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There
was a boom in the movie industry during the seventies as audiences
flocked to their local cinemas to endorse their approval at the
resurrection of the Horror flick. Hair raising titles such as
Friday the 13th, Carrie, Texas Chain-saw Massacre and The Exorcist
were all playing to packed houses.
This trend was carried through to the eighties where more
graphical effects were required to satisfy the bloodthirsty
punter. Legs were now being severed, hands chopped off and no
movie was complete without an occasional exploding head. It was
all in a days work for production crews who were going through
more blood than a transfusion centre.
Of course this opened the floodgates for a tidal wave of
sub-standard B-Movies which contained all of the effects - but
very little plot. Eventually the public tired of this gore -
nothing seemed to shock anymore. Besides, all of the heroes from
yesteryear - Zorro, the Lone Ranger, Batman and Superman - had
been replaced by murderous misfits such as Freddie Kruger, Jason
and Eraserhead. Mission accomplished, I would say.
One of the most popular games available on the Playstation is
undoubtedly Capcom's horror adventure, Resident Evil. Gripping
story, splendid effects and enough fear and shocks to fill the
average underpants - twice over. The emergence of the Horror video
game sent the tills ringing worldwide and doubtless many games
companies sat up and took notice. Resident Evil is now a classic
whose example many should, and will, follow.
ASCII's Clock Tower proves that the age of the 'B-Movie'
horror video game is still a long way off. Opting for a point and
click style rather than the third person perspective shoot-up was
probably a good move and should allow Clock Tower to be judged on
it's own rights
In the last century, a Norwegian mansion was home to the
Scissormen, the murderous twins who literally cut their victims to
ribbons. Now it appears that the cycle of killings is beginning
once again. This is according to the testimony of one young girl,
who in traditional horror story fashion, strayed into the house
and barely escaped with her life. Can the Scissormen have possibly
come back to haunt their lair?
You play the part of an investigator who is checking out the
young girls tale, the tension mounting as you delve further into
the gloomy mansion.
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Clock
Tower is an intense point and click adventure from ASCll
Entertainment telling the chilling story of a remote mansion in
Norway and it's terrible secret past. Although Clock Tower is not
for the faint hearted or squeamish, with some truly gruesome
sequences of disembowelment and decapitation, you'll find yourself
spooked even more by an increasing sense of dread - what you don't
see rather than what you do see.
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'Fear
is fascinating' concludes the opening FMV. Perhaps it should have
claimed that 'Graphics are fantastic' as the intros to recent PSX
titles have reached such a high standard of which they are now
truly worthy of introducing a next generation video game.
Evocative graphics and super smooth, highly detailed animation
creates the tension that will continue throughout this thrilling
mystery.
The attention to detail in Clock Tower is second to none. The
backgrounds are set in a style that has only been seen once before
- that Capcom classic. Each room appears to have been decorated to
an individual taste leaving you no doubts which rooms you have, or
have not visited before. None of those bare pastel partitions or
boring block walls, but wallcoverings, scenic pictures, bookcases
and clocks, while house plants brighten up the clustered office
space.
Each of the characters are exhibited in smooth polygons. Just
click away and off they go, bending down to examine the contents
of drawers, climbing ladders to reach high objects and climbing
inside boxes to hide from the Scissormen. All with barely a pause
for a thought.
The blood soaked 3D polygon graphics are most impressive.
Decapitation seems to be a favorite as tapping a sleeping guards
shoulder for his attention sees his head waver unsteadily before
falling to the floor. Why do killers always have to balance heads
back on the body after severing it? On another occasion this guy
pops his head through a hole in a tower clock face just as the big
pointer is passing the three. Whoops, there goes another one.
Generally the graphics are excellent but the PAL version does
contain those nasty black boarders. Combine this with the fact
that the bottom third of the screen is used for text and you are
left with one hell of a letterbox effect. Also, the text just
doesn't quite fit into the space at the bottom of the screen (as
if the space is not big enough) leaving loading gaps in the middle
of sentences. This can be frustrating at the beginning of the game
with some of the conversations lasting a few minutes. This time
could have been halved had the text been smaller and avoided
occasions such as 'Helen, will you go out with...(wait for it...
loading... wait for it) ..me.
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The
music is well balanced and on occasions quite haunting.
Unobtrusive when concentrating on the task in hand, tension
building as the plot gets scary and getting the old ticker
thumping when being chased by the Scissormen.
The sound effects also add to the atmosphere of the game.
False cries for help leading you to an early grave, the sound of
clashing steel as the giant scissors home on their target, periods
of deathly silence only broken by a chiming clock. Actually,
clocks seem to appear quite frequently throughout this game, must
be something to do with the title.
Overall, the creepy sound effects and a disturbing soundtrack
guarantee to keep you looking over your shoulder at every turn.
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Prepare
for a few sleepless nights as you attempt to solve the mystery of
the Clock Tower murders.
For those who have never played a point and click adventure,
the process is simple. Your character stands motionless on the set
awaiting the Directors command (that's you). Moving the cursor
across the screen and clicking the action button will bring your
actor to life. A single click will set them strolling to the
position where your cursor is resting. A double click will add
haste to their movements. Do not forget this as your character
will be required to retreat quite often during Clock Tower and I
would recommend this is always done in haste. While scanning the
screen your cursor may be drawn to certain objects or people. The
small arrow will switch to four dots to notify you that a clue may
be inspected or a character holds information that may or may not
be relevant to the plot. Beware the Red Herring. That's all there
is to it. What point and click adventures lack in complicated
button tapping combos are more than made up for by forcing you to
use that large spongy organ in your head - your brain. One final
point. Buy a mouse, you won't regret it.
On with the game. Jennifer Simpson was a recent target of the
Scissormen and is constantly suffering from horrific nightmares.
The story unfolds as she awakes from a hypnotic trance performed
by the strange Professor Barton.
There are five playable characters. You initially control
Barton in his search for vital clues around the office, chatting
with staff members and generally picking up and examining
everything in sight. Your selection of character is determined by
the number of times that you speak to Harris during the prologue.
This is where point and click adventures differ from other genres.
If information is not squeezed from certain sources, or specific
items not collected, then the story will shoot off into a new
direction to provide a completely different ending. Be thorough in
your search.
Dependent on your choice of character, you will then be
offered a map screen with a choice of approximately six locations
to visit. You must sniff around each venue looking for clues to
unravel the mystery. All roads eventually lead to your first
scenario.
Clock Tower is divided into a number of scenarios. Each is
preempted by a short scene which will eventually lead your
character to a building. Each room must be scrutinised for any
lead to help your investigation. Entering certain rooms at
specific times will set off a chain reaction where the Scissormen
will begin to hunt you down. You will know when they are coming
for you as the music will change into what eventually becomes
their theme tune. Once on your tail they are difficult to shake
off and will attempt to corner you. This is where any knowledge
gained from your snooping will become beneficial. A previously
useless object may be used to defend yourself, a display item
could be useful as a weapon or an item of furniture could become a
hiding place until things cool down. Failure to escape the
clutches of your assailant will result in a slaying with their
deadly weapon - you guessed it a short back and sides with the
giant scissors.
To avoid backtracking too many times the facility is included
to save your game at any time and I would recommend this is done
at regular intervals as you never know when the deadly duo will
pop out of the cupboard.
Throughout the game you will uncover several hints which will
be recorded at the main menu screen. At any time you can browse
through these hints to avoid you becoming hopelessly stuck.
Clock Tower has a non linear storyline which can be resolved
in 10 different ways and is certainly not a 'one play' adventure.
Playing the same scenarios with different characters provides a
new series of events with a different outcome for each.
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Clock
Tower is a splendid mystery thriller that has all the ingredients
to become a horror classic. The only downside is the general
stop/start process of playing a point and click adventure which
can become slightly irritating when replaying an area but that is
irrelevant if you are a fan of this type of game.
A definite purchase for those who enjoyed Broken Sword, but
be warned, this may be a little too scary for the younger
gameplayer.
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MARTIN |
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GRAPHICS: |
Brilliant |
The
graphics are the definite high point of Clock Tower. The gameplay
is a little slow at the start but once the game gets moving it
settles into a steady pace. You will need your brain in top gear
and a very large magnifying glass to work your way out of a few
tricky situations however the clues are all there, it's just a
case of spotting them. Save your game intelligently by using all
three in-game slots that are at your disposal. I would recommend
that you save at the earliest point of each scenario and do not
overwrite this opening save until the scenario is complete. If you
become hopelessly stuck you can then restart and take an
alternative route. |
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SOUND: |
Good |
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PLAYABILITY: |
Very
Good |
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VALUE: |
Good |
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OVERALL
8·5/10 |
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TOM |
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GRAPHICS: |
Very
Good |
I
was pleasantly surprised by this title. It adds a very real
element of suspense and shock value to an otherwise tried and
tested point and click adventure. The scenes in which you are
being chased by the Scissorman are truly frightening. You never
know where that sick bastard is gonna pop up from next!
The game does contain a few slow spots, but overall it
delivers what it promises...a suspense filled horror tale that
many gamers should find absorbing and rewarding. |
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SOUND: |
Very
Good |
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PLAYABILITY: |
Very
Good |
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VALUE: |
Very
Good |
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OVERALL
8·8/10 |
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