Clock Tower (1995 video game)

1995 video game
the 1995 Super Famicom game

Clock Tower (クロックタワー, Kurokku Tawā) is a survival horror point and click adventure game developed and published by Human Entertainment for the Super Famicom in 1995. It is the first installment in the Clock Tower series. The story follows orphan Jennifer Simpson soon after she is adopted by the Barrows family along with other orphaned girls. Shortly after arriving at the Barrows family manor, one of the other children is killed by a stalker called Scissorman. Jennifer must then explore the Barrows Mansion to find a way to escape while evading Scissorman, leading to one of the game's multiple endings. Clock Tower utilizes a point and click interface with the player controlling a cursor to direct Jennifer's actions. Much of Clock Towers plot and artistic style are inspired by the works of Italian horror film director Dario Argento, most notably Phenomena (1985). Director Hifumi Kono loved horror films like this and wanted the game to feel like one. Many of the game's character graphics were digitized from photos of real people. Jennifer's movements were constructed from a woman in Human's planning division acting out the scenes. Her design was inspired by Jennifer Connelly's character in Phenomena. The game sold well upon release. An updated version, titled Clock Tower: The First Fear, was ported to the PlayStation, WonderSwan, and Windows. Many years later, it was re released again on the PlayStation Network, as well as the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console. The game has never been officially released outside Japan, although fan translations exist. In retrospective reviews, Clock Tower has been praised for its haunting atmosphere, but the puzzles and exploration have drawn criticism for being tedious. It is considered an influence on horror games and a pioneer of the survival horror genre. An enhanced, international port of the game, targeting eighth and ninth generation consoles, as well as the PC, is scheduled for an early 2024 release.

Clock Tower is a survival horror point and click adventure game with 2D graphics. The player controls a cursor to direct the main character, Jennifer Simpson, and give commands such as investigating objects or opening doors. The layout of items changes with each playthrough. If caught, the player can rapidly press a button which allows them an attempt to escape. If Jennifer dies, then it is game over, returning the player to the title screen with an option to continue the game. The game features nine possible endings.

The story follows Jennifer Simpson, an orphan from the fictional Granite Orphanage in Romsdalen, Norway. She and other orphaned children named Laura, Anne, and Lotte are adopted in September 1995 by a wealthy recluse named Simon Barrows, who lives in a mansion known as the "Clock Tower", named after its predominant feature. After arriving at the mansion, Mary, the woman who brought the children to the mansion, leaves to find Mr. Barrows. When she takes an unusually long time, Jennifer offers to investigate. It says that he was trapped there for three days, until his death on November 10, 1986. Otherwise, she rescues Jennifer from the jail cell, but is shot by a threatening Mary. Jennifer enters a room where she discovers Dan Barrows, a giant, gluttonous purple creature. Dan awakens from his slumber and chases Jennifer to a steep cliff. She successfully climbs over, knocking down a can of kerosene which splashes onto a nearby candle. This triggers an explosion that immolates Dan, while Jennifer rides an elevator out of the catacombs. She ends up defeating Bobby in the clock tower, and Mary as well in (or around, depending on prior actions) the clock tower. If Anne (or Laura) has not died yet, then this survivor reunites with Jennifer at the clock tower but is soon thrown down the tower by Mary. These actions would lead to one of Endings A, B, or C any of these could be canonical according to the events of the next game. Because of the game's open ended nature, the player can also discover other endings.

Clock Tower was directed by Hifumi Kono, who wished to use the game to pay homage to one of his favorite film directors, Dario Argento. Kono described Clock Tower as an experimental project with a small budget and staff. His peers believed that a game where the protagonist runs away from the enemy would not work, but he continued on despite these concerns. Due to lack of staffing resources, developer Human Entertainment could not include mouse support and also needed to shrink the map down significantly.

Clock Tower was first released on the Super Famicom on September 14, 1995. According to Kono, the game sold "fairly well". Upon release, the PlayStation version made it the 8th on the sales charts, selling 54,293 copies. This release featured a new dagger weapon, a new room, minor scenario additions, full motion video scenes, and minor graphical improvements. It was also released for Windows 95. In 2020, a fan made patch for the Super Famicom version was released that added features from the PlayStation version like mouse support.

In July 2023, WayForward and Limited Run Games announced an enhanced version of the original game. It is set for an early 2024 release on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, and will mark the game's first proper international localization. In a retrospective review, Hernando Vallejo of Hardcore Gaming 101 described Clock Tower as "one of the most thrilling experiences the [horror] genre can offer". He praised the game's graphics and sound for building a strong atmosphere. It also solidified Human Entertainment as a developer along with Twilight Syndrome and Laplace no Ma. in 2018, The A. V. Club placed the game as number thirty on its list of top thirty five horror games of all time. In 2022, HobbyConsolas listed it on their top 20 horror games of all time.