Clock Tower: Rewind – Nintendo Switch Review

Overview – originally released by HUMAN Entertainment, Sunsoft and Capcom, with WayForward and Limited Run bringing it to modern platforms, the legendary cult Survival Horror officially comes west as Clock Tower: Rewind. As Jennifer Simpson, survive the horrors of the Barrows Mansion, called “the Clock Tower”, while being hunted by the hideous Scissorman. This title is available on all platforms, with a link to each game at the bottom of this review.

Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank WayForward for providing the copy of Clock Tower: Rewind that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.

Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting with the story. I will be covering all of the main gameplay aspects without spoiling any secrets, I will also be covering the package as a whole, with the new features and bonuses.

Story – Jennifer Simpson, an orphan from Granite Orphange was adopted alongside other girls named Laura, Anne and Lotte. The benefactor is a wealthy recluse named Simon Barrows, who lives in a mansion called the “Clock Tower”. Upon arrival at the mansion, Mary, the woman who brought the girls to the mansion leaves to meet with Mr. Barrows. After some time, Jennifer goes to investigate, but after hearing a scream, she returns to the main hall and the horror begins.

Gameplay – Clock Tower is a 2D point and click survival horror, where the player must guide Jennifer through the Barrows Mansion, investigating clues and collecting items. The player does not directly control Jennifer’s actions aside from walking left and right, using a cursor that will highlight points to be investigated. By clicking an area or item of interest, Jennifer will interact with it, causing dialogue to pop up or potentially triggering an event.

When the player finds an item that is deemed important, they will pick them up and add them to the inventory. These items will often be used to complete puzzles, or used as steps in the completion in a puzzle needed to progress. If the player lacks the item they need, they will be unable to progress often triggering an event that will punish the player. However, if the player does have the item in their inventory, they will be able to use it and get closer to escape.

Speaking of escape, as the player is trying to guide Jennifer through the mansion, they will encounter the murderous Scissorman. This deformed child-like monster will hunt Jennifer through the mansion, trying to kill her with his massive scissors. The arrival of this beast can often be signalled by a scene, showing the death of one of Jennifer’s companions. When the creature appears, Jennifer will be put into a panic state and they must escape.

During these events, the player must find a hiding place for Jennifer or trigger a defense event. When a chase occurs, if Jennifer is caught by the Scissorman, a struggle will occur and if the panic button is hit enough, Jennifer may escape. But if the player is trapped and unable to shake off the monster, Jennifer will die and suffer a DEAD END. These poor outcomes can also be caused by events in the mansion itself if poor choices are made.

DEAD END and Scissorman events aren’t the only scenes that can play out. While Jennifer makes her way through the Clock Tower mansion, she may witness the deaths of her companions, through drowning or being defenestrated. Jennifer can also be put into story changing situations, where the mysteries behind the horrors can be uncovered. These scenes can be horrific, further building the sense of tension and dread of the mansion.

When Jennifer is attempting to navigate the mansion or encounters a panic event, she will become tired as her stamina is drained. This is shown by the color behind her portrait changing from blue, to orange to red. When this happens, the chances of her tripping over during movement, or becoming a victim of the Scissorman increases. The only way to recover stamina is to allow Jennifer to sit and rest, with the color returning to blue after a time.

While Jennifer makes her way through the mansion, it will be possible for the choices made to trigger an ending scene. There is a total of nine possible endings that can be triggered in the game, when this happens, the player will be able to start the game again and aim for another. If the player completes a special set of requirements, they will be able to uncover the true ending for the game, but this must be done without any mistakes.

Upon completion of the game, the player will be able to start again with the intro cutscene, or just jump right in. The ending that has been achieved will appear in the endings tab, allowing players to tick them off during their time playing. Players may also make up to three saves per version of the game, as there are two distinct playable versions of Clock Tower to play. The Main one that fans will want to start with is the Original version.

Then we have REWIND, which is a special modified version of the game containing additional features, enhancements and content that was added to the PlayStation 1 version. These changes that have been added make for a different experience, providing players with a new challenge. Then we have the bonus content that has been added to the game, giving players a museum of content to peruse between attempts at surviving the horrors.

Inside the extra menu, there are image galleries of the box art, manuals and more for players to look over. Then there are the motion comics, which are unlocked during the course of the game. These story segments are fully voiced and bring the panels to life. Then we have the bonus interview with the director and creator of Clock Tower, Hifumi Kono, which is split into numerous chapters. There is more bonus material, but I do not wish to spoil it.

Now with the gameplay and content covered, it is time to discuss the other elements of the game, starting with the controls.

Controls – as Clock Tower is a point and click title, the controls are very simple to pick up and use. The thumbstick controls the cursor, the face buttons control the interaction, inventory and panic actions. The front shoulder buttons control Jennifer’s movements, allowing the player to quickly move and run in the desired direction. All of these inputs work well, providing an experience that it responsive and as enjoyable as possible.

Difficulty – there isn’t much of a real difficulty curve to this game, as most of the experience is completed via trial and error. It can be a little frustrating at times when trying to figure out puzzles, as players can find themselves going in circles. This is due to items that need to be activated hiding in plain sight, with the player often missing items needed to progress. But if players have some time and patience, they will be able to get through this horrific adventure.

Presentation – visually the crisp spritework of the Super Famicom has been brought over perfectly, with all digitised characters and settings looking as crisp as always. The haunting and tense atmosphere, alongside the oppressive and nerve shredding audio have been perfectly preserved. This is in tandem with emulation features, opening theme and motion comics that compliment the original game very well, bringing the whole package together.

Final Thoughts – the original Clock Tower coming to the west has been a long time coming. The Super Famicom version has been fanlated and shared since 2001, which made this game a cult favourite in the horror community for years. So when I was given the opportunity to check this game out, I immediately lept at the opportunity to get hands-on with this game. I had an excellent time with this official release, and the new/bonus content was a wonderful addition.

I will say that this game is not for everyone, because the point and click system will be a little slow at times, as well as the trial and error nature of play. But if you give it a shot, you will find a horror experience that will keep you on your toes. The narrative twists, turns and multiple endings enhance the experience, giving players a reason to return to the tower time and time again. If you are a fan of horror and want something different, this is definitely for you.

In the end, I give Clock Tower: Rewind a final score of 4.75/5. This is a legendary horror title that is well deserving of its cult classic status, with an experience that is still as tense as when it first released, with additional content that makes this the definitive way to enjoy Clock Tower. If you want to check this release for yourself, a link to each version of the game will be below.

Link to Nintendo Switch version (HERE)

Link to PlayStation version (HERE)

Link to Xbox version (HERE)

Link to Steam version (HERE)