Platform: PlayStation Vita

Developer: Active Gaming Media

Publisher: Playism

Release Date (NA): January 31st, 2019

Genre: Survival Horror, Point and Click

Nerd Rating: 5.5 out of 10

Twenty years after the events of Clock Tower, game director Hifumi Kono has returned to the world of horror with a new game, NightCry. Billed as a spiritual successor to his well-known horror point-and-click series, NightCry attempts to continue the trend with three new protagonists trapped aboard a haunted sealiner.

The game, originally released on mobile, soon came back to Sony’s game systems on the PlayStation Vita. However, while long-time fans were excited for the prospect of a new Clock Tower game, this was not it. Even with its all-star team, the only thing scarier than some of its frights is NightCry‘s host of technical oddities.

NightCry’s Familiar Kind of Horror

NightCry plays similarly to the original Clock Tower games on the SNES and PlayStation. Characters swap between an “Exploration” and an “Escape” mode when the Scissorwalker attacks. While the formula is the same, NightCry includes some updates bringing it more inline with the times.

The point-and-click gameplay is still intact with set pieces to interact and investigate. Each character now has a smart phone that they can use for light, hints, or to advance the plot. A new quick-time event occurs when characters are hiding from Scissorwalker, fending it off, or escaping a trap.

The quick-time events work great at increasing the game’s tension, but are left underutilized. Most of the quick times only occur when using certain hiding spots and phone calls only work when scripted. The stamina feature also returns for “Escape” mode, causing the screen to flash and the character to topple over. Or they’ll topple over because…they tripped? When they’re on the ground they’re as good as dead.

Like the second game, NightCry features multiple playable characters, split into three parts with several “scenes” or stages each. You start the game as Monica, the blond from the promotional videos, for two scenes. Then, you’ll transition to Professor Leonard, an older gentleman, as he investigates for his two scenes. Finally, you’ll play as Rooney Simpson for six scenes, a brunette from one of the trailers. Despite Monica’s top tier billing, Rooney is clearly the star of this show.

Terror in Three Parts

While the concept of playing multiple characters is interesting, the pacing for the three chapters wildly varies. Monica’s chapter mirrors classic Clock Tower gameplay, set inside the long maze that is the Oceanius cruise ship. From its onset, Monica witnesses strange occurances that eventually lead to her confrontation with NightCry‘s new villian, the Scissorwalker. As she tries to make her escape, Monica is always either on the run or carefully investigating this gorey area.

Professor Leonard’s chapter, which directly follows, is the opposite. The suspense immediately comes to a halt as the player endures slow, boring dialogue just to reach the first stage. On the nearby island, he essentially uncovers the game’s plot. There’s no “Escape” mode here. Only a poorly implemented stealth sequence in which the professor must dodge flashlights you can barely see. Unfortunately even the game overs for this chapter don’t make sense or are duplicates. However, it does end on a suspense-packed high note.

Just as the suspense is rising, Rooney’s chapter returns it to a boring lull. Set earlier in the evening, the player must engage in more snail’s paced dialogue with the entire cast. NightCry finally attempts a cohesive plot using Rooney’s dynamics with Connie and Jerome, but are woefully underdeveloped. When we finally get to the action, we’re greeted with a huge multi-level area to run through. Unfortunately, this stage is only available for two out of the six scenes in her chapter.

The remainder of Rooney’s chapter consists of slow, linear scenes, most with no sign of the Scissorwalker. Those that do are often a single, scripted Scissorwalker event that is too brief to care about. On the bright side, we finally see the first two chapters properly wrapped up. Unfortunately this chapter leaves more questions for the player than answers. And an item meant to explain the plot is left untranslated in this version of the game.

Nothing Scarier than Bugs

NightCry does boast nice sound design that really heightens the tension, when you notice it. On the other hand, there are some sound effects you wish you didn’t notice, like the overused search noise. But overall, nothing on the soundtrack stands out quite like “Don’t Cry Jennifer” did. Just like the game’s pacing, the voice acting quality varies between characters. Whereas Connie, Monica, and Professor Leonard have passable acting, the final lines of the main villian are hysterically bad.

Unfortunately, many strange techincal oddities haunt the game, like Monica’s hair. You could easily criticize the graphics for being subpar, and you wouldn’t be wrong. However, you could overlook the graphics if it weren’t for the blurry textures, graphical bugs, and clunky physics. While the main characters can open their mouths to speak, supporting characters can’t seem to, even during close ups.

Then there’s the bug during Monica’s chapter where the item menu won’t appear, forcing you to create a new save. Loading screens that last so long that trophies will pop during them, spoiling the following cutscenes. The seemingly fixed game camera that often finds itself flailing between transitions, sometimes even into the floor. The lag, especially during fights with Scissorwalker, that make the game practically unplayable. And the fact that the game often crashes during transitions between stages. It all makes for a frustrating time.

What NightCry Could Have Been

Despite numerous allusions to the original Clock Tower, NightCry is a far cry from the brilliance of its predecessors. While marketed as a game with branching paths, NightCry is actually the most linear in the series.

The game often punishes the player for making the “wrong decision” with nonsensical early game overs. Part of the original Clock Tower‘s appeal came from how the game changed based on what the player tuned into. The first pivotal decision, who died and how Scissorman was introduced, depended on where the player looked first. And after that, which events triggered and who died could change radically from one playthrough to the next.

In the PlayStation sequel, Clock Tower, the player must decide very early on where to send an artifact. An arbitrary decision at first, later on the player realizes their choice altered the game’s plot. NightCry refuses to allow players to make these interesting and game altering decisions. The most you can decide is where you want Monica and Rooney to hide from Scissorwalker.

Because of the poor pacing, NightCry treads between two extremes; spoonfeeding the player exposition or leaving them in the dark. The game’s heights of suspense are soured by long, dialogue sequences that still fail to explain the plot. Most of it could have been integrated into the set pieces, rewarding meticulous players for investigating their surroundings.

For example, instead of Monica vommitting out her life story during Rooney’s chapter, it could’ve been hinted at while investigating her room. The ordering of the three chapters also could’ve been changed to introduce the plot first. Perhaps Rooney’s first scene would open the game, then cut straight to Monica and Professor Leonard. Instead what it leaves is a story that feels disjointed and confusing.

NightCry, A Crying Shame

For NightCry, the reoccuring theme appears to be that great ideas are left either underutilized or unfinished. Interesting mechanics, like phone calls or the quick time events never reach their potential. Even Scissorwalker, becomes far less frightening when you realize it only appears for half the game. And just like the game, a collection of talent feels completely unrealized.

NightCry is a hard sell of a game for anyone who isn’t a die hard Clock Tower fan. Worse still, the PS Vita version plays poorly on the system. However, avid trophy collectors looking for an easy Platinum will find themselves in luck.

Thanks to the scene select, collecting all endings, horrors, and dead ends should only take a few hours. Aside from a single missable event, every other trophy should unlock during normal gameplay.

For everyone else, at least there’s the Remothered series…right?