CLOCK TOWER REWIND
In the previous articles, we had a detailed review of the classic Japanese horror game "CLOCK TOWER".
And now let's take a look at the new edition of the game called "Clock Tower: Rewind", which was released in 2024 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox X\S, and Nintendo Switch.
This version was developed by "WayForward". The company is known for the cool action game "Contra 4", and for the ridiculous horror RPG "Silent Hill: Book of Memories".
The new version of Clock Tower has two game modes - "Original Mode" and "Rewind Mode". And a bunch of various bonuses.
Let's check out all the new features, differences, and additional content that can be found in the game. And see if the developers managed to improve the classic 16-bit horror.
Original Mode
In "Original Mode", the game is very similar to the first version of "Clock Tower" for Super Nintendo.
There are only a few minor additions here:
1) The player can "rewind" time back by a few seconds. If you are killed, you can use the rewind function to quickly replay the moment again and avoid death. But this feature reduces the sense of realism and spoils the atmosphere to some extent.
2) Now we can control the point-&-click cursor with the mouse or with the analog stick of the controller. Mouse is implemented a bit weirdly here, but the analog stick works well.
3) Here you can manually save the game, like in the PS1 version (the original SNES version only had an inconvenient auto-saving system).
4) There is an option to stretch the picture to widescreen format. But I do not recommend doing this - it makes all the characters look fat.
5) The quality of the English translation has been slightly improved. The game has also been translated into several more languages - French, Italian, German, Spanish, Korean, and Chinese.
There are no other differences in this mode. So basically, here we get a newly translated SNES ROM with emulation, save states, and a dubious "rewind" function.
Rewind Mode
The second mode, called "Rewind Mode", is essentially a romhack. On top of save and rewind functions, it also has several additional features that were built into the ROM:
1) Scissorman will chase us more often in this mode. And now he can appear randomly. But encounters with the villain sometimes become irritating and tedious (because there are twice as many chases and almost no new hiding places - so we are forced to use the same hiding spot again and again).
2) Our heroine Jennifer has learned to run quickly up the stairs. This is a good feature, since in the original version she walked up the stairs extremely slowly.
3) The game has some additional scare scenes from the PS1 version (but there are no completely new scenes here).
4) A scene with a zombie in a closet has been added (also from the PS1 version).
5) In a couple of rooms, you can now use a knife or a shovel to fight off the Scissorman (this is a new feature - such weapons were not usable in the PS1 and SNES versions).
6) During rest, Jennifer's health is restored faster.
Overall, the "Rewind Mode" does not live up to expectations. There are very few interesting gameplay differences here, and we have already seen almost all the "new content" in the old PS1 version.
So probably the only reason to play this mode is to see how Jennifer will smack the poor Scissorman with a shovel.
It is also worth noting that "Rewind Mode" is heavily based on the fan-made romhack called "Clock Tower Deluxe", which was created several years ago and distributed for free on the Internet.
Apparently, the developers from "WayForward" were too lazy to make a full-fledged remaster of the game - so they simply bought the rights to the romhack and then put it on sale almost without any changes.
Bugs, glitches,
and other flaws
There are also some technical flaws in the game:
1) Mouse control scheme is a bit awkward. You can't play with just the mouse - you also have to press the buttons on the keyboard every time when you need to use any item from the inventory.
2) The screen is shifted slightly to the left side - and a black vertical line is always visible in the right corner. This looks somewhat sloppy (and this flaw becomes especially noticeable when you play the game with a border picture frame).
3) Awful optimization in the PC version. The game can have some noticeable slowdowns even on quite modern computers.
4) There may also be glitches with the sound when an unpleasant rattling noise appears in the audio effects.
5) During the game, huge annoying messages with the inscription "Motion Comic Unlocked" sometimes pop up. They appear at the most inappropriate moments (usually they pop up right during the murder scenes) and ruin the atmosphere.
6) Sometimes, when you encounter Scissorman, the chase music doesn't turn on - and you have to run away from the killer in complete silence.
7) Many people on Steam complain that the game doesn't start at all.
8) The game also doesn't work on Windows 7.
Some of these flaws can significantly spoil your impressions of the game. Therefore, I recommend you to play the PS1 version through an emulator - there will be no bugs, no slowdowns, and no annoying pop-up messages (and the audio effects sound better there).
Commercial Sample Demo
In the "Extras" section of the game, you can also find an additional ROM with a playable demo of Clock Tower in Japanese language. In 1995, the original developers sent this demo to journalists and game shops.
The demo has three rooms - a room with a piano, a bathroom with Laura, and a bedroom with a parrot. But I did not find any differences from the final version of the game here. So I guess there is not much point in playing this demo now.
New Anime Opening
This edition does not have the old intro videos from the previous versions of the game, but the developers have created their own new opening video.
For some unknown reason, they decided to make it in anime cartoon style. And with a very low-budget quality of animation.
But the problem is that Clock Tower has never been an anime-style game. And such an opening here looks completely out of place.
The cartoonish Scissorman in the video is especially upsetting. He looks ridiculous and cringey. And after watching such a scene, you will have a hard time taking the killer seriously.
Overall, this short piece of animation could have been an amusing fan video for YouTube. Kinda like the "Forbidden Siren Parody Anime". But using it as an opening for the official edition of the game was clearly a bad idea.
New Songs
As a bonus, the developers added two songs by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn - a singer who performed songs for many Silent Hill games.
1) The first song is called "Sharp Laughter" - it plays on the title screen and in the new opening video.
2) And the second track, "Fading Again", is hidden in a place where no one will find it. This song sounds in the "Extras - Credits" section (but you will not hear it on the credits in the game itself).
I liked both songs, but they are very short - each track lasts only about one minute.
Motion Comic
Perhaps the best bonus in the game is a remake of the Japanese Clock Tower comic, which was originally drawn in 1997.
The developers recreated scenes from this comic, adding voice acting, music, and some animation to them.
It turned out surprisingly creepy and atmospheric. Much better than the ridiculous anime opening.
But these videos are not used in the game itself - and can only be viewed separately in the bonus section "Extras - Motion Comic".
Hifumi Kouno Interview
Also in the "Extras" section, there is a 20-minute video interview with Hifumi Kouno, the creator of Clock Tower. So we will be able to see the author of the cult classic game in person.
However, the list of questions here is not very interesting. The interviewer mostly just asks the developer to retell things that are already well known.
For example, the interview states that Clock Tower was inspired by the films of Dario Argento (we already know about this). And that the idea with giant scissors was inspired by the old horror movie "The Burning" (we also know this).
And when it came to Clock Tower Rewind, Mr. Kouno politely implied that the anime "interpretation" in the new opening diverges from his own vision of the game. But he praised the songs by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn.
Other Bonuses
Here are a few other small bonuses that can be found in this edition:
1) The "Extras" section contains scans of the manuals for the SNES and PS1 versions. But they are in Japanese language and without any translation.
2) The main menu has a "Music Player" section, where you can listen to music and various audio effects from the game.
3) The game has 6 border picture frames for the screen. One of these pictures was drawn by the famous guro manga artist Shintaro Kago. However, you won't be able to see his picture properly, since the screen obscures 70% of the art.
Missed Opportunities
A little about the unfulfilled hopes of the fans:
1) Many hoped that this would be a remaster - but it is not. The graphics in the game have not been improved at all.
2) It would have been a good idea to add voice acting for the dialogues to the game - but the developers didn't do that either.
3) The game uses the sounds and music from the SNES version. Although the PS1 version had better sound effects (especially the sounds of scissors were much creepier there) and better quality of music.
4) The game doesn't have the old introductory CG videos from the PS1 and PC versions. Not sure why these videos were just thrown away and weren't kept at least as bonuses.
5) The developers could have tried adding new endings, scenes, or puzzles to the game. But there is almost no new content here. The only thing that was added is the ability to whack the maniac with a shovel or a knife.
6) The "Rewind Mode" is essentially no different from the fan-made romhack "Clock Tower Deluxe Ver2.0". The developers didn't even bother to add anything new to this romhack or to improve it further (and yes, the shovel and knife weapons were already available in this romhack).
Bottom Line:
Fans have been waiting for the updated version of "Clock Tower" for almost two years since its announcement. But in the end, the release turned out to be a bummer.
The guys from "WayForward" simply took a romhack from the Internet, attached a cringey anime opening to it - and released it through a poorly optimized emulation with a 20$ price tag for a digital copy (and 35$~125$ for physical editions).
Also, there are very few improvements in the romhack version (and some changes are even detrimental), so the new release is not as good as the old PS1 version. And the only interesting bonuses are the "motion comic" and short songs by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn.
However, the main problem is not that "WayForward" did a very poor job - but that this release basically kills the possibility of seeing a proper remaster or remake of "Clock Tower". I guess, now we won't see any new remasters of CT1 in the next 10-15 years.
Clock Tower Rewind Trailer
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Author of the article: SilentPyramid
Publication date: 05.02.2025
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