Game:

Clock Tower (1995)

Duration: 10:39

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"Clock Tower for WonderSwan" is a port of the cult classic original "Clock Tower" for SNES/SFC with a few sounds and tweaks taken from the remake of the SNES/SFC game on Playstation, "Clock Tower: The First Fear". It's a pretty good adaptation that, while not as good as the original Japanese Super Famicom release, makes for an acceptable horror title on the WonderSwan, not to mention its one of the few horror titles on the platform (along with visual novels like "Ring Infinity", "Terrors", etc.). Like the original, the plot deals with a group of teenage orphans (the main of which is Jennifer Simpson) adopted by two wealthy recluse(s) named Simon and Mary Barrows. They soon get seperated while becoming accustomed to living in the Clock Tower manor and you (Jennifer) must learn what happened to the others and about your strange new family. There is plenty of atmosphere, intrigue, several traps, and dangerous characters (the most famous of which is "The Scissorman").

Graphically, the game is okay with large characters and a decent amount of frames of animation, all things considered. As the game was released for the B&W WonderSwan handheld, the environments are detailed enough, but this game would've benefitted greatly from color, primarily as some areas are just too dark (I adjusted the brightness of the footage a bit so the dark rooms wouldn't appear almost pitch-black) and finding certain objects to interact with can prove difficult as they blend in with the background. The game also has a few drops in the framerate in certain rooms, but not enough to be a real detriment. The music and sounds, what little there are, are respectable. I've heard some say they suck, but there's a few reasons why I don't think so. For one, I've heard worse on the platform. Secondly, it's one of the few WS games with ambient sound; footsteps and other sounds get louder depending on the source. Sound from the far right is soft and comes out of the right speaker... as it comes closer to the center, it eminates louder from the right speaker until it's drawn from the left speaker. It's more interesting with headphones too, and it's something I found interesting.

The gameplay is mostly the same as the original; it's more about pure survival as you are a helpless teenager and (usually) have to run and hide to avoid threats and have access to a panic button which utilizes adrenaline during emergency situations to perform feats you can't under ordinary circumstances. However, it has been modified a bit to have less on-screen clutter and to serve shortcut commands for quicker access (though it's annoying that you can't run in the story introduction). There is no picture or indication that shows just how fatigued Jennifer is (which is important to know your odds against threats that reduce stamina and adversaries which can kill you) and you can toggle through your items without interrupting the flow of the game, which is actually a good idea. Text is presented in a different fashion to accomadate the WS' screen and resolution and you can still run by tapping either direction of Jennifer twice quickly. The game, like the original, retains the multiple endings, having almost ten in all which is quite impressive and still some of the most endings of any game within the survival/horror genre.

Overall, while the game could've been better, it's a pretty interesting portable CT experience that shouldn't be missed by diehard fans of the series, but casual gamers might want to stick with the console offerings, and the game is moderately expensive these days CIB. These videos show some of the game in action, from getting attacked to avoiding the Scissorman and solving various puzzles. Enjoy.