My first experience with the Splatterhouse was flipping through a Gamepro magazine during 1993 and seeing a full-page advertisement for Splatterhouse 3, flaunting the ultra-violent nature and demonic setting of the series with the enlarged box-art of a muscled, shirtless Rick wielding an axe against some bulb-headed monster. I came to acquire the 2nd and 3rd game of the series over the next few years, although I wasn't willing to play them through without experiencing the original Splatterhouse (which would sadly remain arcade-exclusive in its original state for over a decade to come). Now that the new Splatterhouse remake has gone the distance of including the uncut classic trilogy as an unlockable package - I needed to wait no further to sink my teeth into a franchise I had been eager to embrace for many years. This review is based on the emulated version included in the 360 variant of Splatterhouse (2010), and all contents within are to be judged as if they were coming straight out of my old Sega Genesis.

Story 10/10

It's been five years since Splatterhouse 2 concluded with Rick rescuing Jennifer from the eternal torment of the underworld, and things have been going quite well for the couple. Rick landed a job on Wall Street, raking in enough money for Jennifer (now his wife) and David (their young child) to live comfortably in a mansion. One night, Rick is sound asleep when the distant memory of the horrors he endured spring to life when the Terror Mask materializes in his dreams and warns him of an incoming horde of demons. The monsters are after Rick's family, needed a psychic link to a dormant artifact that will grant a terribly evil entity its powers that were long ago sealed away. Rick's cozy mansion begins to sink into another dimension, exaggerating its size (seriously, the place is bigger than a castle in the game) and filling it to the brim with mindless fiends seeking the taste of Rick and his family's flesh. Now Rick must once again don the Terror Mask to battle through the warped halls of his home and into a frightening world beyond - desperate to protect Jennifer and David from becoming a human sacrifice. Splatterhouse is by far the most cinematic of the original trilogy - with constant creepy cut-scenes showcasing what events are unfolding within the mansion, and unlike the previous games - there are multiple endings depending on your action.

Graphics 10/10

The visuals here are quite impressive - as Splatterhouse 3 showcases a larger environment than the two previous installments and manages to make it even more grotesque. The walls of the mansion are constantly slathered in human or demon remains - some rooms you enter are simply shrines to the violence that took place earlier, with severed limbs, torn-open rib-cages, and all sorts of gook caked onto the floor. The enemies this time around are utter abominations, looking like skinned corpses (animal? human? I'm not entirely sure if you can discern between them) fitted out with savage claws and gnashing teeth. Not only are they hideous to look at, but they actually show the injuries you inflict upon them (quite a rare thing for a 1993 game). Sometimes its as low-key as blood and bile seeping through their bruised flesh, but then you get the occasional foe that has half of its face tumble off with a delightful crunching sound that accentuates the image of discarded bone and tissue splattering onto the floor. After literally getting the hell beat out of them, the some of the undead will violently spasm on the floor and all of them meet their end by erupting into a puddle of molten flesh and rancid fluid. The addition of wounded monsters is not just a cosmetic thing - some of them display new abilities (like the bulb-faced monster on the box-art, which has an addition arm that will reach out of its now-exposed throat to flail at you once its upper skull has been destroyed). Rick has gotten a makeover for himself - with his trademark jumpsuit getting swapped out for overalls to emphasize his chiseled physique. The Terror Mask now resembles some kind skeleton implant onto Rick's face, and when he transforms into his "rage form" - his entire head is enveloped by bone ridges kind of along the lines of a Predator's face without dreadlocks. With the Terror Mask on, Rick is already pretty beefed up - but when you use those power-up orbs, his muscle density sky-rockets and he looks like some juiced-up character from The Fist of the North Star. "Rage Form" Rick has enhanced abilities I will cover in the game-play section of the review, but I like the visual flair of these flesh-like stalks that sometimes protrude from his chest like something out of Hellraiser or that Nightmare on Elm Street movie where the trapped souls stretch out against Freddy's skin. The animation has improved and sheds most of the stiffness apparent in the first two games, which is tied into Rick's much extended array of combat abilities and the reactions of the enemy bodies he tosses around with those new moves. The cut-scenes during and between stages lack any kind of pixelation or rigidness you typically see with early 90s console games attempting to be theatrical. You can see with haunting detail the expression of horror on Jennifer's face and the aura of innocence around David as they are stalked by the ravenous beasts that have overwhelmed the mansion. Even the "game over" screen is worth mentioning - choosing to quit the game will have Rick's illuminated limp body dissolve into a pool of dissolved meat and naked bones. Despite being made only a year after Splatterhouse 2, the third installment raises the bar a good few notches against the previous game's graphic splendor and tops it in almost every aspect.

Sound 8/10

While the original Splatterhouse still has my favorite soundtrack in the series, the third game improves upon the score of the previous title with more distinguishable tracks to set the mood of the frantic action and the threat against Rick's family. The sound effects here are solid as well, as Rick's attacks have the typical thudding noises you'd expect from a brawler as well as a variety of grunts and groans as he takes damage and dies. The demons offer up a healthy serving of crunches, splats, gasps, and gurgles as they make their presence know and are reduced to bubbling piles of goo when killed.

Control 10/10

Splatterhouse 3 surgically removes the two biggest problems from the previous games' handling issues (platforming segments and enemies attacking from an aerial position), making it play just as smooth as any respectable early 90s console beat 'em up.

Game-play 9/10

Namco went out and overhauled the entire Splatterhouse combat mechanic core, replacing the single-plane Kung-Fu Master approach with a more complex 3d movement scheme along the lines of beat 'em ups like Final Fight. Rick now has a variety of combat skills at his disposal - including a headbutt, pile-driver, and throw which feel as natural as anything out of Streets of Rage 2. As I mentioned earlier, platforming was stripped from the equation - meaning that all your time will now be rightfully spent caving in ghouls' faces and transversing the mansion (which reminds me a bit of what Resident Evil might have been like if made during the 16-bit era). Another major chance is that you now collect health orbs (instead of earning extra lives from points) and power-ups that can trigger a "rage mode" Rick now has. "Rage Mode" soups up Ricks basic attacks - breaking apart enemies with greater ease and throwing objects with incredible force instead of using them in-hand. You have to be strategic with "rage mode", because sometimes you'll happen to come across an abundance of power-ups (meaning you've been too stingy with the ability), or on the opposite side of the spectrum - you'll run your reserves dry and wind up not being able to activate it when you're in a bind. One thing that kind of sucks about "rage mode" is that no matter how many bars you have filled up, you will be reset to empty if you clear a level with the ability active. This means that you'll often have to choose between using one bar at a time (instead of stockpiling), or gamble that you can secure enough new orbs between now and the next boss battle or difficult wave of enemies. Weapon pick-ups make a return in Splatterhouse 3, although they aren't as abundant as in the previous games (I don't believe there is even a single shotgun in the game) and handle a bit differently. You can carry a weapon for as long as you'd like in a stage, although the first time you take damage you drop it and a ghost carries it off into oblivion (I would have preferred a more traditional method where the weapon can damage so many enemies before breaking). Although these weapons, like always, can give you a significant combat edge in battle - the enemies in this game won't die from a single hit, and you can no longer smear them across the walls home-run derby style. In addition to the revamped fighting system, Rick now has to make his way through his massive estate room by room - with you keeping an eye on the stage's timer (which ties into the events of the plot) and carefully selecting which route would be the most effective depending on how you play the game. For example, I tend to hoard all the power-ups for boss battles or against the extremely powerful obese demons with the shark-like gaping mouths that can drop you down to 50% health. Other people might like to be more liberal with the "rage mode" and focus on keeping as much health and lives stocked up by over-powering the common enemies with the "Hulk" version of Rick. If you find yourself in need of more items than the most direct path offers, you can detour into the various side-rooms or backtrack a bit - although you risk running out of time and you have to re-fight enemies from previous rooms. Splatterhouse 3 is also the first game in the series to offer a choice of difficulty levels - but make no mistake, even on "easy" you can get caught up in a combo and have your life-bar drastically reduced in a moment's notice. The series carries on its legacy of being no walk in the park - but the inclusion of a password system and unlimited chances to restart a floor of the mansion mean that its never too frustrating to find yourself on the receiving end of death. I do enjoy the overwhelming majority of the game's new feel, and it stacks up quite well against the other major Sega Genesis beat 'em ups. Even over 17 years after its initial release, with the pressure of hype set against it from me having to wait all this time to really get into it - Splatterhouse 3 stands out as one of the best hybrids of fast-paced action and bone-chilling horror I've experience to this day.

Replay value 7/10

While the earlier Splatterhouse titles offered nothing different per alternate play-through aside from the option of taking the high or low ground on certain stages, the third installment of the series offers quite a few incentives. The mansion has roughly a dozen rooms per floor, and you can pick and choose your route from the starting position to the boss's lair - meaning you'd have to beat the game at least twice to explore the entire estate under the time limit for each level. Beating the clock will get you the happier endings, although that means having to fight harder and faster without any kind of backtracking for weapons, health, or power-ups. Of course, you can take your time and play it safe in terms of combat, but will you be able to live with yourself if something happens to Jennifer or David? Your choices will decide between four possible endings - which is a nice departure from the linearity which guides most beat 'em up games. There's also a password system to select a certain level and/or family status if you have to take a break from the game or just can't beat a boss. Splatterhouse 3 packed in a nice bundle of replay incentive, which is nothing to scoff at for a game which doesn't have different characters to play as, co-op, or any kind of experience or upgrade system.

Overall 9/10

Having now gone through the entire series (including the new remake, which I will be reviewing next) I have to say that Splatterhouse 3 impressed me the most of the entire franchise. The violence is brutal without being comical, the atmosphere is tense and bleak, and there's enough content to keep you occupied without ADHD kicking in. Whether you pick up a copy of this game on the Sega Genesis or get the entire bundle in the PS3/360 game - it is a must-play entry in both survival-horror and beat 'em up action that older and younger gamers should enthusiastically seek out.

Reviews on Vizzed must be exclusive to Vizzed so I'll have to close this:

Original review:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/genesis/586483-splatterhouse-3/reviews/review-144509