Game Review: Splatterhouse

Review: Splatterhouse (Arcade)

Time to roll back the years with this one. Back in 1988 Namco released this classic side scrolling beat ‘em up. I wasn’t even ten years old at the time but I remember it well. The game begins with student couple, Rick and Jennifer, making their way through woodland on a stormy night before taking refuge in West Mansion, a.k.a Splatterhouse. Sounds like a nice holiday resort, right? Think again. The mansion is home to Dr West who is rumoured to have been instigating some peculiar experiments. This turns out to be the case when Rick is mortally wounded by demons and Jennifer abducted. Don’t despair though. Rick is revived by the magical Terror Mask which leaves him resembling Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th franchise, hockey mask and all.

Now revived, you take charge of Rick who has to work his way through the mansion, battling an assortment of demons and gruesome experiments. Rick can punch, kick, or rely on some useful weapons such as iron bars, meat cleavers and even a shotgun at one point. The levels are welcome in their variety with Rick starting in a dungeon before making his way through the mansion, through a sewer and even back outside in the rain. Every now and again you will come up against a tough boss that takes some wearing down but our resourceful hero isn’t short of a few tricks when he needs them. It’s not just the demons you have to worry about though. The mansion itself is your own worst enemy with a series of obstacles to overcome and never trust the furniture because it doesn’t often stay still for long.

Despite its age Splatterhouse still looks good. The musical segments that accompany each level are all great and add to the general eerie feeling of the mansion. You can’t beat games like this one that were so prevalent at the arcades. As horror goes it doesn’t come across as unnerving as it did when I was younger but it’s still a less than pleasant stay in the mansion. Befitting the dark storyline, the ending is surprisingly downbeat and there is no reprieve for Rick who was to return in a series of sequels to this one.

Splatterhouse remains a memorable beat ‘em up, drawing on influences from horror films that had gone before. Though it’s a brief experience the journey of Rick is still one worth taking. There are no cliche happy endings here, just a brutal path through one bizarre and twisted mansion.

Verdict: 4/5

About the Author:

I was born in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England and have always been a bookworm and enjoyed creative writing at school.

In 1999 I created the Elencheran Chronicles and have been writing ever since. My first novel, Fezariu’s Epiphany, was published in May 2011. When not writing I’m a lover of films, games, books and blogging.

I now live in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with my wife, Donna, and our six cats – Kain, Razz, Buggles, Charlie, Bilbo and Frodo.

David M. Brown – who has written 857 posts on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave.

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