Splatterhouse was a 1988 side-scrolling, ass-kicker of a game where you played out every teen age horror boy’s fantasy. You are trapped in a haunted mansion and trying to save your too-hot-for-you girlfriend from demonic creatures. Through three games, Rick Taylor and his girl Jennifer battled the creatures of West Mansion as well as the demonic Terror Mask. Simple and entertaining. Why not bring it back? That’s exactly what Namco thought when it brought the classic back for the next generation with a full on reboot.
Namco hired Bottlerocket to design the game and they went to work…sort of. They spent a lot of money on pre-production art that doesn’t even go into the game. They changed more recognizable aspects of the series to fit a mold closer to what they were used to without ever realizing that each game has a recognizable footprint. Namco eventual pulled the game from them and redeveloped it in house.
The all-new version was a big budget version of the original game. The set-up was awesome and cinematic, the music was eerie and moody, and the action was non-stop. Not only all this, but the game had a lot of little extras for horror fans. Scattered throughout the levels, are “Easter eggs” for true horror fans. Ash (Evil Dead), Chucky (Child’s Play), Freddy Krugger (A Nightmare on Elm St.), and C.H.U.D. all make appearances in one form or another, and that’s not even all of them. You also find pieces of torn up photos of Jennifer throughout the game, assembling them as you go. Sure it’s a cheap digital thrill, but on the other hand, it serves to remind the player of what you’re fighting for. It also gives us a little of her personality, since we don’t spend much time with her before she is taken.
The game doesn’t try to be more than it is and I appreciate that. It’s basically Rick wandering large mansions spilling blood in the name of love. A couple of levels even feature a side-scrolling format just for fans of the original series.
Splatterhouse is one of those games that seemed to have everything going for it and instead died a fiery death. It had designs by Uber artist Simon Bisley, a soundtrack by some of Hardcore’s biggest bands including Five Finger Death Punch, and tie-in’s with Globe Skate Shoes and Skateboards to boot. It checked all the boxes for its intended audience.
This is a game with a strong following dating back to the 1980s who still want to bash skulls today. What happened to the rebirth of this great horror franchise?
The game, like a good horror film, left us wanting more and maybe someday, we’ll get it once again. Until that time, evil will lie quietly, trapped in a mask, locked in a box, waiting to be revisited again. Have you ever played Splatterhouse? Were you a fan and what did you think of the reboot? Let us know below…
