Sweet Home (video game)
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| Sweet Home | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Release date(s) | JPN 15 December 1989 |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Famicom |
Sweet Home is a survival horror game that was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989 that was produced by Capcom. The game is related to the Japanese horror film of the same name.
Though more of an RPG, Sweet Home is considered to be the first survival horror video game, and served as the inspiration for the Resident Evil (video game). Resident Evil borrowed many elements from Sweet Home including the mansion setting, the puzzles, and even the "door" loading screen. The name might even come from a note in Sweet Home (House of Residing Evil). This was confirmed by Shinji Mikami, producer and director for most of the Biohazard titles, during an interview.
Throughout the game, Sweet Home follows a team of five people who venture into the deserted mansion of the deceased Mamiya Ichirou to photograph her frescoes. Upon entering the house, the door locks behind them and the group discover that the mansion is haunted by Mamiya's ghost, among other creatures. Now they must find a way out of the mansion before they are all killed.
Sweet Home was only released for the Japanese market and was never released outside of Japan. Despite selling poorly overall, the game had some unique and creative features such as:
- Permanent character deaths (characters who die in battle can never be revived, unlike most other RPGs)
- Unique skills (each character has a unique skill that is necessary to complete the game. However should a character die, certain items can be found that will grant other character the necessary skills. For example, should Akiko (the team's nurse) die, the team may find Pill Bottles which can be used to heal wounds.
- Five different endings, as well as large environments and a scary atmosphere.
In 1999, two fan translation groups, Gaijin Productions and Suicidal Translations, translated the game into English.
[edit] The characters
- Kazuo: The team leader, and producer of the documentary. He wields the Lighter, a very important item which can be used to burn down ropes and attack enemies. He has the highest HP. His wife died prior to the game, and is the suspected love interest of Akiko.
- Taguchi: A camera man. He takes photographs of the frescoes with his camera, which can also decode hidden messages within the frescoes. The camera can also be used to inflict damage to some enemies. In addition to having the second highest HP, he has the highest defense. Due to Japanese to English translation problems, he has been renamed "Taro" in the fan translation of the Sweet Home ROM.
- Akiko: She is a nurse and can heal team members with her first aid kit. She is the weakest member of the team.
- Asuka: A maid. Using her vacuum cleaner, Asuka can clean dirty frescoes and remove broken glass. She is the second strongest female character. She often gets possessed by Mamiya, reciting eerie phrases such as "Give me back my baby" and "Everybody dies."
- Emi: She has no occupation in the game, but has a key which can open locked doors. She is the strongest female character, as well as the lightest of the team.
- Lady Mamiya: The main villain of the game. Following the death of her child, she has gone insane, going so far as to kill other children as "playmates" for her child in the next life. She has two forms in the game.
- Ichirou: Mamiya's husband, as well as a famous painter. He has left clues scattered around the house in addition to his diary.
- Yamamura: Mysterious old man. He helps the team get to the final area, but has been known to appear at some points in the game.
[edit] The movie
There was also a Sweet Home film released in 1989. The game and the film were simultaneously released so it is not clear if the movie is based on the video game or vice versa. And further complicating the debate about which came first, Sweet Home's trailer is both an advertisement for the movie, and a sales pitch for the game, as it includes footage from both.
The film and video game versions both contain duplicate copies of very specific images. Even more so, specific things, such as the fresco, the skull statue, and the tool, look exactly the same in both the film and the game.
