Publisher: Human Entertainment

Developer: Human Entertainment

Release Date: 09/14/1995

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Clock Tower starts out well enough. There aren’t many point-and-click adventures on the Super Nintendo, so I can see why this slower-paced game never made it outside of Japan on the SNES. Initially, the controls are peculiar and challenging to adapt to. Using the L and R buttons causes Jennifer to continuously run in that direction. She will continue to run in that direction up any stairs, obstacles, or doors until you press the buttons again to stop her. The story is mostly difficult to understand and grasp. You end up in a scary mansion with a group of friends, and then they slowly disappear. The “Scissor Man,” who appears at random, chases you as you search for them.

The gameplay necessitates a comprehensive guide. This game is unlike any other I have ever played on the SNES. You can spend hours wandering around and looking into all the rooms, never truly knowing what to do or where to go. The idea of running away from the monster is novel, but without the guide, I would not have known that you need to do most things in a very specific order. Certain orders provide different endings, and you can also easily miss one of the few hiding spots in the game. When Scissor Man appears, you must keep running until you can hide, or he will not go away. It’s important to memorize the mansion’s layout and where each hiding spot is. My issue with a game featuring so many rooms is that many of them share a similar appearance. Despite spending a solid 4-5 hours playing this game, I often found myself lost, even with a comprehensive walkthrough. Some rooms will also lead to insta-deaths as well which made things more frustrating.

I’m also not sure how I feel about the game’s sound. It’s almost nonexistent. Outside of Jennifer’s shoes tapping on the ground, there’s nothing here to listen to. When the Scissor Man appears, his theme song plays, and if you’re lucky, you can use the panic button to escape his grasp. As you run out of stamina, your portrait icon will turn red, and you will need to rest by kneeling. You will find yourself engaging in this activity frequently. There are some items you need to find in order to unlock doors and various objects, but these will be impossible to find with Scissor Man constantly chasing you halfway across the mansion. Each playthrough randomly changes a few rooms, making it difficult to distinguish between the main hallways. Despite the tension of Scissor Man lurking around every corner, there aren’t any other enemies in the game, and the lack of sound effects and music removes any would-be tension.

Overall, despite the slightly interesting story and plot twists, many players may find the labyrinthine hallways, obtuse objectives, lack of hiding spots, and overall trial and error required to reach the game’s end frustrating. Although the concept is intriguing, the execution falls short.

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