Like most fans of the survival horror genre, the thing we like most--aside from getting a good scare--is the survival aspect of the game.  It’s always a treat attempting to get the hero out of a horrific situation and games such as Silent Hill and Resident Evil have more than made this craving a real joy.  And now the third outing of the Clock Tower series has come to offer something a bit more different.  Is this a game that takes gamers by the hand for a terrifying jaunt into the darkest corners of a world where the spirits of the wrong beg for release while the servants of evil pursue you?  You better believe it.

The Clock Tower series has never risen to the same popular status as many of the classic survival horror games but its small cult following has allowed for Capcom to present another trip into the supernatural.  This one follows Alyssa Hamilton, a young English boarding school girl who receives a cryptic letter from her mother.  Obviously worried about her mum, she heads back home only to find one of her mother’s boarders, a mysterious fellow known only as the Mysterious Gentleman.  From there, the story takes several startling and supernatural twists that have Alyssa finding out her true calling . . . to battle murdering spirits in order to release the tormented souls of their victims.

Without going too much into the details of the story--and might I add that the story itself is the game’s strongest element since it is well-craft and original--Alyssa’s search for her true nature and her mother takes her through different periods in time.  The game begins in her modern time, setting the game in motion. Then, at one point, she finds herself in England of 1940 to solve the murder of a little girl who is a piano prodigy.  During this stage, Alyssa must piece together a series of clues as to defeat the evil spirit that had slain her . . . in this case, the spirit of a crazed maniac wielding a giant sledgehammer.

The controls are straight out of Resident Evil or Silent Hill so moving Alyssa is no surprise to those gamers that have played their fair share of these kinds of games.  Her actions and movements are pretty basic and since she is not armed ala-Jill Valentine or Claire Redfield.  Alyssa’s only defense is holy water (that is used to stun spirits or open spiritually sealed door), crawl (to crawl into spots for safety or to squeeze into a new area) and finally to use Spirit Wood Arrows (when battling stage bosses).  The rest of the game is piecing together puzzles that have something to do with the tormented spirits.  Usually all they want is an object, a personal effect that they treasured in life.

One thing gamers will notice right away is that the game does away with the health status bar and replaces it with a Panic Meter.  When something appears that seems to frighten young Alyssa, the meter will fill.  In her encounter with the first maniac, bringing down his sledgehammer down on Alyssa doesn’t hurt her but it does raise the meter.  When the meter is full, Alyssa is in the ultimate state of panic.  Suddenly her vision is distorted and she’s hyperventilating and hard to control.  If she gets hit again during this time, she is as good as dead.

The game also has a few rough parts that show its ugly face early in the game and during boss battles.  For one thing, the camera often becomes a bit troublesome since its position is often not in the best of places.  Unfortunately you can’t fix the view when you want to check out that cabinet that is slightly obscured by the angle itself.  Secondly, the boss battles turn into a sometimes tedious event, especially if you’re trying to shoot a Spirit Wood Arrow into them.  The Panic Meter is gone during boss fights and is replaced by the standard vitality bar.

Visually, Clock Tower 3 doesn’t rise up to great heights like in Silent Hill 2 or the recent Resident Evil games seen on the Game Cube, but its still a visual treat nonetheless.  You’ll be amazed how nicely detailed the environments in this game are featured and how lighting is done so perfectly at each dimly lit hallway will have you thinking that at any moment something dreadful will appear.  The best visual trick in this game is when the Panic Meter is full.  Alyssa’s vision is slightly distorted during full panic and you can see the full effect on the character herself down to rapid rising and falling of her chest and the disoriented look on her face.  The animated cut scenes are also the best I’ve seen in a game for a long time and blend camera angles and lighting just as good.

The sound found in this game is phenomenal and it sets the mood perfectly.  The score is hauntingly cinematic and becomes intense during moments of panic or when the stalkers and spirits make their appearances.  Then there is eerie silence as you make your way through building our outside. The sound effects in this game are also astonishingly detailed.  Glass crunches underneath Alyssa as she moves through war-torn England during WWII and the ghost of a murdered little girl plays the piano that can be heard in the far distance.  The voice acting is also top-notch.

With a horrific story that will hook you right in to the very finish, Clock Tower 3 is a satisfying game albeit a short and sometimes flawed game.  The controls, for instance, could have been handled a bit better during boss fights and other little things, but they are a big improvement from the last game.  Survival horror fans--or those gamers that like a disturbing, macabre story--will find this game delivers the chills quite well.  

Gameplay: 7.6
Anyone who has played the Silent Hill or the Alone In the Dark games will find the controls familiar territory.  Alyssa’s actions are pretty basic considering her only unique skills are either sprinkling holy water on something (or someone) or crawling for cover.  Seeing as her quest is to put spirits at rest, she does so by interacting with things or searches for some kind of item important to the now deceased.  The only real flaw in the controls is that it makes boss fights tedious work.

Graphics: 8.2
First off, the game’s camera is what holds the game back from visual greatness.  That said the visuals in this game are wonderfully dark and filled with enough neat little details that occasionally you can interact with them.  Alyssa finds herself in different time periods and the interiors and exteriors do look authentic to the period.  The smallest details that most gamers might miss add tot he charm, such as the flapping of curtains from an open window or the moths that fly around the lit lamp.

The character models move realistically enough, as does Alyssa who has a pleasantly girlish gait and realistically drops on all fours to crawl away somewhere.  While she looks great during the in-game action, the visuals shine during animated cut-scenes.  Everything improves during each scene, including the camera that adds the scene’s cinematic feel. 

Sound: 8.8
Any horror filmmaker can tell you that sometimes silence can be as chilling as a dramatic score and Clock Tower 3 uses silence often throughout your exploration.  Then, suddenly, a spirit appears and the score comes in loudly and startlingly.  When the first maniac makes his appearance, he is accompanied by a mad symphony of sound that is so unnerving that it will leave you a bit rattled and confused as to what to do next before it sends its jackhammer down on your head.

The voice acting is also great in this game, especially from Alyssa who delivers her lines so convincingly that you’ll forget you’re playing a game and instead watching a movie.  English accents aside, the dialogue found throughout works wonderfully.  The scary sound effects found throughout the game compliment the voice acting and most of it comes from the spirits themselves.  Good work!

Difficulty: Medium
The puzzles you come across in this game don’t pose much of a challenge; in fact, there aren’t many that will have gamers frustratingly trying to make sense of them since there are clues aplenty.  The evil spirits also don’t pose much of a treat either--that is, until you come face-to-face with the stage bosses.  While they put up a real fight, the challenging part is centered more around the combat controls that are a bit awkward to properly navigate.

Concept: 8.0
The story is this game’s strongest point.  Clock Tower 3 weaves the tale really well through its cinematic cut-scenes, but the game gives you full control over Alyssa in true Resident Evil-style that your exploration of the dimly lit areas is just one of the many joys this game has to offer.  The Panic Meter is also a most unique and original concept that does give the game its own personality . . . and realism since we are talking about a teenage girl and not a combat-hardened member of STARS like in the RE games).

Overall: 8.0
Clock Tower 3 is a relatively short but enjoyable game that has its share of rough areas here and there, but do not let that keep you away from a game that is a ghastly good time.  If you’re a fan of survival horror, pick this one up  . . . you won’t regret it.