🐳 Moby v2023.03.16 update

Splatterhouse

Description official descriptions

Splatterhouse is the first game in the series, but only the second game to appear on a home console (after Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti on the NES), which was later continued on the SEGA Genesis.

Rick and his girlfriend Jennifer enter West Mansion (known as Splatterhouse) to study Dr. West's parapsychology teachings for a school project. After a flash of lightning and a scream, Jennifer is gone, and Rick is left wearing the Terror Mask, which gives the wearer great strength.

Rick must survive seven blood-soaked levels full of corpses, demons, and other disturbing creatures in this arcade side-scrolling beat-em-up. Several weapons are at Rick's disposal throughout the house, such as a meat cleaver, a two by four, and a shotgun. If Rick wants to find Jennifer alive, he must move quickly through the floors of the mansion.... as a happy reunion is not always guaranteed.

Spellings

  • スプラッターハウス - Japanese spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (Arcade version)

22 People (17 developers, 5 thanks)

Director
Producer
Associate Producer
  • Haya Paya
Programmer
  • PSQGL
Art Director
Special Visual Effects
Special Makeup Designed and Created by
  • Daihadan13
Original Music
Title Designed
Special Artist
Data Processing
Debug Chief
Special Thanks
1988
  • Splatter Team Original
  • Namco Ltd.
Product Manager

Reviews

Trivia

1001 Video Games

The Arcade version of Splatterhouse appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Hell Mask

The "Hell Mask", (also known as the "Terror Mask" or simply "The Mask") despite looking like a hockey mask, is intended to be an Aztec sacrificial mask, like the one in the anime/manga Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.

Milestone

The arcade version of Splatterhouse, released in 1988, holds the distinction of being the first game to have a parental advisory disclaimer put on it (before id Software's Wolfenstein.

References

Supposedly the mansion in the original Splatterhouse is the mansion of Dr. Herbert West, from H.P. Lovecraft's Re-Animator.

Version differences

There are a few noticeable differences between the American and Japanese versions of Splatterhouse. In the American version, some of the minor animations of the monsters have been removed (i.e. the severed hands no longer beckon or give the middle finger to the player, and the zombies leap out of pits instead of slowly crawling out). Also an upside-down cross that was originally a stage boss was removed. Another difference involved Rick's Terror Mask being red instead of white. This change was made possibly to avoid connections with Jason Vorhees from the Friday the 13th movies.

Information also contributed by Guy Chapman and Zovni

Related Games

Splatterhouse
Released 2010 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Splatterhouse 3
Released 1993 on Genesis
Splatterhouse 2
Released 1992 on Genesis, 2008 on Wii
Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti
Released 1989 on NES

Related Sites +

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 16377

Contribute

Know about this game? Add your expertise to help preserve this entry in video game history!

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Guy Chapman.

PSP, PlayStation 3, PS Vita added by Charly2.0. Arcade added by GTramp. BlackBerry added by firefang9212. FM Towns, Wii added by Sciere. Windows added by Kabushi. Windows Mobile, J2ME added by KingDrool. Antstream added by lights out party. iPhone added by Ben K.

Additional contributors: CaptainCanuck, Rik Hideto, FatherJack.

Last modified February 22nd, 2023.