If you were a fan of horror games back in the early 1990s, then there was nothing gorier and more disgusting than Splatterhouse, Namco's nightmare-fueled beat ‘em up. To celebrate spooky season, I wanted to take a look back at the critical reception of Splatterhouse on the TurboGrafx, as well as the Genesis sequels, Splatterhouse 2 and, of course, Splatterhouse 3. These games sure are gooey, but are they actually worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Video Games & Computer Entertainment, GamePro and more classic magazines that reviewed this trilogy when it first came out. I sure hope you brought a mop and a good scrub brush, because we're making a mess in this episode of Splatterhouse Review Crew.


What do you get if you mix beat ‘em up games like Kung-Fu Master and Vigilante with some of the biggest horror franchises of the 1980s? If you're Namco, then the result is Splatterhouse, a side-scrolling brawler that trades gang members for ghosts, monsters and things that go bump in the night. Originally released in American arcades in 1989, this gross-out action game wears its influences on its sleeve, taking inspiration from Friday the 13th, Evil Dead, Poltergeist and, of course, H.P. Lovecraft. The result was a gory romp that managed to stand out from the pack of urban-based beat ‘em ups. It was also one of the first must-play arcade conversions on the TurboGrafx-16, a system that was trying to keep up with the competition's own Ghouls ‘N Ghosts. Let's see what the critics said about the ports of Splatterhouse.

Now, I say ports, plural, because some critics reviewed the version on FM Towns' Marty. That was the case with Edge, which gave Splatterhouse the lowest score of any magazine, a 5 out of 10. That said, their issue was with the hardware limitations, not necessarily the quality of the game. When it comes to the lowest score for the TurboGrafx-16 version, look no further than Video Games & Computer Entertainment, which gave it a 6 out of 10. “Although the soundtrack is not as catchy as some other TurboGrafx-16 games, it's suitably spooky (in an odd sort of way) and matches the game well. The graphics and sound effects are better than average, creating just the right atmosphere for a video game horror romp. In general, Splatterhouse is an entertaining haunted-house saga aimed at Ghostbusters-in-training everywhere. I doubt, however, the weak of heart will care much for this blood feast. It's violent, gross, grotesque, depraved and completely lacking in class. Guess that's why I like it.”

Moving up the scale, we see Game Zone give the TurboGrafx version a 4 out of 6, while Die Hard Game Fan gave the Marty port a 79%. That brings us to Electronic Gaming Monthly, who ended up liking Splatterhouse, with all four critics giving the game a solid 8 out of 10 rating. Martin summed it up this way: “From start to finish, Splatterhouse is a visually stunning game. Your hero wields big sticks and butcher knives and finally dukes it out with special boss characters and rooms. Action games have been around before, but never like this!” Steve agreed, concluding that “Splatterhouse, while tamed down from the little-seen arcade, is another fantastic example of how good Turbo games can be. The game, albeit short, is challenging and graphically outstanding, with vivid blood-reds and puke-greens. I love it!”

When it comes to the highest score, that distinction belongs to Computer & Video Games. Giving Splatterhouse an impressive 92%, Richard summed it up this way: “Crikey! This is a real gore-may beat ‘em up! What really makes it a cut above other Engine beat ‘em ups is the truly revolting visuals – even more disgusting than some of the public lava in Birmingham (yes, that bad!). Some of the end-of-level bosses are simply astounding – the chainsaw wielding maniac is awesome, and he's even accompanied by a dentist's drill noise! You won't complete this game in too much of a hurry, either. The difficulty level is set just right, allowing some progress on every attempt. What we're dealing with here is a roaringly good conversion, which stands up as a terrific Engine game in its own right.”

With an overall score of 71%, the critics mostly liked Splatterhouse, especially on the TurboGrafx. For what it's worth, if we remove the slightly lower scores for the FM Towns version, the average doesn't change that much, going from 71% up to 75%. This is a solid start to the Splatterhouse series.

Despite the original Splatterhouse being a reasonable hit on the TurboGrafx-16, when it came to developing the hotly-anticipated sequel, Namco decided to make a big change and turn it into a Genesis exclusive. But don't worry about feeling lost, Sega fans, because this 1992 sequel is the very definition of “more of the same.” Although it comes with new levels, improved graphics and more disgusting bosses, the whole thing still felt awfully familiar to anybody that played the original. Let's see if that ends up being a problem when the critics review Splatterhouse 2.

While Electronic Gaming Monthly still liked this sequel, there is a noticeable dip when it comes to the average score, going from an 8 out of 10 down to a 7.25 out of 10. Ed was the only EGM critic to give the sequel an 8, arguing that this is “a fantastic sequel to a great game. It is good that Namco decided to keep the gore in as otherwise it would have lost a lot. Definitely not an easy game, as it is set on the hard side. The music is exceptional, as it fits in with the theme of the game. Overall, an excellent game and the best Genesis game so far this year.” Fake ninja Sushi-X, on the other hand, was not as enthusiastic: “If Splatterhouse 2 had a little better control, it would be a hot title. As it is, it is only above average. Still, if you want a good gross-out game, this is THE one! Exploding stomachs, enemies cut in two, characters eaten alive, and even more foes squashed into a gooey mess of protoplasm, what more could a kid ask for?”

One thing you'll notice when looking at the review scores is that the British press was a lot more down on Splatterhouse II than their American counterparts. Mean Machines gave the game a 73%, while Mega Drive Advanced Gaming went with a 72%. Sega Force, on the other hand, went way lower than that, giving the sequel a 63%. Before we look at the lowest review, let's first check in with Video Games & Computer Entertainment, who gave the game a 6 out of 10. “Splatterhouse 2's background graphics are colorful and well-drawn. However, don't expect to see anything that looks much like the real world. This is a nightmare fantasy filled with very strange locales. The creatures' animations, too, are effective, if not downright gross. All in all, though, Splatterhouse 2 comes off as little more than a repeat performance, more of the same hack-and-slash that was featured in its predecessor. While this game may please those who liked the previous effort, Splatterhouse 2 does nothing to advance the genre.”

If you want to find the lowest score, then we once again need to visit the United Kingdom, where Sega Power went all the way down to a 47%. They liked the cartload of continues, large sprites and satisfying gruesome explosions, but complained that it's not as gory as it could be, repetitive and dull, with annoying music. “What a load of tosh! The gameplay's dull and repetitive, the graphics aren't gory and the whole thing's not worth a first, second or third glance. Boooooring.”

When it comes to the high scores, you saw Sega Visions give Splatterhouse II a solid 80%, while Game Informer went all the way up to an 8.7 out of 10. However, it is, as always, GamePro who gave the sequel the highest marks, going with a perfect 5 out of 5. “If you missed the fun of the original Splatterhouse, don't miss out on Splatterhouse 2. It's a bit on the gooey side, but don't let that bother you. If you can't appreciate Splatterhouse's gross-out factor, you can surely appreciate its other redeeming qualities, which include awesome graphics, neato sound effects and music, mondo challenge and non-thumb-threatening character control. If you've ever wanted to see revenge on all those early childhood closet monsters, now's your chance to do it vicariously through Splatterhouse 2. Good to the last splat.”

Despite the higher highs and lower lows, this Splatterhouse sequel managed to improve on the original with an overall score of 72%. Part of the reason for this is that there were simply a lot more magazines covering this game, especially when it comes to the UK press. Between the first game earning a 71% and this game getting a 72%, this series has been surprisingly consistent. Let's see if that continues with the third and final 16-bit entry.

While it was easy to criticize Splatterhouse II for being something of a retread of the first game, the same cannot be said about part three. Released in 1993, this time under the watchful eye of versatile developer Now Production, Splatterhouse III took real chances with both the structure of the gameplay and the story. Instead of just mimicking an arcade game, this final 16-bit installment feels more like a console game, complete with non-linear exploration, more room to move around and, best of all, a whole bunch of good, bad and just plain weird endings. That said, even with all of the improvements, it was still a very simple beat ‘em up at its heart, a genre that critics had largely written off by 1993. Let's see if that had an impact on what the critics thought of Splatterhouse III.

After being a little disappointed in the previous sequel, Electronic Gaming Monthly felt that Splatterhouse 3 was a step in the right direction. They gave the game an average score of 8.2 out of 10, up slightly from the 8 out of 10 they gave the original. “This is a guilty pleasure! The control is near perfect and the ability to become a muscle-bound destroyer is an excellent option! Things are VERY violent here, and at times, extremely disturbing! But, this game delivers!”

When Die Hard Game Fan reviewed the game in their eighth issue, they gave it an 82%, the same score as EGM. Hyper went a few points lower, giving the sequel a 78%, while Mean Machines Sega went one tick lower with a 77%. That's the same score you saw from Game Informer, with Paul, the Pro Player, explaining that the “Friday the 13th lookalike is back in time for the Halloween season. The oozing, disintegrating monsters look great, and I like how some even do a fish flop after you deliver that fatal blow. Overall, the graphics are eerie and the animation is somewhat mediocre Fans of the arcade and previous home versions should really like this cart.”

Once again, the lowest score belongs to Sega Power. That's the bad news. The good news is that Sega Power gave the game a 61%, up 14 points over Splatterhouse 2. That's a big improvement. “As frightening as Sooty and about as difficult to play as breathing air. There are only six (fairly easy) levels in all and the gameplay's been done to death. Next please.” Also, just in case you're wondering, this is Sooty. Frightening, I know.

On the flipside of the scale, we see GamePro go from giving the middle chapter a perfect 5 out of 5 to giving Splatterhouse 3 a 4.5 out of 5. They are one of the only magazines to actually give this third installment a lower score. Believe it or not, the resurrected version of Electronic Games ended up giving this final Genesis game the highest score – 91%. “Splatterhouse 3 is the goriest and meanest entry in the series. Most monsters get more gross and bloody with each blow Rick delivers on them. There are also wider variety of weapons available this time, and you can keep them to fight the boss characters. However, if Rick is hit while holding a weapon, he will drop it on the ground and it must be picked up before a ghost comes by and takes it away. If it is whisked away, don't fret – it goes to a room on the floor where all the weapons are taken, and it can be reclaimed there. However, this becomes something of a problem when fighting bosses, for Rick must kill them before he can leave the room. The game is a blast to play and could probably only be released on the Genesis. A censored version of this game on the Super NES would be unthinkable, but nonetheless probable.

Thankfully, there was no censored version on the Super NES. Just this disgusting gore fest on the Genesis, which also marked the end of the Splatterhouse series until the 2010 reboot. When it comes to Splatterhouse 3, the game scores an overall average of 80%, making this the best-reviewed entry in the series by quite a large margin. While fans can argue over which game is best, there's no debate when it came to the critics – Splatterhouse went out on a high note.