Splatterhouse
Developer(s)	Namco
Publisher(s)	Namco
Designer(s)	A. A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual that creates Video games A developer may specialize in a certain video is an amusement company based in Japan, best known overseas for Video games development is an amusement company based in Japan, best known overseas for Video games development A "game designer" is a person who designs Video games or one who designs traditional games such as Board games Video Games Designer A video game designer Usukura
Platform(s)	Arcade TurboGrafx-16 FM Towns PC Virtual Console
Release date	Arcade 1988 1989 TurboGrafx-16 April 6, 1990 April 21, 1990 March 16, 2007 FM 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. In Computing, a platform describes some sort of Hardware architecture or Software framework (including Application frameworks, that allows An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in businesses such as Restaurants Pubs Video arcades and Family Entertainment The, known as TurboGrafx-16 in the USA is a Video game console developed by the Nippon Electric Company (NEC and released in Japan on October The FM Towns Marty was a Video game console released in 1991 by Fujitsu, exclusively for the Japanese market A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated Virtual Console, sometimes abbreviated as VC, is a specialized section of the Wii Shop Channel, an online service that allows players to purchase and download Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Events 597 BC - Babylonians capture Jerusalem, replace Jehoiachin with Zedekiah as king Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) See also [[Game classification]] Video games are categorized into Genres based on their Gameplay interaction Survival horror is a video game genre inspired by fictional Horror films in which the player's primary objective is to survive and/or escape a threat typical of horror In video gaming, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling The Namco System 1 16-bit Arcade system board was first used by Namco in April 1987 and was a major enhancement to the previous Namco System 86 arcade system An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in businesses such as Restaurants Pubs Video arcades and Family Entertainment is an amusement company based in Japan, best known overseas for Video games development Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) It is also subsequently the title of the entire series of games released in home console and personal computer format. A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated

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". Survival horror is a video game genre inspired by fictional Horror films in which the player's primary objective is to survive and/or escape a threat typical of 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.

Story

The game takes place in West Mansion (nicknamed the "Splatterhouse") where a parapsychologist, Dr. Parapsychology is a discipline that seeks to demonstrate the existence and causes of Psychic abilities and life after death using the Scientific method 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. is a fictional character acting as the protagonist of the Splatterhouse series of video games by Namco.

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. The Maya civilization is a Mesoamerican Civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the Pre-Columbian Americas 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. The, known as TurboGrafx-16 in the USA is a Video game console developed by the Nippon Electric Company (NEC and released in Japan on October

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. Splatterhouse 2 is a sidescrolling action / Survival horror video game released in 1992 on the Sega Genesis home video game console

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. Splatterhouse 2 is a sidescrolling action / Survival horror video game released in 1992 on the Sega Genesis home video game console

Ports

Splatterhouse was released in various home version ports on the TurboGrafx-16, FM Towns and PC. The, known as TurboGrafx-16 in the USA is a Video game console developed by the Nippon Electric Company (NEC and released in Japan on October The FM Towns Marty was a Video game console released in 1991 by Fujitsu, exclusively for the Japanese market A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated

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. A cut scene is a sequence in a Video game over which the player has little or no control often breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot present
• The Terror Mask is changed from a white hockey mask to a red mask with black accents. Hockey is any of a family of Sports in which two teams compete by trying to maneuver a Ball, or a hard round rubber or heavy plastic disc called a puck This is to keep Rick from looking too much like Jason Voorhees. Appearances 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 cleaver is a large Knife that varies in its shape but usually resembles a square-bladed Hatchet.
• 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 axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape split and cut Wood, Harvest timber, as a Weapon
• 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. A cut scene is a sequence in a Video game over which the player has little or no control often breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot present 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. Virtual Console, sometimes abbreviated as VC, is a specialized section of the Wii Shop Channel, an online service that allows players to purchase and download 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".

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"). A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a Video game in which the Gameplay action is viewed from a side-view 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. is a 1989 beat-'em-up Arcade game released by Capcom. The game was directed by Akira Nishitani and Akira Yasuda and originally produced for the The Streets of Rage series, known as the Bare Knuckle series in Japan (ベア・ナックル Bea Nakkuru) is a well-known Beat 'em up The fictional character Shang-Chi is also known as The Master of Kung Fu This does however allow for up and down on the joystick to perform additional low punch and kick attacks.

Sequels

• Splatterhouse 2
• Splatterhouse 3
• Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti
• Splatterhouse

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