Clock Tower Ghost Head

Clock Tower Ghost Head (クロックタワーゴーストヘッド Kurokku Tawā Gōsuto Heddo or クロックタワーGH Kurottatā GH) released in America as Clock Tower II: The Struggle Within, is a survival horror point-and-click adventure game developed by Human Entertainment and released in 1998.

It is the third game in the Clock Tower series, and is considered a spin-off in its home country of Japan where it was not a numbered release. The story follows 17-year-old Yu Midoshima who suffers from multiple personality disorder with an alter ego named Shō. The player must guide Yu through various environments, altering between her normal and twisted personality, to uncover the secrets of her and her family's past.

In America, Clock Tower Ghost Head known as Clock Tower II: The Stuggle Within was met with negative reviews. Journalists heavily criticized the gameplay which they found to be poor due to its slow and dated point-and-click interface, as well its reliance on trial-and-error mechanics.

The story was criticized by some but found to be mature and creepy by others. Critics ultimately did not recommend the game except to those looking for an experience similar to Clock Tower (1996) and those looking for a game that, like a cult film, is flawed conventionally but redeemed by its willingness to stray from the mainstream.

In Japan, it seems to have a fanbase, and more popular than in America, as the fans tend to draw lots of fan art of it.

Gameplay
Following its predecessors, Clock Tower Ghost Head is a point-and-click adventure game with 3D graphics. The player can use either a standard PlayStation controller or mouse to control the protagonist, Yu Midoshima, through the game. The cursor will change shape when placed over certain objects, which the player can click to interact with.

Clicking in any location will guide Yu in that direction. Moving the cursor to the top of the screen will reveal the player's inventory. Clicking an item and then clicking an object on the screen will use the item on that object or in that location.

Yu starts the game with an amulet which keeps her alter ego, Shō, from emerging and controlling her. However, the amulet can be placed within cases or other containers. Without the amulet, Yu will become Shō if provoked with fear. To change back to Yu, the player needs to simply retrieve the amulet back. Some events can only be cleared as Shō and likewise some only as Yu. The choices the player makes as both Yu and Shō will change the scenario development and lead to one of 13 possible endings. When Yu is being chased or is in danger, the cursor will flash red. During this panic mode, the player must rapidly tap a button to escape. When escaping enemies, click points will appear on items or objects that Yu can use to fight back or hide from the enemy. Escape mode will not end until the enemy is repulsed or successfully evaded.

If playing as Shō, the player may use obtained weapons against the enemies. When equipped with a weapon, the cursor becomes a crosshair used to aim and shoot. The cursor will change color during panic mode from white, to yellow, and finally red to indicate the Yu's stamina. First aid kits can be used to reduce stamina by one level. If Yu's stamina reaches zero or the player fails a panic scenario, the screen will read "game over" and provide the player the option to restart from the last room they entered with one extra stamina level.

Plot
Clock Tower Ghost moves away from the story and setting in the two previous Clock Tower titles, and therefore was not a numbered title in Japan and is considered a spin-off. In the Japanese release, the game is set in Osaka. This was changed to California for the North American release. Yu Midoshima is a 17-year-old high school girl who is traveling to visit her father's friend, Hajime Takano, during the spring of 1999. Yu suffers from a multiple personality disorder shared with a soul inside her named Shō. She holds an amulet to keep Shō from taking over her mind.

When Yu arrives at the Takano's residence she discovers her cousin Chinatsu who attacks her with a knife and stalks her around the house. Yu finds Hajime, who gives her a statue and tells her to burn it because of the " Saidō Curse". Yu manages to throw the statue into a burning fireplace but loses consciousness. She later wakes up in a zombie-infested hospital and meets a detective named Hitoshi Ishizue, who saved Yu from the house. She explores the hospital, only to become overrun by zombies and faint again.

When Yu comes to, she finds that Hitoshi took her to a pharmaceutical lab. As she explores the lab, a man armed with a hatchet and wearing an oni mask begins to stalk her about. She later finds her father, Takashi, speaking with the stalker.

Takashi explains that Yu is not his daughter, but rather, the daughter of the man in the oni mask, Fushihito Saidō. He continues, saying how every few generations there are cursed twins born into the Saidō family; the family must immediately bury the twin babies alive and leave them to die to protect their family. Takashi, jealous of Fushihito's wealth, dug up the children with Hajime to spite him.

Yu was one of these twins and the other twin suffocated to death. Yu realizes that her twin was Shō, who transplanted his soul into her body. Takashi shoots Fushihito and demands Yu to escape before the building explodes. Yu escapes and watches the building burn from the hillside.

Endings
There are 13 different endings that range from A-M. There is different ways to receives all different endings depending on how the player plays the game. In some endings Yu, Shō, Hajime, and Yayoi dies.

Trivia

 * In the Japanese version, the setting is in Osaka, Japan. In the American version, the setting is Salinas, California.
 * The characters' names are all changed in the American version, giving them American names instead of Japanese names.
 * In a cutscene, if triggered, the player will hear Fantaisie-Impromptu playing on the piano in Akiyo's bedroom. This is reused in Clock Tower 3, which is played by May Norton.
 * There is a poster on Akiyo's wall in her bedroom, the poster has Jennifer Simpson on it. If the player clicks on it, Yu says "This isn't a game!"
 * There seems to be a lot of things in the story line that many people get confused about, as there isn't much explaining on somethings in the game.

Cheats

 * Milicana- At the title screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and start a game. Then, a power spell charm called Milicana with unlimited uses will be available as soon as the game begins. Only Shō can use this.


 * Extra Mode- Achieve an "A" ending rank to unlock an "Extra Mode" option on the title screen. This new mode contains selections for "Time Attack" and "Score Attack" mini-games.
 * Alternate School Uniform- At the title screen, hold L1 + R2 + Select + Triangle and start a game.
 * Sound Test- At the title screen, press Left, Circle, Down, Triangle, Right, Square, Up, X, L1, R2, L2, R1 + Start. Then, a "Sound Test" option will appear under "Option Mode".
 * View Character Biographies- Unlock all thirteen endings, then select "Pamphlet" mode. Now a new "Guide" option will allow data for each character to be displayed.

Merchandise

 * There is a comic like manga released about the game, which is featured in a guide book called Clock Tower ~ Ghost Head ~ Method To Capture Victory.
 * There is also other guide books released about the game.
 * A Drama CD was released, there is soundtracks from the game and dialogue.
 * A mousepad was also released. It features Yu and Shō.