Clock Tower Series
Hifumi Kono and Human Entertainment's Helpless Stalker-Horror Landmark
Conceived in 1995 on the Super Famicom by Hifumi Kono, Clock Tower drew deep inspiration from Dario Argento's giallo cinema, introducing the lumbering shears-wielding Scissorman and helpless hide-and-seek survival mechanics.
Dario Argento Inspiration and the Helpless Stalker Mechanic
Heavily influenced by Italian horror maestro Dario Argento's Phenomena, director Hifumi Kono created an experience of pure vulnerability. Adopted into the secluded Barrows manor in Norway, orphan Jennifer Simpson was hunted by Scissorman—a demonic stalker brandishing enormous hedge shears. Deprived of offensive weaponry, survival hinged entirely on hiding inside wardrobes or barricading doors.
Point-and-Click Interface and Multi-Branching Endings
Utilizing a graphic adventure point-and-click interface on Super Famicom and PlayStation, the game conveyed Jennifer's psychological strain through an escalating Panic Meter portrait border. Featuring non-linear investigation pathways yielding multiple letter-graded endings (from A to H), Clock Tower laid the foundational groundwork for the modern hide-and-evade survival genre.