Splatterhouse

Splatterhouse – Arcade Retro Platform Slasher Fun

Anyone who remembers Splatterhouse or Jason from the Halloween movies will be delighted to see the return of such a classic game to the iPhone/iPod market.

For those of you who missed out on this classic platform game which appeared around 20 years ago, all that needs to be mentioned to you is make up for it now! OK, the graphics are pretty dated and not as appealing as some of the more modern titles, but as with all other retro games, it’s not made to look at but to enjoy as you play – and believe me, you will play for hours!

In fairness the only thing which hasn’t really improved with age is the sound effects, which at the time would have been considered cutting edge, but now it is almost cringe-worthy in its naffness. However, for all retro gamers out there, you wouldn’t wish it any other way, would you?

What you must do is use the on-screen controls to move your character around the various levels bashing and slashing monsters along the way. On the left side of the screen are the direction controls which allow you to navigate around the level and on the right side of the screen are your action buttons (jump, punch/use object and slide). To pick up an object you must use the up or down controls and use the punch button to either hit out with it or lob it.

If you remember games like Double Dragon then you’ll know roughly what sort of thing to experience with this title. Killing a monster usually takes only one or two hits, but some can require more hits or are only vulnerable to certain attacks like kicks rather than upper body blows.

Despite the rather low resolution and basic graphics, the game is completely addictive and there are so many levels to immerse yourself in, you’ll be amazed and entertained for hours. Also to the game makers credit, thought went into the graphics with relation to the results of a monster being hit with different objects e.g. chopped in half with a blade or splattered with a wooden plank.

Also, should you wish to make the game harder, you can alter the difficulty levels. Alternatively if you want to try your hand at a different version of the game, why not try and survive the Splatter Rush Mode? This is where you get to fend off swarms of monsters in a timed battle and get points for the unbroken chain of monsters defeated.

Ultimately you have a fantastic amount of fun bundled into this one download and you will be really pleased to add this to your collection of games.

Positives

Retro gaming fun

Addictive

Two different modes

Different difficulty settings

Negatives

Sounds are pretty basic

Graphics are fairly low

3 stars