PCE

Splatterhouse

A horror-themed beat 'em up where players control Rick, a man resurrected by the Terror Mask, as he battles through a monster-infested mansion to rescue his girlfriend Jennifer. Known for its graphic violence and B-movie horror aesthetic.

Release Date
January 1, 1990
Developer
Namco
Publisher
Namco
Players
1
Region
US

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Story

Two students at the local university, Rick Taylor and Jennifer Willis, take refuge from a storm in West Mansion, a local landmark known as "Splatterhouse", for the rumors of hideous experiments purportedly conducted there by Dr. West, a renowned and missing parapsychologist. As they enter the mansion and the door shuts behind them, Jennifer screams. Rick awakens in a dungeon under the mansion having been resurrected thanks to the influence of the "Hell Mask", a Mayan sacrificial artifact from West's house which is capable of sentient thought.

The mask attaches itself to Rick, fusing with his body and transforming him into a monster with superhuman strength. With the mask's encouragement, Rick goes on a rampage through the dungeon and the mansion grounds, killing hordes of monsters. Inside the mansion, Rick finds Jennifer, prone on a couch and surrounded by a throng of creatures that retreat upon his arrival. After their departure, Jennifer transforms into a slightly taller, fanged monster that attempts to kill Rick while begging him for help.

Rick is forced to kill Jennifer, who transforms back to normal and thanks him before she dies. Infuriated, Rick tracks the remaining monsters to a giant, bloody hole in the mansion's floor. Upon entering it, Rick discovers that the mansion itself is alive. He follows a bloody hallway to the house's "womb", which produces fetus-like monsters that attack him.

Rick destroys the womb, which causes the house to burst into flames as it "dies". Escaping the burning mansion, Rick comes across a grave marker. The Terror Mask releases energy into the grave, reviving a giant monster named "Hell Chaos" that claws its way up from the earth and attempts to kill Rick. Rick destroys the creature, which unleashes a tormented ghost that dissipates into a series of bright lights.

As the lights vanish, the mask shatters, turning Rick back to normal, and he flees as the house burns to the ground and the credits roll. However, after he leaves and the credits end, the Terror Mask reassembles itself and laughs evilly for several seconds as the word "END" appears in the bottom right corner of the screen.

Gameplay Systems

Splatterhouse is an arcade-style sidescrolling beat 'em up with platform elements in which the player controls Rick, a parapsychology college major who is trapped inside West Mansion. After his resurrection by the Terror Mask, Rick makes his way through the mansion, fighting off hordes of creatures in a vain attempt to save his girlfriend Jennifer from a grisly fate. The game is influenced by western horror films, such as Friday the 13th , Evil Dead II , Poltergeist , Rejuvenatrix , and Parasite , as well as imagery inspired by the works of horror writer H. P.

Lovecraft such as Herbert West–Reanimator . Similar to many sidescrolling beat 'em up games, Rick can only move in a two-dimensional environment. He has the ability to jump and can punch and kick. Rick also has a Special Attack, where he will perform a dropkick that sends him skidding along the ground, damaging any enemies he hits.

Rick can also perform a low kick, low punch, and jumping attacks, as well as pick up and use various weapons placed in the levels. All of the levels consist of walking left to right, with occasional auto-scrolling segments. However, alternative pathways through sections of the house are possible by falling down through holes or jumping up onto ladders. In this way, branching gameplay is possible, if only prevalent in the middle levels.

Levels culminate in boss fights that take place in a single room. Unlike traditional sidescrolling fighters, boss fights have varying objectives and styles. Unlike most arcade games in the genre, Splatterhouse sends players back to checkpoints after losing lives or receiving a game over, discouraging "credit feeding" as a method of overcoming the various challenges.

Media Reviews

IGN
6.5/10
GameSpot
4.7/10

About Splatterhouse

Splatterhouse is a classic video game released for the PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16 on January 1, 1990. Developed by Namco and published by Namco, this title has become a beloved entry in the retro gaming library.

This wiki entry provides comprehensive information about Splatterhouse, including release details, gameplay information, and story synopsis. Whether you're looking to revisit a childhood favorite or discover classic games for the first time, Emulator Games Wiki has you covered.

Some information sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 3.0.