Hi! My name is Mariel Kinuko Cartwright, Creative Director of Clock Tower: Rewind, and today I’m excited to share some recent details about the game with you. Heading to PS5 and PS4, Clock Tower: Rewind is an updated version of the classic 16-bit survival horror game Clock Tower, which originally released in Japan in 1995. WayForward and Limited Run partnered with Sunsoft and Capcom to finally bring the game to a global audience, where it had a devoted following but never saw an official release outside of Japan.
The Birth of the 16-Bit Horror Classic
Before we get into the details of Rewind mode, let’s take a closer look at the game’s chilling story.
My own Clock Tower adventure began in my teens when I discovered the game completely by accident. I immediately found the graphics and setting compelling; the game tells the story of Jennifer Simpson, a teenage orphan who has just been adopted along with her three friends. Little does she know that her recent home, the mysterious Barrows mansion, holds many disturbing secrets. It wasn’t long before I met our main villain: the terrifying Scissorman, who is relentless in his pursuit of Jennifer!
Personally, I’ve always loved horror games, even as a kid, but Clock Tower was so scary to me that I could only play it for a few minutes at a time. It remains one of the scariest games I’ve ever played, even today, and the story, characters, and setting have had a huge impact on the way I think about games and storytelling. Wrapped up in a point-and-click package, with only one enemy chasing you throughout the game, it’s a truly moving tale of discovery and tragedy, with so many different ways the story could play out. It’s been one of my favorite games since I first played it, and I know it holds a special place in the hearts of fans around the world.
It’s a huge honor to be a part of Clock Tower: Rewind, where we finally have the opportunity to share this unique game worldwide for the first time! With this recent version, we’ve included the original 16-bit game as it was in 1995, but we’ve also added a ton of fun extras to make Clock Tower: Rewind a fresh package for recent and existing fans alike.
Original mode and scroll mode
Clock Tower: Rewind will feature two main modes — Original and Rewind. Original mode is exactly what the name suggests: it’s Clock Tower, ported directly from the 1995 version, with recent translations into English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese. And then we have Rewind mode, which is an improved version of the original game.
Today we would like to reveal more details about Rewind mode.
The original Clock Tower game actually had two releases—a 16-bit version from 1995 and an updated version called Clock Tower: The First Fear, released for the original PlayStation in 1997. Clock Tower: The First Fear added recent content, such as recent scares, more story, and even additional enemies. Did you know that in the 16-bit game there was a room you couldn’t enter? Now you’ll find another bedroom, which will give you another place to hide from Scissorman. A recent cutscene at a key point in the game also sets up events in later Clock Tower games. And watch out, because a certain corpse or haunted doll may come to life.
In Rewind, we’ve taken the recent content from The First Fear and added it to the original version, allowing players to experience everything Clock Tower had to offer.
But we didn’t stop there. In Rewind, we’ve also added brand recent features, like an updated chase system where Scissorman can follow you to more rooms and hide in more places, increasing the scares even more than before. This is complemented by improved controls for Jennifer, allowing her to run up stairs, find recent hiding places, and even operate multiple weapons. Add in a few bug fixes and quality of life improvements, and we’ve created what we believe to be the definitive version of Clock Tower that players will be able to enjoy.
None of this would have been possible without the Clock Tower fan community we worked with to bring Rewind to life. Much of what we’ve achieved with Rewind has been built on their work, and it’s been a pleasure to work with fans who know the game inside and out.
Clock Tower: Rewind also includes additional content outside of the game, such as recent original music by Dale North (with two different vocal songs, one featuring Mary Elizabeth McGlynn of Silent Hill fame and the other Emi Evans of Nier fame), beautifully animated comics with all-new dialogue, an animated intro directed by me, and much more.
Clock Tower: Rewind is coming worldwide this fall to PS5 and PS4. Make sure you grab your copy to experience the classic, genre-defining survival horror.
