The Story

Jennifer and her three friends, Lotte, Ann, and Laura, have been chosen to be adopted by the mysterious, yet unquestionably wealthy Mr. Barrows, who lives in a mansion known as Clock Tower because of its own, quite large Clock Tower, by whose chimes the locals once tended their fields before it apparently stopped running a decade ago.

Jennifer and her friends are led to their new home by Mary, or, as they often call her, Ms. Mary out of respect. They're thrilled to have a new home, especially this particular home, which is obviously spectacular from the moment they enter the main hall.

However, a place this big was bound to hold secrets... And the secrets of Clock Tower are darker than those of most estates...

Because Jennifer and her friends are about to discover that the Barrows family is far from normal. That evil lives even within the wall of the most beautiful places. And that there are some things worse than being in an orphanage.

The Characters

1. Jennifer Simpson:
   She and her friends are only fourteen. Jennifer is a nice girl, who seems quiet at times, yet always polite. She's known to let her worry and curiosity get the best of her at times, however. This girl holds more agony inside than is obvious from the outside. She lost both of her parents when she was small. Her father was a doctor, and he simply disappeared without ever being found as of the time the game takes place. Jennifer can only hope that her new life with Mr. Barrows can help her to move on...And give her some resolution as to her past.
   
   In the orphanage, Jennifer was a quiet girl, and this caused her to have a position of standing on the sidelines, not being part of the popular crowd.
2. Ann:
   Ann seems optimistic girl, and seems excited and curious about her new adoptive father. Ann doesn't seem to stress easily, as her optimistic expectations rule out too much worry. She can come across as teasing with her friends at times (as a comment made by her early on suggests).
   
   She was part of the popular crowd in the orphanage, and she wasn't quite close with Jennifer.
3. Laura:
   Laura seems the opposite of Ann. She seems a bit more introverted, quiet, and serious; also, she worries more, and seems bothered by her intuition, by which she is set ill at ease about the girls' new home. She's one of the least optomistic people about the move. This isn't to say she's not excited - but she is probably least happy about the adoption out of Jennifer and her friends.
   
   She was also part of the popular crowd, and she and Ann, despite their different personalities, seem to have been close friends.
4. Lotte:
   It is now well known that Lotte is female, not least of which reasons is her feminine figure, which is ironically more noticeable than with the other girls, most likely in order to make sure that she is known to be female, since her clothing and hair style are more gender neutral compared to the others.
   
   Lotte seems insecure about the adoption, but not for the same foreboding ill-ease as Laura. Instead, it seems she fears that she will not live up to the expectations of Mr. Barrows or ever grow accustomed to a new, presumably luxurious and pampered way of life, a fear that is implied by comments made early in the game by her and Ann. Are her fears true, or unfounded?
   
   Like Jennifer, Lotte was an outsider to the popular crowd in the orphanage, and she is closer with Jennifer than the others.
5. Mary:
   Apparently from the adoption agency, Mary has acted as the mediator between Mr. Barrows and his soon-to-be children. She behaves in a caring manner towards Jennifer and her friends, and seems more than happy to take part in guiding the children to their new home.
6. Simon Barrows:
   A man of mystery. He's apparently been a recluse for quite some time, not leaving his mansion, not even being seen in the past nine years or so. It would seem that something happened in his life nine years ago, something so devastating that he withdrew from the rest of the world. He seems to be very lonely as of late, as implied by the adoption of Jennifer and her friends. But he is burdened by a family secret that he doesn't wish to bear.
   
   A secret that he couldn't escape, even when he tried to... Can his new children help him to escape a destiny that's all too cruel?

Playing The Game

Clock Tower is a fairly simple, yet unique, game to play. It's a point and click adventure.

In order to move Jennifer, click in any direction, but not on an object. She will walk in the direction you click. To make Jennifer run, there are two methods. Situate the cursor on the side you want her to run to and double click, OR press the L and R buttons (for the SNES equivalent, not your keyboard if you have an emulator) which makes her run in the corresponding direction.

In order to talk to people or search items, and open doors, situate the cursor over the item/person/door, and if it can be searched, opened, or if they can be talked to, the cursor should become a bracket, enclosing the desired destination. Then, simply click with the action button. Voila!

Hints And Tips

1. When you're in danger, it will help to become familiar with the panic button. Whenever you're in danger, and you can't hide and are forced into confrontation (or, at a certain time, when you must flee!), tapping the panic button rapidly can help you to escape. Just keep tapping until you are safe. When you want to use an object or exit a door, or climb up an area, etc, etc, to defend yourself, remember to click on it with the action button first, then start hitting the panic button. In short, this button provides Jennifer with the resourcefulness and adrenaline she will need to survive.
2. Know when to hide, and choose your hiding places wisely. When being tracked by the Terrors of Clock Tower, there's a chance you'll mess up and die if you're not careful. Pay attention to every option and possibility. Once you've found a hiding place, click on it to use it to your survival needs.
3. If you fall victim to the terror running rampant throughout Clock Tower's corridors, then you'll get the game over screen, saying "DEAD END". Don't worry, and certainly don't shut the game off, because you can choose Continue at the title screen and start right back in the room where you met your demise, at the same point in the game.

Strength

Pay attention to Jennifer's picture. The colour behind the picture determines how strong Jennifer is. Looking death in the eye is certainly known to deplete one's strength. Here is a list of the colours, and what level of strength they represent:

• Blue:
  Full Strength. You're doing pretty well, and the odds are, with good use of the panic button, you'll be able to survive, assuming you know what resources to use and what places to hide.
• Green:
  Reasonable Strength. You're still doing okay, but you've been startled. You're probably doing as well off as with Blue Strength, but just beware not to lose much more strength.
• Yellow:
  You're pretty low on strength. You still have strengh left, but it would be wise to avoid depleting that last bit of strength at all costs.
• Red:
  You've used up all of your adrenaline and strength. If you have to escape from a situation, you'd best do so by means other than those requiring the panic button, as its success rate is questionable (though not impossible) in this state of wild fear and fatigue. That means a really close encounter will more likely result in your death.

Your strength goes down a level or more whenever you do something strenuous, or go through a startling or terrifying experience. It rebuilds, as you have time to rest and/or calm down, but this takes a while. As such, try to avoid such strength-depleting situations whenever possible, such as by hiding as opposed to fighting.

Jennifer's picture is also helpful for other reasons. When it flashes, then you're in grave danger. This is usually when you must use the panic button, and is usually a sign that your strength will be depleted a level. Also, when the picture closes in on Jennifer's eye, showing surprise, the meaning, which is often obvious, is that danger is very near, but escapable without use of the panic button. This is usually a warning to start making tracks!

Game Controls

Y - Action Button. Used for most things, walking, searching, talking, opening doors, etc.
B - Panic Button. Used to get you out of dangerous situations.
A - Item Button. Used to observe and go through your inventory.
X - Makes Jennifer stop walking or running and come to a rest.
Start: As in most games, used to Pause.
Direction Pad: Moves the mouse-style cursor.
L - Run Left.
R - Run Right.

Game Credits

Originally a Japanese only release, this game was unofficially patched with an English translation in 2001.