Clocktower PSX : The Original Fear Will Never End =-bootz-=

Alright I read um... Clukinvar (sp?)'s review of Silent Hill 2 and realized that someone out there must be into Survival Horror. My favorite Survival Horror series however are the Clocktower Games (unless you consider my PC favorite series Phantasmagoria 1 and 2 by Sierra).

Clocktower for PSX is actually the sequel to the SNES Clocktower. The SNES Clocktower was only released in Japan but I played a translated version and it's so disturbing. Throughout this review I will compare and contrast the two games.

Storywise this game is a class B slasher. Where the first one worked off of a girl who had lost anything must become stronger and save those around her, the sequel veers off into Friday The 13th territory. Years have passed since the incedent at Barrows Castle where Jennifer Simpson saw her friends killed, found her father's murderer, and killed a psychotic family. However she has been having reoccuring nightmares about the serial killer ScissorMan who hunted them down.

Fortunately, super hot blonde researcher Helen Maxwell is there for Jennifer. In Norway, Helen is using Jennifer to try to find the killer as murders have started occuring and Helen believes Jennifer is the link between the murders and ScissorMan.

In the game you can play as either young Jennifer Simpson who isn't too intelligent and plays as the ditzy heroinne. In the SNES Clocktower Jennifer had to be strong and find her friends, in this game she passes to weak and spends a lot of time running away from ScissorMan and stumbling across dead bodies.

Helen Maxwell on the other hand is supposed to be intelligent but comes off kind of like Jennifer does. The game uses only these two characters to move through the main story.

The game is divided into 3 Terrifying acts seperated by intermissions. Intermissions allow you to travel from one place to another and watch a scene where you learn about the other characters, then the game will start and you must wander through three creepy locales solving puzzles and trying to escape scissorman. The gameplay works so well because it feels like Scissorman is chasing after you, when you hear the blades slice you know he is near, the music, where is he? That door creeking... is it? Can I make it past it before? OH NO!!!!!! *runs*

Very creepy game, great sound, and even though the story seems Class B you learn a lot about the Barrows family and can make relations between the two.

Of course the reason you would play a game that looks like this one does by it's cover art is gonna be the gore. This game is surprisingly low on gore - no lie! Two beheadings and a stabbing are the only acts of violence that really stick out and they're done kinda poorly - one of the beheadings is so funny you have to see it to believe it. The rest of the deaths are implied or after the fact - a dry hanging, a dry stabbing with a hot instrument (Brutal), and Beth's death (which can be prevented) is so brutal you'll have to play it.

The deaths can be prevented by wise playing or you can let the NPC's die horribly - it's up to you.

Where this game succeeded is in creating the effect that you are there. The graphics are dated but there is build up to ScissorMan confrontations, you can hide from him throw things at him... you can run... I mean it felt like ScissorMan is actually chasing you.

Sure the first game was more of a psychological thriller and the deaths were sparser than in this game, this game is the definition of a horror sequel - bigger and better deaths, bigger and better locales, but even though they try to make it cheesy some of the characters are somewhat endearing.

Check it out if you can find it, I got my copy for 8 bucks two years ago and love every minute of it. It still sends shivers down my spine, even though it can be beaten in 3 hours for one character.

Good luck, and happy screaming :) =-bootz-=

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