I’ve dabbled in Splatterhouse throughout my exploration of retro horror games. Occasionally playing a bit of the second one and dipping my toes into the ridiculously difficult original. It was the third game that really gripped me, however. Encountering it during my college years at the turn of the millennium I punched and kicked my way past evil monsters with glee.
Splatterhouse 3 came from the same era of games like Streets of Rage and Golden Axe but is purely a single-player experience. The story itself doesn’t really lend itself to multi-player as it focuses on Rick, a man whose wife Jennifer has been kidnapped and held to ransom by the forces of darkness in an evil mansion. Strapping on your sentient terror mask you go forth to beat the living shit out of anything in your way.
One of the unique aspects of this game is the evolving storyline. It’s not RPG quality but does change if you fail to beat the level in the time required. Instead of a simple game over, it could result in your wife dying or various other evil things befalling Rick leading to a different story experience. In order to help you through this vast mansion and plot your course as quickly as possible to the level’s objectives, you have a map. This can be pulled out when you clear a room of enemies to get an overview of that floor of the mansion.
While you are punished for moving too slowly you are also rewarded for moving efficiently through a level. You can skip entire stages in the game and also enter the ‘Strange Zone’ a series of rooms where you can discover extra lives. This is a game that rewards playthroughs and dedication to discovering the most efficient route possible.
Controlling Rick is very smooth and the sprites are well animated. I found the previous two Splatterhouse titles made the character move a bit like a brick rather than the well oiled fighting machine he is here. Each of the hits sounds great like you are truly pounding a meat sack (oo-err missus) and he even has a special attack which slams enemies in all directions.
The weapons which you can pick up are familiar enough, cleavers, baseball bats, concrete bricks and other items designed for demonic bludgeoning. If you drop one, a spirit will appear and whisk it away to another room. It’s up to you whether you think it’s worth the time to detour and retrieve it.
The rooms in the mansion look awesome and full of atmosphere. From portraits slowly dripping blood to wall slashed with demonic claws, there’s great attention to detail on offer. There’s also a great variety in the enemies present in each room – each with their own unique death animation.
The game is a lot of fun to play, it’s a little pricey to pick up in Retro Shops but is an extra in the 2010 Splatterhouse game, although it features a few image changes in the cut scenes. A Halloween thumbs up!
