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Please, help... Everyone is getting killed...

Sophie's phone message[src]

Sophie Richards (ソフィー・リチャーズ, Sofī Richāzu?) is an ex-researcher of the DBR Corporation. She is a supporting character in The House of the Dead and its 2022 remake.

Employed by DBR to work on Dr. Curien's top-secret BioReactor project, Sophie was caught in a 1998 incident wherein Curien produced hostile creatures in a homicidal frenzy. She escaped the Curien Mansion, but was captured and wounded before AMS agents Thomas Rogan and G could rescue her.

Believed to have died, Sophie survived the incident. She married Rogan and gave birth to a daughter, Lisa, sometime afterwards.[3][4][excerpt 1]

Biography

Early life and career

RoganGSophiePhoto

Sophie (center) pictured with her future husband AMS agent Thomas Rogan (left), and his partner G (right).

Sophie Richards was born on July 21st, 1969.[1] At age 28, she was hired as a researcher for the DBR Corporation. She joined a team led by Dr. Curien to develop the BioReactor, a DNA-editing machine. Working in a laboratory that was built inside Curien's mansion,[1] Sophie respected Curien's aggressive leadership.[5]

Sometime in 1998, Sophie engaged to be married with AMS agent Thomas Rogan, who had met Curien several times in the past.[1][6]

1998 Curien Mansion incident

Main article: The House of the Dead (1996 video game)

On December 18th, 1998, Dr. Curien was driven homicidal by his efforts to cure his terminally-ill son Daniel.[7][8] He created hostile creatures to unleash upon Sophie, other DBR personnel, and ultimately the world.[9][10] Sophie left Rogan an urgent phone message as her fellow researchers were being killed.[11]

Two days later,[12] Sophie was found by Rogan and his partner G feigning death in the Curien Mansion's front yard. She was kidnapped by Hangedman, a bat-like creature, and flown back inside the mansion. The agents heard Sophie's cries for help from inside a room and reunited with her. However, she was ambushed and mortally wounded by Chariot, an armored creature. Before passing out, she urged Rogan and G to defeat Curien and prevent a disaster.[13][14]

After defeating Curien's creatures, Rogan and G found Sophie alive and well in the mansion.[3]

Marriage and later life

Main article: The House of the Dead III

Following the Curien Mansion incident, Sophie married Rogan and gave birth to their daughter Lisa.[3][4][excerpt 1] Their relationship with Rogan was strained; he prioritized work over family, and he often worried them.

In October 2019, after other worldwide bioterror incidents, Rogan investigated the potential cause within the EFI Research Facility. When contact with him was lost, a now-teenage Lisa vowed to her mother that she would find him. Ultimately, Lisa and G rescued Rogan and stopped a resurrected Curien from endangering the world.

Fate in multiple endings

Although she canonically survives, Sophie's fate in The House of the Dead differs depending on the player's performance (specifically, their score and the number of continues used):

  • The Neutral Ending simply has the player look back at the mansion, leaving players to assume that Sophie had died.
  • The Bad Ending takes the player back inside the mansion, where Sophie is shown as a creature.
  • In the canonical Good Ending, Sophie is instead shown miraculously alive and well, running toward the screen exclaiming "Thank you!"

Development

Carole

Carole, the first iteration of Sophie in The House of the Dead.

Sophie was originally a playable, more "intellectual" character named Carole.[15] Sega AM1 wanted her supposed death to fuel players' thirst for revenge, motivating them to keep playing the game. AM1 claimed that Sophie fainted after Chariot's attack.[16]

AM1 considered making Sophie a boss. Players would have found her belongings, discovered her as a creature, and killed her. The idea was cut to avoid controversy over shooting a woman.[17][excerpt 2] However, it was reconsidered early in The House of the Dead 2's planning phase.[3]

Sophie is voiced by Natalie Roers in The House of the Dead: Remake. Roers viewed Sophie as an educated example of the "damsel in distress" trope, and took inspiration from actress Jessica Lange in the 1976 film King Kong.[18]

Trivia

  • Cheat codes and bonus features on all versions of the game make her an alternate skin for either Rogan or his partner G.[19] Although she recycles most of Rogan and G's animations, she has a unique animation where she covers her skirt when jumping down from ledges.
  • Sophie's creature appearance in the bad ending is slightly altered in the Sega Saturn console port. In the original arcade version, she has a tint of paleness to her complexion, her eyes are completely white, and a fluid (presumably blood) drips down her mouth. In the console port, she has green-tinted skin and bags under her eyes.
  • She is incorrectly named "Sofia" in Thomas Rogan's biography in The House of the Dead: Remake.

Gallery

Wiki-wordmark To view the Sophie Richards gallery, click here.


Sources

Excerpts
  1. 1.0 1.1 Excerpt from The House of the Dead III Perfect Guide, p.69:
    "初代グッドエンディングの続きシリーズを初代から知っている人なら、「ローガンの娘」にピンときたのではないだろうか?そう、リサの母親は、「HOD」でローガンの婚約者として登場したソフィーなのだ 。"
  2. Excerpt from The House of the Dead Dennou Shinan: Dr. Curien no Houkoku Sho, p.157:
    "三本木:ボスがソフィという案もあった。
    小田:ハンドバックが落ちてたり、ペンダン トが落ちてたりして。それを追っていくとソ フィがいる。再会を喜ぼうとした瞬間、ゾン ビの姿になったソフィが出現。再会を喜ぶは ずが撃たない と逆に襲われてしまう。でも女 は撃っちゃまずいだろうということでボツに なった。 "
References
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 The House of the Dead Sega Saturn manual, p 16
  2. Chris Okawa [@ChrisOCowUh] (April 15, 2021). Chris Okawa on Twitter: "@KoriMaru Charlie Weirauch! With @NatalieRoers (Fear Affect, Blair Witch) as Sophie! The cast is so metal I'm obsessed " (English). Twitter. Retrieved on April 15, 2021.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Kori (September 7, 2012). "Website of the Dead’s Exclusive Interview with Takashi Oda". The Website of the Dead. Archived from the original on April 19, 2020. “Sophie did survive, and she is the mother of Lisa Rogan in The House of the Dead 3... There was an idea to make Sophie a boss in the sequel [to The House of the Dead], but that plot was deleted early in the planning phase.”
  4. 4.0 4.1 The House of the Dead III Perfect Guide, pg. 69
  5. The House of the Dead Sega Saturn manual, p 17
  6. The House of the Dead Sega Saturn manual, p 14
  7. Sega Wow Inc. (17 September 2013). The House of the Dead III. Arcade, Xbox, PC, and Playstation 3. Sega. Level/area: Chasing Shadows. Dr. Curien: My dear Daniel...I'll never give up, no matter what the doctors say. I'll gladly step into forbidden territory, if it will save your life.
  8. Sega Wow Inc. (17 September 2013). The House of the Dead III. Arcade, Xbox, PC, and Playstation 3. Sega. Level/area: Ultimate Challenge. Dr. Curien: I've found it, Daniel! These genes will change the future..."The Magician", and "The Wheel of Fate"...[laughs maniacally]
  9. The House of the Dead 2 Sega Dreamcast manual, pg 3
  10. The House of the Dead III Xbox manual, pg 8
  11. Sega AM1 (4 March 1997). The House of the Dead. Arcade, Sega Saturn, PC. Level/area: Attract mode. Sophie Richards: Help... Everyone's getting killed...
  12. The House of the Dead Sega Saturn manual, pg. 3
  13. The House of the Dead
  14. Sega AM1 (4 March 1997). The House of the Dead. Arcade, Sega Saturn, PC. Level/area: Tragedy. Sophie Richards: You... You must stop Curien, or else... something terrible will happen.
  15. Kori (September 7, 2012). "Development of The House of the Dead Part 1: Characters". The Website of the Dead. Archived from the original on April 19, 2020. “What bothers me is the existence of Sophie, who was originally named Carol [sic]. In fact, she was able to choose as a player character [sic]. Due to various circumstances, the plan came in [sic], but it is interesting to see what kind of story it [sic] developed with her... [Carole] emphasizes an intellectual atmosphere that is different from Sophie’s.”
  16. "Interview: The House of the Dead", Sega Saturn Magazine, issue 23, September 1997, page 59
  17. The House of the Dead Dennou Shinan: Dr. Curien no Houkoku Sho, pg. 157
  18. Kori Maru Gaming (May 17, 2022). "The Voices Behind The House of the Dead: Remake (Interview)" (English). YouTube. Retrieved on May 17, 2022.
  19. Kori (March 12, 2012). "Play as Sophie and G #2 in the arcade version of The House of the Dead". The Website of the Dead. Archived from the original on April 19, 2020.
veHouse of the dead 1content
Characters
Thomas RoganGDr. CurienSophie RichardsDBR researchers
Creatures
SamNeilCyrilKageoBourbonEbitanRobertSimonGilmoreHarrisSamsonBentleyBurnerRubinDrakeMoodyParlorKenfisSaruzouDevilonBouereMurrerNameTaranKage
Bosses
ChariotHangedmanHermitMagician
Chapters
TragedyRevengeTruthThe house of the dead
Other pages
Lore (AMSBioReactorCurien MansionDBR CorporationThe House of the Dead Sub-Story)
Game modes (Boss ModeSaturn Mode)
Prototypes (The House of DeadSega Saturn prototype)
Guidebooks (The House of the Dead Dennou Shinan: Dr. Curien no Houkoku ShoThe House of the Dead Official Guide)
Action figuresThe House of the Dead: RemakeThe House of the Dead 1 & 2 Music CollectionUnused content
veHotDRoverlaycontent
Characters
Thomas RoganGDr. CurienSophie RichardsDBR researchers
Creatures
SamNeilCyrilKageoBourbonEbitanRobertSimonGilmoreHarrisSamsonBentleyBurnerRubinDrakeMoodyParlorKenfisSaruzouDevilonBouereMurrerNameTaranKage
Bosses
ChariotHangedmanHermitMagician
Chapters
TragedyRevengeTruthThe house of the dead
Other pages
Lore (AMSBioReactorCurien MansionDBR Corporation)
Game modes (Horde Mode)
Developers (Forever EntertainmentMegaPixel StudioTA Publishing)
Staff (Benjamin AnseaumeChris OkawaNatalie RoersCharlie Weirauch III)
The House of the Dead (1996 video game)Unused content
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