Splatterhouse

Timed NEC exclusive

Splatterhouse is a sidescrolling beat 'em up video game in which the player controls Rick, a parapsychology student 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. Players of this game will also recognize a number of western horror film influences, such as Friday the 13th and Evil Dead 2.

Released: 1988
Platforms: Arcade FM Towns Nintendo Switch PlayStation Store TurboGrafx-16 TurboGrafx-16 Wii Windows
Genres: Arcade Beat 'em up Horror
Developers: Namco
Publishers: Namco
Series: Splatterhouse
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Action Horror
Country: Japan
Age ratings: ESRB T PEGI 12 CERO B
Languages: English

About

Splatterhouse is a 1988 beat 'em up video game developed and published by Namco for arcades. It was the first in a series of games released in home console and personal computer formats. This game would later spawn the parody Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti, the sequels Splatterhouse 2, Splatterhouse 3, and the 2010 remake Splatterhouse, with the classic games being added to Namco Museum since 2017.

The game is notable for its disturbing subject matter and graphic violence, which was heavily emphasized in its marketing; for example, the TurboGrafx-16 port of Splatterhouse had a faux parental advisory warning printed on the front of the box that read, "The horrifying theme of this game may be inappropriate for young children... and cowards."

›Story

Two college students, 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 the dungeon of the mansion to discover that he is still alive thanks to the influence of the "Terror Mask", or in some versions, 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 giant, 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, staying there for 45 seconds, with the word "END" appearing on the bottom right corner of the screen.

Keywords

ghosts
bloody
death
hand-to-hand combat
brawler
action-adventure
side-scrolling
religion
undead
digital distribution
virtual console
original soundtrack release

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

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.

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 "Terror 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.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Splatterhouse as the sixth most popular arcade game of December 1988. Following its European release at the ATEI show in January 1989, Computer and Video Games gave the arcade version a positive review.

Splatterhouse received positive reviews upon release, with praise for its graphics, music and general gameplay. It is also known for its graphic violence, which was inspired by classic '80s horror movies. The game did receive some criticism for its lack of variety and simplistic nature, but it was otherwise praised for being challenging.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

Platform	Released	Regions
Arcade	1 November 1988	Japan
TurboGrafx-16	3 April 1990	Japan
FM Towns	31 December 1992	Japan
Windows	9 April 2004	Japan
Wii	16 March 2007	Europe · North America 19 March 2007 · Japan 3 July 2007 · Australia 20 July 2007

Editions and related releases

Included in: Namco MuseumNamco Museum Mini PlayerTurboGrafx-16 MiniPC Engine MiniPac-Man's Pixel Bash
Ported as: SplatterhouseArcade Archives: Splatter House
Remade as: Splatterhouse
Built on it: Splatterhouse