Many gamers know that the Clock Tower series single-handedly inspired many of the greatest horror games ever. In the interest of game preservation, Clock Tower: Rewind is here to offer a modern way to play the original 16-bit classic that was never released outside of Japan, so this is a win on multiple fronts. After almost 30 years, players can experience the Original Mode or the Rewind Mode and all manner of extras like motion comics, interviews, a music player, and more. Should fans of the original series and newcomers alike check out this revitalization of a horror classic? Let’s find out! An Impressive Package That Shows its Age As a massive horror gaming fan, I was excited for the chance to check out Clock Tower: Rewind. I had seen some gameplay of the series over the years and even played a few hours of the Clock Tower 3 PS2 entry, but I’ve never sat down to try the original. This is partly because it was never released outside of Japan but also because I was far too young to know how to import a copy when it was originally released. However, neither of these things is an issue now because Clock Tower: Rewind is widely available on both digital storefronts and in physical form from Limited Run Games. The story stars Jennifer Simpson and a group of orphan girls who the Barrows family has adopted. You arrive at an impressive mansion at the beginning of the game, but things quickly devolve from there. A stalker named Scissorman begins hunting the girls, and it’s up to Jennifer to find a way to escape, leading to one of several endings. The gameplay here is classic point-and-click adventure for better and worse. Clock Tower: Rewind features several new quality-of-life features like a rewind mechanic, the ability to run up and down stairs, and the capacity for Scissorman to actually chase you from room to room (though that’s really more of a benefit for him, I’d argue). These additions help the game flow a little faster, but Jennifer’s movement speed is still fairly slow regardless of whether you’re sprinting or not. Her health is also tied to her stamina, so you’ll need to take breaks if you don’t want to get caught off-guard and instantly killed by Scissorman. The controls translate fairly well to console, though the cursor movement can be a little finicky when you’re trying to select something specific in the environment. Given that the game plays in a 4:3 aspect ratio with either black bars or customizable borders, the somewhat unreliable cursor is even more frustrating since everything is smaller as a result. You can use both the analog stick or the d-pad to move the cursor, but instead of the d-pad warping you to clickable elements like other similar games on console, it just moves the cursor a set distance in every direction. This is all well and good for solving puzzles or trying to use items in the … Read More
The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication Review – A Diamond in the Rough
The horror genre has enjoyed a renaissance over the last two generations, particularly as indie and AA horror games have had their chance to shine on console and PC. As a result, there are many choices, many of which market themselves quite well, but the quality of each experience can vary drastically from one title to the next. The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication falls into the AA horror category, with a lower budget and a lower price point to match. Despite this, the game makes some strong first impressions in its trailer and screenshots. It’s setting and characters are also unique compared to most other horror games, but are these aspects enough to make it stand out from the pack? Let’s find out. Interesting Puzzles and Unique Mechanics Stand Out As an avid horror gamer, I’m not afraid to say that many horror games over the years tend to blur together in my mind. Furthermore, the ones that rely solely on a defenseless protagonist and stealth mechanics quickly wear out their welcome as the terror gives way to repetition and frustration. The true standouts manage to find ways to mix up the horror with puzzles, unique mechanics, some sort of combat, and, of course, a tense atmosphere throughout. In this respect, The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication makes a strong impression over the few hours, even if the pacing leaves much to be desired. The concept is fairly unique: you play as several characters converging on Wen Hua University after the school has closed for the night. The characters include everything from students to a local reporter, so you get a nice mixture of perspectives. The university’s Da Ren building has a long and dark history, which has led to several ghost stories and supernatural events over the years. The way the game layers these mysteries makes for a compelling story overall as you try to piece everything together. In terms of the story itself, the writing is solid across the dialogue, in-game documents, and lore that you find. There’s no shortage of supporting materials, including an in-game phone for each character that updates with text messages. By default, the game features English voice acting, which is a cut above the quality I normally hear in lower-budget horror games, but it leans a little too much into the B-movie feel for my taste. Granted, the writing is intentionally cheesy at times, but given the game’s more intense moments, I felt like the dialogue and writing undermined some of the horror, even if it did illicit a few chuckles from yours truly. ‘ The audio on the main menu can be adjusted to the original Chinese voiceovers, and I think these sound a lot better overall, but the writing can still inject that cheesy horror vibe from time to time. As I mentioned earlier, the pacing is less than ideal as well. The beginning of the game takes a while to get moving, featuring a stealth tutorial with a security … Read More
Amnesia: The Bunker Review – Greatest Hits Horror
The Amnesia series from Frictional Games is one of the all-time horror greats. I was a fan of Frictional even before their breakout hit, though, back when Penumbra was their brand of horror. While that series has remained dormant, the bones of it still exist even in their latest release: Amnesia: The Bunker. In Amnesia: The Bunker, you play as a soldier in WWI who must evade a monster within an underground bunker long enough to facilitate your escape. It’s a simple, but effective premise with a unique setting. Is this enough to put this series back on the top of horror gaming? Let’s find out. A Streamlined Return to Form, but Does The Old Formula Work? The last Amnesia game, Rebirth, was met with mixed reception due to a number of factors. On the one hand, it was much larger in scope than prior games, which are usually limited to a few locations. The narrative was also far more grand and sci-fi than I think many expected. It was also low on scares, though it did have them. The penalty for death wasn’t very severe, and large portions of it were tense, but lacked any true threat to the player. Contrast this with the first game in the series, where you’re always on edge, and it’s easy to see why Rebirth didn’t quite land. With Amnesia: The Bunker, it’s clear that Frictional Games wanted to go back to their roots. The concept is simple, the horror is constant, and the tension is nigh-overwhelming. It worked wonders back in the day, but I left my experience with The Bunker wondering if perhaps things became too streamlined? Amnesia: The Bunker begins in the trenches of WWI, where explosions rock the screen and bullets fly during the tutorial. It’s a different kind of horror, but effective nonetheless. It’s not long, though before you awake in an underground bunker and soon find yourself alone with only the promise of a monster to keep you company. The mechanics are refreshingly simple this time around. You are armed with a crank flashlight, a revolver, and limited inventory space to explore the bunker with. Much like a sort of roguelike structure, you have a central safe room with a map, a stash, a crafting table, and a generator that lets you recoup your losses between journeys out into the Bunker. While prior games in the series had you steadily lose sanity in the dark, that mechanic is absent from Amnesia: The Bunker. Instead, the monster that stalks you is afraid of light and therefore becomes a constant threat in the dark. The aforementioned crank flashlight helps, but the sound of winding it up gives away your position. Thankfully, you can fuel up the generator in your safe room before heading out to look for supplies and a way forward. Don’t worry, there’s a catch. The fuel in the game is finite, so you’ll want to make the most of your time while the lights are on, … Read More