Clock Tower (Sony PlayStation 1, 1997)

I was first introduced to Clock Tower back when it was released in the late nineties. I enjoyed it then and wanted to relive it again.

It really isn't fair to judge this game by today’s standards. By today’s standards the graphics are terrible,the controls aren’t very well executed(the point and click interface turned a lot of people off this game even back then),the voice acting and dialog are poor(and completely unavoidable),and it’s so short you can beat it in well under an hour of gameplay(if you know what you‘re doing,otherwise you‘re going to be roaming hallways for hours and hours).

While that is how it stacks up today,back then it was different.The graphics were par for the course,even looking considerably better than other games out there.The environments were well crafted,more than just freeze frame and could actually be interacted with in real time.The characters move fluidly and are somewhat animate during conversation scenes.The voice acting is pretty bad,but I remember being impressed it even had voiceovers when it does (it isn’t fully voiced).

The biggest problem with this game is it’s designed to be played through multiple times but doesn’t make it easy to do so. Choices you make(usually in the uninspired manner of which items you have at the end)along the way influence your path and which of the ten different endings you’ll be seeing.This is made into a chore by being unable to skip any dialogue and the text is very slow moving on the screen.This makes heading into the same conversation you’ve sat through three or four times a real pain on the fifth and following times.Another oversight is while it’s very interesting and necessary to click every little spot on your first time through, you won’t really feel so inclined to explore on your following attempts through the game,and unfortunately you’re going to be forced to.Certain events and general progression won’t be allowed until you have clicked and read every certain item or person the required amount of times. While the impact of this oversight can be lessened with creative use of the save feature to pick up and do things differently at crucial points in the story to avoid having to start all the way over from the beginning, you’re going to have to start over a few times and it can become tedious.

Technical issues aside, the game is designed to scare you and it does just that if you get into it. The protagonist (one of five) is typically trapped inside a building and is tasked with trying to find an escape while the murderous Scissorman appears at random times and chases you until you find a way to hide or otherwise thwart him for a short while.Your character is generally helpless and can only fight back when the environment allows (such as pushing a bookshelf onto Scissorman or grabbing an item to clobber him with).You can shove him down with repeated pressing of the Panic Button (Square, not X which you use for everything else) but this will not stop him from chasing you so you’ll have to hide before you can return to exploring. Don’t get too comfortable with a hiding spot as he will eventually catch on and find you.

The only way this game holds up now is if you’re looking to relive the 90’s Playstation vibe or if you’re a huge fan of everything horror. I recommend it if any of what I mentioned before applies to you, otherwise the lacking interface and poorly handled conversations may require more patience than you may want to invest.

This game is an instant classic. What I love most about it is the true feeling of fear and helplessness you feel when you're being chased by Scissorman. I don't know if it's just me, but when the haunting music starts alerting you of his presence, you can actually feel your adrenaline pumping. That's what sets this game apart from the Parasite Eves, Resident Evils, and even Silent Hills. In Clock Tower, you don't really have any weapons. You don't have shotguns and grenade launchers capable of easily leveling almost anything in your path. You do your best to hide as fast as you can, and even then you can still be found. Hiding in a bathroom stall waiting for Scissorman to hopefully walk right on by is a true scare that very few "survival horror" games deliver.

Sure, the point and click style controls can be infuriating sometimes, but that just adds to the frantic and intense nature of this game. The graphics certainly aren't the best either, even when compared to other Playstation games released around 1997. I won't even get started on the voice acting, because it sounds like it was done on a budget of $100. In my opinion, none of these things take away from the enjoyment of this game though. If you're a fan of the survival horror genre or Playstation classics in general, I think you'll get a kick out of this game. With ten different endings, there is a ton of replay value as well.

Clock Tower is an awesome game, period.

The game consists of mostly detective work where investigating certain objects is your only way to make progress. Scissorman only makes it more enjoyable by jumping out of things at random - it's pretty frightening. You don't control the character like in Silent Hill or Fatal Frame; instead, Clock Tower is a point-and-click game that has you telling the character where to move or what to look at. You can play as one of two characters with ten different endings, which gives it a high replay value.

The only downside to Clock Tower is the graphics. The characters are ugly compared to today's standards, and sometimes certain objects are hard to see.

If you are looking for something different, enjoy solving puzzles, and don't care about graphics, you should definitely get this game.

Clock Tower is a game i had played along with many other Horror titles such as Resident evil and Silent Hill. What separates this game from others besides it's Point and click game play is also it's spontaneous counter attacks and horrid atmosphere. Being chased by a 4 foot tall immortal monster welding a giant pair of scissors in a satanic castle does it for me. The music alone is enough to keep you on the edge through out the entire game. I love this game!!!
This is one of the most scariest games you could ever play!!

this game will scare you but also annoy you. the game itself is a point and click adventure survival horror type of thing that does have a slightly harder time being played on a console. it can be frustrating when you have to click on a microscopic object, that your pointer has a hard time picking up on, to advance the game. that and the graphics are starting to show their age.
non-the-less, this game will keep you on the edge of your seat with a constant sense of suspense that anything could happen. you never know whats behind the next corner and thats great for a survival horror game of this type. plus, with 10 different endings, 5 per character, you really can't lose. this is a must have for a quick look into nostalgic horror and a good scare to put you to sleep.