When it comes to horror movies, the 1980s were the golden years. Tongue-in-cheek humour splashed across a gore-infused plot that is usually very silly. More sensationalism than genuine scare fests but entertaining all the same. When I was asked to review Splatterhouse for this issue, my thoughts instantly went to chuckling at ridiculous deaths at the hands of some masked madmen. Maybe I am sadistic or borderline insane, but I really like the excitement of over-the-top movies from the 80s.
Splatterhouse, a straightforward beat ’em-up from Namco, was released late in 1989 throughout Japan. A Western release followed later in 1989. The TurboGrafx and PC Engine versions were watered down, losing much of the violence and gore. So because of that, I am concentrating on the original arcade game for this review. After all, how can a horror game without blood, gore and a meat cleaver be any good?
Apparently, there is a story in Splatterhouse. Suffice it to say, you play a guy who is trapped in a haunted mansion. A magical mask, Jason Voorhees style, has been plastered to your face, and you must escape the evil clutches of the mansion. There is a smart twist about halfway through the seven levels where you actually kill your girlfriend after she becomes possessed. But overall, the story is nothing more than filler to explain why you must slaughter a horde of monsters before making your escape.
If games were critiqued solely on presentation, then Splatterhouse would score well. The graphics are bold with lots of blood, slime and horror. Huge sprites fill the screen, and the set pieces bring the haunted mansion to life. Each area looks fantastic with a good variety of enemies and traps to overcome. The animations of the monsters as they fall to pieces after you beat them is one of the stand-out aspects that helps Splatterhouse look the part.
It is just not the graphics that create that horror feeling; the music and sound effects are eerie enough to add to the horrific surroundings. As you slowly progress through each stage, the screams and thuds complement the action superbly. The typical organ-style background music you would expect from a horror game is laid out cleverly. Firmly in the back seat for most gameplay but thrust to the front when a boss appears or a set-piece opens up.
The level of violence is another aspect that needs celebrating. Before Splatterhouse, most horror-style games were cartoonish in their depiction of blood and horrific acts. I’m not saying Splatterhouse has true realism, but given the technology in 1988, the detail to the gore is very accomplished. Clever sprite work and attention to detail in the animation allowed Namco to bring all that 80’s horror goodness to life. The monsters you face will spill their guts as they disintegrate and rot away. Great stuff!
Although the presentation is right up there with some of the best arcade titles, the gameplay is where Splatterhouse starts to falter. If this game had been released five years earlier, it would be hailed as a masterpiece, but the basic attacks and linear
gameplay seemed tired in late 1988. It is fun though, hacking your way through the monster hordes with wooden planks and machetes is great…for a while. With only seven levels, all playing out exactly the same, it lacks gameplay variety.
Splatterhouse is dependent on its set pieces that pop up every so often. A room full of poltergeists throwing chairs and knives at you, a giant straw man with chainsaws for arms, you get the idea. If it were not for these nail-biting moments spread throughout the game, it would become very tedious very quickly. Every level is just walking right, hacking at ghouls and nasties, jumping over a spiked trap, rinse repeat. It seems an unfair criticism aimed at an 80s arcade game. However, when you consider Shinobi had been released a year earlier, you get some idea of how far arcade games had come.
When playing through Splatterhouse, I got the feeling that most of the effort had been placed into recreating the 80s horror feel. And it is a great horror game. It just lacks depth and variety in the gameplay. But when I think about it…How many horror movies from the ’80s have any real depth? Maybe there is a clever irony that while Splatterhouse falls down on the gameplay, it excels in the gore and sensationalism it is trying to capture.
This article was written by RetroFaith and published initially in Fusion magazine #27.
