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WayForward to tackle a remake of cult horror classic Clock Tower

First released only in Japan in 1995, Clock Tower is widely considered to be one of the earliest true survival horror games.

TJ Denzer

July 12, 2023 3:36 PM

Image via WayForward

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Horror games have come a long way since the clunky days of foundational titles like Sweet Home, Alone in the Dark, and Clock Tower, but these titles are nonetheless valuable parts of horror gaming history, and Clock Tower is now set to get a remake for new audiences. WayForward has announced that it will be working on a remake of Clock Tower that will come to Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam.

WayForward originally announced the upcoming Clock Tower remake in an article on Japanese website PR Times. According to the announcement, WayForward’s version of Clock Tower is a “reprint” that will be coming to modern systems sometime in early 2024. The game will also be localized into five languages, including Japanese and English, and will include various improvements, such as a modernized control scheme and new animations. You can see a trailer of the game in action below.

Clock Tower was originally released on the SNES in 1995, but only in Japan. It’s widely considered to be one of the games that established the foundation for modern survival horror. The original game didn’t age well because it was built for consoles, but still used a point-and-click interface that required players to stop controlling their character to interact with objects around a room. That said, it sounds like WayForward intends to smooth out those rough edges to make Clock Tower a game that modern audiences can enjoy, and given the studio’s work on franchises like Shantae, there’s good cause to believe they’ll do it well.

With only an early 2024 release window set for Clock Tower, we’ll look forward to seeing what WayForward puts together for this classic horror title. Stay tuned for more updates here at Shacknews.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.