Its satisfying to splatter these creatures all over the environment but that can only carry the game so far. Your limited number of moves grows old fast. That slow pace also exposes how simple and boring it can be. Can’t let players have an advantage against the vicious bosses, oh no.Īs a single plane brawler Splatterhouse 2 is slower paced than its contemporaries. Sadly you still lose your weapons before moving on to another screen. The most bizarre has to be a zombie head. There’s a greater variety of weapons on hand, from the crowd pleasing shotgun, metal pipe, chain saw, and more. Your attacks are limited to a punch, jump kick, and slide attack.

Rick is a hulking he-man and looks like he escaped from an insane asylum. In terms of mechanics this sequel is nearly identical to the first game. The music is great and the sound effects have a considerable amount of punch to them as well. Whether you like it or not is a matter of taste. While there have been some notable improvements it still somewhat retains the flat look of its predecessor. The sprites are also larger although the animation is limited. There is a greater variety of locations in and around the mansion this time out which keeps it fresh. The look is grittier and more detailed than before. It might seem odd that Splatterhouse 2 is a Genesis exclusive rather than hitting the arcade but suffers little for it. While it may seem like the West mansion was rebuilt this game actually takes place in a new location. Splatterhouse 2’s localization removed much of the dialogue, leaving the simple story confusing. There are actually more story bits in the sequel although Western gamers weren’t privy to that information. Although reluctant Rick dons the mask again to save his lost love. The mask informs him that Jennifer is still alive and that he needs to return to the mansion.

Three months after the events of the original Rick is haunted by nightmares from the Terror Mask.

Splatterhouse 2 is still enjoyable but is disappointing in that they could have done more with it. While the game’s atmosphere received an upgrade the gameplay has not. For the sequel Namco turned it up to 11, creating a gooey and gory splat fest. The game was pretty tame but still shocking when viewed through nine year old eyes. We were still years away from a rating system and so all the kids could feel like they were playing something illicit.

Yet kids like me at the time could play it and no one batted an eye. It was gory for its time and caused a bit of a stir. It’s funny to look back at the original Splatterhouse.

Splatterhouse 2 logo