Clock Tower
A remastered version of Clock Tower is on the way with this Clock Tower offering up more than just new platforms to play on
Another blast from the past is coming out to the modern systems as we have an announcement that Clock Tower is getting its own little remaster out there. A horror title that many have not seen since the days of the SNES and it looks as if Sunsoft is opening up to allowing it to hit the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PC in 2024. A nice and huge smattering of platforms since there is no real way to play Clock Tower anymore. Well, unless you are going through some less-savory means to do so. That will always be the problem we have allowed ourselves to get into out there with all of this, is it not?
The longer discussion about getting past titles back to us aside, here we are seeing the classic Clock Tower in all of its 16-bit glory getting ported over for all of the modern systems. It does not look like much of that is going to change outside of getting properly upscaled to work on the newer TVs. That is not to say that we will not be getting some new things added in for this Clock Tower though. Even if it would be nice to move away from the point-and-click system we all knew back when controls were harder to implement. Maybe some of that will be improved upon for those not using a mouse and keyboard for this version of the game.
In addition to everything that made Clock Tower awesome in the first place, there will be a few new animated scenes and motion-comic cutscenes for us to enjoy in the game now. Along with that, Mary McGlynn will be coming in to give us a new vocal theme that was impossible on the older systems out there. Not to mention that we are going to be getting a true localization of Clock Tower into the North American and European markets out there. Not that things were not done well before, but there had to be some missing things in the mix that did not translate over properly back when the game originally launched out there.
Clock Tower — Remaster Announcement
The clock is ticking for the modern release of a survival-horror classic! Alongside publishing partners Sunsoft and Limited Run Games, we are frightfully excited to announce that an enhanced version of the original 16-bit Clock Tower is headed to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox, and PC in early 2024. This marks the first time this terrifying initial adventure in the popular horror series will officially be translated and released in North America and Europe. A new behind-the-scenes video, as shown at the LRG3 digital event, can be seen here!
Originally released on Super Famicom in 1995 in Japan, Clock Tower traps players in the haunting confines of the Barrows family manor, where you’ll be pursued by Scissorman, a murderous, shears-wielding psychopath. As teenage orphan Jennifer Simpson, you will use a point-and-click interface to explore the mansion and search every disturbing corner to find items, reveal secrets, and discover ways to survive Scissorman’s assaults. Without any offensive capabilities, Jennifer must rely on her wits and resourcefulness if she has any hope of escaping with her life and earning one of the game’s multiple endings. A tense atmosphere, chilling sound effects, detailed 2D animations, and randomized elements to maximize replayability demonstrate why Clock Tower is considered a groundbreaking pioneer in the survival-horror genre.
Harnessing the power of Limited Run Games’ Carbon Engine, this new edition of Clock Tower retains the authentic gameplay, graphics, and sound of the original version while also adding modern features and enhancements. These include a new vocal theme song performed by Mary McGlynn (Silent Hill series), a new animated opening, motion-comic cutscenes before and after the game, a bonus art gallery, border artwork, save states, multiple language options, and more.
Clock Tower will be published digitally in North America and Europe by WayForward, followed by a physical version that will be offered on select platforms by Limited Run Games. Further details, including information on the physical preorder window, will be announced at a later date.
Key Features:
- A survival-horror classic, officially translated and brought out of Japan for the first time
- Run, hide, and survive as you attempt to evade the psychotic Scissorman
- Atmospheric 2D art, detailed animations, and haunting sound effects
- Multiple endings and randomized gameplay elements maximize replayability (and jump scares)
- New animated opening, motion-comic cutscenes, and vocal theme song performed by Mary McGlynn
- Art gallery, save states, and other modern enhancements
All of the extras are nice, and what I am about to go into for Clock Tower is not specific just for this title, but something I have noticed more and more as of late. It is odd to see that there are so many video game titles getting re-released again out there even though many of us have played them before. Specifically, titles that have no way to be played anymore outside of paying insane costs or going down the way of the eye patch. While it is nice to see studios keeping afloat with these new releases like Clock Tower, it does beg the question of if this will keep being the way going forward. There is little reason to make things backward-compatible if they all know we will pay for it to be released again. Is this just another grab at cash or is it just the way to keep the IPs we love living on just a bit longer?
Are you excited to see Clock Tower coming back to us all after so long or have you never had a chance to experience it yet? Do you think we will get some other twists and changes along the way or will it be just what we have been offered here today? Is it a poor state of the industry when we have to keep paying for games we already owned before or did we just allow for it to get to this point with it all? Head to the comment section and then feel free to discuss it all as we so like to do out there. Please keep checking back for more on this version of Clock Tower and the various other remasters we are going to get out there once more.
