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Sophie Richards (ソフィー・リチャーズ, Sofī Richāzu?) is a former researcher of the DBR Corporation. She served under genetic engineer Dr. Roy Curien, who sought to control the veil between life and death through science. The project drove him mad, and he released hostile biologically-engineered creatures in his mansion to slaughter team members; Sophie survived the incident, married AMS agent Thomas Rogan, and give birth to their daughter Lisa.[2]

Sophie is a supporting character of The House of the Dead. Cheat codes and bonus features on all versions of the game make her an alternate skin for either Rogan or his partner G.[3]

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 21, 1969.[1] At age 28, she was employed by the DBR Corporation as a researcher, joining a team led by genetic engineer Dr. Roy Curien to work on his top-secret "Bio-Reactor" project.[1] The DBR laboratory was built inside Curien's mansion.

Sometime in 1998, Sophie engaged to be married with AMS agent Thomas Rogan, who had met Curien several times in the past.[1][4]

1998 Curien Mansion incident

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

Although respected by Sophie and his research team,[5] Curien's sanity deteriorated when his son Daniel contracted a terminal illness. Disillusioned from staff walkouts[6] and seeking to destroy humanity and civilization,[7][8] he produced hostile biologically-engineered creatures to unleash upon his own research team.

As her fellow researchers were murdered, Sophie left Rogan an urgent phone message.[9] He and his partner "G" arrived at the Curien Mansion to find Sophie feigning death in the creature-infested front yard. She was kidnapped by the Hangedman, a bat-like creature, and flown back inside the mansion. The agents heard Sophie's cries for help from inside one room and reunited with her. The Chariot, an armored creature, ambushed and mortally wounded her. Before passing out, she urged Rogan and "G" to defeat Curien and prevent a disaster.[10][11]

After dispatching all of Curien's remaining creations, the agents later found Sophie alive and well in the mansion.

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.[2] Their relationship with Rogan was strained; he prioritized work over family, and he often worried them.

In October 2019, after other worldwide bio-engineering 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 ressurrectedCurien 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

Sophie was named Carole during development of The House of the Dead. Described by game designer Hiroyuki Taguichi as more "intellectual" than Sophie, Carole was envisioned as a playable character.[12]

According to series director Takashi Oda, there was a scrapped idea to make Sophie a boss in The House of the Dead 2.[2]

Trivia

  • 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 shares her name with Sophie Richards, a saveable character from "Dead Rising". The two don't seem to have much in common, aside from short hairstyles, and being characters in zombie games.

Gallery

Concept Art

Official Art

Screenshots

Other Media

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. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Website of the Dead Interview with Takashi Oda
  3. http://www.thewebsiteofthedead.com/?p=360
  4. The House of the Dead Sega Saturn manual, p 14
  5. The House of the Dead Sega Saturn manual, p 17
  6. Sega Wow Inc. (17 September 2013). The House of the Dead III. Arcade, Xbox, PC, and Playstation 3. Sega. Level/area: Sensory Chaos. Dr. Roy Curien: Daniel...Have I stepped outside the bounds of human morality? Most of my researchers have left me...
  7. The House of the Dead 2 Sega Dreamcast manual, pg 3
  8. The House of the Dead III Xbox manual, pg 8
  9. 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...
  10. The House of the Dead
  11. 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.
  12. http://www.thewebsiteofthedead.com/?p=2040#more-2040
veHouse of the dead 1content
Characters
Thomas RoganGDr. CurienSophie RichardsDBR researchers
Creatures
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Chapters
TragedyRevengeTruthThe house of the dead
Other pages
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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
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