Review – Splatterhouse iPhone App

The Scoop: The year, 1988. The game, Splatterhouse, a classic slide-scrolling slasher game masterfully created by NAMCO. One of the original games to have a parental advisory warning on its box back in the day, Splatterhouse‘s gory gameplay of excessive blood and guts is a pioneer in its category. Fast forward two decades and some change later and it’s been resurrected in a big way on the small screen.

Splatterhouse's original packaging in 1988 dawned a parental advisory due to it's gory imagery.

Publisher: NAMCO BANDAI Games, Inc.
Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch
Genre: Games
Rating: 12+
ESRB Content Descriptors: Frequent/Intense Realistic Violence, Frequent/Intense Cartoon or Fantasy Violence, Frequent/Intense Horror/Fear Themes, Frequent/Intense Profanity or Crude Humor

The Setup: Picture this. You (Rick) and your girlfriend Jennifer are out walking minding your own business when for some reason you need shelter. Be it rain, snow or whatever reason, you’ll take anything. So naturally, the suspicious and most likely haunted “Cursed Mansion” appears and in you run.

Bam. Lights out. You’ve been beat up by some of Dr. West’s (the home owner) gruesome groupies. Next thing you know you awaken in the middle of this mysterious house with a “Terror Mask” on your face. And of course, the mask is what is keeping you alive and giving you superhuman strength. But wait, where’s Jennifer? What will you tell her dad, her mom, her family?

Luckily, there’s a machete off to your side waiting for you to pick up and reek havoc on monstrous hordes and unearthly creatures in your side-scrolling adventure to rescue your girlfriend Jennifer. That is, if you get out of the house alive.

As for gameplay, you can easily use the virtual d-pad to move forward, backward and crouch. Defeat the enemies and avoid hazards with the attack and jump buttons. Along with the above mentioned machete, you’ll find melee and projectile weapons, but each is limited to the amount of slashing you undertake. Depending on the level of difficulty, the enemies are fairly easy to overcome and kill without too much hassle. There are a few wholes you can fall through that bring you down to the basement of the mansion and consequently, the bad guys are a bit more agitated down there and are more difficult to beat. There is a boss on every level to beat before moving on. They are not as easy to kill as the hall mongrels and you’ll find yourself sacrificing a few lives before finding the right kill combination.

What’s Hot:

• Sticks closely to the original storyline
• Gory boss battles, intense and creepy music
• Game Center support which includes online leader boards and achievements
• All-new Splatter Rush mode for those wanting only to kick some horde butt as they come from all angles

What’s Not:

• Enemy difficulty could be increased a little
• Screen’s expand mode interferes with user controls

Final Verdict: Sticking to its original storyline of gore, blood and slashing one’s way through a horde of devilishly crude creatures, Splatterhouse is a must buy for those beat ‘em up side scrolling arcade lovers looking for a nostalgic flashback. As well as those just looking to slash up some bad dudes.

Download app here for $2.99.