Splatter World
Game Info | Screenshots
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Year: 1993
System: Nintendo Famicom [CANCELLED]
THE GAME
On May 31, 2024, a Japanese Famicom researcher, Orochi posted something extraordinary to their blog (English translation here). They had been sent a video cassette by a collector of "in-store game VHS." On it was footage of the lost sequel to Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti, Splatter World. The existence of this game had only been hinted at previously in the Namco Museum of Art video about Splatterhouse, in 2021.
Splatter World looked to be pretty far along in development. As the videotape was sent to retailers in December of 1992 and the game was slated to be released in March of 1993, I'd say it was probably close to 100% complete at this time. They may have been in the final stages of polishing and gearing up for release when the plug was pulled. Of course, we don't know why the plug was pulled, but Orochi speculates that the user base shift to the Super Famicom, coupled with the possibility that Namco did not receive enough orders to justify the release (and also noting that Namco pulled out of the Famicom market entirely less than a year later, in December 1993), were what caused Splatter World's cancellation.
So what do we know about Splatter World now? Well, in a surprising, yet unsurprising turn, it was going to be a full-fledged RPG. The Pumpkin King is back (in the prologue, if nothing else), and Dr. West was to be the main villain. Jennifer was to be a member of your party, as were two new characters seen in the few pieces of artwork shown in the Namco Museum of Art video. Two of the new characters now have names: Greddy, who is a wandering guitarist who apparently likes to do a sort-of Freddy Krueger cosplay, and Melton, the "muddy naked man with a strong impact." Another interesting little bit is that, if one of your party dies in battle, they'll be resurrected as a zombie (presumably to be fully returned to normal at some point). A few familiar enemies are also on display in the video, along with some new ones.
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Additional info was gleaned from this cohost post about the video:
"one of the key battle mechanics was 'Chanelling', ie summoning the souls of preiously-defeated enemies and having them possess the summoner in order to perform a special attack
defeated enemies could revive as zombies and continue fighting, and defeated party members would be zombified, which allowed them some basic actions but disabled spirit-based attacks and channeling
the two recruitable party members shown in the video are the Krueger-esque traveling guitarist "Greddy" (shoulda been "Shreddy"!) and the goopy powerhouse "Melton" (who you see getting goopified in the footage); the key art shown in the Namco Museum of Art video shows a third party member, but they're not shown/named in the PV
The game kicks off with a recap of Wanpaku Graffiti and a reprise of the final boss battle in RPG form; afterwards, Rick & Jennifer return home only to find the town crawling with zombies, and see a TV broadcast from Dr. West (of West Mansion, the setting of the original game) pledging to overrun the world with horrific creatures"
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This is usually where we'd be left hanging. However, Orochi did note that Bandai Namco does still have materials for Splatter World (as evidenced by its inclusion in the Namco Museum of Art video), and that the game may eventually see the light of day, provided that the prototype is still out there. It took years for the Strider Hiryu and Parody World Monster Party prototypes to surface, so there is hope that this still may be out there somewhere.
Watch the original video here.
Backup of original video in case it's ever pulled.
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