Clock Tower (PlayStation)
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| Clock Tower | |
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| Developer(s) | Human Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | ASCII Entertainment |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release date | 1996 |
| Genre(s) | Survival Horror |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Mature (M) |
Clock Tower (クロックタワー２ Kurokku Tawā Sekando?, Clock Tower 2 (Second)) is a survival horror game for the PlayStation. It is a sequel to Clock Tower for the SNES (also known as Clock Tower ~The First Fear~ on its PlayStation port).
There are two novels and a radio drama based on the game. They were not released outside of Japan, however.
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[edit] Gameplay
Clock Tower is a point and click survival 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 Barton. 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.
In the Japanese version, there is a secret mode unlockable by getting all 10 endings called Buyo Buyo Mode. If the mode is turned on during the game, all of the characters change size and width repeatedly.
[edit] 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. Scissorman can appear at any time during the scenario. He can be randomly encountered in the hallways or hiding in a room waiting for you to pass by or click on it. He can also be found in hiding places that the player would normally use. Scissorman cannot be defeated by normal means but he can be injured or outwitted so the player must either hide in one of the many hiding places in the scenario or find something to use as a weapon. Sadly some of the hiding places and weapons are ineffective and will allow Scissorman to either instantly kill the player or catch up to them. Some hiding places will only work if you fulfill certain requirements (for example in the 3rd scenario if the player is in the library and Scissorman is on his way the player has the option to block the door with the dresser drawer; however if the player doesn't click on the drawer again to help support it Scissorman will still smash through the door and kill the player).
[edit] Story
[edit] Prologue
In the mountains of Romsdalen, 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, Mary Barrows 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, Bobby became the first Scissorman while Dan was a giant baby-like demon child whom they kept beneath the Manor in a secret cavern underneath the chapel. 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 and later, even Mary Barrows (only after her own wickedness was revealed). She managed to escape from the terrible horrors, destroying Mary, Bobby and Dan, and fleeing the mansion.
[edit] Plot
One year on from the infamous Scissorman murders, Jennifer Simpson, one of the two survivors of the clock tower murders, has been adopted by Helen Maxwell, the assistant of a renowned psychiatrist, and is currently undergoing treatment in Oslo to help her come to terms with her experiences in the clock tower case and possibly shed some light on the mystery that was the Scissorman. The other survivor of the clock tower murders seems to be a young boy named Edward who is staying at the Granite Orphanage and also suffering from amnesia.
All of Norway is caught up with the sensationalized Scissorman Murderer. Although Jennifer thought he was dead, Scissorman reappeared...
As the people around her are killed 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 is mainly played in the first scenario.
[edit] Character histories
[edit] Playable characters
- Jennifer Simpson
The 15 year old survivor of the original Scissorman murders, 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, took her in. Jennifer is being used by Professor Barton as a research subject. In Helen's 3rd scenario she can be stabbed by Scissorman if he is not shot in time.
- 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. Helen is very protective of Jennifer and always looks out for her. In Jennifer's 3rd scenario she is considered dead if she is not let out of the box in time.
- Nolan Campbell
26 year old Nolan Campbell is 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. While he must always survive Jennifer's 3rd scenario, in Helen's he is considered dead if you do not let him out of the coffin in time.
- 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 (yet this is changed in his first encounter with Scissorman) and believes that he'll be able to bring this case to a close. He is close to Helen and forms a friendship with her. In Jennifer's 3rd scenario, if she runs into the torture room while being chased by Scissorman or under other certain circumstances, Gotts will be found upside down in the grinder with an enormous pool of blood around him; he can also be found alive on the floor of the torture room. He always survives Helen's 3rd scenario.
- 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. He is also the fake Scissorman in Helen's story. He says that he was drawn in by Scissorman's evil soul. In Jennifer's scenario he either helps by translating a Latin note Jennifer finds or if the player had Helen translate the note or doesn't get to him in time he will be found hanging from a tree in the courtyard; if inspected, Scissorman will come out and attack.
[edit] Other characters
- Harris Chapman
Research assistant studying criminal psychology. Harris is a small, gaunt man and has a warped infatuation with Jennifer. He is the fake Scissorman of Jennifer's story after being promised by the real Scissorman he could have Jennifer. He dresses up as Scissorman and brings Jennifer into the Barrows Family Mansion, but is betrayed and killed by Scissorman shortly afterwards. In Helen's scenario he is found hiding in the kitchen and he gives Helen a key that if used will cause the player to get the C ending, but he can be found much later. He can also be found decapitated with his head in the pot.
- 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. At the end it is revealed he is the resurrected Dan Barrows (the giant purple demon child whom Jennifer accidentally lit on fire while fleeing from him in Clock Tower the First Fear) and the true Scissorman.
- 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. Beth is very ditzy and naive. She is also extremely immature for her age. She has a tendency to whine. She also has a multitude of stuffed animals. Her fate is always optional: In Helen's 3rd scenario if she tries to follow Helen to safety after being found she gets dragged down into the floor and killed by Scissorman, but she survives if Helen talks her into staying put. In Jennifer's scenario she is found cowering in fear in the wine celler, but if certain items are not found in time, Beth will appear in parts.
- Tim
Nolan's camera man. He works closely with Nolan and is scared easily, but he is a good person over all. Like many of the other characters, his fate lies in the player's actions. In Jennifer's 3rd scenario, if certain items are retrieved in time, Tim will be found safely by the lounge fireplace, but if not, Tim's smoking body is found stuffed half-way in the fireplace. In Helen's 3rd scenario, he can either be found hiding in the wine cellar or dead in a barrel.
- Kay
Edward's guardian from the Granite Orphanage. She is a very tall woman who always wears a waist length white coat. In Jennifer's A and B endings she can be heard pleading with Edward to stop and return to the orphanage before being killed. She also is the one that kills Jennifer in Jennifer's C ending. In Helen's A and B endings her corpse is found lying on the ground next to Scissorman upon entering the cavern. Her corpse was most likely sucked into the door when Jennifer or Helen opened it
- Rick
An old butler of the Barrows mansion, he retired before the murders began. He gives Gotts and Nolan some information about the Barrows before being killed. In Gotts's scenario he is mauled by his dog, and in Nolan's scenario he is crushed by the chandelier in the foyer of his house (ironically the chandelier was given to Rick by the Barrows as a retirement present).
- Mr. Sullivan
The head librarian. He likes to collect things and show them off in a personal gallery. In Helen's second scenario he is decapitated by the library's giant clock when he sticks his head out of the porthole to see what is wrong with it.
- Danny
Danny is the "computer guy" for the University. He does not go on the trip to England with everyone else.
- Rose
Rose is a student at the University. She is a friend of Helen's and she has an infatuation with another student named Baker. According to Helen, Rose uses the University as a "motel" alluding to Rose going there at night to meet up with Baker. She is killed by Scissorman in the first scenario. Her corpse can be found cut open and gutted in a bathroom stall or impaled to a bed in the therapy room.
- Baker
Baker is a student at the University who has the unfortunate luck to be one of the first victims of Scissorman. His corpse is used to trick Helen into unlocking the door to the women's lounge so Scissorman can get inside to attack her for the first time.
- Sandra
The red-headed clerk that works behind the desk at the library. Her name was found in the Artbook notes. Other than that, her name is rarely mentioned. She is found impaled to a bookshelf in Helen's 2nd scenario, and if the bookshelf is inspected Scissorman will jump out at Helen from behind it.
[edit] Endings
Depending on the player's actions, the ending may change from good to bad. There are 5 different endings for Helen and Jennifer.
Jennifer Simpson
- Ending A
After finding out that Edward (who turns out to be Dan from the previous game who rose from the ashes of his previous form) was Scissorman, she draws him into the vortex created by the Door Spell. She and Nolan are then trapped in the wreckage of the manor after it collapses. After a small conversation and a kiss, they are rescued by Helen.
- Ending B
Just like in Ending A, Jennifer opens the vortex with the Door Spell and Edward is pulled in. However, unable to get out of his grasp, she is pulled into the vortex as well. The FMV that follows shows Helen and Nolan visiting her grave.
- Ending C
Jennifer finds Scissorman in the cavern and almost recognizes him when he calls her name. Before she can have the chance to find out who the murderer has been all along, however, she is stabbed and killed by Kay. The FMV that follows shows a reporter that is outside reporting the incident, stating that many corpses have been found. The rescue team behind her then announces they have a survivor, and they wheel him out with a stretcher. Edward turns out to be the survivor, and he promptly opens his eyes and smiles evilly.
- Ending D
Under the fountain in the courtyard, Jennifer finds Edward, who tells her he has found a way out. She walks past the boy to the door that's behind him, but before she could even get to it, he stabs her and his reflection is shown in a pool of her blood.
- Ending E
Jennifer is in her room writing in her diary about how the Demon Statue was never found. She then hears a familiar metallic clanging outside her window, and gasps. This ending connects with Helen's E ending.
Helen Maxwell
- Ending A
Helen shoots and kills Scissorman before he could kill Jennifer, only to find out that he is Professor Barton. After the professor tells her why he dressed up as Scissorman, Helen informs Gotts and Jennifer of what happened. Gotts asks her if the case is closed, but Helen can tell that the real scissorman is still alive. She finds the real Scissorman (who is really Edward) under the fountain and kills him using the Door Spell. She then helps Jennifer out of the Barrows Mansion wreckage.
- Ending B
This ending is similar to Jennifer's B ending. After the vortex is opened, Scissorman is pulled in, but he manages to pull in Helen as well. The FMV after it shows the reporter from Jennifer's C ending covering the incident. It then pans to a familiar pair of scissors laying on top of the rubble and Scissorman's hand rising from the wreckage (which leaves a plot hole, as Scissorman was pulled into the vortex).
- Ending C
This ending is similar to Jennifer's D ending. After going under the fountain, Helen finds Professor Barton. He tells her that he has found something behind him that helps solve the case, but after Helen walks past him, he stabs her in the back. The FMV that follows shows Gotts visiting her grave.
- Ending D
Helen shoots and kills Scissorman before he could kill Jennifer, only to find out that he is Professor Barton. After the professor tells her why he dressed up as Scissorman, Helen informs Gotts and Jennifer of what happened. They conclude that Professor Barton was the real Scissorman this whole time, and the game ends.
- Ending E
Helen comes in to check on Jennifer before she goes to bed, only to find the girl with a small pair of scissors lodged in her back. She then runs to Jennifer, not noticing Scissorman hiding behind the door. The screen then fades. This ending connects with Jennifer's E ending.
[edit] External links
Official sites
Other resources and information
- Clock Tower at GameFAQs
- Clock Tower at MobyGames
- GT Countdown - Top Ten Scariest Games - Clock Tower was voted as number 10
- The Barrows Mansion A french fan site.
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