Rabid Arcade Rats: Scary Arcade Games

As this issue of Paleotronic magazine is Halloween themed, being asked to write an article discussing the history of arcade horror games fits perfectly, even if you are not a big fan on the horror aspects of this crazy celebratory day. While some countries around the globe really get into the swing of this whacky tradition of dressing up in spooky, scary horrifying and even cosplay character costumes for trick or treating, on October 31st each year, it is usually a great deal of fun and not as terrifying as it is made out to be. The same could be said for many of the horror themed arcade games.

Arcade game developers and publishers didn’t start to cash in on horror video games titles until the early 1980’s. To understand where it all began, we have to go back to 1975 when Atari  released Shark Jaws. This is the very first horror arcade game I could find while researching the topic. Playing it today, this primitive looking scuba diving game of catching fish while avoiding being eaten by a large shark doesn’t resemble anything terrifying these days, it really shouldn’t be in a list of horror themed arcade games, but back in 1975, Shark Jaws was released at a time when the movie, Jaws, shook people to their cores at cinemas everywhere.

As far as a full list of horror games tracking the history of the genre goes, I couldn’t find anything comprehensive on my google searching.  It was quite tricky to research, but where Google failed me, You Tube came to the rescue. Over the course of a weekend I was able to devise my very own horror arcade games list. I wouldn’t call it definitive by any means as I am sure there are arcade games out there I have not mentioned other people would be sure to remember.

I would say though that my horror arcade gaming table I have constructed is particularly extensive from the 1980’s through to the early 2000’s. The years between 2009 and 2018 I ran out of time to find the games to include them (work and real life always getting in the way). From my research I have categorised game releases in chronological order. That is the games are listed by the year they were released. There may be some inaccuracies as some arcade games were released in Japan in one particular year only to be released to the rest of the world a year later.

After the first horror arcade game in 1975, It took another seven years before we saw more horror themed games appearing in arcade amusement centres. Monster Bash by Sega  and Satan’s Hollow by Bally Midway were released in 1982 but neither were groundbreaking nor did they set the arcades on fire with awesome gameplay or graphics. Both games were rather primitive, but this was common for the era. Monster Bash is a platform based game of climbing up and down ladders set inside and outside a haunted mansion where you play the role of “Little Red” – a red haired kid fighting to stay alive against the likes of Dracula, Frankenstein and a Chameleon Man.

Satan’s Hollow is a shoot ‘em up in the vein of Space Invaders and Galaxian. Playing as a rocket launcher you must shoot down waves of enemies flying down towards you while avoiding their attacks. The horror part of the game is battling against Satan. He appears on screen after you have picked up enough pieces to form a bridge from shooting down those swarms of enemy attacks. Destroying him scores bonus points based on the number of waves completed to that point, and also upgrades your rocket launcher. You then repeat the battle only this time it gets harder, with building a new, longer bridge in order to fight Satan again. The sky darkens on later waves, making it harder to see the enemies as they now begin to throw exploding eggs, along with rocks that can destroy bridge sections. Satan will occasionally float around the screen and spit fire just to make your game feel like hell.

Three more years would pass before an arcade horror game classic would be born. In 1985, Capcom released Ghost N Goblins. This run ‘n jump, shoot ‘em up game, I would say took horror arcade gaming to a whole new level. Despite its reputation of being 7 levels of sheer hell to play, Ghosts ‘n Goblins is addictive gaming. What set it apart from earlier horror games was its storyline. You play as the brave knight, Arthur, on a quest to save princess Prin-Prin from the Demon King Astaroth. A map represents the kingdom with various themed levels: Graveyard and Forest, Town, Caves, Bridge, Castle lower level, Castle upper level and Final Boss. Scrolling from left to right across the screen as the game’s name suggests you battle against a hoard of different ghost and goblin like enemies including bats, blue killers, blue crows, red crows, flying knights, goblins, green monsters, magicians, petite devil’s, skeletons, tower monsters, woody pigs and zombies.

The constant changing background settings and horror themed enemy foes that you encounter as you progress on your journey are just one aspect that makes this game much loved. When it came to gameplay though it stood out because it required two hits from an enemy attack to lose a life. The first hit destroys Arthur’s armour revealing that underneath he has nothing but his underpants on, adding humor to what is meant to be a game full of horror based themes.

Bonuses and new weapons can be picked up by killing an enemy monster that is carrying a pot. Arthur can only carry and use one weapon at a time against the enemy monsters. Armour can be replaced by jumping up at certain hidden spots on some levels. This action causes a pot to appear. Shooting at a gravestone fifteen times will summon a demon who casts a spell that turns you into a frog for a limited time. At the end of each stage a much bigger and harder end-of-level monster must be destroyed. Ghosts ‘N Goblins was breaking new ground in arcade horror gaming – it combines a horror themed storyline with excellent graphics, dramatic music, a monstrous cast of in game enemies and even better end of level monster boss battles, establishing it as the original horror arcade game for others to follow.

Ghosts ‘N Goblins worldwide success would see Capcom release a sequel three years later, in 1988, titled Ghouls ‘N Ghosts. This time Lucifer, the ruler of the Demon Realm, takes away the souls of everyone in the kingdom, including Knight Arthur’s beloved Princess Prin Prin. You must travel through six eerie levels defeating a new enemy character set of undead and demonic creatures to again save Princess Prin Prin, and return the souls back to the people of the kingdom.

Although the original gameplay style of side scrolling, run ‘n jump, shoot everything on screen remained, due to advances in arcade technology at that time, everything about Ghouls ‘N Ghosts had been enhanced. Smoother more fluid movement, bigger more colourful graphics, bigger more graphically detailed end of level bosses, a greater number of enemies, more challenging gameplay, improved sound track and inclusion of new bits of humor as well as many other features.

These included a variety of new weapons and armor to uncover and pick up from blasting away at those treasure chests that will pop up from under the ground. Finding gold armor will provide Arthur the ability to charge up a special weapon to release a powerful magical attack. As well as this new feature Arthur can fire directly upward and directly downward while in mid air which was not possible in Ghosts ‘N Goblins. Elements of humor found in the first game have also remained in the sequel. When you find an evil magician in one of the treasure chests, Arthur changes into an elderly man or a helpless duck momentarily. Both games are arcade gaming classics in the horror gaming genre.

At least 14 more horror themed arcade games were to be released by the end of the 1980’s. These included titles such as Chiller, Xenophobe, Wardner, The Real Ghostbusters, Alien Syndrome, Shadow Land, Devil World, Karnov, Splatterhouse, Haunted Castle (Castlevania arcade), Bonze Adventure, Demon’s World, Beast Busters and Laser Ghost. Some were outright horror based games like Chiller and Splatterhouse, others like Karnov and Bonze Adventure were borderline on the horror theme.

Chiller, a light gun shooter, released by Exidy in 1986, would become known as the first real gory arcade horror game. Such was the depiction of horror, Chiller is renowned as one of the most controversial arcade games to this day. Completely brutal and horrifying macabre, playing Chiller will send chills down your spine, it is probably the most offensive arcade game I have seen or played. It doesn’t have ground breaking graphics or game play by any high standards, it’s the complete opposite. The precise detailed depiction of blood, gore and slaughter of innocent people inside a torture chamber is  too crazy to say the least. It basic graphic display is meant to shock you which it does all too well. It crosses the boundaries of where people will ask are video games too violent and in this case it is one game that would be.

The level of violence hits you right from the outset of the game. Inside the “Torture Chamber,” you find several prisoners against a wall backdrop strung up in Medieval apparatus: an iron maiden, a guillotine, a set of shackles fixed to the stone walls and for no reason at all with your light gun you shoot at them blasting off limbs, faces, and abdomens in any order you like. It is bizarre because unlike most other games with a premise or story, in Chiller,  there is no reason why you perform these actions. The screen fills up with blood and body parts leaving an uneasy feeling in your stomach. Moving on to the second level, to enter the “Rack Room,” you’ll find more bondaged prisoners, this time stretched out on wooden torture racks. Levels three and four – the Hallway and Graveyard transition from the macabre settings to the more traditional shooting gallery. Here you blast away at ghosts, ghouls, and zombies. Not The greatest horror game ever made, but it will shock and horrify you that’s certain.

After releasing their first fairly placid horror themed arcade game Shadow Land in 1987, Namco quickly followed up with a more violent and terrifying second horror themed arcade game in 1988, called Splatterhouse. Due to its graphic violent horror content, it has become one of the most recognizable 1980’s horror themed arcade games. Splatterhouse is a homage to many violent horror flicks of the 1980’s, it was heavily influenced by American slasher films such as Friday the 13th and Evil Dead II.

In this seven stage side scrolling beat ‘em up thriller, two local university students, Rick Taylor and Jennifer Willis, take refuge from a lightning storm inside West Mansion, a local landmark known as “Splatterhouse”. Legend has it that hideous experiments have been conducted there by the missing parapsychologist, Dr West. When the game starts you find yourself playing as Rick wearing an ancient relic possessing tremendous power known as the “Terror Mask”, also known to horror film fans as a hockey mask made famous in Friday the 13th movies.

From the first level in the dungeon under the mansion, Splatterhouse depicts horror in great detail. Wearing the “Terror Mask”, while holding large weapons such as meat cleavers and swords, Rick looks and plays the ultimate horror arcade game character.  Background images of blood and gore add more volume and depth to the horror theme. If that was not enough hordes of different enemy creatures come at you exploding in pools of blood as their skin tears apart from Rick’s violent kill attacks.

When Rick finds his girlfriend Jennifer safe on a couch, you think the game is won, unfortunately the hideous experiments and creatures inside the West Mansion have transformed Jennifer into a large gruesome fanged monster.  Rick is forced to kill his girlfriend if he is to stay alive and conquer not only the beasts that remain but also the West Mansion itself. All of the levels consist of walking left to right, however, alternative pathways through sections of the house are possible by falling down through holes or jumping up onto ladders. Levels culminate in boss fights that take place in a single room. Rick can only move in a two-dimensional environment. He has the ability to jump, punch and kick. He also has a special attack, performing a dropkick that sends him skidding along the ground, damaging any enemies he hits. Rick can also perform a low kick, low punch, and jumping attacks, as well as pick up and use various weapons placed in the levels.

Spaltterhouse’s distinctive graphic nature symbolizes horror scenes and gameplay in an arcade game that would be any horror gaming fan’s dream. The atmospheric horror tunes and soundtrack reinforces the horror and gore narrative, it is an arcade game that excellently executes a horror theme which has stood the test of time.

The 1990’s saw horror themed arcade games as a genre take a different turn from platformers and beat ‘em ups. Sure these games were still produced such as Evil Stone (Spacy Industrial, 1990), Night Slashers (Data East, 1993) and Dark Stalkers (Capcom, 1994). For some unknown reason arcade game publishers thought horror games would work in the puzzle format, which turned out not to be the case. Ghost Lop by Data East (1996), is a very rare prototype, never officially released at the arcades. It does not ooze out terror or horror as in the previous mentioned games. The game is played in the vein of Magical Drop, where you can throw two ball colours which are Red and Blue to destroy the red and blue ghost balls hanging above you. Even though the game was never officially released by Data East, the prototype is actually a 100% complete game. Monster Sliders by Visco Games released in 1997, should not be classed as a horror themed arcade game. The only real reference to horror is the use of skull images in a game that plays like Tetris or Puzzle Bobble. The gameplay sees you matching the same coloured blocks and looks much too cute to be called a horror based game.

These horror puzzle games failed to capture what a horror arcade game should be. Enter the ‘rail shooter’. Throughout the 1990’s arcade horror games took the lead from one of the most popular rail shooters ever created, the machine gun classic, Operation Wolf (Taito 1987). With rail shooter games the player control is limited to directing where to fire a virtual gun; the player does not control the path.

Space Gun, by Taito in 1990, set a new standard for all other rail gun horror themed games to follow. Described as the unofficial Aliens movie arcade game, this first person shoot ‘em up, is set aboard a crippled space station that has been overrun by hostile alien creatures. The objective is to rescue human crew members while destroying all alien creatures. The horror aspects of the game are shown when the player shoots limbs off the creatures, resulting in blood splatters on the playing screen. Occasionally, a human hostage will mutate into an alien to be killed.

The arcade cabinet rapid-fire weapon is your standard killing machine but you can also use four other weapons to kill enemy aliens in horrific fashion by using a flamethrower, a grenade launcher, a freeze bomb, or a blade bomb. Each of these weapons requires ammunition you can collect throughout the stages, and are activated by the player using the pump action of the mounted gun. The arcade cabinet features foot pedals that, when pressed, reverse the player’s direction. Space Gun was one of my favourite arcade games to play when I was hitting the arcades at a younger age, it features large enemy sprites, cool explosions, a large number of enemy hordes to kill, great horror visuals when alien body parts are blown to pieces, smooth fast paced action and addictive gameplay.

If Space Gun had set the standard in 1990, Sega trumped that in 1993 with Alien 3. Its double gun, multi player arcade cabinet set a new standard in arcade themed horror gaming. Stephen Kleckner of Games Beat wrote about Alien 3: The Gun, saying it is his “must-play” of Alien titles. He stated that it is better than 2006’s light gun game Aliens: Extermination. According to Retro Gamer, the “terrifying and glorious “Alien 3” went leagues beyond the other shoot ‘em ups. Jon Thompson of All Game Guide gave it four stars out of five, calling it an “exciting shooter that does the movies proud, creating a horror-filled, action-packed atmosphere that should impress both die-hard and casual fans”.

The gameplay uses a large light gun, modeled after machine guns featured in the Alien films, to kill various Alien creatures such as facehuggers and soldiers, unlike the film, which featured only three Aliens. One or two players can take the role of a pair of United States Colonial Marines in an altered version of the film’s storyline. You play the game by controlling a space Marine tasked with reaching the prison colony featured in the film, in order to rescue prisoners who are under attack by the Aliens. The game is played across seven levels, based on sets from the film and takes players through the Mess Hall, Infirmary, Lead Works and more. It features various boss enemies, which look and sound creepy, unnerving and scary. There are power-ups within the game to help you combat enemy hordes. Alien 3 is so fast and frantic, by the time you have splattered green alien blood everywhere more aliens come out you from all directions, they are everywhere which makes this game so addictive. The horror may not be as in your face as previously mentioned games but it still leaves you feeling chills down your spine when you play it.

By 1995, rail shooters had become highly profitable for arcade game developers but also they had become predictable, none more so than Zombie Raid by American Sammy. Set in 1918 England, a small village is over run by heavily armed zombies. Playing as a private detective Edward Windsor you must shoot everything that moves except innocent bystanders. The look of enemy characters are great for the horror theme genre, it has a large amount of blood spatter when zombie creatures are killed. The wide array of zombie like creatures and end of level monsters are probably the best part of the game. The most frustrating part of the game is the continuous pumping of the gun to reload your bullets, the sound drives you mad.

House of The Dead, released by Sega in 1996, became the horror game of all horror games. The gripping realistic storyline sent chills through your whole body before you even started playing. Before you even inserted your coins to play a game the scare factor ramps up when you are requested on the arcade cabinet “don’t go in the house….alone!”

Such was the success and impact on the horror gaming genre, the House of the Dead franchise lead Sega to release another five arcade games after the original: The House of the Dead II (1998), The House of the Dead III (2002), The House of the Dead 4 (2005), The House of the Dead 4: Special (2005) and House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn (2018).

Why House of the Dead was so popular back in 1996 and remains as popular today is that the game is just so terrifying awesome to play. Cut scenes depict exactly what horrors you would encounter before and during play of this mega zombie creature killing spree. It is so realistic that you can’t help but be engrossed by the game from start to finish. The game itself has incredible horror movie like animation, graphically it is horrifyingly brilliant and the sounds haunt you every second of the four levels of gameplay. House of the Dead captivates the player unlike any other horror themed game before it.

As for the gameplay, you take on the role of Special Agent Thomas Rogan who receives a cry for help phone call by his fiance Sophie Richards, saying “please help everyone is getting killed”. Sophie works for the DBR corporation (short for DNA Bio Reactor corporation). The research for the DBR corporation takes place in a European Mansion owned and lived in by obsessive mad scientist, Dr Roy Curien. The research conducted there involves artificial intelligence, sustaining life forms and anything involved with discovering the nature of life and death. While supported by the DBR Corporation and its own team of scientists, Curien’s relentless pursuit of his goal has driven him insane. His experiments take a gruesome turn, as he has re-animated the dead and let them loose inside the mansion where all the employees inside are being killed. You and your partner Special Agent “G” rush out there to save all the scientists and your fiance Sophie Rihcards from being killed.

As well as shooting anything that moves on screen, it pays to keep an eye on environments while progressing. Shooting scenery such as boxes will reveal special items, which could be an extra life pack, coins, or golden frogs (which also increase life points). Throughout the game, you’ll frequently stumble upon hostage rescue scenarios. These are very short but enjoyable sequences that break up the non-stop shooting action. Shooting a hostage always takes away one of your life points, saving them will sometimes yield a bonus life pack.

Throughout the course of the game, players are faced with numerous evil creatures that attack you from every angle. The enemies whether a half eaten faced zombie, a chainsaw wielding creature or those ground dwelling evil slug like creatures, they always look huge on the screen, which is a good method, this game uses to amplify the horror effect.

Your action or inaction will have an effect on the direction of gameplay. This is exemplified in the opening stage of the game when a hostage is about to be thrown from the bridge to his death. If the player saves the hostage, they will enter the house directly through the front door; however, if the player fails to rescue the hostage, the character is redirected to an underground route through the sewers. If the player rescues all hostages, a secret room full of lives and bonuses is revealed towards the end of the game. In one alternate ending, Sophie is reanimated and becomes an undead. In another alternate ending, a far view of the mansion is shown and Sophie is absent leaving it unknown if she survived or not.

House of the Dead was developed on the Virtua Cop game engine and came in two cabinet formats, both upright: one with a 50 inch monitor and one with a 29 inch monitor. The House of the Dead arcade game generally received positive reviews, the arcade version being held in the highest regard with All Game awarding it 4.5 out of 5 stars. Next Generation reviewed the arcade version of the game, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that “Overall, this is an excellent take on the light-gun genre – a sheer bloody scream.”

The impact House of the Dead games have had is demonstrated by it being credited with popularising the zombie video game genre, as well as re-popularising zombies in wider popular culture leading to renewed interest in zombie movies during the 2000’s.

 

YEAR	GAME	GENRE	PUBLISHER
1975	Shark Jaws	Adventure	Atari
1982	Monster Bash	Platformer	Sega
1982	Satans Hollow	Shooter	Bally Midway
1985	Ghost N Goblins	Platformer	Capcom
1986	Chiller	Light Gun	Exidy
1987	Xenophobe	Run N Gun	Bally Midway
1987	The Real Ghostbusters	Shoot Em Up	Data East
1987	Alien Syndrome	Run N Gun	Sega
1987	Wardner	Platform	Taito
1987	Shadow Land	Platform	Namco
1987	Devil World	3 Player RPG	Konami
1987	Karnov	Platform	Data East
1988	Ghouls N Ghosts	Platform	Capcom
1988	Splatterhouse	Beat Em Up	Namco
1988	Haunted Castle	Platform	Konami
1988	Bonze Adventure	Platform	Taito
1989	Demon’s World	Shoot Em Up	Taito
1989	Beast Busters	Rail Shooter	SNK
1989	Laser Ghost	Rail Shooter	Sega
1990	Aliens	Shoot Em Up	Konami
1990	Space Gun	Shoot Em Up	Taito
1990	Evil Stone	Beat Em Up	Spacy Industrial
1990	Golly Ghost	Shooter	Namco
1993	Alien 3 – The Gun	Rail Shooter	Sega
1993	Night Slashers	Beat Em Up	Data East
1994	Dark Stalkers	Beat Em Up	Capcom
1994	Monsters World	Shoot Em Up	TCH
1994	Ghost Hunter	Shooter	LAI
1995	Zombie Raid	Rail Shooter	American Sammy
1995	Crypt Killer	Shooter	Konami
1996	Ghost Lop	Puzzle	Data East
1996	Resident Evil	Shooter	Capcom
1996	House of The Dead	Rail Shooter	Sega
1997	Monster Sliders	Puzzle	Visco Games
1998	Carn Evil	Rail Shooter	Midway Atari
1998	Chaos Heat	Shooter	EON Digital
1998	House Of The Dead II	Rail Shooter	Sega
1999	Ghoul Panic	Shooter	Namco
1999	Zombie Revenge	Beat Em Up	Sega
2000	Nightmare In The Dark	Platform	SNK
2001	Resident Evil II	Shooter	Capcom
2002	Demon Front	Run N Gun	IGS
2002	House of The Dead III	Rail Shooter	Sega
2005	House of The Dead 4	Rail Shooter	Sega
2005	House of the Dead 4: Special	Rail Shooter	Sega
2007	Death Smiles	Shoot Em Up	Cave
2007	Silent Hill	Shooter	Konami
2009	Castlevania: The Arcade	Shooter	Konami
2018	House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn	Rail shooter	Sega