Nearly time for original Clock Tower in North America and Europe

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

First-ever Western translation of 1995 Super Famicom survival horror coming to PC and consoles

The game many of us think of as Clock Tower first scared the bejeebers out of us in 1997, but that wasn't actually the original game in the series. That distinction belongs to Human Entertainment's Japanese-only 1995 Super Famicom release that never saw its way into Western gamers' hands. At long last, however, that's about to change, as the game is due to be officially translated and released on PC and modern consoles in early 2024.

The game takes place entirely within "the haunting confines of the Barrows family manor." There players control a teenaged orphan named Jennifer Simpson, who is trapped and pursued by Scissorman, a "murderous, shears-wielding psychopath." To succeed you must thoroughly but very, very carefully explore the mansion and "search every disturbing corner to find items, reveal secrets, and discover ways to survive Scissorman's assaults." You have no means of defending yourself or fighting back, so you'll need to run, hide, and rely on your "wits and resourcefulness if [Jennifer] has any hope of escaping with her life and earning one of the game’s multiple endings."

Although it looks and plays much like a traditional adventure game, with its classic pixel art graphics and point-and-click interface, Clock Tower is widely considered to be a "groundbreaking pioneer in the survival horror genre," with an emphasis on survival. The Western localization will retain the "atmospheric 2D art, detailed animations, and haunting sound effects" that made its Japanese counterpart so terrifying in its day, complete with jump scares and "randomized elements to maximize replayability." But it will also include a few modern updates, including 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."

Currently in development for PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch platforms, Clock Tower will arrive digitally sometime in early 2024 in North America and Europe, published by WayForward, followed by a physical edition for "select platforms" from Limited Run Games.

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