Incredibly bizarre survival horror game sporting some uneven gameplay and a narrative that's generally just campy shlock (in a fun way) but will occasionally veer into being grotesque and shocking (that acid bath murder sequence is genuinely unsettling). I was surprised to learn that this was directed by Kinji Fukasaku (film director of Battle Royale and the Battles Without Honor and Humanity series) but in hindsight Survival Horror is just naturally cinematic, especially when fixed camera angles are involved, so it's honestly a pretty nice fit even if some of those motion capture scenes have aged horrendously.
I think this might be one of those games that falls into the 'so bad it's good' category for me and it's absolutely the type of game that couldn't get made today (outside of a misguided crowdfunded revival project perhaps) but honestly it was consistently entertaining and really managed to invoke the feeling of watching a B-Horror movie (though I'm mostly certain that wasn't their intention), which is a pastime I quite enjoy.
I think this might be one of those games that falls into the 'so bad it's good' category for me and it's absolutely the type of game that couldn't get made today (outside of a misguided crowdfunded revival project perhaps) but honestly it was consistently entertaining and really managed to invoke the feeling of watching a B-Horror movie (though I'm mostly certain that wasn't their intention), which is a pastime I quite enjoy.
film dweeb revisionists want you to believe battle royale was kinji fukusaku's true swan song oh no no no....(does tch tch tch finger waggle gesture)...it was this. the tragedy of disruption of the family--especially when the cause is from within the family--set against the frenetic, in your face pace and nothing-too-sacred camp that the director pulls off so well. maybe the best mo cap flailing youre gonna find in video game cutscenes, which the english dub unfortunately ruins sometimes. case in point
at the exact intersection point between adventure games, Scooby Doo and Precure
With how often videos are randomly deleted, and how seriously spoilers should be taken, there has to be a pretty good reason to link a cutscene for a review. However, this is a case where trying to convey the game’s tone makes words fail me, even when it seems like a normal horror game at first glance. Watch this scene from the linked time (13:25 if it breaks), until its end at about the 15 minute mark. Don’t worry, it’s from the very start of the game and contains no significant plot details.
If you opened up that link expecting something gory or scary, well, me too. I played this soon after the original Clock Tower, which is one of my favorite Super Nintendo games, and one of the first that comes to mind when I think “kino”. It was a genre-pioneering title that still uniquely shines, so after hearing that Clock Tower 3 was also considered an underappreciated classic, I jumped right in, only to find… that. Whatever the hell that was. It’s not just that single scene either; in comparison to most of the other cutscenes, it’s actually pretty soberly directed. The experience feels like House of the Dead with its excessively energetic campiness, and the horror comes more in theme rather than atmosphere. Sure there are big unstoppable monsters to chase you through each stage, but the end is always a boss fight that can only be described as a magical-girl interlude rather than a desperate showdown. If all you ever wanted was a horror game that flies off the rails so hard that it rockets into space, then it will probably end up being your favorite game of all time, but by the end I was just sitting in my chair wondering what in the world I just witnessed. It wasn’t exactly a horror game, it wasn’t an action game, it was a... questionably-localized horror-themed magical-girl historical family drama? I grasp at straws at how to even wrap this up for recommendation purposes, since it’s certainly not great, the aforementioned boss fights are uniformly terrible and the level design is mediocre at best, but it’s just decent enough and so thoroughly unusual that I hope people keep playing it. We might never see big-budget games get this weird ever again, and I would gladly sacrifice some production value if it meant we could get some more games this hard to describe.
If you opened up that link expecting something gory or scary, well, me too. I played this soon after the original Clock Tower, which is one of my favorite Super Nintendo games, and one of the first that comes to mind when I think “kino”. It was a genre-pioneering title that still uniquely shines, so after hearing that Clock Tower 3 was also considered an underappreciated classic, I jumped right in, only to find… that. Whatever the hell that was. It’s not just that single scene either; in comparison to most of the other cutscenes, it’s actually pretty soberly directed. The experience feels like House of the Dead with its excessively energetic campiness, and the horror comes more in theme rather than atmosphere. Sure there are big unstoppable monsters to chase you through each stage, but the end is always a boss fight that can only be described as a magical-girl interlude rather than a desperate showdown. If all you ever wanted was a horror game that flies off the rails so hard that it rockets into space, then it will probably end up being your favorite game of all time, but by the end I was just sitting in my chair wondering what in the world I just witnessed. It wasn’t exactly a horror game, it wasn’t an action game, it was a... questionably-localized horror-themed magical-girl historical family drama? I grasp at straws at how to even wrap this up for recommendation purposes, since it’s certainly not great, the aforementioned boss fights are uniformly terrible and the level design is mediocre at best, but it’s just decent enough and so thoroughly unusual that I hope people keep playing it. We might never see big-budget games get this weird ever again, and I would gladly sacrifice some production value if it meant we could get some more games this hard to describe.
magical girl survival horror. this game RULES.
Beautiful game. I could make a convincing argument that it's either bad in a perfect way or a hidden gem of game design that's been ruefully underestimated and misunderstood, lost to the common rubes of the world who don't understand the appeal of real quality art, depending on how I want this review to reflect my views, and the views I want reflected is this: I hate the british.
It's kinda special.
Some of the murders were unnecessary gruesome.. but on the other hand you fight with water and an heavenly bow made of light.. wtf man.
Aside from this awkwardness I liked the levels.
Some of the murders were unnecessary gruesome.. but on the other hand you fight with water and an heavenly bow made of light.. wtf man.
Aside from this awkwardness I liked the levels.
Even a day after beating it, I struggle to understand how I feel about this game. I think I enjoyed it, but objectively it's pretty middle of the road.
Well, to begin with, the CGI cutscenes are some of the best PS2 has to offer. They are mesmerizing but, the same can't be said for the regular cutscenes. The models look great and hold up today but the characters move so much when barely anything warrants it that it just becomes confusing. I'm not really sure what Kinji Fukusaku was going for. Also, the younger characters sound noticeably older than they should be and it's just really jarring.
As for the story, firstly, it doesn't have anything to do with the previous games but I don't have an issue with that since CT2 wrapped up the Scissorman story nicely. What I do have an issue with though is the tone, this game has no idea whether it wants to be over-the-top hilarious with the hammy vocal performances and the final sequence which is just ridiculous, heartwrenching with the genuinely nice resolutions to the subplots in the first two levels, or scary or all of the above and it's just a mess though it's a very fun and enjoyable mess nonetheless.
In terms of gameplay, it ditches the point and click style of the previous games in favour of a survival horror style very similar to Silent Hill. Personally, I prefer this approach and in terms of being different from its contemporaries, Clock Tower 3 has Subordinate chases in which you try to run away from bosses in a level. Unlike Scissorman, these bosses are relentless, they appear for most of the level and basically never stop. They are great at instilling the same sense of panic that was present in Clock Tower 2 but to a much greater extent here. Also, I do like how getting hit by them raises your Panic meter, which was a mechanic that was extremely worthless in the previous games. The problem is that in other survival horror games, you could take it at your own pace which made the camera a non-issue, in CT3 that's not the case and the dynamic camera angles make it really confusing when trying to frantically run away. This is made worse by the fact that the subordinates have some of the worst hit detection I've seen in all of gaming. If they wind up their attack while you're anywhere near them, You're Getting Hit. Even if you're far away by the time they finish their attack animation. It's really infuriating and the 3rd Subordinate, Chopper, can go to hell.
The game does have other aspects I like, the music is fantastic and I love the use of piano in it, the boss fights are pretty fun if a little repetitive (besides the final boss which is just a boring damage sponge that takes 5 times as long, but is no more engaging than regular boss fights) and the Ghosts which you set free by finding an item that lets their soul move on was a really enjoyable mechanic that reminded me a lot of Echo Night. Despite this though, I can't shake the feeling that anything I like about the game is in some way countered by something I dislike. It's such a hodgepodge of things that work and things that fail that it ultimately results in a mediocre game.
Well, to begin with, the CGI cutscenes are some of the best PS2 has to offer. They are mesmerizing but, the same can't be said for the regular cutscenes. The models look great and hold up today but the characters move so much when barely anything warrants it that it just becomes confusing. I'm not really sure what Kinji Fukusaku was going for. Also, the younger characters sound noticeably older than they should be and it's just really jarring.
As for the story, firstly, it doesn't have anything to do with the previous games but I don't have an issue with that since CT2 wrapped up the Scissorman story nicely. What I do have an issue with though is the tone, this game has no idea whether it wants to be over-the-top hilarious with the hammy vocal performances and the final sequence which is just ridiculous, heartwrenching with the genuinely nice resolutions to the subplots in the first two levels, or scary or all of the above and it's just a mess though it's a very fun and enjoyable mess nonetheless.
In terms of gameplay, it ditches the point and click style of the previous games in favour of a survival horror style very similar to Silent Hill. Personally, I prefer this approach and in terms of being different from its contemporaries, Clock Tower 3 has Subordinate chases in which you try to run away from bosses in a level. Unlike Scissorman, these bosses are relentless, they appear for most of the level and basically never stop. They are great at instilling the same sense of panic that was present in Clock Tower 2 but to a much greater extent here. Also, I do like how getting hit by them raises your Panic meter, which was a mechanic that was extremely worthless in the previous games. The problem is that in other survival horror games, you could take it at your own pace which made the camera a non-issue, in CT3 that's not the case and the dynamic camera angles make it really confusing when trying to frantically run away. This is made worse by the fact that the subordinates have some of the worst hit detection I've seen in all of gaming. If they wind up their attack while you're anywhere near them, You're Getting Hit. Even if you're far away by the time they finish their attack animation. It's really infuriating and the 3rd Subordinate, Chopper, can go to hell.
The game does have other aspects I like, the music is fantastic and I love the use of piano in it, the boss fights are pretty fun if a little repetitive (besides the final boss which is just a boring damage sponge that takes 5 times as long, but is no more engaging than regular boss fights) and the Ghosts which you set free by finding an item that lets their soul move on was a really enjoyable mechanic that reminded me a lot of Echo Night. Despite this though, I can't shake the feeling that anything I like about the game is in some way countered by something I dislike. It's such a hodgepodge of things that work and things that fail that it ultimately results in a mediocre game.
A fair bit different from the original Clock Tower games but still pretty fun. The whole turning into sailor moon with a bow and arrow thing sort of kills its own tone as a proper horror game and there's some hilarious voice work in there but there's still plenty of enjoyment to be had if you can bask in its silliness
The one thing that really stands out to me is the cutscene motion cap. Characters flail all over the place and animate like those dancing balloon dudes you see outside of car dealerships and its equal parts hilarious and distracting
If you want a more serious game with a similar feel play Haunting Ground but if you want something a little more light on the horror elements then this is worth a play for sure
The one thing that really stands out to me is the cutscene motion cap. Characters flail all over the place and animate like those dancing balloon dudes you see outside of car dealerships and its equal parts hilarious and distracting
If you want a more serious game with a similar feel play Haunting Ground but if you want something a little more light on the horror elements then this is worth a play for sure
I cannot adequately describe what an incredible experience this game is but I adored every second of it.
Interesting of Capcom to make a pursuit-oriented survival horror, which they'd soon refine in Hunting Ground. Sadly this is a really dumb and kinda tedious game, if sometimes surprisingly graphic and harrowing.
Well, compared to 2 it is very good, some controls they managed to update well but several mechanics seemed dated even for the time of its release.
The story is also well traveled, but it's still entertaining. Overall, it's a good game.
Played time: 10hrs
The story is also well traveled, but it's still entertaining. Overall, it's a good game.
Played time: 10hrs
Similar to Project Zero but with more jumpscares and, also, more violent. However it's fun to play.
Although the cut scenes look quite stunning, they're very theatrical,... too much theatrical. The way the characters express themselves is a bit over the top...
Sometimes you need to wait until the narration ends (not just for cut-scenes but for letters you find, as well). That can be a lil irritating. It's kinda of a slow game.
Although the cut scenes look quite stunning, they're very theatrical,... too much theatrical. The way the characters express themselves is a bit over the top...
Sometimes you need to wait until the narration ends (not just for cut-scenes but for letters you find, as well). That can be a lil irritating. It's kinda of a slow game.
this game is like haunting ground if it was extremely unserious
This review contains spoilers
Clock tower 3 is a very strange game to review due to its way of going about things. The tone shifts are meant to be surprising and shocking for example the scene of the guy dumping a family in acid to the looeny toons escape you can perform while running away.After the initial shock it becomes funny because of the absurdity. (However I think it adds to the tone ct3 was going for in the way old horror movies were). Some of the story telling and Meachams are out dated from time but the panic system and judgement system are new and interesting to gaming. A true highlight is the mocap and animation directed by a flim maker which is wacky and extremely jumpy but very intriguing and unique for their playness and movement. Pretty cool game and possibly the best clocktower or second best. Check it out if you haven't so far :)
With Clock Tower 3, I went in with rather low expectations considering this game got bad reviews in its time and is remembered even less fondly. I was pleasantly surprised. It's fun and quite frustration-free to play through, the story is good (best out of the Clock Tower series, for sure), it looks beautiful and the atmosphere is downright excellent in some levels. The music is good too, the voice acting is okay, and the cutscenes are a sight to behold.
They seemed very proud to have gotten Kinji Fukasaku (director of Battle Royale) to direct the cutscenes cuz they showed his name very prominently. Fair play; this was also his last major project before his death, bittersweetly enough.
While it has a few very scary and violent scenes, most of the game is relatively lighthearted, more like a funhouse than an actual haunting, and the tone of the game sometimes gets weird with the very Japanese humour. Some cutscenes are so goddamn goofy because of how proud they were of their motion-capture technology, they had actors flail around constantly to the point of hilarity. The gameplay also has a fair bit of PS2-era jank, particularly in the boss battles. But all of that adds to its charm at this point.
Side note, imo it has a really nice empowering story for young girls without being spiteful or overzealous. If I had a daughter I'd probably recommend this game to her. I'm 24 now okay. I get these types of thoughts sometimes lmao.
They seemed very proud to have gotten Kinji Fukasaku (director of Battle Royale) to direct the cutscenes cuz they showed his name very prominently. Fair play; this was also his last major project before his death, bittersweetly enough.
While it has a few very scary and violent scenes, most of the game is relatively lighthearted, more like a funhouse than an actual haunting, and the tone of the game sometimes gets weird with the very Japanese humour. Some cutscenes are so goddamn goofy because of how proud they were of their motion-capture technology, they had actors flail around constantly to the point of hilarity. The gameplay also has a fair bit of PS2-era jank, particularly in the boss battles. But all of that adds to its charm at this point.
Side note, imo it has a really nice empowering story for young girls without being spiteful or overzealous. If I had a daughter I'd probably recommend this game to her. I'm 24 now okay. I get these types of thoughts sometimes lmao.
proof this game is unadulterated camp: rooder is a fully made up word with absolutely no etymology whatsoever. clock tower 3 rules
kawaii magical girl murders serial killers while sparkling
this is the best sailor moon game ive ever played
MAGICAL GIRL KINOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Despite being very difficult to be taken seriously sometimes, I can't help but praise how unique and different it is from other survival horror games, not to mention the beautiful graphics that impressed me a lot and how fun it is.
this game is like several different things of varying quality wrestling for the spotlight, it is the mixed bag of mixed bags. when its good, it is DAMN good, like oh my god, must-play survival horror right here... and when its bad, its legit one of the worst things ive ever played.
even tonally, it can never quite settle on anything. sometimes it wants to be a somewhat more grounded horror with an air of supernatural horror, and then sometimes you'll be flying on a clock in a storm as if it were the opening of bayonetta, and sometimes you'll be arguing about destiny with a campy villain while he flips around everywhere. and dont even get me started on the ron weasely lookalike turning the game into something resembling a disney sitcom for a cutscene. this game really has no set tone.
but thats just the cutscenes, theres maybe an hour of em total, how is the gameplay you may ask
well
it starts out good. its atmospheric, you explore around a place, maybe encountering a ghost and trying to offer its corpse something so it can stop scaring you. but then eventually you encounter the boss of the area, but instead of having a boss fight, it just starts chasing you through the level as you're trying to do puzzles. and when the puzzles are easy enough to figure out, this is when the game is at its peak. this is the part where i cant get enough of it and legit want more. if you like your resident evils, your dino crisis, your silent hills then you'll love...most this game. it actually does feel like what the hookman version of re4 would have been and i wouldnt be surprised if this was one of the various games that spawned from re4's development. but the puzzles and navigation does get far more annoying as the game goes on. particularly in the castle with the titular scissorman and the even more TITular scissorwoman. have fun running around in circles for 20 minutes until you cave and look at a guide and realize "i was supposed to notice THAT?" but it's not really a deal breaker, and im sure if you plan on replaying the game you wouldnt have that same problem.
oh and before i get further, i have to point out that this is a fixed camera game without tank controls. maybe that will interest some, but by god i hate having the camera change so often when i just want to walk forward but the direction controls will either lock to where im going, making me skid into a wall or it'll make me 180 into the monster... i really wish this game at least had the option for tank controls where i wouldnt have to worry about that...
as for the...OTHER part of the game...
the boss fights
the bosses are actually another example of the tonal shift you experience in this game, as it goes from "OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD" panicking as you narrowly avoid death from this unavoidable enemy chasing you, even when you escape him, he could be around any corner or bust through any door... and then you get the over the top cutscene with them doing goofy shit, you undergo a magical girl transformation sequence where you get a bow and get this insane boss intro card where you see his stats
now that is not the bad part.
the bad part comes in the actual gameplay, where the closest comparison i have is... devil may cry 2 bosses but you have to stand in place to shoot and you have to hold a charge for 6 seconds before you can shoot and its just a game of who can stun lock who first. the boss will either be the most infuriating sonuvabitch you've fought against in a game or an absolute joke. and if you're lucky you'll trigger a super special move that takes out like 60% of his health bar. otherwise you're stuck trickling away his health with your reagular charged arrows, doing 3-8% of his health with every shot depending on the arrows charge level. and do yourself a favor and save all your damn special arrows that you find around levels. it sounds miserable doing bosses without them (and it is!) but by god they are all necessary for the final boss. even with savestates and my reserve of ammo, he is an absolute bitch. these bosses legit kill the damn game, not just "holding back" what would be an absolute classic, but actively ruining it. i love this game as much as i hate it, and it legit pains me to say that i don't think i'll ever be replaying it
i will say though, this game got a laugh out of me when you go to hell and its a damn sewer level
even tonally, it can never quite settle on anything. sometimes it wants to be a somewhat more grounded horror with an air of supernatural horror, and then sometimes you'll be flying on a clock in a storm as if it were the opening of bayonetta, and sometimes you'll be arguing about destiny with a campy villain while he flips around everywhere. and dont even get me started on the ron weasely lookalike turning the game into something resembling a disney sitcom for a cutscene. this game really has no set tone.
but thats just the cutscenes, theres maybe an hour of em total, how is the gameplay you may ask
well
it starts out good. its atmospheric, you explore around a place, maybe encountering a ghost and trying to offer its corpse something so it can stop scaring you. but then eventually you encounter the boss of the area, but instead of having a boss fight, it just starts chasing you through the level as you're trying to do puzzles. and when the puzzles are easy enough to figure out, this is when the game is at its peak. this is the part where i cant get enough of it and legit want more. if you like your resident evils, your dino crisis, your silent hills then you'll love...most this game. it actually does feel like what the hookman version of re4 would have been and i wouldnt be surprised if this was one of the various games that spawned from re4's development. but the puzzles and navigation does get far more annoying as the game goes on. particularly in the castle with the titular scissorman and the even more TITular scissorwoman. have fun running around in circles for 20 minutes until you cave and look at a guide and realize "i was supposed to notice THAT?" but it's not really a deal breaker, and im sure if you plan on replaying the game you wouldnt have that same problem.
oh and before i get further, i have to point out that this is a fixed camera game without tank controls. maybe that will interest some, but by god i hate having the camera change so often when i just want to walk forward but the direction controls will either lock to where im going, making me skid into a wall or it'll make me 180 into the monster... i really wish this game at least had the option for tank controls where i wouldnt have to worry about that...
as for the...OTHER part of the game...
the boss fights
the bosses are actually another example of the tonal shift you experience in this game, as it goes from "OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD" panicking as you narrowly avoid death from this unavoidable enemy chasing you, even when you escape him, he could be around any corner or bust through any door... and then you get the over the top cutscene with them doing goofy shit, you undergo a magical girl transformation sequence where you get a bow and get this insane boss intro card where you see his stats
now that is not the bad part.
the bad part comes in the actual gameplay, where the closest comparison i have is... devil may cry 2 bosses but you have to stand in place to shoot and you have to hold a charge for 6 seconds before you can shoot and its just a game of who can stun lock who first. the boss will either be the most infuriating sonuvabitch you've fought against in a game or an absolute joke. and if you're lucky you'll trigger a super special move that takes out like 60% of his health bar. otherwise you're stuck trickling away his health with your reagular charged arrows, doing 3-8% of his health with every shot depending on the arrows charge level. and do yourself a favor and save all your damn special arrows that you find around levels. it sounds miserable doing bosses without them (and it is!) but by god they are all necessary for the final boss. even with savestates and my reserve of ammo, he is an absolute bitch. these bosses legit kill the damn game, not just "holding back" what would be an absolute classic, but actively ruining it. i love this game as much as i hate it, and it legit pains me to say that i don't think i'll ever be replaying it
i will say though, this game got a laugh out of me when you go to hell and its a damn sewer level
Maybe 4 stars is a little too much, but this game is so fun XD. I love a good campy horror, Clock Tower 3 is the definition of a stupid and silly slasher, the tone of the game is really weird, but in a good way, it has genuinely heavy moments, however 80% of the time it's a bunch of lame cutscenes and shitty dialogue, LOVED IT. The gameplay is simple, but actually functional. Give it a chance if you like this type of game that, unfortunately, we don´t have anymore.
This is one of the funniest pieces of media I've ever experienced and the best part is I really can't tell if it's on purpose or not. The Clock Tower series seemed to take itself seriously and then this came out. Everything about this game is just insanity. The actual gameplay is pure jank but then the cutscenes are choreographed and animated like a professional play. Most of the time you're running away and hiding with no way to defend yourself besides holy water but suddenly sometimes you awaken to your divine magical girl powers and summon a sky rending bow to chain your enemies who are all serial killers. This is like the Scary movie of horror games and I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you. Thank you. Good bye, May. Good bye Mr. Norton. Good bye. Good bye. Thank you. Good bye. Good bye.
This game is Deadly Premonition but for Magical Girls instead of Twin Peaks.
cock tower 3 is the more popular of the ps2 run Away from the Monster games but also in my opinion not the best falling into a lot of cliches of the time and feeling a bit too over the top
Genuinely scary chase sequences with the first two baddies or so. This game was where I first heard of not only Chopin’s fantasie impromptu #1, but also where I first learned you can dissolve a whole corpse in an acid bath.
Goes downhill pretty fast when it turns into archery simulator for the boss fights and offers up one of the most bizarre anime-ass narratives I’ve ever seen in a game.
This was directed by Kinji Fukasaku?!
Goes downhill pretty fast when it turns into archery simulator for the boss fights and offers up one of the most bizarre anime-ass narratives I’ve ever seen in a game.
This was directed by Kinji Fukasaku?!
genuinely one of the funniest games i've ever played
one of the greatest experiences of our time. a playable tokusatsu magical girl thriller movie. this game has it all... the final boss is really awful but it's what we Gamers call "a test of Courage". fulfill your Rooder destiny or become... a Looser...
Dude, finding a black shadow figure in gmod is way scarier than this, dunno what else to say