PLAYSTATION Adventure Horror 1997

Clock Tower

Reviewed by Marcus Webb & Elena Castillo · Updated June 2025

Human Entertainment's 1995 survival horror point-and-click sequel — Jennifer and two other protagonists navigate the manor of the Barrows family as Bobby, the Scissorman, hunts them. Clock Tower on PS1 features multiple protagonists, ten endings based on survival decisions, and a unique horror mechanic where running is often less useful than hiding.

🔑 Cheats & Codes 🎲 Trivia 🎮 Games Like This

💡 Clock Tower — Key Facts

→ Clock Tower was developed by Human Entertainment and published by ASCII Corporation
→ Released in 1997 on PLAYSTATION
→ Genre: Adventure, Horror
→ We rate it 8.5/10 — highly recommended
→ Part of the Clock Tower franchise
→ Human Entertainment's 1995 survival horror point-and-click sequel — Jennifer and two other protagonists navigate the manor of the Barrows family as Bobby, the Scissorman, hunts them. Clock Tower on PS1 features multiple protagonists, ten endings based on survival decisions, and a unique horror mechanic where running is often less useful than hiding.

Overview

Clock Tower’s horror mechanics work because fighting back isn’t the answer. Bobby advances, scissors snipping, and the player’s options narrow to: find something to put between Bobby and the protagonist, or find a place to hide and wait.

The hiding and waiting is the game’s horror. Clock Tower asks players to be afraid and stay still.

The Stalker

Bobby Barrows is too large and too fast for the protagonists to outrun indefinitely. He appears at moments that may be scripted or may feel random — a figure at the end of a hallway, scissors open, beginning to move toward the player. The correct response depends on what’s in the room. Is there a hiding spot? Something to knock over to slow him down? A specific interactive object that triggers a set piece to stop his pursuit?

The panic meter encodes the physiological component: under Bobby’s approach, the protagonist’s ability to interact with the environment degrades. Finding a hiding spot while panicking is harder than finding one calmly. The game forces the player into the exact cognitive state that real fear creates.

The Ten Endings

Survival horror games typically have one ending. Clock Tower has ten, ranging from multiple-character survival to Jennifer alone to catastrophic failure. The branching structure requires different decisions — which areas to explore, which NPCs to help, how to handle specific Bobby encounters — and produces genuinely different outcomes.

The replay motivation is structural: seeing all the ways the story can resolve. Some endings are surprising. Some are satisfying. Some endings that seem like failures contain information that makes subsequent playthroughs more interesting.

The Influence

Clock Tower’s stalker mechanics — evasion as primary survival tool, hiding as the correct response to direct threat, a persistent monster that responds to player actions rather than following a route — influenced survival horror design for decades. Haunting Ground extended the formula to PS2. The Amnesia series built on the same design space a decade later. Among Us popularized chasing as a game mechanic from a different angle.

The original insight — that a monster you cannot fight is more frightening than a monster you can — is Clock Tower’s contribution.

Our Review

8.5

Excellent / 10

🎮

Gameplay

★★★★★

🎨

Graphics

★★★★★

🎵

Audio

★★★★★

🔄

Replay

★★★★★

Gameplay

Clock Tower (PS1) is a point-and-click survival horror with three playable protagonists: Jennifer Simpson (escaping the Barrows manor again), Helen Maxwell (a professor investigating the case), and Nolan Campbell (a detective). Each protagonist has different stamina and hide locations. The Scissorman Bobby Barrows pursues the player through the manor; combat is nearly impossible — survival requires finding hiding spots, using environmental objects to slow Bobby, and making correct narrative decisions. The panic meter affects Jennifer's ability to interact with objects when Bobby is close. Ten different endings based on who survives and what decisions are made.

Graphics

Clock Tower PS1's point-and-click environments are pre-rendered backgrounds with sprite characters — a visual approach that creates static horror atmosphere effectively. Bobby's appearance as a large shape advancing toward the player is consistently threatening.

Audio

The horror atmosphere relies heavily on ambient sound — silence broken by footsteps, the snipping of scissors, sudden musical stings. The audio design for Bobby's approach is the game's most effective horror tool.

Replayability

Ten endings require multiple playthroughs with different decision paths and different protagonist survival outcomes. The genre's point-and-click structure allows routing different playthrough approaches.

Historical Significance

Clock Tower PS1 (1996 Japan, 1997 West) continued the franchise begun with the SNES original (Japan-only). The game established the 'stalker horror' subgenre — survival horror based on evasion and hiding rather than combat — that influenced Haunting Ground (2005), Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and subsequent stalker-horror games. The Scissorman is one of gaming's most recognizable horror villain designs. Clock Tower: Rewind (2024) brought the original SNES version to modern platforms with updated content.

✅ Pros

+ Scissorman stalker mechanic creates sustained terror unlike combat-based horror
+ Three protagonists with different survival routes
+ Ten endings reward multiple playthroughs
+ Panic meter creates mechanical expression of genuine fear
+ Influential stalker-horror design

❌ Cons

- Point-and-click interface can frustrate players seeking action
- Hiding spots can feel trial-and-error without foreknowledge
- Short individual playthroughs without guide (~2-3 hours)
- Some endings require specific precise decisions

Also Known As

Clock Tower PS1Clock Tower 2 (Japan)クロックタワー

Clock Tower FAQ

What is the Scissorman in Clock Tower?

The Scissorman (Bobby Barrows) is Clock Tower's primary antagonist — a large, abnormally strong child who hunts the player through the Barrows manor wielding a massive pair of scissors. Bobby doesn't follow a patrol route; he stalks the player and responds to sound and movement. When Bobby appears on screen, the player must react quickly — running gives temporary distance, but Bobby closes gaps rapidly. The correct response is usually to find a hiding spot (closets, under beds, behind curtains) and wait for Bobby to search the area and leave, then continue. Bobby's distinctive appearance — child's build, enormous scissors, blank expression — made him one of gaming's most recognizable horror villains.

How does the panic meter work in Clock Tower?

Clock Tower PS1 features a panic meter displayed as a heartbeat or color indicator on the UI. As Bobby approaches or threatens the protagonist, the panic meter rises. High panic affects the protagonist's ability to interact with objects — clicking on interactive elements may produce fumbling, failed interactions, or slower responses. Some hiding spots become inaccessible when panic is too high. Panic decreases when the protagonist is calm and safe. The mechanic creates a mechanical analog for psychological horror — the player's character becomes less effective under threat, making the threat more dangerous. Managing panic is a gameplay skill distinct from knowing where hiding spots are.

Is Clock Tower available on modern platforms?

Clock Tower: Rewind (2024) is a modern re-release of the original SNES/PS1 Clock Tower on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC. The Rewind version adds English dubbing, a rewind feature for mistakes, and new hint content. The PS1 version can also be played through PS1 emulation. Clock Tower 3 (PS2, 2002) is a full sequel available through PS2 emulation. Clock Tower: Ghosthead (1998, PS1) is a Japan-only sequel featuring different protagonists. The Scissorman's design appears in the spiritual successor Haunting Ground (2005, PS2).

What are the ten endings in Clock Tower PS1?

Clock Tower PS1 features ten endings (rated from worst to best as S through E and some special endings) based on which characters survive and what decisions were made throughout the game. The endings range from Jennifer surviving alone with specific outcomes, multiple party member survivors with different resolutions, to bad endings where the Scissorman wins. The decision points include which areas were explored, which NPCs were helped or ignored, and specific time-sensitive choices during Bobby encounters. The 'best' ending requires making specific correct decisions across all three protagonist routes. Most players experience multiple endings across replays before finding all routes.