Clock Tower (PlayStation)

Clock Tower, (Clock Tower 2 in Japan), is a survival horror game for the PlayStation. It is a sequel to _The_First_Fear for the SNES (Also known as Clock Tower: The First Fear on its PlayStation port.)

Gameplay

Clock Tower is a point and click horror game, with the player controlling a cursor to direct the character and give commands such as to investigate objects. The interface is akin to 1990-era computer adventure games, but simplified to work better with a gamepad.

The game is separated into three scenarios, including a prologue during in which the main character for the rest of the game is decided. In the prologue, the player controls Samuel Burton. In the first scenario, the player either plays as Jennifer Simpson or Helen Maxwell. The playable character for the second scenario can either be Nolan, Stan, or Helen. Between each scenario, there is additionally an intermission, in which the player gets to explore the town and gather clues via a 'world map', before moving on to the next level.

Scissorman

Clock Tower was unique to other adventure games of the era in that it had a stalker pursuing the main character, this delayed puzzle-solving and required the player to run, finding objects or hiding places to fend off the attacker. The stalker was a typical slasher villain wielding a large pair of scissors, dubbed Scissorman.

If directly confronted by the Scissorman, the player engages in a "panic" mode and must repeatedly pound the "panic button" to struggle with the attacker. If the character is low on health, or the player has not tapped the panic button fast enough, Scissorman will kill the character.

Story

Prologue

(Taken from original game)

In the mountains of Romsdal, Norway, stands the Barrows Family Mansion. This mansion had a large clock tower by which the locals tended their flocks in the surrounding fields. The local people called the mansion the Clock Tower...

In 1986, the mistress of the Barrows Mansion gave birth to twins. From the day they were born, however, it was obvious the twins were not normal and were evil. The twins were given the names Bobby and Dan, who were later to become the murderous Scissormen.

In 1995, a young girl from the Granite Orphanage, whose parents died when she was quite small, was lured into the Barrows Mansion where she was attacked by a monster wielding a giant pair of scissors. That monster was the grown-up Bobby. She managed to escape from the terrible horrors, destroy the monster, and flee the mansion.

Plot

One year on from the infamous Scissorman murders, Jennifer Simpson, one of the two sole survivors of the _The_First_Fear, has been adopted by Helen Maxwell, the assistant of a renowned psychiatrist, and is currently undergoing treatment to help her come to terms with her experiences in the clock tower, and possibly shed some light on the mystery that was the Scissorman. The other sole survivor of the clock tower murders seems to be a young boy (adopted name 'Edward'), suffering from amnesia.

All of Norway is caught up with the sensationalized Scissorman Murderer. Although Jennifer thought he was dead, Scissorman had reappeared...

As the people around her are picked off one by one by the crazed killer, Jennifer must once again come face-to-face with Scissorman and unearth the mystery surrounding him, in order to put him to rest once and for all, alongside with her guardian, Helen.

Every action in the game determines who will survive and what ending you will get. The game has some randomization that are mainly played in the first scenario.

Characters

Playable Characters

Jennifer Simpson

The 15 year old survivor of the original The First Fear, Jennifer lost her parents when she was very young and was raised in the Granite Orphanage. After her narrow escape from the Scissorman a year ago, Helen Maxwell, who was investigating the case for her studies, adopted her.

Helen Maxwell

30 year old Helen is Samuel Barton's assistant professor of criminal psychology and is curious about the Clock Tower case. Although she is Jennifer's adopted mother, she shares a sisterly relationship with the young girl.

Nolan Campbell

A reporter for a third-rate tabloid newspaper. Nolan is targeted by Scissorman when he starts getting a little too interested in the Clock Tower case. He seems more interested in getting the scoop on the murders from Jennifer than from anyone else.

Stan Gotts

A Police Officer investigating the Clock Tower case. Stan is obsessed with tracking "Scissorman" down. A firm believer in hands-on experience, he places no faith in the supernatural and believes that he'll be able to bring this case to a close.

Samuel Barton

Professor of criminal psychology. He provides psychological profiling research and investigates the Clock Tower case from his own angle. He also believes that Scissorman is not an immortal killer, instead believes that this idea has been created by newspapers like the one Nolan works for.

Other characters

Harris Chapman

Research assistant studying criminal psychology. Harris is a small, gaunt man and has a warped infatuation with Jennifer.

Edward

Another person who, like Jennifer, survived the Clock Tower incident a year ago. Edward was found at the scene of the original murders suffering from amnesia, so was taken to the Granite Orphanage, where he was given the name Edward. Like Jennifer, he is also undergoing psychiatric treatment from Samuel Barton.

Beth

Another of the Research Assistants. She becomes involved in the events of Scissorman and Clock Tower when they start getting more involved with her.

Nolan's camera man. He works closely with Nolan, and is scared easily.

Edward's guardian from the Granite Orphanage.

Rick

An old butler of the Barrows mansion, he left before the murders began.

Mr. Sullivan

The head librarian. He likes to collect things and show them off in a personal gallery.

Danny

Danny is the "computer guy" for the University.

External links

1997 computer and video games | Clock Tower | PlayStation games | Survival horror games

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