Splatterhouse/Gameplay

Controls

• Joystick: Use the 4-way joystick to make Rick walk left and right, crouch, and pick up weapons; to pick up a weapon on the ground, you must push the joystick down to make Rick crouch when he is standing over it, and to pick up a weapon mounted on a wall, you must push the joystick up while Rick is standing in front of it (however, if you push the joystick up at any other time, Rick will look at the wall that he is currently standing in front of).
• Attack Button: Use this button to make Rick punch, kick if he is crouching, and use weapons; some weapons are one-time-use projectile weapons.
• Jump Button: Use this button to make Rick jump; you will have to time your jumps right if you want to clear a puddle of acid or a hole in the ground.
• 1 or 2 Player Buttons: Push these buttons to begin a 1 or 2 player game.

Characters

Rick (リック)

This parapsychology student, who looks somewhat like Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th movies, is the protagonist of the game; he is on a mission to save his girlfriend Jennifer. When the game was ported to the TurboGrafx-16 in 1990, the colour of the Terror Mask was changed to red to avoid confusion with the aforementioned J. Voorhees - and Evil Cross was also replaced by a giant blue floating head named "Evil Sleep".

Deadmen (デッドメン)

These zombies are the most common enemies in the game, and appear on the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth stages; the red ones will die after a single hit and are worth 100 points, but the green ones take two hits and are worth 200 points. A strike from a Cleaver or blast from a Shotgun will also kill the green ones instantly, and the red ones on the third and fifth stages will leave their remains behind when they are killed - which will cause an Evil Dog to run up to the remains and start eating them until it is either kicked or slide-kicked.

Shibito (死人)

These tortured corpses appear to be part of the background on the first and second stages; but when Rick gets close to them, they attack by spitting out puddles of acid that he must either jump over, or simply wait until they have evaporated, before carrying on. They cannot be killed.

Babito (ばびっと)

These bats appear on the first and fourth stages, and will dive-bomb Rick from their ceilings; one hit will kill them, and they are worth 300 points.

Top Heavies (トップヘビーズ)

These big-headed zombies appear on the first, second, and fifth stages; three hits will kill their bodies for 500 points, but their heads will fly after Rick, until they are either hit for 300 more points or fly into the ceiling. A strike from a Cleaver or Stick will as with a Green Deadman also kill the body instantly - but you will still have to deal with the head flying after Rick until he either hits it for 300 additional points or it flies into the ceiling.

Body Eaters (ボディーイーターズ)

These leeches are the bosses for the first stage, and fill two rooms on the fourth and fifth stages; one hit will kill them, and worth 300 points.

Hanging Dead (ハンギングデッド)

These hung zombies appear on the second, and third stages; in the second stage several of them try to drop down from the ceiling on top of Rick, while in the third stage they attack by spitting projectile vomit at Rick. Two hits will kill them, and they are worth 300 points - however, a strike from a Cleaver or a blast from a Shotgun will kill them instantly. But you should use the Shotgun blasts sparingly to prepare for the fight with Biggy Man.

Water Dead (ウォーターデッド)

These sludge monsters inhabit the sewers on the second, third and fifth stages, and attack by rising from the water; one hit will kill them, and they are worth 200 points. However, you will only have to face them on the third stage if you get grabbed on the bridge by a Monstrous Hand (and if you were holding the stage's first Shotgun at the time, you will lose it, which will make that boss battle with Biggy Man slightly harder).

Pods (ポッドズ)

These spiked balls float along in the sewers on the second, third and fifth stages; they are also the first indestructible enemy you will encounter.

Poltergeist Candles, Drink Cans and Whiskey Bottles (ポルターガイスト蝋燭, ドリンク缶 & ウィスキー瓶)

These possessed items fall from the ceiling in the second stage's boss room, just before the actual attack begins, and can be knocked away with a punch or kick; the Kanji characters in their three Japanese namings read as rōsoku, kan and bin respectively. The Candles are also not worth anything at all if Rick knocks them away while they are falling - however, if he knocks a Drink Can or a Whiskey Bottle away while it's falling, it is worth 100 points.

Poltergeist Chairs (ポルターガイストいす)

This is the first thing that attacks Rick in the second stage's boss room; five hits will kill it, it is worth 2000 points, and the two Hiragana characters in its Japanese name read as isu. Several others appear on the fifth stage, but at that point Rick should be holding a Stick and be able to kill each of them with one hit (but only for 300 points, as opposed to 2000) - and once you have killed the initial one, the Poltergeist Knives will come alive.

Poltergeist Knives (ポルターガイストナイブズ)

These are are the next things that attack Rick in that second stage's boss room; at first, one attacks him, then two more attack him simultaneously. Three hits will kill them, and they are worth 1000 points each - and once you have killed the last one, the Poltergeist Picture Frame will come alive.

Poltergeist Picture Frame (ポルターガイスト額縁)

This is the last thing that the poltergeist will attack Rick with in that second stage's boss room; eight hits will kill it, and it is worth 3000 points. The two Kanji characters in its Japanese name read as gakubuchi - and once you have killed it, the chandelier will fall down from the ceiling.

Evil Dogs (イビルドッグズ)

These zombie canines appear on the third and fifth stages, and attack by devouring the remains of the Deadmen that Rick has blasted with the Shotgun; two hits will kill them and they are worth 300 points. However, a slide kick, as with the Green Deadmen, will kill them instantly.

Nobu (ノブー)

These mutated fetuses appear on the third and fourth stages, and attack by spitting projectile vomit at Rick in a manner similar to that of the Shibito and Hanging Dead; two hits, which must be kicks, will kill them, and they are worth 300 points. A slide kick will also kill one instantly.

Monstrous Hands (巨大な手)

If Rick lands on what is known as a "Warp Mouth" (written in Katakana and Kanji as ワープ口; the Kanji character in its Japanese name reads as kuchi) on the wooden bridge on the third stage, they will smash up through it, and drag him into the sewer below. They can be avoided, but not killed - and if Rick was holding the stage's first Shotgun, he will lose it. The Japanese name also reads as Kyōdaina-te.

Gokurakuchou (ゴクラクチョウ)

These birds of paradise appear on that third stage, and attack by flying directly towards Rick; one hit will kill them, and they are worth 300 points.

Biggy Man (ビギーマン)

This enormous (and no doubt hideously deformed) man, wearing a bag on his head, is the boss for the third stage; he attacks with his dual chainsaws. Although the stage's second Shotgun appears just before you have to fight him, it is possible to bring the first one if you did not get grabbed on the bridge by a Monstrous Hand - for when Rick picks up another weapon when he is already holding one, he will drop that current one in front of him allowing him to pick it up again. Twenty hits, which is ten shotgun blasts, will kill him and he's worth 5000 points.

Kaiten Ken (回転剣)

These blades attack by slowly rotating in a clockwise direction on the floor on the fourth stage; they cannot be killed and must be avoided.

Mirror Ricks (ミラーリックス)

These "evil clones" of the game's main character (who, much like the Runners from the first Thunder Ceptor, and Black Beraboh from Beraboh Man, are palette-swaps of him) appear on the fourth stage, attack by bursting out of certain mirrors, and have exactly the same moves as Rick; three hits will kill them and they are worth 3000 points. Also, if you push the joystick up in this area, Rick will look at his reflection in the mirrors.

Evil Cross (イービルクロス)

This sign of Satanism is the boss of the fourth stage, and the main reason why the game was only released in Japan; six hits will kill it, and it is worth 5000 points. You will also have to be wary of the six Nightmares that are circling around it - as they will occasionally fly off to attack Rick.

Nightmares (ナイトメアズ)

These six heads circle around Evil Cross, and occasionally fly off to attack Rick; one hit will kill them, and are worth 500 points.

Uddi (ウッディ)

These disembodied hands attack by trying to jump up and strike Rick in the fifth stage, and also taunt him from a distance; one hit will kill them, and they are worth 200 points. It is rumoured that Namco patterned them after Ash's possessed hand from the 1987 film Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn, but this has never been confirmed - and the ones that are seen crawling back and forth on the red-hot ground cannot be killed at all.

Jokers (ジョーカーズ)

These female spirits appear upon the fifth stage, and carry skulls that they try to drop on Rick's head (and as with the Poltergeist Candles, Drink Cans, and Whiskey Bottles, these skulls can be knocked away with a punch or a kick if Rick is not directly beneath them when they fall); one hit, which has to be a jump-kick, will kill them, and they are worth 500 points. They will also scream from the DAC as Rick's foot connects with them.

Picture Ghosts (ピクチャーゴーストス)

These "painted" faces will rip themselves off their canvases and chase Rick in that fifth stage; one hit will kill them, and they are worth 300 points.

Master Dead (マスターデッド)

This necromancer floats through one part of the fifth stage, raising the dead with a motion of his hands and a strange Japanese chant (even the zombies that Rick has already knocked down); ten hits will kill him, and he is worth 500 points. However, if you cannot manage to strike him the necessary number of times, he will eventually float away off the right side of the screen - but any zombies that were alive at the time will remain.

Recycle Dead (リサイクルデッド)

These two types of zombies are constantly reanimated by Master Dead; two hits will kill them, and they are worth 100 points, but as long as Master Dead is still alive, they will return to life through his Japanese chanting regardless of how many times Rick knocks them down. Once Master Dead has been defeated, they go to their final rest - and they will also occasionally just walk into the scene during the fight.

Mutant Jennifer (ジェニファーの正体)

When Rick meets up with his girlfriend at the end of the fifth stage, she will greet him in Japanese, before mutating into the monster you see on the left; she will attack by leaping towards Rick (and you should watch out for her extra-long claws). Once you have hit her six times, she will return back to her human form and beg Rick not to kill her (again, in Japanese) before transforming back into that mutant form - and she will perform slightly shorter leaps towards Rick this time. Once you have hit her six more times, she will again revert back to her human form and beg Rick not to kill her (once again, in Japanese) before transforming back into her mutant form for a second time; she will also perform considerably shorter leaps this time. Once you have hit her six last times, you will receive 6000 points as she again reverts back to her human form and bids farewell to Rick (yet again, in Japanese) - and the three Hiragana and Kanji characters in her name read as no shōtai, which means "true identity".

Oba (オバ)

These fetuses appear upon the sixth stage; one hit will kill them, and they are worth 200 points, but if you cannot manage to hit them before they hit the ground, they will burst out of their bubbles and start leaping towards you (their point value will also increase to 300 as a result of this fact).

Mother (マザー)

This enormous womb (which, despite its name, is neither male nor female), is the boss for the sixth stage, and the spawning point of the Oba; it is probably the most difficult boss to defeat, as it keeps spawning Oba during the fight (as you can see in the image to the left). It will roar from the DAC every time Rick's clenched fists (and feet) connect with it, and once you have struck it thirty times you will receive 5000 points and any Oba that are currently on screen will instantly be killed for their current point values (200 if in bubble, 300 if out of it) - but you will have to make sure to walk all the way to that left side of the screen at this point, because the resulting explosions will injure Rick if he is caught in them, and if he has only one "life-heart" remaining he will be forced to replay the stage again (in total contrast to if the chandelier fell on him at the end of the second stage, it would kill him instantly regardless of how many life-hearts he had remaining).

Fire Dead (ファイヤーデッド)

These flaming zombies appear on the seventh stage, and attack by jumping towards Rick in set patterns; they cannot be killed, only avoided.

Fire Logs (ファイヤーログズ)

These flaming tree trunks attack by rolling towards Rick in the seventh stage; like the Fire Dead, they cannot be killed and must be avoided.

Hell Chaos (ヘルカオス)

This decaying head is the boss of the seventh stage; he will rise out of the ground and throw rocks into the air, which can injure Rick if they land on him. Once you have hit him ten times, he will recede back into the ground, and attempt to grab Rick with his rotting hands, then re-emerge from the ground on the other side of the screen to throw more rocks up into the air - and once you have hit him ten more times, he will again recede back into the ground and attempt to grab Rick with his hands before again re-emerging from the ground on the other side of the screen. Once you have repeated the process five more times for fifty more hits, you will receive 100000 points, as a mysterious face rises out of the ground; nobody knows what it is, or where it came from, but it has been speculated that it is the spirit of Dr. West, which has finally been freed from wherever it had been imprisoned. You can now sit back and enjoy the ending - which has Rick standing in front of the burning West Mansion as the Terror Mask (which has turned red) explodes into eight pieces, but his face is not visible in the shadow. The game weapons are explained below.

Weapons

• Cleaver (クリーバー): A strike from this weapon will decapitate the enemies, including Green Deadmen, Top Heavies, and Hanging Dead.
• Stick (スティック): A strike from this weapon will smash the enemies against the walls, including Top Heavies, and later Poltergeist Chairs.
• Wrench (レンチ): The first one-time-use projectile weapon, which only appears at the beginning of the second stage and will kill any enemy it hits.
• Shotgun (ショットガン): The most powerful weapon in the game, which only appears on the third stage; picking it up gives you eight shots, and one shot of it will blast the enemies to pieces (except for Biggy Man, who takes ten, but if you lost the first one, you will still have to punch or kick him four times after you have used all the shots for that second one). It can also take out an entire row of enemies when they are lined up, and reach across the entire distance of the screen - but if you were not grabbed on the bridge by a Monstrous Hand, you should save two shots on the first one.
• Rock (ロック): The second one-time-use projectile weapon, which only appears in the middle of the third stage and will again kill any enemy it hits.
• Spear (スペア): The third and final one-time-use projectile weapon, five of which only appear at the beginning of the fourth stage; they will impale any enemy they hit and immediately kill them. If Rick falls down one of the holes in the floor while he's holding one of them, he will also lose it.
• Axe (アックス): This weapon only appears at the end of the fourth stage; it is similar to the Cleaver, and must be used to defeat Evil Cross.