours for the best ending. Fortunately, with so many endings, the replay value is there to pull you back.