Clock Tower is a point-and-click survival horror game developed and published by Human Entertainment (Japanese video game developer and publisher from 1983 to 2000) for the Super Famicom in 1995. Only fan-translations were available for the SNES through emulators.
Clock Tower is the only thrilling horror game for the SNES/Super Famicom that I know off and it is a damn good one too.
The Story
Jennifer Simpson, in a nightmarish situation, is trapped in a massive, ominous mansion with a deformed psychopath known as Scissorman. As the player, you must guide Jennifer through the mansion, uncovering unsettling clues about its dark history, and ultimately finding a way to escape the terror within.
The Graphics and Sound
The graphics are simple but set a distinct, creepy mood. The mansion looks old and filled with antique deco, but more blood and horror elements would have helped the atmosphere. The character sprite animations are smooth, which is important for a scary game.
Most of the game is eerily silent except for loud footsteps and doors creaking. When danger appears, intense music plays up to make you panic. It adds to the fear and makes escaping feel urgent.
The Gameplay
This is a point-and-click game where you go guide the teen girl Jennifer through the old mansion, inspecting a variety of objects and collecting items. The simple controls work well, and you can even make Jennifer run using the shoulder buttons.
Her health status is shown by the color of her portrait, and she can recover her health by resting. When in danger, you must find a place to hide or pressing the panic button quickly to survive.
Since your interactions are limited, the game feels more like a puzzle adventure. The simple gameplay and the short length make it easy to explore through trial and error. Finding the hiding spots and using the panic button in time adds to the tension. You can easily figure out everything Jennifer can interact with and find your way through the game's multiple endings by trial and error.
The replay value is good. Clock Tower offers multiple endings. Some of the endings are quicker to unlock than the others, but mastering the game requires the player exploring them all.
My Verdict
Clock Tower stands out by creating a true sense of helplessness and fear. Instead of relying on gore or giving the your character Jennifer some video game superpowers, the game keeps things realistic, making the horror feel very intense. If you want a chilling experience with a killer psychopath, this game is for you!
Play it on the hardy Super Nintendo/Super Famicom or play it on a cherished emulator.
Let's keep on gaming in the free world!
