The Chibi Spin-Off
Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti
| Nintendo Famicom |
Splatterhouse was always too bloody for Nintendo consoles. The house of Mario did after all keep close tabs on the software that was released for their platforms. They had to maintain that family friendly image. In Japan it was a different story. In their homeland Nintendo was more willing to allow violent content on their hardware. Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti is darker than most software for the platform. It’s a spin-off in the franchise. The major differences are that this is a platformer, and is a cutesy take on the series. All of the characters are rendered in full chibi glory to make the title more kid friendly. Namco went the full parody route with this one, and I’m a huge fan of the style they incorporated. The new version of Rick is absolutely adorable even when he’s wreaking havoc on undead ghoulies.
There are a lot of unique aspects in the franchise included here. As I already mentioned Wanpaku Graffiti is a side scrolling platformer. You have to hop and bop your way to victory here. By default Rick has a machete (which is unusual for the series). Most foes are defeated with a simple strike, and your ultimate goal is simply to reach the end of each stage. At this point you face off against a boss and these are some of the most creative encounters in the franchise. As a long time horror fan I absolutely love that they’re based on American horror classics. This is surprising considering this was a Japan only release. In the first stage you battle against a Vampire performing Thriller by Michael Jackson, and in another you’re tasked with battling The Fly. In terms of parody this one is absolutely on point.
Gameplay is also quite solid. The level designs are fantastic and there’s a lot of diversity here. It is worth noting that there are a lot more cheap hits with enemies that have crazy trajectories. There is some memorization required here. Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti is much easier than the other installments, but this works in its favor. It’s clear that this one was geared more towards kids but at the same time it’s no pushover. Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti is one of my favorite installments in the franchise. It’s basically a parody of a parody, and is hilarious in all the right ways. As a longtime horror film fan I loved all of the references this one has within it. The gameplay isn’t half bad either with a lot of variety in both enemies and obstacles. It’s a shame that Wanpaku Graffiti never had a sequel because it’s fantastic.
