Despite how basic and limited it may be, the original Splatterhouse still somewhat holds up in my eyes, primarily due to its presentation and style. It was quite possibly the most violent, bloody, and most “horror” like game at the time, certainly being one of most unique and interesting games to come from Namco’s classic lineup. However, in terms of gameplay, it was pretty basic, being a standard side-scrolling beat-’em-up that doesn’t do too much different from others at the time, which definitely doesn’t make it as appealing to players nowadays, even if I myself have a good time with it. Nevertheless, the game would get several followups, including a parody game for the NES that was actually pretty good, and a proper sequel, this time not developed by Namco, but instead by Now Production, who did develop said parody game, so they did have experience when it came to the Splatterhouse series. So, about four years after the original, they then continued this series with Splatterhouse 2.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the gameplay, this game pretty much introduces nothing too new when compared to the original Splatterhouse, which usually isn’t that big of a deal. After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? Well, in the case of Splatterhouse, I’m pretty sure most could agree that some elements of it could definitely use some tweaking, or maybe some big changes, and while I myself wasn’t initially bothered by this, I could definitely feel the repetitiveness as I kept playing. But, like with the original game, it is carried primarily by its presentation and gore, making it so that I can’t really hate it, or even dislike it. That being said, the game all in all is just simply ok, with no real reason to check it out if you had already played the original game, unless you wanna take on more abstract and grotesque horrors, which definitely pulled me in initially.
The story is all about the main character, Rick, being offered the chance to save his dead love from the pits of Hell once again by the Terror Mask… so it is just basically another “guy saves girl” plot, but it does have some more depth given to it, so I will give it that, the graphics are definitely not as good as the arcade original, but I feel for this series specifically, the more rough and darker graphics and artstyle works much more when compared to the original, so I consider it an improvement in that regard, the music is pretty good, where it does fit the spooky vibe that the game is going for, and I did find myself bobbing my head to some of the tracks, although some of the tracks aren’t really all that impressive compared to others, the control is pretty much the exact same as the original game, so no need to comment on that any further, and the gameplay is incredibly faithful to the original game, to the point where it ultimately lowers the game’s value.
The game is a side-scrolling beat-’em-up, where you take control of Definitely-Not-Jason-Voorhees (I know, the most original joke you’ve ever heard, I know), take on many different spooky and deadly environments, defeat plenty of disgusting and “terrifying” enemies that will do everything they can to tear you to shreds, use your fists, along with plenty of weapons like a plank of wood and a shotgun, to take out many of the vicious creatures that you will run into, and fight many grotesque and unique bosses that will put your skills to the limit. Yes, this is all pretty much the same as what you did in the original game, so, you may be asking, “Is there anything new that this game introduces?” Well, yes……… they introduce difficulty options and a password system. That is literally it, and that’s not even really that noteworthy, considering these weren’t new features at all when it came to video games, so basically, this could just be seen as Splatterhouse DLC before DLC was even a thing.
That being said, like the original game, the main selling point of the game is the violence, gore, and blood, and when compared to the original game, I would say this game is just as gory, if not more so. There were definitely many vicious and violent aspects of the original game that could be seen all throughout, and for this game, they made sure to up the ante on that, with plenty of bosses having very grotesque designs and animations, especially when they die, with bodies melting and parts of their bodies exploding in a bloody mess. Yes, this was all stuff in the original game as well, but I feel like it is ramped up moreso in this game then it was there, even though there was already plenty of gore to be found. Just like in the original, it does feel very satisfying to take out on these monstrous creatures, but for those who are wanting more from a sequel to Splatterhouse other then the presentation, then you will not be getting that here.
And since not that much has changed from the original, it also carries a lot of the same problems, such as with the difficulty. I found the bosses this time around to not be as bad as the original, but when I say “not as bad”, it’s like barely less difficult, as I still got my ass kicked plenty of times when playing through the game, and it feels much more like a punishment here, given how this isn’t another arcade game, where you can just pop a credit in and keep going. Secondly, once again, if you weren’t a fan of the original Splatterhouse, or similar games like Altered Beast, then this game really isn’t gonna do anything to change your mind. It is more of the same, which may slightly work for someone like me who loves this style, but for others, you will probably get bored and sick of it very quickly.
Overall, despite upping the gore and cathartic factor, Splatterhouse 2 is just simply Splatterhouse 1 again, except for the Sega Genesis, and while that may please some, for others, it is gonna do the exact opposite. I would recommend it for fans of the original game, and to an extent, the parody game, but for everyone else, just skip to Splatterhouse 3 instead, which actually does change things up from these two installments, which does make it more appealing. Nothing much more to say except that there is a jumpscare at the end of the game, and it looks goofy as hell, even if it probably would’ve scared kids back then… along with everything else.
Game #352
Unfortunately, when it comes to the gameplay, this game pretty much introduces nothing too new when compared to the original Splatterhouse, which usually isn’t that big of a deal. After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? Well, in the case of Splatterhouse, I’m pretty sure most could agree that some elements of it could definitely use some tweaking, or maybe some big changes, and while I myself wasn’t initially bothered by this, I could definitely feel the repetitiveness as I kept playing. But, like with the original game, it is carried primarily by its presentation and gore, making it so that I can’t really hate it, or even dislike it. That being said, the game all in all is just simply ok, with no real reason to check it out if you had already played the original game, unless you wanna take on more abstract and grotesque horrors, which definitely pulled me in initially.
The story is all about the main character, Rick, being offered the chance to save his dead love from the pits of Hell once again by the Terror Mask… so it is just basically another “guy saves girl” plot, but it does have some more depth given to it, so I will give it that, the graphics are definitely not as good as the arcade original, but I feel for this series specifically, the more rough and darker graphics and artstyle works much more when compared to the original, so I consider it an improvement in that regard, the music is pretty good, where it does fit the spooky vibe that the game is going for, and I did find myself bobbing my head to some of the tracks, although some of the tracks aren’t really all that impressive compared to others, the control is pretty much the exact same as the original game, so no need to comment on that any further, and the gameplay is incredibly faithful to the original game, to the point where it ultimately lowers the game’s value.
The game is a side-scrolling beat-’em-up, where you take control of Definitely-Not-Jason-Voorhees (I know, the most original joke you’ve ever heard, I know), take on many different spooky and deadly environments, defeat plenty of disgusting and “terrifying” enemies that will do everything they can to tear you to shreds, use your fists, along with plenty of weapons like a plank of wood and a shotgun, to take out many of the vicious creatures that you will run into, and fight many grotesque and unique bosses that will put your skills to the limit. Yes, this is all pretty much the same as what you did in the original game, so, you may be asking, “Is there anything new that this game introduces?” Well, yes……… they introduce difficulty options and a password system. That is literally it, and that’s not even really that noteworthy, considering these weren’t new features at all when it came to video games, so basically, this could just be seen as Splatterhouse DLC before DLC was even a thing.
That being said, like the original game, the main selling point of the game is the violence, gore, and blood, and when compared to the original game, I would say this game is just as gory, if not more so. There were definitely many vicious and violent aspects of the original game that could be seen all throughout, and for this game, they made sure to up the ante on that, with plenty of bosses having very grotesque designs and animations, especially when they die, with bodies melting and parts of their bodies exploding in a bloody mess. Yes, this was all stuff in the original game as well, but I feel like it is ramped up moreso in this game then it was there, even though there was already plenty of gore to be found. Just like in the original, it does feel very satisfying to take out on these monstrous creatures, but for those who are wanting more from a sequel to Splatterhouse other then the presentation, then you will not be getting that here.
And since not that much has changed from the original, it also carries a lot of the same problems, such as with the difficulty. I found the bosses this time around to not be as bad as the original, but when I say “not as bad”, it’s like barely less difficult, as I still got my ass kicked plenty of times when playing through the game, and it feels much more like a punishment here, given how this isn’t another arcade game, where you can just pop a credit in and keep going. Secondly, once again, if you weren’t a fan of the original Splatterhouse, or similar games like Altered Beast, then this game really isn’t gonna do anything to change your mind. It is more of the same, which may slightly work for someone like me who loves this style, but for others, you will probably get bored and sick of it very quickly.
Overall, despite upping the gore and cathartic factor, Splatterhouse 2 is just simply Splatterhouse 1 again, except for the Sega Genesis, and while that may please some, for others, it is gonna do the exact opposite. I would recommend it for fans of the original game, and to an extent, the parody game, but for everyone else, just skip to Splatterhouse 3 instead, which actually does change things up from these two installments, which does make it more appealing. Nothing much more to say except that there is a jumpscare at the end of the game, and it looks goofy as hell, even if it probably would’ve scared kids back then… along with everything else.
Game #352