Clock Tower 2 marks a significant evolution from its predecessor, though not always an improvement. It emerged during a time when many developers were jumping on the PlayStation 1 and Nintendo 64 bandwagon, exploring new types of graphics, aesthetics and map navigation with items, characters, and environments finally rendered in three dimensions for home consoles
In pursuit of this new trend, the series abandoned certain unique features that still distinguish the original game. Among the most notable losses are the portraits and the exceptional pixel art, sacrificed for characters rendered with just a few hundred polygons. In defense of these changes, I must acknowledge that they're all perfectly recognizable, and their coloring is quite detailed despite the simplified facial expressions and clothing, thanks to a color palette that paradoxically adds some level of realism
There's many points of interest: later on in the game there's another mansion, while half of the experience takes place within various buildings such as a library, a dormitory, and a research lab. Each location is selectable from a map and the player can choose where to go next, hoping to interact with certain characters and advance the story
The point-and-click controls are still here (you could use the PlayStation Mouse if you wanted to), and there's a side-scrolling perspective: the escape sections are no longer seamlessly integrated into the overall gameplay experience and are instead confined to specific parts where the camera often shifts horizontally. This design choice likely nods to the original game, but it's also worth noting that the camera angles are more varied and, on a couple of occasions, mobile and not limited to some mere side scrolling. The small environments didn't leave much room for alternatives, and this setup undoubtedly made managing the polygon count easier, given that everything in Clock Tower is now in 3D; moreover, changing rooms involves a loading time masked by the slow passage of the character through the door, giving the system ample time to load a different environment
The main character must again navigate through the buildings, moving from room to room in hopes of finding hiding spots or items to defend against the killer's attacks. Meanwhile, the panic/stamina meter makes a come back: an encounter with the killer causes the character to tire, making them more vulnerable to a subsequent attack; terrifying sights have the same effect, though they are unfortunately less frequent compared to the first game. However, this time there are improvements: running is no longer impactful, allowing the player to escape safely without ever becoming more vulnerable because of this; the environments, being more compact and visually varied, have made it easier for me to orient myself
Events triggered by the protagonist's interactions with objects have become quite rare: they are almost entirely limited to sudden appearances of the killer and the player's reactions to these (e.g., using a spray against him). Opening a hatch, a closet, or entering a certain room can all pose this risk.
What intrigues me most about this game is that it was released the same year as Resident Evil, which came out several months earlier. Along the way, the developers learned about the existence of a competitor and invested more effort into creating a convincing 3D environment and well crafted camera shots. This curious branching in the development of survival horror in Japan is fascinating, creating also distinct certain differences in the adventure components of the gameplay
Notably, Resident Evil, having a stronger emphasis on action-oriented game design, also enhanced certain adventure elements significantly more than Clock Tower: the latter has fewer puzzles, fewer items and resources to find and collect,. Also, most of its content, unfortunately, is concentrated in the final act, which to me is quite charming compared to the other ones. Regardless, both games, explicitly inspired by B-horror cinema (American and Italian, respectively), facilitate exploration and interaction with NPCs: both feature sections where the player loses control of the action and can only watch the dialogues and interactions unfold, essentially becoming a spectator. Clock Tower allows some occasional freedom, letting the player decide how to respond to certain characters, thus customizing the experience to a certain degree. In fact, another parallel between the two games is their linearity: Resident Evil offers an illusion of non-linearity (you still need to perform the same actions in every playthrough in order to progress); Clock Tower is also absolutely linear despite some exploratory freedom but allows for different scenarios based on the player's actions (anticipating aspects typical of Silent Hill). Clock Tower also lets players control four different characters, in accordance to the specific scenario the player unlocked through his actions. Resident Evil, on the other hand, offers an entirely discretionary choice at the beginning of the game, with no changes along the way
The most significant difference remains the renewed impossibility of killing the Scissor Man in Clock Tower: no blankets or punches to the head will do; at most, he can be slowed down. Thus, Clock Tower continues to lead the tradition in psychological horror, featuring characters that constantly threaten the player's existence (a theme Resident Evil would only propose with its seventh installment, albeit not entirely)
Interestingly, it's possible to find notes while exploring, containing information on how to achieve various endings—a curious feature, given the Japanese developers' fondness for selling separate guides to enhance gameplay or reveal hidden elements in their games
P.S.: Two adult characters are attracted to two minors, and one of these attractions is only present in the original Japanese version
In pursuit of this new trend, the series abandoned certain unique features that still distinguish the original game. Among the most notable losses are the portraits and the exceptional pixel art, sacrificed for characters rendered with just a few hundred polygons. In defense of these changes, I must acknowledge that they're all perfectly recognizable, and their coloring is quite detailed despite the simplified facial expressions and clothing, thanks to a color palette that paradoxically adds some level of realism
There's many points of interest: later on in the game there's another mansion, while half of the experience takes place within various buildings such as a library, a dormitory, and a research lab. Each location is selectable from a map and the player can choose where to go next, hoping to interact with certain characters and advance the story
The point-and-click controls are still here (you could use the PlayStation Mouse if you wanted to), and there's a side-scrolling perspective: the escape sections are no longer seamlessly integrated into the overall gameplay experience and are instead confined to specific parts where the camera often shifts horizontally. This design choice likely nods to the original game, but it's also worth noting that the camera angles are more varied and, on a couple of occasions, mobile and not limited to some mere side scrolling. The small environments didn't leave much room for alternatives, and this setup undoubtedly made managing the polygon count easier, given that everything in Clock Tower is now in 3D; moreover, changing rooms involves a loading time masked by the slow passage of the character through the door, giving the system ample time to load a different environment
The main character must again navigate through the buildings, moving from room to room in hopes of finding hiding spots or items to defend against the killer's attacks. Meanwhile, the panic/stamina meter makes a come back: an encounter with the killer causes the character to tire, making them more vulnerable to a subsequent attack; terrifying sights have the same effect, though they are unfortunately less frequent compared to the first game. However, this time there are improvements: running is no longer impactful, allowing the player to escape safely without ever becoming more vulnerable because of this; the environments, being more compact and visually varied, have made it easier for me to orient myself
Events triggered by the protagonist's interactions with objects have become quite rare: they are almost entirely limited to sudden appearances of the killer and the player's reactions to these (e.g., using a spray against him). Opening a hatch, a closet, or entering a certain room can all pose this risk.
What intrigues me most about this game is that it was released the same year as Resident Evil, which came out several months earlier. Along the way, the developers learned about the existence of a competitor and invested more effort into creating a convincing 3D environment and well crafted camera shots. This curious branching in the development of survival horror in Japan is fascinating, creating also distinct certain differences in the adventure components of the gameplay
Notably, Resident Evil, having a stronger emphasis on action-oriented game design, also enhanced certain adventure elements significantly more than Clock Tower: the latter has fewer puzzles, fewer items and resources to find and collect,. Also, most of its content, unfortunately, is concentrated in the final act, which to me is quite charming compared to the other ones. Regardless, both games, explicitly inspired by B-horror cinema (American and Italian, respectively), facilitate exploration and interaction with NPCs: both feature sections where the player loses control of the action and can only watch the dialogues and interactions unfold, essentially becoming a spectator. Clock Tower allows some occasional freedom, letting the player decide how to respond to certain characters, thus customizing the experience to a certain degree. In fact, another parallel between the two games is their linearity: Resident Evil offers an illusion of non-linearity (you still need to perform the same actions in every playthrough in order to progress); Clock Tower is also absolutely linear despite some exploratory freedom but allows for different scenarios based on the player's actions (anticipating aspects typical of Silent Hill). Clock Tower also lets players control four different characters, in accordance to the specific scenario the player unlocked through his actions. Resident Evil, on the other hand, offers an entirely discretionary choice at the beginning of the game, with no changes along the way
The most significant difference remains the renewed impossibility of killing the Scissor Man in Clock Tower: no blankets or punches to the head will do; at most, he can be slowed down. Thus, Clock Tower continues to lead the tradition in psychological horror, featuring characters that constantly threaten the player's existence (a theme Resident Evil would only propose with its seventh installment, albeit not entirely)
Interestingly, it's possible to find notes while exploring, containing information on how to achieve various endings—a curious feature, given the Japanese developers' fondness for selling separate guides to enhance gameplay or reveal hidden elements in their games
P.S.: Two adult characters are attracted to two minors, and one of these attractions is only present in the original Japanese version