While some classic horror franchises had a welcome return in the 2020s, there’s still one deserving franchise that has not seen a new game in over two decades:Clock Tower.With classic horror games likeResident Evil 4andSilent Hill 2reaching new audiences with their modern remakes - and with 23 years having passed since the franchise received a full new mainline game - it’s time thatClock Toweris remade for modern platforms and audiences.
Clock Tower(1995) was only released in Japan, though it was soon followed byClock Tower(1996), known asClock Tower 2in Japan.The latter was the first game to be released globally, and followed the story of Scissorman, a horrifying horror figure and antagonist who would reappear in various forms throughout later games.Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within(1998) andClock Tower 3(2002) followed separate storylines, but each game promised terrifying scares in a very unique game world.
Why Clock Tower Deserves A Comeback In 2025
A Unique Horror Franchise
Every horror franchisehas a terrifying premise to keep players entertained and terrified.Resident Evilhas zombies and viruses;Silent Hillhasa hell-like town that evokes everyone’s inner darkness;Fatal Framefocuses on ghosts and ghost stories. But what ofClock Tower?Clock Toweris a video game series that doesn’t necessarily have a specific plot or theme, apart from the fact thatcharacters have to survive impossible odds against monster-like humanoids. But even then, that can be said for almost every horror game out there, includingResident Evil,Silent Hill, andFatal Frame.
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Clock Tower, unlike these other franchises, has proven to keep things interesting in the horror realmby making each game a standaloneand distinguishable from one another. The first two games follow the Scissorman lore, which is whatClock Towerbecame known for.Meanwhile, the second game follows the Maxwell curse, which plagues seventeen-year-old Alyssa and serves as her alter-ego.The lastClock Towergame follows another young teenager named Alyssa Hamilton who learns of her supernatural ability. It’s the immensely different plots, stories, and themes that make theClock Towerfranchise more interesting.
Clock Tower: Rewind Is A Good Start
The First Clock Tower Game Has Finally Received a Global Release
While a complete franchise comeback is not entirely ensured, publisherWayForwardreleasedClock Tower: Rewindin October of 2024. This game serves asa remaster of the very firstClock Towergame, which had only been released in Japan. Apart from emulators,Clock Tower: Rewindwas inaccessible, which was unfortunate considering that this was the game that started the franchise and made it popular.
Clock Tower: Rewindisa great start to revamping a franchise and bringing it back to life. Featuring quality-of-life refinements to make the game much more accessible,Clock Tower: Rewindhas received generally positive reviews onSteam, proving that this remaster has gone a long way in bringing back a classic game.
However, there’s a lot more that this beloved and well-deserving horror franchise deserves. A full remake like the highly-praisedSilent Hill 2remake from Bloober, or even an entirely new game in the franchise is truly whatClock Tower- and its fans - deserve. Hopefully, the success ofRewindmeans that moreClock Towergames are on the way, as it’s certainly in need of a revival.
