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Clock Tower is the first installment of the survival horror series Clock Tower created by Capcom and Human Entertainment for the SNES. The game was published by Human Entertainment and was released in Japan in 1995. It was then re-released in Japan in 1997, when it was ported to the PlayStation with some minor adjustments, and renamed to Clock Tower: The First Fear. There have also been ports to the WonderSwan, and Windows 95, both of which were released in 1999.
Gameplay
Struggling with Bobby in 'panic mode'.
Clock Tower is a 2Dpoint and click style game, where the player controls a cursor to direct the main character, Jennifer, and give commands such as investigating objects or opening doors. The interface is akin to 1990-era computer adventure games, but simplified to work better with a gamepad. Primarily, the player can only move Jennifer left and right through the environment, although there are some rooms in which an action requires Jennifer to step into the background.
Clock Tower is unique to other adventure games of the era in that it features a stalker pursuing the main character; this delays puzzle solving and requires the player to run in order to find objects or hiding places to fend off or avoid the attacker. The stalker is a typical slasher villain, named Bobby, who wields a large pair of scissors. If directly confronted by Bobby, the player engages in a "panic" phase and must repeatedly pound the "panic button" to struggle with the attacker. If Jennifer is low on health, or the player does not tap the panic button fast enough, Bobby will attack Jennifer and the player will be presented with a game over screen.
Although the game refers to it as Jennifer's health, the color of the background where her face is shown changes to represent her current fear level. Blue means she is in a calm state, while yellow means she is startled, orange meaning she is alarmed, and finally red, where she'll begin to panic. In red, she is more likely to be attacked during a direct confrontation with Bobby. Additionally, while running away from Bobby, there is a chance Jennifer might trip over her feet, making her vulnerable if Bobby is close by.
Many of Bobby’s appearances are triggered by the player inspecting certain objects, but there are some cases in which he will come out of a hiding place and chase Jennifer as soon as she enters a room.
Plot
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Jennifer Simpson is a child from the fictional Granite Orphanage in Romsdal, Norway. She and her friends (Laura, Anne and Lotte) are adopted in September 1995 (the same month the game was released) by a wealthy recluse named Mr. Barrows, who lives in a mansion known as the "Clock Tower", named after its most predominant feature.
The game immediately begins with these characters walking towards the Barrows mansion and settling in the main foyer. Mary, the orphanage worker, leaves to find Mr. Barrows, but she takes an unusually long time. Jennifer offers to investigate, and so the player takes control of her. Upon leaving the room, a scream is heard from main foyer.
Jennifer returns to find the lights are off and the girls are missing... She soon finds herself being stalked by a murderous little boy with deformed features, wielding a huge pair of scissors. This is Bobby Barrows, the Scissorman, who will be Jennifer's stalker and tormentor for the rest of the game.
As the player explores the mansion, it becomes apparent that there is something much more sinister at hand than just a murderous child. If she is knocked out during the game's events, Jennifer wakes up in a cage inside the courtyard shed and finds a haggard old man crouching in the corner of the cage. If Jennifer managed to procure a piece of ham earlier on in the game, she has the option of feeding it to him to avoid becoming his next meal. Once he has eaten, the man introduces himself as Simon Barrows, the husband of Mary and your supposed adopter. He mentions "the cradle under the star." Lotte rescues Jennifer from the cell afterwards.
If the above event does not happen, Jennifer can break a weak wall in a storage room and find a small padded room (akin to an asylum cell) with a fully dressed skeleton on the floor. Upon closer inspection of the name-tag on the skeleton's suit, the player finds out that this corpse is that of Jennifer's father, Walter Simpson. Further inspection of a notebook on the floor reveals that Walter Simpson was a doctor, and was called out one day to assist with the birth of the Barrows family twins. Witnessing the birth, he felt there was something extremely odd about the twins and Mary and Simon responded by locking him in the room and plastering over the door to prevent his escape. Again, "the cradle under the star" is mentioned, and with his last breath he wrote Jennifer's name.
Searching through the mansion will get Jennifer into a room with two cages, as she turns the lights on, she will find the severed corpse of a crow on a table next to the door (apparently utilized for rituals), she can set free the one left alive from its cage; at this point Jennifer hopes to find a way out too.
One of the rooms in the mansion appears to be a small Satanic church, complete with altar and pentagram drawn onto the floor. If the player has collected all the necessary items and clues, then Jennifer is able to gain access to the basement of the mansion, though a trap door in the middle of the pentagram. After descending a long ladder down into a cavern, Jennifer sees a cloaked figure walking ahead of her. She follows it, wearing a disguise to fool the guard dog. Jennifer can find Lotte in her last moments near an altar of candles (if the player is not rescued by her from the cage) if the player explores the cave before entering a large room.
Jennifer enters the room and finds a massive pair of curtains. She lifts one of the corners and gasps, and then runs away in horror. It becomes apparent that this area is the place that was referred to by "the cradle under the star" (the star being the pentagram on the floor of the church, and this room being the cradle). At this point, the curtains are drawn and Bobby's brother Dan is revealed - he is a gigantic, disfigured baby. Dan crawls after Jennifer, shaking the whole cavern, and chases her to a slope. As Jennifer scrambles up the slope, she knocks down a crate of kerosene, which ignites on one of the candles connected to the cavern walls. Dan is blown up, and Jennifer escapes in a lift, heading up to the top of the Clock Tower.
On the ride up, Bobby Barrows jumps on the top of the elevator and uses his massive sissors to cut a hole to enter the elevator in. Jennifer manages to stop the elevator, and runs out, Barrows on her very heels. Eventually, she finds herself in the room where the clockwork of the clock tower is stored. There, Barrows catches up with her. Jennifer slowly backs up, and seeing a switch, turns it on. The Clock Tower begins to ring, and Bobby Barrows throws his sissors to the floor, placing his hands to his ears. As the disturbed child paces back and forth, he hits the old wooden railing, sending him toppling over the edge into the gears of the Clock Tower.
Jennifer, glad the nightmare is finally over, walks to her left to find one of the two friends (depending on whom the player saved) unconscious and tied up on the planks. As Jennifer gets down to untie her friend, Mary rushes from the right, screaming at Jennifer, screaming "You... You killed my sons!" Jennifer, powerless, watches as in an unexpected turn of events, some crows nesting on the Clock Tower (along with the one you set free on the cage room) begin to swarm the vile woman, chasing her as she attempts to bat them away, eventually losing her footing and falling into the gears just like her son before her.
Jennifer's friend regains consciousness, and the two girls exit the Clock Tower. The rain begins to stop and dawn breaks as always as the two stare off into the newly-born day.
Characters
Jennifer Simpson
Jennifer is the game's protagonist, a 14-year-old girl with long black hair. Her mother died when she was young, and her father, a doctor, vanished while on a house call.
Ann (Anne)
Jennifer's brunette friend. She is more social and outgoing than Jennifer's other friends. Ann can be stabbed, drowned, or pushed out a window by Bobby. She can also be thrown off a platform by Mary. Ann has long brown hair and wears a long green dress with yellow sleeves.
If she survives, she will appear in endings A and S.
Lotte
Jennifer's best friend and a redhead. Lotte is the most heroic of Jennifer's friends, and sacrifices herself to rescue Jennifer if she is knocked out by Mary and placed in Simon Barrow's cage. If the player does not see this sequence, Lotte will be found dying in the caves. Unlike Ann and Laura, Lotte cannot be saved. Lotte has a typical androgynous appearance and is a tomboy. Her gender has also been disputed by many Clock Tower fans, but she is female.
Laura (Rolla)
Jennifer's blond friend. Unlike Ann, Laura is quiet and shy. She wears a blue dress and seems to be very feminine. Laura can be found hanging in the shower (there was some speculation on how she died in this case, however an offical comic panel reveals the death was due to being stabbed in the lungs), dead inside a suit of armor, or pushed out a window by Bobby. If she survives, she will appear in endings A and S.
Mary Barrows (Mary Burroughs)
Simon Barrows' wife and the mastermind behind the game's events. While she is kind to the girls when she takes them to the mansion, masquerading as Simon's maid, she is cruel and vengeful on the inside. Mary is a tall, curvaceous woman with blond hair. She is the mother of Bobby and Dan, the evil twins. She lacks emotion for anyone but her sons. She has no qualms about murder.
Bobby Barrows (Bobby Burroughs)
The 'Scissorman' and antagonist of the game, Bobby is a short 9-year-old dressed in a school uniform who wields a large pair of scissors. Throughout the game, he can be seen in cut-scenes, and will appear in some rooms to chase the player. Bobby never talks, and his face is hidden behind a mask.
Dan Barrows (Dan Burroughs) File:DAN3.JPGBobby's brother, Dan.
The hideously deformed twin brother of Bobby, Dan is a hulking, fleshy beast that spends his time behind a curtain in the caves. When Jennifer finds him, he chases her but is "killed" when she accidentally ignites a can of kerosene on a candle. Dan reappears in the second game as a normal, young schoolboy with blond hair, and takes up the role of the Scissorman. How Dan survived the explosion is never revealed, but the PlayStation version of the game has a short FMV showing a young boy rising from the ashes of Dan.
Simon Barrows (Simon Burroughs)
Simon is the girls' supposed adopter, but when Jennifer finds him, he is locked in a cage, barely alive as Mary has left him to rot. An almost animal-like creature, he will attempt to eat Jennifer if she does not procure food. Simon is married to Mary and he is the father of their children.
Clock Tower has a variety of endings depending on the choices the player makes throughout the game. The endings run from A to H, H being the worst and A being the best. There is also an ending S, which is the best possible ending. However, endings A, B, and C seem to be canon as the sequel Clock Tower (Clock Tower 2) continues the story from any one of the endings.
Ending S
This ending is unique and the most difficult to obtain. It is identical to ending A, however, Instead of Jennifer's friend running out of the dark and being pushed off the tower by Mary she is tied up on the floor. Mary is thrown off the tower by an enraged flock of crows, one of which Jennifer freed from a cage earlier in the game. Jennifer is then joined by her one surviving friend for the credits. (If Jennifer saw Ann die, then Laura will join her, and vice versa. Lotte can not be saved.) However this ending is not canon.
Ending A
If Jennifer encounters Simon Barrows in the cage, and one of her friends survives, this ending is unlocked. After Bobby falls to his death, the surviving friend runs to Jennifer. Their reunion is cut short when Mary steps out and throws Jennifer's friend off the Clock Tower. Jennifer then defeats Mary as in ending B. But if the player previously freed the crow from its cage then the crow will peck at Mary until she falls of the tower instead of being shocked by the generator. This ending is considered canon, according to the events in Clock Tower (Clock Tower 2).
Ending B
Having seen all her friends die, Jennifer goes to the third floor using the elevator. Just before the elevator stops, Bobby attempts to break into it using an overhead vent. Jennifer escapes to the top of the clock tower using a ladder, and activates the clock tower bells, disorienting Bobby enough so that he falls off the top of the tower to his presumed death. Mary arrives, and hysterical at the deaths of her two children, attempts to throttle Jennifer. Jennifer throws Mary into a generator box, electrocuting her. Jennifer is the only survivor. This ending is considered canon, according to the events in Clock Tower (Clock Tower 2).
Ending C
Inside the elevator, Jennifer presses the button for the second floor, and finds Mary in the hall. Having seen her father's corpse, Jennifer talks to Mary before she attacks her with a dagger. Mary then calls for Bobby to help her. Jennifer avoids Mary and climbs up a ladder to reach the clock tower. However, Mary grabs Jennifer's leg whilst she is climbing. Jennifer breaks free of Mary's grip and she is flung off the ladder to her death. At the top of the clock tower Jennifer faces Bobby again who is out to avenge his mother and brother, but she activates the clock's bell and the bell chimes disorient Bobby enough so that he falls off the top of the tower to his presumed death. Jennifer is the only survivor. This ending is considered canon, according to the events in Clock Tower (Clock Tower 2).
Ending D
Inside the elevator, Jennifer presses the button for the second floor, and finds Mary in the hall. Having not seen her father's corpse, Jennifer talks to Mary and Mary consoles her, telling her that "everything is alright", at which point Mary stabs Jennifer in the chest with a dagger. And with her dying breath Jennifer ask's why and Mary just stands there with an evil grin.
Ending E
Inside the elevator, Jennifer presses the button for the third floor, and the elevator suddenly halts. Bobby breaks into the elevator through an overhead vent, and the screen fades to black as Jennifer screams.
Ending F
If Jennifer does not see Lotte die, she will continue the game normally until the elevator sequence. Upon entering the elevator, the doors close, Jennifer screams, there is a cutting sound, and blood seeps from below them, and the player is given a game over.
Ending G
If Jennifer sees two of her friends die, she will leave in the car, successfully escaping the mansion. A brief text cutscene tells the player Jennifer was found three days later in her room, dead. There is some speculation that she commited suicide out of grief for not being able to save her friends.
Ending H
This ending is the quickest to accomplish, and considered the 'worst'. Jennifer stumbles across an old car in the mansion garage, and finds the key to the car in a nearby crate. At first she is unable to leave behind her friends in the mansion, but eventually she gives in and escapes in the car. In the last cutscene, a pair of scissors can be seen in the front mirror, rising from between the backseats. Jennifer then screams and the screen fades black
In addition, there are two endings that can be obtained through a glitch in the game in which Jennifer does not see Ann or Laura die. The first is identical to endings H and G, but only displays the credits after Jennifer leaves. The second is obtained if the player meets the prerequisites for Ending S, but it is identical to Ending F.
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Clock Tower can be considered one of the pioneers of survival horror games. It was also one of the first to incorporate multiple endings. It contains more endings than most modern day games. Clock Tower was later released only in Japan on PlayStation, WonderSwan, and Windows 95. Other games in the series have been released in America and other countries since.
Clock Tower has a noticeably small fanbase on the Internet. There is a lack of fansites but the Clock Tower series is easily recognized by any large fan of the survival horror genre. Bobby's character has gained recognition for surprising the player and killing creatively, as opposed to a generic zombie enemy seen in most survival horror games.
The game is becoming more popular due to growing fansites.
Trivia
Although the setting is supposed to be Norway, none of the character's surnames or given names appear to be Scandinavian, but are instead English. The mansion also looks similar to a Germanic castle.
In the Clock Tower 2 novels, Laura/Rolla is given the surname Harrington. Lotte and Ann/Anne are said to be foundlings in the books, so they still do not have surnames.
Bobby may have been inspired by a story in Struwwelpeter named "The Story of Little Suck-a-thumb", written in the fashion of an old wives' tale about a "great, long, red-legged scissorman" which would snip off your thumbs with large scissors if you sucked on them.
A book named Scissorman by Mark Chadbourn, written four years after Clock Tower was released, about a man named Jon Summers who rents a mansion named Arcadia to escape from work, but soon realizes it is the home of a killer who uses scissors to kill his victims.
Another book of the same title was written by John Brindley, a simple horror story about an adopted boy who is teased by his new siblings about his father coming back from the dead, walking stiffly as if his legs were scissor blades.
Clock Tower may have been inspired by a movie called The Burning in which the killer uses a similar weapon as Scissorman.
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