Splatterhouse
System: TG-16
Release Date: August 1990
Developer: Namco
Publisher: NEC
Genre: Action
Take out a mansion full of abominations to save your girl in Splatterhouse! Dr. West’s mansion is a research lab full of gruesome experiments and has been given the titular nickname. Our main character, Rick and his girlfriend Jennifer visit the mansion as part of a school project. Darkness suddenly fell, a scuffle commenced, and when Rick awoke covered in blood, Jennifer was gone. As he got to his feet, he realized his face was covered by the Terror Mask. Armed with the new strength and courage brought by the mask, it’s up to you to traverse the mansion and save Jennifer… before it’s too late.
We have a side scrolling action game. Rick jumps with Button I and punches and kicks with Button II. There’s also a slide kick that is tricky to pull off, but effective. Jump and hold the diagonal down and the direction you’re moving and press Button II just before Rick touches the ground. (7:50) Enemies enter the screen and have to be attacked before they can get you. Your life bar has five hearts and one is lost each time Rick is hit. If you die, it’s back to the last checkpoint. If you lose all of your lives, you can continue up to five times.
Some levels feature weapons that you can pick up to bash your enemies with. These are satisfying to wield. Smashing the zombies into the wall with the 2×4 is fun. The shotgun is incredibly useful to defeat the boss in its level. Each weapon is only good for the level you pick it up on and others may only have one use.
Levels are typically straightforward, but there are opportunities to take alternate paths. This may make your life easier or more difficult based on your preferences, but doesn’t change the experience of the game. What I didn’t like were the spiky mine balls in the water level. Sometimes it felt like the jump was not strong enough to clear them.
Each level ends with a boss battle. These may take some trial and error to learn their patterns, but are generally easy. Except for chainsaw hands… you’d better have multiple shotguns to take him down. Most of them try to catch you off guard with a last ditch attempt to kill you after you’ve won. (45:35) The boss of Stage V tries to trick you into not fighting it, but you’re no fool! The final boss isn’t very difficult after you try fighting it once, and then you get to set the Splatterhouse on fire!
Graphics: 3.0
Sprites, animations, and enemies all look really good.
Sound: 3.0
Music and sound effects are pleasant enough and I find Rick’s screams funny.
Gameplay: 3.0
Run, jump, and fight. Avoid obstacles and survive to beat the bosses.
Difficulty: 3.0
Enemies spawn at set points and have specific patterns. You can earn extra lives by scoring enough points.
Fun Factor: 3.5
I had a lot of fun beating everything up.
Overall Rating: 3.1
Splatterhouse earns a B. This is a solid title that you should definitely play and enjoy. It’s not a super long game and keeps you engaged while you’re playing.