Clock Tower: Rewind

“Clock Tower: Rewind turns back the clock as it gives players a look at an influential horror game from the 90s than few in the west got to play. Even with updates, it's still a bit cumbersome. And yet it's dripping in dread and atmosphere and has style as sharp as oversized scissors.”

“Clock Tower: Rewind is a deeply interesting curiosity. It's one of the origins of the horror games that would lead to Resident Evils and Silent Hills, and it's an early attempt to convey the idea of a weak and helpless protagonist facing a stalking evil. It all happened on the SNES. It's an incredibly noteworthy experience if you're invested in the history of game genres, and it's wonderful to have it available with an official translation. However, as a game, it hasn't aged particularly well, and you need a good amount of patience to put up with its foibles to see its strengths.”

“Survival horror adventure in a new guise that takes you back to the genre's beginnings. It still has a lot to offer, but overall it has received only minor changes and improvements.”

“It has not aged impeccably and does not instill fear and tension as it did 29 years ago. However, in this new, rich edition, Rewind Clock Tower is still an enjoyable survival horror, original in its own way and widely replayable.”

“I did not enjoy my time with Clock Tower: Rewind. The game is serviceable, but the puzzles were dissatisfying, the story is nothing overly memorable, and the item pickups themselves are very simple. Few things which make it uniquely justifiable.”

“A creepy curio that survival horror fans should give some time to.”

“The purposes of Clock Tower Rewind are clear: to allow anyone to experience one of the most significant horror adventures of its era and to offer bonus content that is as interesting as it is valuable from a historical point of view. Although it is an experience of its time, Clock Tower proves to still be able to exert a certain charm, thanks also to its atmospheres.”

“Clock Tower: Rewind is a look at a classic horror title that deserves this historical preservation effort and the re-release for a new generation. However, despite the quality of life promise, there isn't enough effort to make this work become actually modernized, leaving it in a way that it's better recommended for horror fans with enough patience to dig into the confusing manor without help (or to peruse external guides without shame).”

“Clock Tower: Rewind is an odd game that we feel comfortable recommending to survival horror enthusiasts who wish to experience absolutely everything the genre has to offer. Its visuals and gameplay are undeniably archaic, but there's nevertheless something quaint about its combat-free, point-and-click mechanics. The short experience is elevated greatly by the added extras included for this new release, and we'd fully recommend perusing all of it to help give context and aid appreciation of this pre-RE horror game. Not a must-play re-release, then, but one we would urge horror fans to experience at least once.”

“Clock Tower Rewind brings the cult classic horror game to western shores for the first time with some added convenience features and bonuses to boot. However, the game's intrinsic point and click adventure game DNA feels outdated and flawed. If you don't mind using a guide to help in your pixel hunt and solve archaic solutions, this remaster of one of the most influential horror games of the 90s comes recommended.”

“Clock Tower: Rewind provides an effectively creepy tale, especially if you're a fan of 16-bit adventure gaming, throwback puzzle solving, or…David Argento? This "rewind," however, would need to be more of a "remake" to appeal to most modern gamers.”

“"A deadly game of cat and mouse."”

“Considering how long this was in development and how little there is to show for it, I can’t help but feel this was a compromised release. If all that you want is Clock Tower in English on current platforms, then that is what you’ll get with Rewind. The base game is still a palm-sweating and butt-clenching horror game, but know that it has all of its warts intact and not enough options to tweak your experience and that it comes with some intensely lame extras.”

“Clock Tower: Rewind faithfully recreates the original title... perhaps too faithfully, but that does not mean that we are not facing a fundamental piece to understand current survival horror.”

“Clock Tower: Rewind is a cornerstone of the survival horror genre and it's awesome that it's finally been localized for Western audiences. The game stands out for its haunting atmosphere, and amazing attention to detail, making the characters and mansion feel alive.”

“Clock Tower is a simple game and looking at it completely coldly, nowadays there are games that do what it does better. However, it is a piece of history for both Nintendo and gaming in general, given that it was born in a rather unusual console and is one of the pioneers of the genre. The Rewind version has a lot of really interesting extra content that gives Clock Tower a good context, and I recommend anyone interested in this type of game to get this version.”