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Splatterhouse Walkthrough
Critically, it feels that Splatterhouse is designed around Rick's movement- most of the enemies are fairly slow and lumbering, so when a faster enemy like a Top-Heavy or a Body Eater appears, it actually feels like a legitimate threat. Splatterhouse 3, known in Japan as Splatterhouse Part 3 (スプラッターハウスPART3) (stylized as SPLATTERHOUSE. 3) is a horror themed beat'em up video game released by Namco for the Mega Drive/Genesis in 1993. It is the sequel to Splatterhouse 2 and was one of the first games to be given a rating by Sega's own Videogame Rating Council. Mutant Rick in Splatterhouse 3. Acting as a new ability in the game, Mutant Rick is capable of grabbing and throwing enemies, performing a body slam move, an upper cut punch, or use the chestburster move. In Splatterhouse 3, in order for Rick to both gain and remain in this form, he must go around and collect an certain amount of Eldritch Orbs in order to charge the, 'Power bar,' and must. In the original Splatterhouse, Rick and his lady friend Jennifer take refuge from a storm in a mansion in the woods. Once there, the couple is attacked by the living dead. Jennifer is taken hostage and Rick is left for dead. Rick awakens in the mansion's dungeon to discover that he is wearing a mysterious mask (which resembles a hockey mask).
~By tankMage (January 2020)
About this Guide
Splatterhouse quickly became one of my favorite TuboGrafx-16 games thanks to its horror theme and classic side scrolling action. This walkthrough is intended to help players master this game, which can be tough at times thanks to its limited continues. I hope that my readers find this information valuable and enjoy playing Splatterhouse as much as I enjoyed it.
Contents
I. Tips
a. Performing the Slide Kick
b. Pick up Weapons
c. Control Your Jumps
d. Attack from the Correct Angle
II. Walkthrough
a. Stage 1: The Underground Dungeon
b. Sage 1 Boss: Crawling Slugs
c. Stage 2: The Sewage Canal
d. Stage 2 Boss: Poltergeist
e. Stage 3: The Forest Ambush
f. Stage 3 Boss: Chainsaw Man
g. Stage 4: The Forbidden Room
h. Stage 4 Boss: Flying Heads
i. Stage 5: The Rendezvous
j. Stage 5 Boss: Jennifer’s Zombie?
k. Stage 6: The Womb
l. Stage 6 Boss: Heart
m. Stage 7: The Finale
n. Stage 7 Boss: Giant Head
III. Codes
a. Level Select
b. Hard Mode
c. Sound Test
I. Tips
Splatterhouse is not a very hard game and it is also rather short. But it does have a few difficult spots and the player can only continue five times. Learning the following techniques will increase your odds of winning without too much trouble.
a. Performing the Slide Kick
When jumping, press Down/Forward and Attack a moment before Rick hits the ground to perform a sliding kick. This move is really powerful, since Rick won’t take damage while sliding and he will get multiple hits on ground based foes. It’s hard to do at first, but you can get the hang of it by practicing.
b. Pick up Weapons
Two-by-Fours, Shotguns, Spears, and even Rocks can be found scattered around most levels. Press Down if you see such an item on the floor to wield it and hit Up to grab weapons in the background. Weapons are always significantly more powerful than your bare hands, because they often increase your reach as well as your damage output.
Rick will drop his weapon if he takes damage, but you can pick it up again by pressing Down, even if it drops into water. Weapons like Spears, Wrenches, and Rocks are single use and will disappear after being thrown.
c. Control Your Jumps
Get used to switching the way you face in mid-air, because it’s an excellent way to dodge enemies and reposition Rick on slippery surfaces.
d. Attack from the Correct Angle
Some monsters have longer reach than Rick or are very low to the ground, which makes it impossible to punch them. If you’re having difficulty getting attacks to connect, try using a different move, like a jump kick or crouching kick.
II. Walkthrough
Here’s a series of overviews of what you can expect in each stage as well as detailed guides for the bosses. I did my best to refer to the manual to get the names of the stages, weapons, and enemies, but the manual is vague so I had to make a lot of names up.
a. Stage 1: The Underground Dungeon
Weapons: Two-by-Four, Wrench
This stage is about as simple as it gets. Grab the Two-by-Four near the beginning of the stage and start whacking the zombies that rush towards Rick. Proceed carefully, because there are obstacles like spikes and vomiting corpses that you will have to leap over.
Two large headed monsters will attack you from both sides when you get near the ladder. You’ll have to destroy their heads after hitting them. Rick will automatically climb the ladder when you step up to it after beating the monsters. Alternatively, you can simply hit the monster on the right with a flying kick or slide kick and jump over to the ladder to escape into the boss room without defeating both enemies.
b. Sage 1 Boss: Crawling Slugs
Red worms spawn on the left and right sides of this room. They tend to jump from where they spawn to the other side of the room, then crawl along the floor towards Rick. Stay in the center of the room near the fireplace and crouch. Let the worms fly over your head and hit them with a low kick when they crawl along the floor towards you. Be ready to switch the way you are facing quickly while kicking in order to quickly hit the worms as they come in from both sides.
The worms die in a single hit, so you should be fine as long as you keep kicking and change the direction you are facing. Do not bother trying to jump around and fight these creatures or they will chip away at Rick’s health until he is dead. They will stop spawning after you kill a bunch of them, but one last worm will pop out of the corpse on the left after a few seconds. Crouch in the left-hand corner of the screen to avoid taking damage when it jumps.
c. Stage 2: The Sewage Canal
Weapons: Two-by-Four
Tougher green zombies that take two hits to defeat appear in this stage, but the Two-by-Four found near the start of the level will still kill them in one shot. You will also have to jump over more toxic puddles than before, so make sure you have mastered stepping up to the edge of the puddle before attempting to leap over it to ensure that you clear it. Monsters also drop down from holes in the ceiling here. Pay attention to the top of the screen to avoid taking unnecessary damage.
The second portion of this stage is filled with water. Press up to grab the Two-by-Four in the background a few steps right of the entrance. Spiked balls will come towards Rick after he beats a few water creatures. Wait until each ball is about to hit you before jumping over it or Rick will likely land on it and lose a heart. A ball will also come in from behind after you jump over a few of them, so be ready to jump backwards. You’ll have to deal with two water creatures that attack from both sides after a gap in the spiked balls. After that, you can climb the ladder to the next boss.
Tip: Rick will drop his weapon if hit. You can still pick it up by pushing down, even when in the water where the weapon is not visible.
d. Stage 2 Boss: Poltergeist
Walk over to the far right side of this room as soon as you enter and stick to the wall. The screen will begin to shake and things will fall from the ceiling, potentially harming Rick. Keep an eye on the top of the screen and move out of the way if something appears over your head, though it’s unlikely to happen if you are by the wall on the right-hand side of the screen.
A chair will start bouncing around the room after the objects stop falling. Stay by the wall and jump kick the chair when it gets into range. Each hit will send the chair back to the other side of the chamber and it’s easy to get into a rhythm of jump kicking it. A few good kicks will destroy the chair.
The next challenge in this room comes in the form of knives that spin before flying towards you. Take a few steps away from the wall so you are standing on the lighter part of the floor and punch the knife when it gets into range. Pay attention to the knife’s angle, because you may have to jump over it or crouch kick if it’s coming in low. Two knives will attack you after you defeat the first one. They will come from both sides of the room, which makes it necessary to move to the left in order to get them both in front of you. Each knife takes about three hits to kill.
Once the knives have been dealt with, the painting in the center of the room will start flying around haphazardly. Stay near the center of the room and aggressively punch the painting to destroy it without much fuss. The painting takes about five hits to kill, so you should be able to get rid of it quickly if you punch rapidly and change directions to match its position. Move to the left or right wall once the painting is down, because the chandelier will fall from the ceiling and hit Rick if he is standing in the middle of the room.
Splatterhouse 2
e. Stage 3: The Forest Ambush
Weapons: Shotgun, Rock
Pickup the Shotgun right away when this stage begins. Stage three is more difficult than the first two and you will have to deal with killer dogs who leap towards you. They are difficult to hit with the Shotgun, but are easily distracted by dead zombies. Kill each zombie you see, then hop over the dogs as they feed on zombie remains…yum! Crouching and kicking at the dogs also works.
You’ll come to a bridge with blue dots that move around on it. Whatever you do, don’t touch the dots, because they will pull you into the waterway below the bridge. If that happens you will have to fight water monsters and jump over spiked balls. Punching water monsters is not viable and you will not have the Two-by-Four, but you can still defeat them with a jump or sliding kick. Getting across the waterway safely will take you to the other side of the bridge as if you made it across without getting caught by the dots.
Head forward and watch out for spitting corpses. Use the Shotgun on them if you have it, otherwise wait for them to spit, then rush them or throw one of the conveniently placed rocks at them. Watch out for the spiked pits and be careful when ducking near one, because there’s usually a stone nearby that you can pick up and throw. While the stone can be helpful, there’s a chance you can accidentally throw your shotty into the pit when picking up the stone if you still have it. Be sure to pick up the next Shotgun you see, you will definitely need it for the boss that’s just ahead.
f. Stage 3 Boss: Chainsaw Man
I wish I could tell you there’s an easy way to beat this chainsaw armed psycho, but there isn’t one unless you’re willing to take some damage. Keep your distance and use the Shotgun on him at the beginning of the fight. This guy tends to jump and swing his chainsaw arms at you, making close quarters combat difficult. Shooting him will greatly reduce his life, especially if you can get all eight shots to connect.
After that, you have two choices: fight him with finesse or charge into battle punching and kicking like a savage. Option two usually works best, because you get a few frames of invincibility if he hits you and you can use that opportunity to punch him to death. If you’re lucky you can get him against the back wall and hit him five or six times until he’s dead while only losing a heart or two.
The finesse method requires you to jump towards him, pivot away, then try to crouch kick him when you land. This is easier said than done and requires a lot of practice, because chainsaw man moves unpredictably. You can also try the sliding kick, but his habit of jumping makes it difficult to get this move to connect.
g. Stage 4: The Forbidden Room
Weapons: Spear, Golden Cleaver
The screen will move forward automatically in this stage, but it can’t push you forward. Pick up the Spears near the beginning of the stage and throw them at the zombies. You’ll have to use jump kicks or punches to deal with the leaping zombies near the holes. Eventually you’ll get to a deformed head that crawls along the floor, crouch kick it to death.
There are some spinning blades you will need to jump over after the head, but they are fairly easy to clear as long as you jump when they are moving away from you. Be ready to punch a few bats while navigating the blades and do not try to pick up the Spear by the last blade or it will hit you.
The next hallway is filled with mirrors. Occasionally a clone of Rick will jump out of the mirror and begin attacking you. The clones have access to all of your moves including the sliding kick. I find that hopping around and jump kicking them works well. You can also counter their jumps with a crouch kick, but you will need to leap over their sliding attack.
h. Stage 4 Boss: Flying Heads
You will see a blue head surrounded by a ring of severed heads on the right side of the screen after clearing the mirror hallway. It’s important to start walking forward right away, because heads will start flying towards you and swooping in from behind. You will not have to worry about the heads that come from behind if you scroll the screen forward and you’ll only have to deal with those that attack from chest level, which are rare.
After a few steps, you’ll see a Golden Cleaver, pick it up and use it to whack the heads that fly towards you while you keep walking right.
After a few more steps, the screen will stop scrolling and the blue head will start to move from one side of the screen to the next. It’s difficult to hit him, but you can connect with him pretty reliably if you simply wait for it to jump back towards you while standing within striking distance. You only need to strike the blue head in the center, but the other heads can hit you if you get too close, so you may want to clear them out first. You’ll also have to contend with other heads that fly towards you, so be ready to crouch kick or slice them with the cleaver. This fight mostly requires patience, since you’ll need an opening to attack, but it’s not bad if you take your time and fight defensively.
i. Stage 5: The Rendezvous
Weapons: Two-by-Four
Poltergeist chairs like the one from stage two bounce around the first hallway of this level. Take your time and use jump kicks or the Two-by-Four to smash them to bits. The stage gets a lot harder in the next area, so enjoy the break.
The next room is home to strange pits with hands crawling around in them. To make matters worse, the slanted floors near these pits cause Rick to slide in the direction they are facing. It’s best to walk forward and jump smoothly without stopping if you don’t want to fall into the pits. Take care, the hands will sometimes jump up into the air. You can avoid getting hit by these hands by jumping from the ramp, then turning in the opposite direction if they jump while you are sliding. Baiting the hands by jump forward a bit and turning back so you land on the ramp will ensure that you can pass without taking damage.
You’ll have to fight another big headed monster from the first stage after crossing the first few holes. Punch at him to make him jump backwards, then crouch kick him when he tries to close with you again. His head will come off like previously, but you should be able to nail it with a punch.
A series of pits and big headed monsters await you in the rest of this room, but the same tactics work on them. You will see a ladder leading up and one leading down at the end of this area. Both paths ultimately lead to the same place, but they feature different challenges. The upper floor is slightly easier to navigate, but you have to be careful not to fall or you will end up in the lower region anyway.
Upper Floor
Take the ladder going up to reach a higher floor that is home to ghosts that drop skulls and faces that fly out of paintings. Try to bait the ghosts into dropping their skulls so you can evade them before attempting to jump over the pits. Be ready to spin around and punch if you see a face in a painting, because it will emerge from the picture and fly towards Rick once he passes it. Do not fall into the holes or go down the ladder, because you will end up in the second part of the lower path.
The second part of this route is home to more Rick clones, but there are fewer of them this time. You’ll come to a room full of worms after you exit the second room.
Lower Floor
More water creatures and spiked balls populate this route. You’ll have to use more flying kicks here. Descend the ladder at the end of this room.
Skeletons and a skeleton wizard who hovers near the ceiling occupy this next room. Attack the skeleton wizard aggressively with flying kicks, because he will resurrect any skeletons you defeated, which can easily overwhelm Rick. About five hits should destroy the wizard. You can use a slide kick to clear the skeletons if the wizard resurrects them.
From here you can fall into a hole that leads to a hallway home to dogs and skull dropping ghosts (see the Upper Floor for more on the ghosts) or go up a ladder to the worm room. Both paths will take you to the boss, but I recommend going straight to the worm room because it’s easier.
Worm Room
You’ll enter this room if you took the high road or if you climbed the ladder in the skeleton wizard’s area. This is much like the stage one boss, except the screen scrolls forward. Just stay as far right as possible and crouch kick any worms that come near Rick. The hall is fairly long, but it’s likely you will get through it without damage if you stick to the edge of the screen and watch the worms closely. The worms will attack en masse after you reach the door, so go through it as quickly as possible.
j. Stage 5 Boss: Jennifer’s Zombie?
This boss is a real pain. You’re going to need a lot of patience and some practice to beat it. Jennifer’s Zombie only has a single claw attack, but it extends far and cannot be ducked. You will have to learn how to hit her with a flying kick, pivot in the air, then hop away before she can poke you with her claw. Jennifer is most vulnerable in the air, so it’s best to attack her while both of you are jumping, then hop away. You can also trap her in a loop if you stand by the edge of the screen, then jump kick her when she leaps towards you, but this only works when she is in the center of the room and she can break out of the loop by making a short hop. The most important thing to do is jump the split second Rick touches the ground (if you do it right you won’t see his standing animation) or she will catch you with her claw.
About six hits will make her transform and say “Help me!” before becoming a zombie again. She’ll use the exact same pattern in the second round. Hit her six more times and she will perform her transformation trick again, but this time she will change her pattern. She’ll make more short hops and use her claw more frequently. Use the same hit and run technique and you should be fine.
Pro-Tip: The Sliding Kick absolutely destroys this boss, but it’s difficult to pull off and you’ll be open to claw attacks.
k. Stage 6: The Womb
Weapons: None
After the rigors of stage five, stage six will seem like a cakewalk. It’s very short and all you have to do is punch and kick the foetus-like creatures that spawn in eggs. That said, you will need to be proactive about eliminating enemies in here, because they spawn quickly and will overwhelm Rick if you are not careful. It also helps to move forward at a steady rate.
l. Stage 6 Boss: Heart
Stage six’s boss is just a pulsating heart at the right side of the screen. It will spawn more of the foetus monsters quite rapidly, which will mob you if you do not keep them under control. You can use the slide kick in this confrontation, but it’s better to just punch and kick the heart, since doing so will usually eliminate its spawn. Keep the foetuses under control, especially those that appear behind or above Rick and this battle will go smoothly.
The heart can endure a tremendous amount of punishment, so try to hit it as rapidly as possible.
m. Stage 7: The Finale
Weapons: None
There isn’t much to say about stage seven, because it’s really not that difficult or long. You will have to jump over flaming logs that roll towards Rick, but they always come from the right and you should have little trouble clearing them. About halfway through, flame monsters will start bouncing towards you. They jump in high arcs and you can step into the safe spot by simply moving forward most of the time. After a few moments you will come to the last boss.
Try to memorize and perfect this stage quickly, because you will be sent back to the beginning if you die battling the boss.
n. Stage 7 Boss: Giant Head
Welcome to the final battle! Your last opponent is a giant head that emerges from the ground. Rocks will fall from the ceiling while the head is visible, so look up and step out of the way when they start plummeting to the earth. Punch the head rapidly to damage this boss, but pay attention to the top of the screen so you can avoid damage.
After a few seconds, the head will submerge and two hands will appear. You can see where the hands will pop up by looking at the floor and they will always attack in the direction in which their fingers are pointing, so it’s easy to get away from them as long as you react quickly. The head will usually resurface after the hands try to crush you a few times. Just keep in mind their position always changes. The left hand will always attack first, so it’s usually safe to step right to avoid it, then jump left to dodge the right hand.
After taking about twenty hits, the hands will begin to support the head while it is visible. This makes the battle a bit more difficult, since you will only be able to get a few punches in before having to move. Once its health gets really low, the hands will attack at the same time. It’s difficult to tell when they are going to do this and you will likely take a hit unless you are in the habit of moving away the moment you see the fingers. The good news is the boss is nearly dead at this point and a few more punches will earn you victory.
The slide kick works pretty well on this boss, but it will leave you exposed to its hands so use caution if you try to execute it.
The patterns of the hands and the falling rocks can be really difficult to avoid, so do not get greedy when attacking the head and pay close attention to the rocks. You will be sent back to the beginning of the stage if you die, consequently it helps to master navigating the burning logs and fire creatures in order to face the boss at full health.
III. Codes
Splatterhouse has a few codes that can be entered on the Start screen. None of these codes make the game any easier aside from the level select that will allow you to skip stages, but they do unlock a few new features that fans of the game may enjoy.
a. Level Select
Splatterhouse Mask
This is probably the best of the codes since this game lacks a save or password feature and you can use it to continue roughly where you left off if you stop playing.
Start the game normally and hit Select three times on the intro scene with the house in the rain. Next hold Down and Left on the D-Pad and press the I Button. If entered correctly, a level select will appear.
b. Hard Mode
Maybe the game wasn’t tough enough for you or you want to play it again on a higher difficulty level? Just hold the Select Button for a few seconds on the title screen and the word Hard will pop up.
Splatterhouse 2010
c. Sound Test
Press Start on the title screen and hit Select three times, then hold Down and Left on the D-Pad and press the I Button. The level select screen will come up, hold Select again for several seconds and it will be replaced by a sound test that will allow you to sample the game’s music. Hold Select again to return to the level select screen.
Splatterhouse 3
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