“Fear is fascinating”

That was the official tagline for at least one title in the Clock Tower video game series that spanned at least 3 systems and is commonly regarded by fans of the survival horror genre as one of the building blocks of the craze that eventually spawned Resident Evil and Silent Hill, going as far back as the Super NES (SNES) days with Clock Tower: The First Fear.  The intention of this review, however, is to focus on the Playstation version, called Clock Tower (Clock Tower 2 in its native Japan).

Unlike today’s most popular survival horror games, Clock Tower was point and click.  You didn’t control the character’s body directly, but rather pointed them in the direction they needed to go in order to survive and discover items.  This heightened the fear factor, as did playing as a set of characters that basically had no access to fancy weaponry.  There are no flame throwers or shotguns in Clock Tower.  You’re lucky if you are able to find mace or a good place to hide as the killer walks by.

Speaking of the killer, there are more than a few dangers in Clock Tower, but the real focus of the game is placed upon the infamous Norwegian child killer, Scissorman.  A squat, limping psychopath whose choice of murder weapon is a giant pair of shears, Scissorman is never hesitant to use them to end your game, and main character Jennifer Simpson’s life.  There are ways around meeting your doom at the hands of this prick though, including hiding in closets, under beds, and sometimes even taking the offensive and hitting him over the head with something.  He never stays gone for long, but slowing him down will buy you the time you need to find important items needed to solve the final mystery.

When someone looks like this, they’re either dead or very uncomfortable.