Namco Bandai said today in a press release the next Splatterhouse game (the first in 16 years) will be arriving on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 next year.
The story is such that college student Rick Taylor tries to rescue his girlfriend Jennifer who has vanished after entering West Mansion. Naturally, Rick runs into monsters, and also discovers the "Terror Mask" which promises to give him the ability to find his lost girlfriend. At this point he is "transformed into a juggernaut of pure violence and destruction." Basically, it's a typical and classic Splatterhouse plot.
Some details on the gameplay mechanics and features are below. Sounds a bit like
Majora's Mask, only 100 times more violent and dark.
Embodying the unfiltered, primal aggression of its namesake, Splatterhouse gives players countless ways to decimate the mansion’s assortment of demons, monstrosities and abominations. Featuring a dynamic combat system, Rick will be able to use his brute strength to perform bone-crushing melee combos, savage grapples and wield an assortment of makeshift weapons including the series’ trademark 2x4 and even limbs and heads ripped from enemies themselves. Players will also be able to reanimate the corpses of fallen enemies to fight alongside Rick, imparting strategic depth to the game’s battle and unique puzzle systems. More agile than ever before, Rick can now leap great distances and propel himself to out of reach areas by swinging from outcroppings in the environment, adding an all-new level of exploration to the series.
Introducing a new regeneration mechanic, players will be able to determine Rick’s status in battle by visible cues detailing how injured he is, doing away with the traditional health bar. If he succumbs to the mansion’s deadly inhabitants, they will begin to dismember him, savagely tearing away limbs and ripping at his flesh to expose his internal organs. To survive, Rick must call upon the power of the Terror Mask to regenerate his mutilated body, allowing players to watch in gory detail as bones, veins, muscles and skin return to his body in real-time.