I had some godawful reboot ideas, after reading about an attempt to resurrect Splatterhouse in 2007 by a company calling themselves "3dfx Interactive" (this game was shut down by Namco after it was revealed that 3dfx was planning on selling their finished game - after that, "Splatterhouse" was going to be reimagined as something called "Psykotik"). I was actually just trying to trump the level of stupidity in their idea. Here's what I was up against (bolds are mine, to highlight some of the more loony concepts):
Concept #1, 11/2006: Splatterhouse is the new game from 3dfx Development. While not an official sequel nor a remake,
the game takes place years after the third, in a futuristic, post-modern world. It will be a FPS with elements of third-person strategy.Splatterhouse once again puts the player in Rick Taylor's shoes in the year 2075. Almost a hundred years have passed since the third game, and the Terror Mask has been destroyed. His wife, Jennifer, died years ago, leaving him lost and full of despair. He has been able to live due to the sacred powers the Terror Mask allowed him to use, but at a cost. Rick fears his sanity, and the simple challenges that normal people face render Rick dark and foreboding. He wanders the Earth amongst the shadows; hopping from city to city, feeding off of society's ignored wastelands,
taking his frustrations out on call-girls, wishing that every day brought him closer to the blast of a shotgun through the head. The mask, while destroyed, left him immortal, unable to take his own life.
He lived through years of man's mistakes and creations: a city stretching miles into the sky, a corporation soaking up society's ignorance towards personal freedom...a world full of corruption headed up by Muro Anderson, a super-being himself. Muro is an evil figure bent on changing the world into his view of a totalarian society. Now, he becomes aware of his existence from a Spirit (who revealed to have conjoined Rick and the Mask), who has shown up with word about a Prophecy that only the "gifted one" can stop the darkness from engulfing everything: the Terror Walker, the ultimate being destined to vanquish evil. Since the Terror Mask could not live without a host strong enough to resist the tempations, it was presumably destroyed. Rick's only hope is to
don the mask once more (infused with special technology), and
together, with the help of a fierce young girl, will be able to stop the ultimate annihilation of the human race...and put his dead wife to rest.
While they're familiar with the extreme controversey posed around Splatterhouse at its time of release,
the new game will completely take a turn for the better. Instead of focusing on horror this time around, Splatterhouse will take on a corrupted society full of sex, drugs, guns, and power. The horror side of the old games will be eliminated, and in its place will be scenes of paranormal activity from Rick's past. The horror concept will be removed and will only be featured in key flashbacks. The game will probably still be 18+ up on the ratings, but a stray of what made the series popular is integral for evolving the game. Much debate went into the inclusion of horror, but in the end, decided to make it a more modern struggle. This should also differentiate itself from the earlier games to create a new path and story for the character to follow.
While Rick (the main character from Splatterhouse) returns,
all of the other characters (except Herbert West) do not return. This was also intended to spark the storyline along as the player delves deeper into Rick's phsyche and his troubled past. As confirmed, both his wife and his son are dead, and the West Mansion has been destroyed. As to keep up with modern times, Rick will no longer be featured in the muscle-bound, Jason-Voorhees clothing, but in more traditional, futuristic clothing. It has not been decided what he will look like, but it is confirmed he will have shoes.
None of the enemies return from any Splatterhouse game. Instead, they are replaced with human soldiers who are part of the new world order set up by Muro and his corporation (much like CabalCo in Blood 2). It will also feature several paranormal enemies, as well as mutants and other unpleasantries. The monsters will only "return" in flashbacks from Rick's past.
However, the developers wanted to point out that the game will end up being a third person shooter with fighting elements. The reason for not developing it with their traditional FPS mindframe is due to the fact that Splatterhouse is about a character deep in the passions and disgusts of his mind. To achieve this, you will have to watch this character develop from your eyes, not from his. You will be able to live the struggle with him and help him regain his lost past and destroy the evil that lies ahead. The game will contain hand-to-hand combat as well as shooter sequences with a small amount of puzzle-solving. Imagine smooth transitions between shooting and fighting and you will have Splatterhouse's combat system.
While they're familiar with the extreme controversy posed around Splatterhouse at its time of release, the new game will attempt to bring something new to the table. Instead of focusing on horror this time around, Splatterhouse will take on a corrupted society with the usual hints of the apocalypse of society. However, in place will be the scary person Rick has become: based on what the player does (
killing innocents, types of drugs used, decisions made throughout the game) will have an adverse effect on the gameplay. The horror side of the old games will be eliminated, and in its place will be scenes of paranormal activity from Rick's past (
as well as heavy drug-use, bizarre moments, etc). The horror concept will not be completely abandoned but will instead be used for more important areas. The game will probably still be 18+ up on the ratings, but a stray of what made the series popular is integral for evolving the game. Much debate went into the inclusion of horror, but in the end, decided to make it a more modern struggle. This should also differentiate itself from the earlier games to create a new path and story for the character to follow. Do not be fooled, however:
This game will still be very scary. The Main Character, Rick Taylor, is one full of discontent and darkness.
Since losing his wife and his son to the Mansion, he's become little more than a staple feeding on the forgotten areas of the city. He resides in a beat-up apartment and drifts around, not caring about much of anything. He is also a user of drugs, thus farther removing him from the normal world. He does not age throughout the time elapsed between the fourth game and this game. Basically, once he is called upon is when he begins his struggle to regain himself.
Do you have any suggestions to make the story better? Anything for the game? You may email us, or post on our message boards under the SplatterHouse section, where your post will be read and taken into consideration.
Remember, this is a game for the fans by the fans, so you are more than encouraged to get active in the community.
