Clock Tower, Tomba And Other Lost Classics To Be Republished

18 Comments | clock tower, gex, limited run, Limited Run Games, retro ganes, tomba | By Peter Paltridge | July 12, 2023 | 2 minutes of reading

One of the big announcements made by Limited Run Games this afternoon was the formation of a subsidiary devoted solely to remastering and reissuing older games for the new market. They’re calling this company “Carbon Engine” and they revealed some pretty big titles to start off with.

The biggest is the translation and release of the SNES horror game Clock Tower, regarded as revolutionary and highly influential to its genre — yet until now, unreleased in its original form outside of Japan. Capcom declined to translate the Super Famicom version, and though remakes of the game have appeared in the US and elsewhere, the only way you could experience the original Clock Tower was a ROM with a translation patch made by a fan.

In Clock Tower you play as a young girl trapped in a mansion and stalked by a figure wielding a giant pair of scizzors. The figure is slow, but so are you, and when you hear his footsteps, your choices are usually either running or hiding. The key to survival involves solving puzzles and finding a way out, much like in Resident Evil and every other horror game Clock Tower influenced.

Carbon Engine is also resurrecting Tomba! This Playstation 1 classic and its sequel didn’t sell well on the original machine, but is highly sought after now. eBay prices have long been unaffordable and it needed a re-release ages ago. LRG to the rescue! Hopefully they’ll do the sequel as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwp-Fu2t7Tg

Before either of those will be released, the first LRG physical with the Carbon Engine brand will be Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection, a bundling of every 8-bit and 16-bit game that capitalized on the craze surrounding the 1993 film. Believe me, there was a lot. Preorders will open for physical copies on modern platforms September 1.

Finally, Carbon Engine is remastering all three Gex games released during the 32-bit era and publishing them as Gex Trilogy. I’m sure someone will be into it. Gex was playing with fire here by leading people to believe this was a new physical for Goldeneye.

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Dwight in a Box

Member

134 messages 1 like

#1 Jul 12, 2023

One of my all-time favorite games. Even if it's just a port, I'm glad to see an official English release because it means that many more people will discover this series for the first time. I feel it will appeal to a modern horror gaming audience since it was so far ahead of its time. I never thought the day would come... This game is still worth playing today because it played an important role in the creation of the survival horror subgenre.

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Loki

New Member

16 messages 0 likes

#2 Jul 12, 2023

Scissor Man should become a killer in Dead by Daylight!

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X3L-7N1

Cosmical

23 messages 1 like

#3 Jul 12, 2023

They should add voice acting!

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Julia Voth Fan

Residence of Evil

150 messages 4 likes

#4 Jul 12, 2023

There is a spiritual successor of Clock Tower created by the original maker and its called Night Cry. it was funded in Kickstarter but the final product is sadly lackluster.There are numerous examples of games that received significant financing from Kickstarter thanks to nostalgic appeal yet ended up being subpar or utterly broken. Only Bloodstained comes to mind as an arguably successful game among NightCry, Yooka-Laylee, and Mighty No. 9. Since crowdfunded games and Kickstarter in general were once hailed as the future of independent game production, I'd love to learn more about their rise and collapse. The original Clocktower lacks the technology and budget but it is such a classic,

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RedRooster

Cock-a-doodle-doo

74 messages 12 likes

#5 Jul 12, 2023

The news about the translation and release of Clock Tower has really caught my attention. I can't believe that such an influential horror game has been unavailable outside of Japan until now. I'm excited to finally experience the original version and immerse myself in its chilling atmosphere.

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Fantasyref

The Final Referee

70 messages 2 likes

#6 Jul 12, 2023

Tomba! is another gem from the past that is getting a well-deserved second chance. I remember playing it on the Playstation 1, and despite its initial lackluster sales, it has gained a dedicated following over the years. It's great to see Limited Run Games stepping in to re-release it

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Pyramid Head

Executioner

34 messages 2 likes

#7 Jul 12, 2023

If you think about it, Dead by Daylight is like a multiplayer Clock Tower.

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Ethan Summers

Stupid Manthing

39 messages 0 likes

#8 Jul 12, 2023

Limited Run Games and Carbon Engine seem to have a deep appreciation for gaming history, and I love that they're committed to preserving and reissuing these lost classics. It's refreshing to see older games getting the attention they deserve. I appreciate their efforts in making these games accessible once again, allowing both longtime fans and newcomers to enjoy the magic of these timeless titles.

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