History VideoGame / Splatterhouse

* {{Fanservice}}: [[http://www.ripten.com/2010/12/03/jen-picture-guide-mauler/ In the 2010 remake, one of the collectable items is pictures of Jennifer either dressed, half dressed or just plain naked.]] (Link {{NSFW}}!)

WebVideo/TheHappyVideoGameNerd, a huge fan of the series, reviewed both [[http://retrowaretv.com/happy-video-game-nerd-splatterhouse-retrospective/ the original trilogy]] (done before the announcement of the 2010 game) and [[http://retrowaretv.com/happy-video-game-nerd-splatterhouse-2010/ the 2010 remake]]; in preparation for the latter, he also released [[http://retrowaretv.com/gettin-super-nerdy-splatterhouse-arcade-vs-turbografx-16/ a comparison of the first game's arcade release and TurboGrafx-16 port]]. ''Splatterhouse'' fan-site [[http://splatterhouse.kontek.net/ "The West Mansion"]] also has a load of information about the entire series and a collection of fan creations.

''Splatterhouse'' is series of BeatEmUp games, created by Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment. Players control the protagonist Rick Taylor as he fights against diabolical supernatural forces in a struggle to save the woman he loves (and, in ''Splatterhouse 3'', his son). Rick has a constant companion throughout this freak show of demented demons: the Terror Mask, an ancient artifact that confers great and terrible powers upon anyone who wears it--and seems to have a [[ArtifactOfDoom mind of]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide its own]].

The ''Splatterhouse'' series of BeatEmUp games, created by Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment, gives players control of protagonist Rick Taylor as he fights against diabolical supernatural forces in a struggle to save the woman he loves (and, in ''Splatterhouse 3'', his son). Rick has a constant companion throughout this freak show of demented demons: the Terror Mask, an ancient artifact that confers great and terrible powers upon anyone who wears it--and seems to have a [[ArtifactOfDoom mind of]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide its own]].

* OneUp: In the third game, you can find hidden rooms that leads to books that gives Rick an extra lives.

*** The game packed in references to the works of Lovecraft: in Chapter Six, a monstrous beast resting in a tank towards the end of the level looks a lot like Cthulhu; several spells and prayers spoken by Dr. West -- himself, a reference [[Film/ReAnimator Herbert West]] -- mention "Chtulhu fhtagn" and "Shub-Niggurath"; sharp-eyed players can spot other minor references to Cthulhu in the backgrounds of several stages, such as a piece of wall decor in Chapter 11; and Jennifer and Rick attend a university located in Arkham, the fictional city featured in numerous Lovecraft stories.

Namco also published ''Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti'' ("Naughty Graffiti"), a [[WidgetSeries bizarre]] and [[LighterAndSofter wacky]] prequel for the {{Famicom}} that features SuperDeformed versions of the game's characters and parodies of numerous horror films (and their associated tropes).

The ''Splatterhouse'' series of BeatEmUp games, created by Creator/{{Namco|Bandai}}, gives players control of protagonist Rick Taylor as he fights against diabolical supernatural forces in a struggle to save the woman he loves (and, in ''Splatterhouse 3'', his son). Rick has a constant companion throughout this freak show of demented demons: the Terror Mask, an ancient artifact that confers great and terrible powers upon anyone who wears it--and seems to have a [[ArtifactOfDoom mind of]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide its own]].

The ''Splatterhouse'' series of BeatEmUp games, created by Creator/{{Namco|Bandai}}, gives players control of protagonist Rick Taylor as he fights against diabolical supernatural forces in a struggle to save the woman he loves (and, in ''Splatterhouse 3'', his son). Rick has a constant companion throughout this freak show of demented demons: the Terror Mask, an ancient artifact that confers great and terrible powers upon anyone who ears it--and seems to have a [[ArtifactOfDoom mind of]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide its own]].

Namco released the first ''Splatterhouse'' in arcades; in the United States, its graphic violence sparked a media frenzy from MoralGuardians, which got the game pulled from arcades. The game's later release on the TurboGrafx16 received some {{Bowdleri|se}}zation to avoid the same fate; later games did not get such treatment, as the relative obscurity of ''Splatterhouse'' spared the port and its sequels from the crosshairs of the early 1990s "violence in video games" moral panic spawned by ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' and ''VideoGame/NightTrap''. (That the first three ''Splatterhouse'' games featured no real human foes to beat up probably helped, too.)

* AdultFear: The third game of the original series has fun with the kind of situations that many adults are terrified of happening. Two of the game's objectives are to rescue Rick's wife Jennifer and their son David. They can only be rescued by making it to the end of levels two and four respectively as quickly as possible. Depending on whether you save both of them, only one, or neither of them, the game ends on a positive note with Rick being reunited with his family, or results in one of three possible {{Downer Ending}}s where either Rick is a widower who has to raise his son alone, Rick and Jennifer are bereaved parents, or Rick is left alone after losing both his wife and his son.

->''"When a knife is thrown at Rick, what does he do? FUCKING PUNCHES IT, that's what! When was the last time ''you'' punched a knife -- ''fist-to-blade'' -- and it was ''the knife'' that lost? Yeah, that's ''never'' happened, 'cause you ain't as badass as Rick! Rick will fuck you up!"''

* ImAHumanitarian: "The Children consume human flesh with much relish. I tried it once. It was not to my taste."[[note]]What, the human flesh, or the relish?[[/note]]

In the '''''Splatterhouse''''' series of BeatEmUp games created by Creator/{{Namco|Bandai}}, players control protagonist Rick Taylor as he fights against diabolical supernatural forces in a struggle to save the woman he loves (and, in ''Splatterhouse 3'', his son). Rick has a constant companion throughout this freak show of demented demons: the Terror Mask, an ancient artifact which confers great and terrible powers upon its bearer -- and seems to have a [[ArtifactOfDoom mind of]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide its own]]...

Namco originally released the first ''Splatterhouse'' in arcades; in the United States, its graphic violence sparked a media frenzy from MoralGuardians, which got it swiftly pulled from American arcades. Its later release on the TurboGrafx16 received some {{Bowdleri|se}}zation (later games did not get such treatment, since Namco released them only on consoles). The relative obscurity of ''Splatterhouse'' at the time of its arcade release, however, spared the port and its sequels from many a Moral Guardian's cross-hairs during the early 1990s "violence in video games" moral panic spawned by ''Franchise/MortalKombat'' and ''VideoGame/NightTrap''.

The first two ''Splatterhouse'' games feature 2D side-scrolling ''VideoGame/KungFuMaster''-style gameplay (Rick can splatter most enemies in one hit and only survive a few hits himself). ''Splatterhouse 3'' plays like a ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage''-style beat 'em up and includes a non-linear exploration element where players navigate a maze of rooms to reach a boss battle.

Namco also published a [[WidgetSeries bizarre]] and [[LighterAndSofter wacky]] prequel on the {{Famicom}} -- ''Splatterhouse: Wanpaku'' (or "Naughty") ''Graffiti'' -- that features SuperDeformed versions of the game's characters and parodies of numerous horror films (and their associated tropes).

The series sat dormant after ''Splatterhouse 3'', and fans clamored for a new game for years. Namco Bandai delivered that game in 2010 with ''Splatterhouse'' (released for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and the UsefulNotes/XBox360). This remake[=/=]re-imagining of the first game essentially works as a modern-day version of its 16-bit predecessors, with all that description entails (one example: if Rick takes a lot of damage, he'll lose massive amounts of skin and ''body parts'' until he can heal). Namco Bandai also included [[EmbeddedPrecursor the entire original trilogy]] (including the uncut arcade version of the first game), which turned the disc into the ultimate ''Splatterhouse'' collection.

!!UNTAGGED PLOT SPOILERS FOLLOW. You have been warned.

* '''''Splatterhouse''''' ~ "Parapsychology" (um, sure) students Rick Taylor and Jennifer Wills take refuge from a nasty storm in West Mansion, known to locals as "[[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace the Splatterhouse]]" due to rumors of insane experiments carried out by renowned -- and missing -- researcher Dr. West. Once inside, a group of demons kidnap Jennifer and attack Rick, who gets left for dead. Rick awakens in the mansion's dungeon and discovers that his face has something on it: the "Terror Mask", a Mayan artifact capable of sentient thought. The Mask, now fused to Rick, gives him superhuman strength and encourages him to explore the mansion to find Jennifer. Rick kills pretty much anything (emphasis on ''thing'') in his path as he climbs to the mansion's upper floors, but when he finds Jennifer, she transforms into a monster. An enraged Rick kills the monster to stay alive, then discovers that the mansion has become a living creature; once he destroys its "womb", it "dies" and goes up in flames. Rick escapes the mansion and kills the final creature blocking his way (in the graveyard outside of the mansion); after the creature dies, the Terror Mask explodes, and Rick returns to normal.
* '''''Splatterhouse 2''''' ~ Three months later, nightmares of the Splatterhouse -- and Jennifer -- haunt Rick. During one of these nightmares, Rick hears the Terror Mask's voice again; it tells him that Jennifer's soul lives on, and if he can save it, he can bring her back to life. Rick returns to West Mansion, dons the (reformed) Terror Mask again, and travels through the ruins of West Mansion (and a secret pathway therein) to a secluded mansion belonging to West's research partner, Dr. Mueller. Mueller's mansion contains a portal into Hell itself, where a demonic force known as The Evil One holds Jennifer's soul. Rick enters this portal, fights off '''Hell itself''' to save Jennifer's soul, and leaves with Jennifer in his arms...and The Evil One on his trail. Rick manages to outrun The Evil One, fight off the last pursuing abominations, and lay the Terror Mask to rest once more.
* '''''Splatterhouse 3''''' ~ Five years after saving Jennifer, Rick has become a successful Wall Street tycoon; he now lives in a mansion in Connecticut with Jennifer and their son, David. David has latent psychic abilities, however, and The Evil One plans to use them to unlock the power of the Dark Stone, an artifact that can open a portal between Hell and Earth large enough for an army of demons to come through and overrun Earth. The Terror Mask senses The Evil One's power as hellspawn overtake Rick's mansion; with both David and Jennifer in peril, the mask easily convinces Rick to fight The Evil One's hordes once more. Players determine if Jennifer and David live or die by finishing levels under certain time limits, though their fates don't change the gameplay finalé: Rick encounters (and destroys) The Evil One, then learns that the Terror Mask used Rick to usurp The Evil One's position. After the Mask attempts to use the Dark Stone, Rick defeats the Terror Mask once and for all in the climactic battle.
* '''''Splatterhouse (2010)''''' ~ Rick and Jennifer, students of infamous "parabiologist" Dr. Henry West, arrive at West's mansion to interview him. West sends demonic creatures (who serve a force known as [[EldritchAbomination The Corrupted]]) to kidnap Jennifer and kill Rick. Rick receives a fatal wound from one of these creatures, but in the ensuing chaos, the Terror Mask falls out of an ancient sarcophagus and comes into contact with Rick's blood. The newly-awakened mask tells Rick that it can heal him and help him get Jennifer back, so an out-of-options Rick puts the artifact on. After it heals Rick, The Mask transforms him into a hulking beast of a man -- then tells him that until he saves Jennifer, it won't come off. Rick's path of destruction leads him through West's mansion and beyond as he fights The Corrupted's servants in all their twisted, disgusting forms to save Jennifer and stop Dr. West [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt before he can bring The Corrupted to Earth]]. Along the way, Rick discovers portals that fling him through time and space -- revealing things that might happen if West succeeds and things that have already happened thanks to a StableTimeLoop -- before he arrives at the exact time and place where the "good" doctor wants to bring The Corrupted out to play...

WebVideo/TheHappyVideoGameNerd, a huge fan of the series, has done [[http://retrowaretv.com/happy-video-game-nerd-splatterhouse-retrospective/ a review of the original trilogy]] (before the announcement of the 2010 game) and [[http://retrowaretv.com/happy-video-game-nerd-splatterhouse-2010/ the 2010 remake]]; in preparation for the latter, he also did [[http://retrowaretv.com/gettin-super-nerdy-splatterhouse-arcade-vs-turbografx-16/ a comparison of the first game's arcade release and TurboGrafx-16 port]]. ''Splatterhouse'' fan-site [[http://splatterhouse.kontek.net/ The West Mansion]] has a load of information about the entire series and a collection of fan creations.

!!The ''Splatterhouse'' series contains examples of the following tropes:

** As a ShoutOut to this, one of the DLC masks in the 2010 game is a red hockey mask appropriately called the "Retro Hockey Mask".

* AdultFear: The third game of the original series has fun with the kind of situations that many adults are terrified of happening. Two of the game's objectives are to rescue Rick's wife Jennifer and their son David. They can only be rescued by making it to the end of levels two and four respectively as quickly as possible. Depending on whether you save both of them, only one, or neither of them, the game ends on a positive note with Rick being reunited with his family, or results in one of three possible {{DownerEnding}}s where either Rick is a widower who has to raise his son alone, Rick and Jennifer are bereaved parents, or Rick is left alone after losing both his wife and his son.

* AscendedExtra: Dr. West was the one who kidnapped Jennifer in the game that started the franchise, but never actually ''appeared'' on-screen, and indeed didn't exist ''at all'' until the manuals for the home console port were printed. He appears in full in the remake, with a fairly fleshed out backstory.

* DegradedBoss: The Teratoid in the remake.

* ImAHumanitarian: "The Children consume human flesh with much relish. I tried it once. It was not to my taste."

* TimedMission: The third game is all about this. You have to complete each mission within a certain time limit if you want Jennifer or David to live. While failing to do so doesn't harm Rick, you can only get the one Good Ending if they both survive.

* NightmareFace: Fail to [[spoiler:save Jennifer in time]] in the third game, and you will be treated to a [[NightmareFuel horrifyingly realistic]] [[http://opcfg.kontek.net/t3m/mindless_beast.png image]] where [[spoiler:Jennifer bares her fangs. Literally]].

** ToHellAndBack: [[spoiler:In the sequel, Rick goes into Hell in order to save Jennifer's soul and [[BackFromTheDead bring her back to life]]. AND HE SUCCEEDS.]]

* VillainProtagonist: In the first game, Rick is dressed like a hospital patient. This is because originally, he was supposed to be an escaped psycho ''chasing'' Jennifer. Him being a standard good guy and her boyfriend was a case of last-minute ExecutiveMeddling.

* BonusStage: The Strange Zone (Stage X) in the third game, they're essentially bonus stages with no timer where you fight off some enemies and pick up some 1-Ups and power stones.