Splatterhouse is one of my all time favorite video games. Even the toned down Turbografx-16 version is an absolute delight. I was always under the impression that this downport was the only way to experience the first game on home console. It turns out that I was wrong. I have since learned that Splatterhouse was released on the obscure Japanese consolized-PC the FM Towns Marty. Never heard of it? Well believe you me it’s a tough system to track down. Splatterhouse was the main reason I added it to my collection because I heard that this port was arcade-perfect. They weren’t wrong. Splatterhouse on the FM Towns Marty is the best version of the game in my opinion.
Upon starting the game you’re treated to a pretty neat introductory sequence. Rick Taylor and Jennifer Willis are university students who are caught in the woods in a storm. They take refuge in the nearby West Mansion, a place the locals call ‘Splatter House’ because of the experiments on people that are purported to take place there. It turns out they were right. Jennifer is taken by an army of ghouls while Rick is left for dead. It’s really not his day. Things begin to look up when a magical mask chooses him, and transforms him into a muscular hockey mask wearing madman. He sets out to rescue Jennifer from the clutches of all that lurk within the West mansion.
For those that don’t already know, Splatterhouse is a two dimensional beat em up action game. Unlike most in the genre Rick can only move left and right which restricts your freedom a bit. The game is designed with this constraint in mind and it allows the developers to add in some platforming as well. As Rick you can punch, kick, duck, and jump. That’s it, but these are all you’ll need to make quick work of the disgusting monsters you’ll face. Rick’s life bar is measured with hearts (the actual organ) at the bottom of the screen. Each time he takes damage he loses a certain number of these, but at the end of each stage they’re restored. You get multiple lives as well, and you’ll need them all because Splatterhouse is tough.
So what exactly makes this game so fun? I mean, it sounds pretty basic, right? Well that’s half of the charm. There are no technical systems, mazes, or customization. You have a beginning, and an end, and an army of monsters to clobber in between them. The monsters approach from both sides of the screen and are usually felled with a punch or two. You’ll find a lot of environmental hazards as well with spikes coming out of the ground, puddles of sludge, and also pits. In this sense it feels a bit like a platformer. The thing is jumping feels floaty and precision is not something the developers cared a lot about with the aerial mechanics. That’s no big deal because the real fun comes from fighting.
What makes Splatterhouse so fun is all of the weapons you pick up. Most of these are melee tools like pieces of wood and machetes, but there are also rocks (which can be thrown) and a shotgun (though it has limited bullets). It’s gruesome fun in that the enemies die in different ways depending on which tool you’re using. The stake of wood sends them flying into the background where they splatter against the wall, the machete chops pieces of their body off, and more. It’s over the top and just what you would expect from a game called ‘Splatterhouse.’
The stages are pretty basic in design with only a few deviations. There’s one area where you can travel along multiple floors which all lead to the same goal, and another where you’re accosted by clones of Rick which jump out of mirrors. They’re all decent but not the high point. The thing you’ll remember most from the time you spent with Splatterhouse is the boss encounters. These are so over the top that they’re sure to leave a lasting impression with anyone who has even a vague interest in horror movies. Things start off simply enough with a boss fight with just an onslaught of demonic worms. Then you’re up against levitating furniture. Things are kicked into high gear when you do battle with a dual chainsaw wielding giant. The best moment in the game is when you watch Jennifer transform into a mutant and then put her down.
As I mentioned earlier Splatterhouse is a very difficult game. You’re often assaulted from both the front and back all the while dealing with hazards and even more incoming foes. There’s a lot to manage, and Rick has a huge hitbox. Pair that with the fact that he’s not particularly nimble and let’s just say you’re not going to be dodging a lot of attacks. The only way you’re going to be successful is if you memorize the enemy patterns. There’s only one section of the game that’s completely unpredictable, and it’s one of the later areas. Aside from that you must experiment to determine the best way to attack before you can be hit yourself. Few games are as rewarding as Splatterhouse in this aspect. Effort and memorization pay off big time. You can’t take your time either because a purple cloud gives chase to keep you moving.
You do have a few options to play with. This FM Towns Marty version lets you choose multiple difficulty levels which is nice. This alters the amount of health Rick has rather than making the enemies stronger. I suppose that’s alright, but probably not for those that have mastered the game. What’s interesting is that you can also change the game’s video format and go widescreen. It’s not true widescreen, but rather, what passed for it back in 1992. Despite the fact that this is an import from Japan all of the text is in English making this one very import friendly.
As far as I can tell this version of Splatterhouse is pixel perfect with the arcade release. That’s very impressive for a game released in 1992 even if the FM Towns Marty is technically 32-bit hardware. There are a lot of moving parts here with animated background and foreground elements at the same time. You also have multiple enemies attacking at the same time with no slowdown even when the environmental hazards kick in. Above all else however I just love the art and atmosphere of Splatterhouse. It’s such a haunting and memorable game, and these elements lay it on thick. The soundtrack is pretty faithful to the arcade version. Some of the sound effects have been enhanced, but aside from that I notice almost no differences. That’s a good thing because the music is half the fun here.
Splatterhouse is an incredible game. In the past we’ve had to settle for the lesser Turbografx-16 version (what with the worse graphics and censorship) unless we wanted to play it on our iPhone (that’s too tough for me). I really wish this version of the game (along with the hardware that plays it) had seen release outside of Japan because I’m sure it would have promoted Splatterhouse to a pop-culture phenomenon. Splatterhouse really is that good of a game. Unless you get your hands on an arcade cabinet this is the best way to play it. That’s pretty crazy considering it came out almost thirty years ago. If you get a chance get an FM Towns Marty, and Splatterhouse along with it.
