Clock Tower: Rewind

Release Date: October 29, 2024

Adventure, survival horror, horror, 2D, remaster/remake, side-scroll, singleplayer

6.9

OpenCritic

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Clock Tower is a remastered version of the first game in an iconic Japanese horror series. It's an adventure game with survival horror elements, tasking us with solving puzzles while avoiding a murderous stalker.

Plot
Mechanics
Game modes
Technical aspects

Clock Tower is a remaster of an iconic Japanese horror adventure game and the first installment in the series of the same name. The 1995's original was developed by Human Entertainment, while the remastered version was created by WayForward Technologies, known for DuckTales Remastered, River City Girls and the Shantae series.

It's worth noting the original game was never officially localized into English, meaning the remaster is its official debut on the western markets.

Plot

The game's protagonist is Jennifer Simpson, a young orphan adopted by the wealthy, mysterious Barrows family alongside several of her friends. Soon after arriving at the mansion, one of the teens is murdered by a shears-wielding psychopath. Jennifer must survive and find a way out of the building.

Mechanics

Clock Tower is an adventure game with survival horror elements. The player must explore locations, gather items and solve puzzles.

Throughout all this, we're constantly stalked by the psychotic Scissorman. Jennifer doesn't have much stamina and gets tired quickly. We must therefore manage their energy and rest whenever we have a safe moment to do so.

She doesn't have any combat skills either. Standing no chance against the armed madman, she must instead hide or run away.

The game is highly non-linear, our choices leading to one of nine possible endings.

Game modes

Clock Tower only supports singleplayer.

Technical aspects

The game features fully 2D visuals, its artstyle being inspired by Italian horror films. Compared to the original release, the graphics have been slightly updated, new cutscenes were added and more save points have been implemented.

Last updated on March 15, 2020

Videos and Screens

[1:43] Clock Tower: Rewind Release Date Trailer

[2:39] Clock Tower: Rewind Clock Tower Rewind - Sharp Laughter Music Video Trailer

6.9

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 40% of Critics. There are 32 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

WayTooManyGames: 5.5 / 10 by Leonardo Faria

Reviewing Clock Tower: Rewind was a mixed bag because, on one hand, I get it. I understand the importance of Clock Tower, and the impact that game had on survival horror as a whole. As a piece of gaming history, finally archived and widely available on the West, this is a fantastic release. The added interviews, cartoon animations and soundtrack are a neat bonus. But as a game, this has aged incredibly poorly.

Full Review

Pure Nintendo: 6.5 / 10 by Kirk Hiner

Clock Tower: Rewind provides an effectively creepy tale, especially if you're a fan of 16-bit adventure gaming, throwback puzzle solving, or…David Argento? This "rewind," however, would need to be more of a "remake" to appeal to most modern gamers.

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Rapid Reviews UK: 2 / 5 by Joseph Barrood

I did not enjoy my time with Clock Tower: Rewind. The game is serviceable, but the puzzles were dissatisfying, the story is nothing overly memorable, and the item pickups themselves are very simple. Few things which make it uniquely justifiable.

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