Character RETROspect

Scissorman

The tension of knowing that a psychopath is desperately trying to kill you around every possible corner in the mansion known as “Clock Tower” is something I will never forget for the rest of my life.

His name: Bobby, but he is more commonly referred to as Scissorman.

His profession: Scaring/stabbing the crap out of you.

Chapter 15: Freakin’ Scissorman

To This Day…

I am still scared when anyone holds up a pair of Fiskars. It sounds ridiculous, but a part of me can’t help it. My mind goes there — back to the horror I witnessed with an English translated version of the original Clock Tower. I know that a lot of people have never experienced the Clock Tower franchise and the dread that it can instill in a player every time they hear the panic-inducing music of Bobby because let’s face it, the sales in the US were extremely low.

Could it be from a slight case of confusion?

Perhaps, so I will give you all a small breakdown of the franchise to date to help alleviate possible confusion:

• Clock Tower (1995) – Super Famicom
• Clock Tower: The First Fear (1997-1999) – Playstation, Wonderswan, PC *Re-release of the original game*
• Clock Tower 2 [Japan] (1996) | Clock Tower [1997 in North America and 1998 in Europe] – Playstation
• Clock Tower Ghost Head [Japan] (1998) | Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within [North America] (1999)
• Clock Tower 3 (2002 in Japan, 2003 in North America and Europe)

I will be talking about Bobby from the original Clock tower game, as he is the root of my Fiskarsphobia.

A Fine Example of the Survival Horror Genre

The original Clock Tower will/should forever be one of the finest examples of the survival horror genre in video games. The game is not about fighting, but rather avoiding the psychopath lurking around the corners in every room. I cannot explain how truly tension filled the game gets when Bobby appears and the music kicks in.

It will scare the crap out of you.

Bobby is one of the most horrifying video game characters mainly because of his straight psychopathic ambiance. He never talks, just giggles with delight and dances with his ginormous shears when the main character, Jennifer, becomes panicked. He appears to be an unstoppable, demonic force that is just waiting for you to slip up. This is something that I think Japanese horror creators tend to get right — the idea of subtlety, and the effects it can have on one’s psyche are far more effective than cheap scares. Bobby’s creepiness, however, could also be credited to his munchkin status and schoolboy attire.

Throughout the game, tidbits of information will pop up about Bobby and his origins, and it will all start to click as to why he is the way he is. Being that Clock Tower is such a shining example of psychological warfare on a gamer’s mind, I am actually going to refrain from my usual habit of promulgating major plot points of the game. Bobby is a character that needs to be experienced by every gamer that is a fan of horror games because of the brilliance of which he is utilized.

You just never know when the creepy little demon spawn will pop up.