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Nestled away in the forest of Oslo sits a solitary mansion; quiet and still as a mausoleum. It lies in wait for new blood to inhabit its halls and bring life to its dilapidated corridors, and it just so happens on this day that it's thirst will be satiated. Hey there weary traveler and welcome to an excursion into terror. For tonight's tale we're going to be taking a look at a very unique title for its time and the first entry in a somewhat maligned horror video game franchise, Clock Tower: The First Fear. Released originally for the Super Famicom in 1995, the first Clock Tower never saw a release outside of Japan and wouldn't get the attention it deserved till its sequel was released almost two years later (rather confusingly with the title Clock Tower). Now, there could be any number of reasons why it never saw further release though the original outing was somewhat popular in Japan; it could be that Human didn't feel the steep difficulty curve would agree with a foreign audience, or it could have been the fact it was a point and click adventure on a home console....or it could have been the child murders that take place in the game. The world will forever be in the dark as to the reasoning but thankfully fan translations have become available and the modern gaming public has been allowed this particular survival horror gem. And indeed it very much fits the essence of survival horror as it pits the player against a seemingly unstoppable evil force without any real means to fight back. The player is only left with their wits and the hope of finding a safe hiding spot as they attempt to unravel the truth the lurks in the shadows of the mansion. But let's meet our cast of characters. Jennifer Simpson plays our protagonist in the first fear. A shy, timid 14 year who was orphaned after her mother abandoned her, she has spent a number of years living at the Granite Orphanage. But fate has smiled upon her as she, and three other young ladies, have been adopted by the Burroughs family. Laura Harrington is another 14 year old orphan joining Jennifer at the mansion. Laura can best be described as gentle and elegant in her lovely blue dress, but it seems she is closer friends with Ann than with the other two orphans, Jennifer and Lotte. Ann is the oldest of the orphans at 15 and close friends with Laura. She is considered something of a de facto leader at the orphanage and seems to even carry this air in their new residence. Lotte is the youngest of the group and close friends with Jennifer. Lotte is tomboyish and very stand-offish with other girls at the orphanage, which seems to be why she gets along so well with Jennifer who also distances herself from the others. Miss Mary is the girl's escort and guardian up their new home. Courteous and kind, Miss Mary is pleasant company to have in this mysterious new home that welcomes the girls. p.s. Please NO SPOILERS discworld is all I read fucked around with this message at 07:14 on Feb 18, 2016 |
# ? Feb 2, 2016 07:40 |
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# ? Mar 28, 2024 14:27 |
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https://zippy.gfycat.com/HarmfulTangibleApisdorsatalaboriosa.webm Who's ready for an adventure? I know I am!
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# ? Feb 2, 2016 07:41 |
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Nothing will ever be better than that murderous wee gentleman's little dance.
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# ? Feb 2, 2016 07:53 |
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With how dark it was outside, there should be a lot more snow around that mansion considering it's in Norway. Only gets that dark that quick in winter time, and I am shocked that a japanese horror game does not represent my country perfectly.
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# ? Feb 2, 2016 11:00 |
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Drachir D Nalem posted:With how dark it was outside, there should be a lot more snow around that mansion considering it's in Norway. Only gets that dark that quick in winter time, and I am shocked that a japanese horror game does not represent my country perfectly. There are more references to that movie in the game, but it's just super interesting to me that a game took inspiration from that movie....cause as with most good giallo's it's a bizarre mixture of horror, thriller, and silliness. There are others but I might do some bonus video talking more about giallos later or hell, you guys can also discuss those as well.
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# ? Feb 2, 2016 18:09 |
Glad to see another horror lp from you. Interesting you chose an actually good game this time though. Interesting at the end you say you 'made no progress in finding your friends' when laura is pretty clearly not living there. Drakenel fucked around with this message at 18:38 on Feb 2, 2016 |
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# ? Feb 2, 2016 18:20 |
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Drakenel posted:Glad to see another horror lp from you. Interesting you chose an actually good game this time though.
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# ? Feb 2, 2016 20:43 |
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Bacter posted:Nothing will ever be better than that murderous wee gentleman's little dance. Can you really call a child a gentleman. Anyway along with his first appearance we got to see his super power of teleporting when no one is watching.
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# ? Feb 2, 2016 21:50 |
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It's endlessly fascinating to me how a 32-bit game can creep me out so much. I had the same realization with Baxter's Lone Survivor LP.
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# ? Feb 3, 2016 00:27 |
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I remember when I first got to play this. It's such a charming little game, and so many perfect horror movie shenanigans can happen. I look forward to the many runs you're going to probably have to make of this.
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# ? Feb 4, 2016 04:25 |
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Lotish posted:I remember when I first got to play this. It's such a charming little game, and so many perfect horror movie shenanigans can happen. I look forward to the many runs you're going to probably have to make of this.
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# ? Feb 4, 2016 04:58 |
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This is going to be awesome. Out of curiosity, is there a way to survive once the bird gives away your hiding spot, or even hide elsewhere? Or are you expected to face death and throw the blanket on the bird to progress?
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# ? Feb 5, 2016 02:13 |
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PopcornSuicide posted:This is going to be awesome. Out of curiosity, is there a way to survive once the bird gives away your hiding spot, or even hide elsewhere? Or are you expected to face death and throw the blanket on the bird to progress? Also the next update will be coming tomorrow; I think it turned out just as exciting for our poor Jennifer.
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# ? Feb 5, 2016 02:16 |
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https://zippy.gfycat.com/SmartHelplessHammerheadshark.webm Welcome to the halfway point of the game!
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# ? Feb 5, 2016 07:28 |
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If you don't actually look at Ann, the waveform never collapses and she doesn't die.
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# ? Feb 5, 2016 17:14 |
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Really wish you posted in the New LP Announcement thread whenever you decided to start your threads, Niggurath! I'm always confused by people deciding to hang around in the room with a bird happily chirping a death threat at you. I wouldn't trust a Rhoomba that kept squeaking "I'mma sever your tendons!," either. I wonder if Clock Tower indirectly inspired Dead Rising: Chop 'Till You Drop's grenade-toting parrots.
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# ? Feb 5, 2016 23:08 |
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coleman francis posted:If you don't actually look at Ann, the waveform never collapses and she doesn't die. I actually AM getting kind of a vibe like that. People die if we see them die. We're creating reality, man!
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# ? Feb 6, 2016 03:35 |
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Lotte is derived from Charlotte, but makes a bit more sense as a nickname when it's pronounced with two syllables (as it is in Norwegian, see also Austrian Lotte Lenya). Scissorman is reminiscent of the tailor from Struwwelpeter who cuts off your thumbs if you suck them. That guy is tall and slim, unlike our pursuer, but he carries similarly big scissors.
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# ? Feb 7, 2016 18:43 |
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Kangra posted:Lotte is derived from Charlotte, but makes a bit more sense as a nickname when it's pronounced with two syllables (as it is in Norwegian, see also Austrian Lotte Lenya). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwrXoslbdew What the gently caress is wrong with Germanic children's stories?
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# ? Feb 7, 2016 19:15 |
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Kangra posted:Lotte is derived from Charlotte, but makes a bit more sense as a nickname when it's pronounced with two syllables (as it is in Norwegian, see also Austrian Lotte Lenya). But I've heard the idea that the Scissorman idea is indeed based off the fairy tale, but the visual look also seems to make me think of the 1981 slasher film, 'The Burning' as it's main antagonist was a garden shears wielding burned grounds keeper: Also I'd say if you enjoy slasher films and haven't seen 'The Burning' then you're doing yourself a grave disservice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lekxSn2RpnM Phanos posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwrXoslbdew Likewise with Struwwelpeter, it seems to be trying to stop kids from sucking their thumbs but by actively threatening them with an unseen man carrying large shears.
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# ? Feb 7, 2016 20:12 |
A lot of fairy tales were indeed warning stories. Grimms fairy tales in particular come to mind. Before the rather sterile environment a lot of western children live in today (Relatively) fear was an effective tool to keep children safe when they wandered off on their own as children are fond of doing.
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# ? Feb 7, 2016 20:25 |
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Näcken will gently caress you up, but you'll be like
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# ? Feb 7, 2016 21:12 |
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Pimpmust posted:Näcken will gently caress you up, but you'll be like Gotta collect all them unwanted, drowned babies! discworld is all I read fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Feb 7, 2016 |
# ? Feb 7, 2016 21:24 |
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Ah, how cool! It's been so long since I saw an LP of this game, and the last one I did watch through was the SNES version. I'm playing through Outlast, myself, and I'd like to think Clocktower's outstanding gameplay elements influenced it (and Alien: Isolation, and probably others I've never heard of) decades later, lucky for us. And also shower curtains will be scary forever.
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# ? Feb 8, 2016 07:57 |
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I've never bothered actually playing this game but I've seen a bunch of LPs of it. Curiously enough, never of the PS1 version so I'm hoping there are a few more surprises in addition to the zombie dude.
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# ? Feb 8, 2016 09:13 |
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RealSovietBear posted:I've never bothered actually playing this game but I've seen a bunch of LPs of it. Curiously enough, never of the PS1 version so I'm hoping there are a few more surprises in addition to the zombie dude.
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# ? Feb 8, 2016 09:32 |
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https://zippy.gfycat.com/OrganicQualifiedHerculesbeetle.webm Ah, so this is the part in the mansion where they store all the plot.
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# ? Feb 10, 2016 07:58 |
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I'm digging this lp, op. It's pretty tense for an SNES game.
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# ? Feb 10, 2016 15:15 |
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Running away in the car just reminds me of the promise me and my bro made over Fatal Frame. "Don't come after me if I go missing in a haunted house." Though I guess in this case they all sorta got stuck together. Best to try to leave together.
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# ? Feb 11, 2016 03:56 |
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Sosogomi posted:Running away in the car just reminds me of the promise me and my bro made over Fatal Frame. "Don't come after me if I go missing in a haunted house." Though I guess in this case they all sorta got stuck together. Best to try to leave together. Also the next video will be the end of the 'S' ending run, but i'll be doing a bonus video or two to show off the other endings and the odd things that come with that because the game can take some dramatic changes depending on what you do.
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# ? Feb 11, 2016 03:59 |
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Jesus, that video ending was creepy. Didn't think it was possible to get freaked out over what was originally a SNES game. Looking forward to more downer endings after this run.
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# ? Feb 11, 2016 05:11 |
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Niggurath posted:https://zippy.gfycat.com/OrganicQualifiedHerculesbeetle.webm So at the end there: You see Ms. Mary and you die? No escape? Random instant death?
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# ? Feb 11, 2016 07:36 |
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No Gravitas posted:So at the end there: You see Ms. Mary and you die? No escape? Random instant death?
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# ? Feb 11, 2016 07:48 |
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Niggurath posted:You'll be happy to know that that was just one of two possible endings with the car. The other ending is ummmm a bit different. Is this game like The Fear? Do the endings "change" the story up to that point because of who did what for whatever reason, or is the "base story" always the same and just the outcome changes. Having only heard of this game it's nice to finally see it, great work.
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# ? Feb 11, 2016 13:29 |
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Hel posted:Is this game like The Fear? Do the endings "change" the story up to that point because of who did what for whatever reason, or is the "base story" always the same and just the outcome changes. Having only heard of this game it's nice to finally see it, great work.
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# ? Feb 11, 2016 19:40 |
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Wait, there's a Clock Tower novelization?
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# ? Feb 11, 2016 22:43 |
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It has been way too long since I've watched a Niggurath LP. WIll be following with interest, I have a lot of love for this game, despite never playing it myself.
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# ? Feb 11, 2016 23:20 |
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Mraagvpeine posted:Wait, there's a Clock Tower novelization? And it apparently was translated: http://www.sceneryrecalled.com/trans/cthelen.htm
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# ? Feb 12, 2016 00:03 |
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Niggurath posted:You can leave the room and then just go back in to see Ms. Mary mysteriously gone, you aren't locked into there but there's no real fun in that. Really the game has a few pretty surprising death moments, but only a few are inescapable....like ol' man cannibal in the cage (who'll we will find out more about in another ending). Like the game can be a dick, but very rarely. Guy is cage is super escapable. You just have to have a food source other then you on you.
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# ? Feb 12, 2016 00:23 |
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# ? Mar 28, 2024 14:27 |
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MonsterEnvy posted:Guy is cage is super escapable. You just have to have a food source other then you on you. discworld is all I read fucked around with this message at 02:23 on Feb 12, 2016 |
# ? Feb 12, 2016 00:27 |