Splatterhouse arrives on Amiga AGA in an unofficial fan port

Splatterhouse has arrived on Amiga AGA hardware in an unofficial fan-made port from Modern Vintage Gamer. The release recreates Namco's 1988 horror action game for AGA-equipped Amiga machines, including the A1200, WHDLoad setups and the CD32.¹²

The project is based on the PC Engine version and aims for a near one-to-one conversion. It includes all seven stages, bosses, music and sound effects, alongside separate US and Japanese presentations. Players can also choose between standard joystick controls, two-button gamepad layouts and CD32 controller support.¹

A serious technical conversion

The port is more than a basic homebrew demake. Its code was reverse-engineered into portable C, with the project using the Amiga's Dual Playfield mode to separate scrolling backgrounds from foreground objects. Copper lists, hardware sprites, double buffering and dirty-region restoration are all part of the effort to keep the action moving on the target hardware.¹

There are compromises. Some scenes use palette approximations to fit the Amiga's planar graphics format, so the colours are not always identical to the PC Engine original. The project nevertheless aims to preserve the structure and feel of the source game, including its seven-stage run through a creature-filled mansion as Rick attempts to rescue Jennifer.¹

PAL and NTSC detection is automatic, with a manual 50/60Hz option available as well. That should make the release easier to use across different Amiga setups, while the technical approach shows how much work has gone into making a late-era AGA conversion feel responsive rather than merely functional.

Three ways to play

The standard A1200 edition requires an AGA Amiga with a 68020 processor or better and 2MB of Chip RAM. A WHDLoad version needs 2MB of Chip RAM, 4MB of Fast RAM, WHDLoad 17 or later, and the user's own Kickstart image and matching RTB file.¹

The CD32 edition is designed for a stock console with 2MB of Chip RAM. It adds CD audio options, allowing players to switch between the arcade soundtrack, PC Engine music rendered to CD audio and the newly arranged four-channel ProTracker soundtrack. Sound effects take priority over one music channel while they play, a practical compromise that keeps the action readable without abandoning the retro hardware's character.¹

The release is available as a name-your-own-price download from the developer's itch.io page. The download page lists separate A1200, WHDLoad and CD32 packages, although the CD32 package is considerably larger than the other two.¹

The project's credits identify Modern Vintage Gamer as responsible for the port, reconstruction and Amiga code, with some AI-assisted development acknowledged. The page also makes the legal position clear: this is an unofficial, non-commercial fan project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Namco or another current rights holder.¹

Our opinion

The most interesting part of this release is not simply that Splatterhouse runs on an Amiga. It is the care taken to preserve the game's presentation across several very different configurations, from a hard-drive A1200 to a CD32 with alternate audio. The unofficial status means this cannot replace an authorised re-release, but as a technical showcase it demonstrates exactly why the Amiga AGA scene remains active: old hardware becomes a design constraint to solve, not just a museum piece to admire.

Sources: Indie Retro News report ¹; Modern Vintage Gamer's official itch.io project page ².