Splatterhouse 3

Splatterhouse 3 is the title of a video game released by Namco for the Sega 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 Video Games Ratings Council. The game was given a MA-13 rating by the council for its graphic violence and gore.

In this single-player action game you control Rick who has once again donned the accursed Terror Mask to gain the strength needed to enter a haunted house and save his wife (Jennifer) and son (David) from various evil monsters. As Rick you have to race against time through various floors in the mansion and jump, kick, and punch an assortment of monsters to save your children.

Occasionally, Rick is able to pick up weapons (i.e. a baseball bat or an axe, amongst others) to use against the monsters. Once you defeat all the monsters in the room, an in-game map appears to give you some choice in how you get to the end of each level. The game's storyline alters significantly if you fail to finish levels before the allotted time runs out. For example, in the first level, you are tasked with saving Rick's wife Jennifer from being devoured by a boreworm. In order to save her, you must reach the end of the level to confront and defeat the boreworm within the time limit, failing to do so before time runs out will result in Jennifer being devoured internally by a boreworm planted inside of her body.

This installment of the Splatterhouse series also introduced another power of the Terror Mask. During gameplay, you will periodically find Eldritch Orbs which will fill a power meter at the bottom of the screen when collected. When the appropriate button is pressed during, you will witness Rick transforming into a hulking and more monstrous version of himself with the Terror Mask being seemingly fused to his head. In this state Rick is significantly stronger and can execute a special attack that involves pieces of his flesh extending from his chest area and acting as a weapon, injuring any monster in the vicinity of their reach.

As was the case in the first two games, the game featured many homages to popular horror films and helped to pave the wave for the survival horror genre of video games later seen in Resident Evil series.