In anticipation for the release of the brand new long-awaited Splatterhouse sequel, I propose you guys and gals a review today of one of the lesser known episodes of this slasher horror videogame series!
The new episode, after changing development team 2-3 times already, will finally be launched on November 23, 2010 (if you live in America that is... which I don't - surprise! for those who didn't knew that) and later this month for Europe and Asia, depending which country you live on.
Custom cartmodd done by RetroZone. Thanks guys!
VGR: Splatterhouse: Wanpaku GraffitiFrom Namco
Played on NESAlso available on /
Type Sidescrollin' platformer
Year 1989
After the original Splatterhouse's release, and while working on what would be the future home console release of the arcade game on PC-Engine (TurboGrafx-16 in the US), the Namco "Splatterhouse" team tried to pass Splatterhouse on different supports...one, the NES port, which ended up as this parallel episode.
Wanpaku Graffiti is not an adaptation of the first original game.
It is actually its own lil' episode.
The title, Wanpaku Graffiti, means "Silly SD!" (Wanpaku = naughty; Graffiti = chibi artstyle)
It's as the title implies a parody of Splatterhouse done in a super-deformed design.
It was actually a Famicom exclusive (Japanese NES), but since the game was already entirely written in english (apart from some elements like the title or the credits), some guys managed to finish it and the game I own is actually a cartmodd (an homebrew release)
"Rick!! Help me!!" Familiar characters, a familiar setting..yet, this isn't your regular Splatterhouse game.
The story plays out like this:
Rick is dead.
Jennifer, mourning on his grave implores the sky to have him back.
Suddenly a lightning strikes!!
Rick arises from his grave!
So does an evil spirit nearby, the Pumpkin King!!
The Pumpkin kidnaps Jenn and along the way brings back a lot of demons and monsters.
Now it's up to you, Rick. Help Jennifer, fight for her, bring her back and defeat the Pumpkin King!!
Rick is once more equipped with the Terror Mask to help him be able to fight his way through all the enemies he will have in his path.
D'awwww~ Chibi Rick is so cute! Look at him, cutting monsters with his lil' axe!
As you can see, it doesn't exactly follow the original game's storyline. (but there's a reason for that!)
The game looks pretty similar to the original Splatterhouse, it does use many similar settings, the woods, caves, the mansion, the lake and even the church!!
But this time the game is closer to a platformer, the only Splatterhouse to really feature challenging platforming sequences not just pits to jump over.
The game is less of a beat'em all since the enemies die easily now.
There isn't a lot of your usual Splatterhouse weapons to choose from. Mostly the axe and a shotgun parody in the form of fireworks.
The creepiest boss EVER DONE IN ANY VIDEOGAME TO THIS VERY DAY!!!
The game isn't super-super challenging at first. But over the time it grows a heck of a lot harder!
And it's not really that long, it took me a lot less time to finish than the original Splatterhouse trilogy.
It's 7 levels long.
But there's still a lot of surprises to find.
The gameplay, simple yet quite precise, is fun enough to make this one of the most solid experience I played on the NES.
The game is quite pretty to look at with some of the more colorful sprites I've seen on the NES (yet some pretty empty backgrounds some times, to balance and not slowdown the experience). The sprites and characters are pretty big on the screen.
And the music is pretty fun, catchy, like the original Splatterhouses!
Some pretty creepy tunes as well as some more funky tracks.
There's more varied music than some other classic NES games here!
There's a LOT OF BOSSES!!
Rick starts from his grave, in the cemetery, goes through the woods, find his way back to the local town, travels to the West Mansion and there explores a lot of rooms.
And all along his way doesn't run from the monsters but goes on purpose to every house, cabin and cave to confront the resurrected monsters and destroy them!
The enemies, unlike in later Splatterhouse games, aren't original creatures but rather parodies from various horror classics!
In fact, the whole game is full of parodies!
Rick resurrects like Jason in Friday the 13th Part 6 Jason Lives, finds a zombie-lookalike Michael Jackson dancing on a a fake-Thriller sounding tune (pictured in the screens at the bottom), has an Exorcist boss, a Jeff Goldblum/The Fly with teleporting machines and fly accident and all, and many more references and parodies!!
It's fun, always surprises and is a nice touch for a chibi-Splatterhouse parody!
The Aliens boss parody is pretty neat too. A girl, in a lab, seems to be asleep...
So, it's a Splatterhouse for kids??
I wouldn't say that exactly!
The references are obviously meant for adult horror fans.
And the game features some very creepy stuff that, had the game be "more realistic" like the rest of the Splatterhouse trilogy, would given the game a 'mature' tag.
Suddenly, SPLOTCH!! tons of facehuggers will come out of her belly and you'll have to survive
(I know, in Aliens, it's chestbusters, but this a parody, right?)
(I know, in Aliens, it's chestbusters, but this a parody, right?)
Sometimes the game even gets quite creepy in its atmosphere. The woods-level has almost no music, just an eerie atmosphere and will have you on your toes!
...finally, the girl just wakes up like nothing. And walks away. °___O
And even if the game doesn't feature blood, it still is quite graphic, in a Looney Tunes sort of way~
Anyway, the game offers plenty of challenges.
You only have a couple of lives (the health bar is similar to Mega Man's) with wich you only can continue a couple of times...then it's game over and start from the beginning of the stage. (and in some later longer levels will prove difficult)
But you can augment you health bar by killing enemies. There's a maximum number of kills to do to upgrade your life, in a sort of RPG-esque way. Then a new number appears to increase even more your life and so on.
The game uses a passworld feature, like Splatterhouse 3 later on would, to continue your progress.
DUN DUUN DUUUN~
It's a great episode, faithful to the series, yet in a completly different spirit.
The game makes you think it's a parody all along...then near the ending...TWIST! A surprise!
Yes, Wanpaku Graffiti features a triple ending twist, even Shyamalan himself would be put to shame with this.
At the end, Rick defeats the Pumpkin King and then...
(only read if you won't be able to get this game one day, and you're sure you'll never play nor beat this game)
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
The game also offers some replay value, with secrets to discover.
There are two hidden levels to find through two secret doors, which will bring Rick to extra levels. One taking place in Japan and the other one in Egypt. Finding your way through both will have Rick meet a "princess" who can offer a magic orb. Each orb will add a little epilogue to the game.
The first one:
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
Overall, with all these surprises in the end, the content of the game and its quality..this makes Wanpaku Graffiti a "must own" for any fans of the series!
Like I said, the game may seems quite easy at first sight, with pretty short levels, but as you play it, it grows on you and becomes a full fledged adventure on its own.
Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti is very different from the other episodes, the gameplay has very little in common with the original games, but its qualities, fun and surprises ranks it amongst the best NES games I've ever played!
Plus there's just not enough videogame parodies nowadays.
Personally, I wish this episode also makes it into the 2010 Splatterhouse game as an unlockable, to finally allow a lot more fans to be able to try it one way or another. It's A Must Play for horror, Splatterhouse and 8-bits platformer fans alike!
I give it:
What a twist!
ReplyDeleteLil' Rick is awesome :D I'd love to see him come back in the new one!!
One of the Best's Splatterhouse!
ReplyDeleteI hope some of it, even a tiny reference, make it into the new game.