Konami had a solid presence in the arcade scene, though they were never as strongly associated with shooter games as companies like Sega or Namco. Still, in the mid-90s they released a surprisingly memorable horror light-gun game: Crypt Killer (known as Henry Explorers in Japan). The arcade cabinet supported up to three players, casting them as shotgun-wielding treasure hunters exploring ruins and remote locations around the world, all infested with grotesque monsters.
By today’s standards, the graphics haven’t aged gracefully, but Crypt Killer still stands out as one of the better non-Sega horror shooters when it comes to atmosphere and vibe. The game throws a full buffet of monsters at you: mermen, gargoyles, living skeletons, mummies, and more along with six bosses to battle. Its atmosphere is surprisingly effective: you really feel like a fragile human wandering into dangerous, monster-filled places where one wrong move could mean a gruesome end.
Crypt Killer also offers solid replay value. The branching paths and multiple endings—including joke endings and bad endings, giving players plenty of reasons to revisit its strange little world.
I played Crypt Killer both in arcades and later on the PlayStation. With arcades now practically extinct, the PSX version remains the most accessible way to experience the game today, even if it lacks some of the full features of the original cabinet. I still remember playing it with my cousins during my teenage years.
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