boatleg
2010
As somebody who hates most reboots and rolls their eyes at the sight of so many dead IPs having their graves needlessly desecrated during this era, I am choosing to rate this an unusually high score relative to my low expectations beforehand.
After spending enough time with titles like Shadows of the Damned and Drakengard 3, I have grown a deep fondness for questionable seventh-gen action games where the repetitive combat is smoothed over by main characters that never shut the hell up. One could argue that the writing tries too hard, but everything else about this game is bringing it so hard that it cultivates a strong sense of campy showmanship. I was surprised by how much thought was put into the game's narrative and world-building as well, devolving into ambitiously incoherent Lovecraft worship after a certain point.
The enemy variety is just okay and it's obviously missing some connective tissue in between its most memorable setpieces, but when Splatterhouse shines, it REALLY shines! I was especially impressed with the variety and pacing during Phases 6-8 as well as some of the late game areas. Perhaps I would scrutinize more closely if it had loads of filler, but my first playthrough took me less than 6 hours and it wasn't anywhere near long enough to begin to overstay its welcome.
After spending enough time with titles like Shadows of the Damned and Drakengard 3, I have grown a deep fondness for questionable seventh-gen action games where the repetitive combat is smoothed over by main characters that never shut the hell up. One could argue that the writing tries too hard, but everything else about this game is bringing it so hard that it cultivates a strong sense of campy showmanship. I was surprised by how much thought was put into the game's narrative and world-building as well, devolving into ambitiously incoherent Lovecraft worship after a certain point.
The enemy variety is just okay and it's obviously missing some connective tissue in between its most memorable setpieces, but when Splatterhouse shines, it REALLY shines! I was especially impressed with the variety and pacing during Phases 6-8 as well as some of the late game areas. Perhaps I would scrutinize more closely if it had loads of filler, but my first playthrough took me less than 6 hours and it wasn't anywhere near long enough to begin to overstay its welcome.
1999
This is a recommendation specifically for the Special Edition version of the game, which was originally put out for the PC bundle market well over a year before the troubled N64 conversion ever saw the light of day.
Many people simply refer to this as the beta version and write it off for featuring tank controls, but there is a perfectly cohesive (albeit unpolished) game in here that I often found more engaging than the final product.
The general structure is the same, but many areas feel larger and better realized, and some of the more interesting setpieces here were later streamlined or replaced to accomodate for easier console development. Even the large sections of the game that aren't particularly different at a first glance are entirely recontextualized by the precision "stop and aim" tank control platformer playstyle. It takes some getting used to, but I never felt like I was in a situation where the level design doesn't take your limitations into account. Tonic Trouble: Special Edition weirdly felt like a breath of fresh air to me after playing so many breezy platformers with controls so buttery smooth they may as well be an extension of your body. I totally understand why there aren't many platformers that utilize a control scheme like this and why the few that are out there are remain niche and unapproachable, but I personally love that the game makes me put some degree of thought into every jump. Playing a game like this at a more meticulous pace really helps you stop and smell the flowers, and the atmosphere is truly great! The sparse voice acting and lack of boss fights gives this version of the game a quiet dreamy vibe that reminds me of what I liked most about my time with Rayman 2.
There was another PC version released later down the line that was built on the bones of the N64 release but utilizes the graphics and high quality dynamic music from Special Edition. It also has of loads of voice acting that isn't even on N64, so if you can't stomach tank controls and want to play a more polished game I would at the very least suggest playing that one over the N64 release.
Many people simply refer to this as the beta version and write it off for featuring tank controls, but there is a perfectly cohesive (albeit unpolished) game in here that I often found more engaging than the final product.
The general structure is the same, but many areas feel larger and better realized, and some of the more interesting setpieces here were later streamlined or replaced to accomodate for easier console development. Even the large sections of the game that aren't particularly different at a first glance are entirely recontextualized by the precision "stop and aim" tank control platformer playstyle. It takes some getting used to, but I never felt like I was in a situation where the level design doesn't take your limitations into account. Tonic Trouble: Special Edition weirdly felt like a breath of fresh air to me after playing so many breezy platformers with controls so buttery smooth they may as well be an extension of your body. I totally understand why there aren't many platformers that utilize a control scheme like this and why the few that are out there are remain niche and unapproachable, but I personally love that the game makes me put some degree of thought into every jump. Playing a game like this at a more meticulous pace really helps you stop and smell the flowers, and the atmosphere is truly great! The sparse voice acting and lack of boss fights gives this version of the game a quiet dreamy vibe that reminds me of what I liked most about my time with Rayman 2.
There was another PC version released later down the line that was built on the bones of the N64 release but utilizes the graphics and high quality dynamic music from Special Edition. It also has of loads of voice acting that isn't even on N64, so if you can't stomach tank controls and want to play a more polished game I would at the very least suggest playing that one over the N64 release.
2005
I remember feeling kinda ripped off buying this game when it first came out, but over the years I bet I've booted this game up more than any of the Pokémon titles put together. Nintendo EAD doesn't really put out many score-attack arcade style games often, and this is an especially approachable one. The download play can get heated too! This probably would have seen more love as a DSiWare release. Kirby Air Ride didn't need much content to become a hood classic, so what's stopping Yoshi Touch & Go?