Day 14: Splatterhouse 3

I planned on just copying yesterday's blog, changing the 2's to 3's and calling it a day. Not only would that have been pure comedy gold, it would have saved me a lot of time. But those bastards went and changed the formula.

They didn't change it much. Rick still has to fight his way through a creepy old mansion full of hideous monsters to rescue Jennifer. Now he can move in all four directions, combo punches, throw enemies and preform spinning kicks, making Splatterhouse 3 play more like Double Dragon than Splatterhouse.


Instead of a straight shot to the end, there are now several different paths through each level. But if you want to get the the end before time runs out and Jennifer meets her horrible grisly end, you'll only get to see about a third of each stage. Don't worry if she does die. The game will go on, you'll just get one of the many alternate endings.

In addition to the weapons lying around the mansion (including the return of the 2x4), Rick now collects power crystals which give him the ability to transform into a large, powerful (but very slow) beast for a limited time.


The change in gameplay means that monsters no longer burst open after one or two punches. It now takes several shots to down each one, and most of them do nothing more than fall backwards and writhe a little before dissolving. Rick doesn't swing the 2x4 like a baseball bat anymore, splattering zombies against the far wall. Rather, he clubs them over the head and they just fall to the floor.

The ooze and puss that burst forth with every attack is what gave the first two Splatterhouse games personality. Now the game is little more than Final Fight in creepy zombie land.