Splatterhouse

Splatterhouse is a beat 'em up arcade game that was released by Namco in 1988. It runs on Namco System 1 hardware. The game was the first mianstream arcade title to ever get a parental advisory disclaimer due to its strong graphic violence, something that would not be seen again until four years later with the release of Midway's Mortal Kombat.

Story
The place was called the West Mansion. But, to all who knew its legend, it was known as "Splatterhouse." It was once the home of the famed parapsychologist, Dr. West. There was a research laboratory in the house where Dr. West conducted some of his most gruesome experiments. It was even said that it was in this house that he created the most hideous creatures that ever walked the face of the Earth. But no one knew for sure. Dr. West had not been seen or heard from in years, and no one who has ever gone into the mansion has lived to tell the tale. Rick and his girlfriend, Jennifer, were parapsychology majors at the local university. They were both very interested in the works of Dr. West as he was the most famed parapsychologist in the world. One day, they decided to visit the abandoned West Mansion as part of a project they were working on in school. As they walked towards the house, it started to rain. They entered. All went dark. Lightning cracked through the sky. There was a frantic scuffle. Then, a scream. And suddenly Jennifer was gone. Rick's unconscious body was covered with blood. Hours later, Rick awoke to a fantastic horror - he was alone and drenched with blood. But, the most terrifying thing of all was that a hideous mask was covering his face. He had read tales of this mask, known as the "Terror Mask", in Dr. West's writings - it was said to possess ancient spiritual powers. As his only hope, Rick must now depend on this old mask to give him the strength and courage to find and save Jennifer.

This is the first game in the Splatterhouse series. It was followed up by three direct-to-console sequels, the first of which was also released exclusively in Japan: Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti (Famicom, 1989), Splatterhouse: Part 2 (Sega Genesis, 1992), and Splatterhouse: Part 3 (was also on the Sega Genesis, 1995).