SNES - Clock Tower: The First Fear

Format
SNES
Developer
Human Entertainment
Country of origin
Japan
Release date
1995
Genre
Survival horror

Clock Tower: The First Fear

By Eric
24th Jun 04

Oh boy! Another Japan-exclusive game! Unfortunately, this was never ported over to the American SNES. It's a shame, too, as this was a revolutionary title. It stands as one of the first survival horror games ever made. And it stands up pretty well even where today's titles are concerned.

The story begins when 15 year old Jennifer and three of her friends are adopted from the orphanage to live in a mansion by a woman named Mrs. Barrows. Once at the mansion, Mrs. Barrows leaves you alone for so long that Jennifer goes to look for her. After she leaves...a scream is heard. Running back, Jennifer finds that everyone is missing and the power is out. From there, you must search for Jennifer's friends. However, you and Jennifer will both realize something is very wrong in the mansion when bodies begin to pile up, and you witness a murder at the hands of the mansion's resident psychopath: Scissorman.

The game uses a dumbed-down point and click interface, but it's good that it was simplified, as it makes movement and item-using quick and easy. And you definitely want that, because as you search for your friends and clues to your predicament, you'll be stalked by Scissorman, wielding giant scissors (obviously) and eager for fresh blood.

Unlike some survival-horror titles, Jennifer does not carry firearms. What's a 15 year old orphan going to be doing with guns, anyway? No, when Scissorman finds you, your only hope is to do what every normal person would do when confronted with a serial killer wielding giant scissors: run and hide. It's terrifying to be in hiding and then see Scissorman walk into the room. Will he give up looking for you and go away, or will he find out where you're hiding and stab you? He's not stupid, so you'd better find a good place to hide. In case you're cornered, you can tap the panic button (B) to push Scissorman down so you can run past him. Of course, doing this takes stamina, and if he corners Jennifer too many times she'll become too tired to defend herself. It's truly frightening to be so helpless against such a sadistic character.

It may not seem to make sense, but trust me, Scissorman has a reason for being in that mansion. However, you'll have to search the mansion as Jennifer and unravel the mystery yourself. The game has a wide variety of endings, ranging from Jennifer's escape with a friend to Jennifer's horrible, gruesome death. For a Super Famicon horror game, Clock Tower: The First Fear is scary as hell, and is definitely worth a play if you can get your hands on it.

-- Eric 24th Jun 04

SNES Clock Tower: The First Fear Images