Splatterhouse
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| Splatterhouse | |
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| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Designer(s) | A. Usukura |
| Platform(s) | Arcade TurboGrafx-16 FM Towns PC Virtual Console |
| Release date | Arcade 1988 1989TurboGrafx-16 April 6, 1990 April 21, 1990 March 16, 2007FM Towns 1992 |
| Genre(s) | Survival horror/Beat 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Input methods | 8-way Joystick, 2 buttons |
| Cabinet | Standard upright |
| Arcade system | Namco System 1 |
| Display | Raster 288 x 224 resolution (Horizontal) Palette Colors 5121 |
Splatterhouse (スプラッターハウス Supurattāhausu) is a beat 'em up arcade game, released by Namco in 1988. It is also subsequently the title of the entire series of games released in home console and personal computer format.
Splatterhouse and its sequels are considered a pioneering series in the horror genre of gaming, which would later lead to the creation of the genre known as "survival horror".
Due to its violent nature as well as some questionable enemies, the Turbografx-16 port of Splatterhouse had a "parental advisory warning" of sorts printed on the front of the box.
Namco Bandai has announced a next-gen adaptation to reboot the franchise to be developed by Bottlerocket Entertainment.
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[edit] Story
The game takes place in West Mansion (nicknamed the "Splatterhouse") where a parapsychologist, Dr. West, is rumoured to have conducted bizarre experiments. Dr. West has subsequently disappeared. Two university students — the series main character, Rick Taylor, and his girlfriend Jennifer Wills — visit the house for a school project, when a sudden thunderstorm causes them to seek shelter inside the mansion.
Inside, a scuffle with unseen enemies occurs, and Rick is knocked unconscious and left for dead, while Jennifer is kidnapped. While Rick is unconscious, the "Terror Mask" (sometimes referred to as the "Hell Mask", commonly shortened to just "The Mask") attaches itself to him. Rick wakes and finds that he cannot remove the Mask, which he recognises as an ancient Mayan sacrificial mask from West’s documents he had been studying. Discovering it gives him incredible strength, he decides to take advantage of its power and use it to rescue Jennifer. All of this information is given in the instruction manual for the TurboGrafx-16 port; there are no in-game cutscenes that illustrate any of these events.
When Rick does find Jennifer at the end of the fifth level, she turns into a giant monster with claws, giving the impression that she has somehow been mutated. This is later proven false by Splatterhouse 2, when it is revealed that the real Jennifer has been imprisoned in the Crystal in the Void, and that the Jennifer that transformed was a fake.
The story ends with Rick defeating the womb that creates the monsters fought throughout the levels. He then escapes from the burning West Mansion, and ultimately fights one last monster. Following its defeat, the Mask breaks from Rick's face and Rick leaves (in the arcade version of the game, it is seen to reform and cackle). No indication is made of any forthcoming sequel during the end of the game, but Namco did create Splatterhouse 2 in 1992.
[edit] Ports
Splatterhouse was released in various home version ports on the TurboGrafx-16, FM Towns and PC.
Though the Japanese PC-Engine (Japanese name of the TurboGrafx-16) version of the game remains largely unedited, the Western TurboGrafx-16 version features a number of changes, as well as standard changes for an arcade port at the time, caused by the less-powerful hardware of the console (loss of graphical detail, removal of some sounds). They include the following:
- The introduction cut scene is shortened and Jennifer's scream is removed.
- The Terror Mask is changed from a white hockey mask to a red mask with black accents. This is to keep Rick from looking too much like Jason Voorhees. The mask became more skull-like in later games.
- The first weapon in Stage 1 is changed from a meat cleaver to a 2x4.
- A general toning down of violence and gore. For instance, less blood comes from enemies when they are smashed against walls. The gruesome sound effects were also toned down.
- All references to the Stage 4 boss area being a church are removed, including the altar.
- "Evil Cross", the boss of Stage 4 is totally replaced with a new enemy, "Evil Sleep", and his heads are renamed "The Nightmares" (only three of the original six in the arcade game are present) and the weapon for the boss is changed from an axe to a gold meat cleaver, the only cleaver in the game.
- The death of the womb boss of Stage 6 is changed from a graphic spilling of embryonic fluids into a generic fiery explosion.
- The final boss uses different attacks.
- The final boss grave is changed from a wooden cross to a tombstone.
- The end cut scene is changed from the original arcade ending, in which the mask breaks from Rick's face, followed by a shot of him walking away from the burning mansion and an additional cut scene showing the mask reform and laugh. The ending in the TurboGrafx-16 version only shows the Mask explode, followed by a picture of West Mansion burning while the credits roll, and finally a large red and orange "End" is displayed.
The TG-16 version was also released on the Wii's Virtual Console in Europe on March 16, 2007 and in North America three days later on March 19, 2007. The version of the game ported to the Wii Virtual Console is the Western TurboGrafx-16 port; therefore it is the "censored" version as opposed to the "uncensored" original arcade game.
The FM Towns version, ported by Ving Co. and released only in Japan in 1992, is a pixel-perfect rendition of the original arcade, with no substantial changes apart from a new menu interface in the title screen.
There was also an LCD handheld version released, but it is not a port of either games. It is considered to be an original Splatterhouse game in and of itself, though many elements in it are similar to the original game. Also of interest is the fact that the LCD game's title is "Splatter House", instead of the conventional "Splatterhouse".
[edit] Gameplay
Splatterhouse is a sidescrolling action/adventure game in which the player controls Rick, a parapsychology student who is trapped inside West Mansion (aka "Splatterhouse"). After his resurrection by the Terror Mask, Rick must make his way through the house, fighting off hordes of creatures in an attempt to save Jennifer from a grisly fate.
The gameplay works very much in the style of side-scrolling beat'em ups in that Rick can jump and has a Punch Attack, a Kick Attack, and a Special Attack, in this case a drop kick that sends him skidding along the ground a short distance, killing 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. Rather than the more typical style of scrolling fighter (ie. Final Fight, Streets of Rage), the playing field in Splatterhouse is a flat plane where the player walks left and right but not forwards or backwards into the screen, in the fashion of Kung-Fu Master. This does however allow for up and down on the joystick to perform additional low punch and kick attacks.
[edit] Sequels
[edit] External links
- Splatterhouse at the Killer List of Videogames
- West Mansion: The Splatterhouse Homepage - An extensive fansite
- Compmike19's Splatterhouse Page
- Splatterhouse series at MobyGames
- The Arcade History Database entry on the game
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