The grandfather of the Resident Evil series, Sweet home lays down the foundation of survival horror while standing on its own as a horror jrpg. It certainly has its faults though: menuing can be really shitty to navigate and managing each character and their items can be quite tedious. I found myself accidently pressing the wrong menu button multiple times. The difficulty scaling is quite abysmal; once your characters reach level 3 and onwards none of the enemies will ever truly pose a threat. The quick events are usually just some object falling down on a character and you can probably select the same dodge option the whole game and not die once. Really a lot of the game's mechanics are undermined by easy the game is. The story is good too but a lot of the revelations fall flat in presentation.
Despite its faults though, I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the progression of exploring the house. The soundtrack is pretty good, the basement and fresco themes being highlights. Overall an entertaining title to play from start to finish that gives me much more appreciation of Resident Evil.
Despite its faults though, I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the progression of exploring the house. The soundtrack is pretty good, the basement and fresco themes being highlights. Overall an entertaining title to play from start to finish that gives me much more appreciation of Resident Evil.
Barnstorming proto-survival horror RPG with some genuinely scary moments, rare for an early NES game which is probably why it never made it to Western shores. Based on the barking mad movie Hausu, take control of five young explorers trapped in a spooky mansion by a vengeful spirit. Unlike most RPGs each character is relatively unique, only able to hold one special item essential to progress. It's a major challenge juggling the items and switching between characters but well worth it. Track down a fan translation if you can.
Game Review - originally written by (wraith)
This is a really nifty RPG by Capcom that is precursor to Resident Evil. What makes it interesting is that the game places a greater emphasis on puzzle-solving than fighting, which makes for an interesting change of pace. Actually, you are far more likely to die in the game itself than in a battle. Wandering around is what you’d expect in any Nes RPG: over-head, tile-based movement. You use a variety of items to solve puzzle in this environment, while randomly encountering enemies. The graphics are really nice, too. The overhead graphics almost remind of Quest of the Avatar for some reason, and the battle graphics and portraits look really nice for the Nes. It’s a great game.
This is a really nifty RPG by Capcom that is precursor to Resident Evil. What makes it interesting is that the game places a greater emphasis on puzzle-solving than fighting, which makes for an interesting change of pace. Actually, you are far more likely to die in the game itself than in a battle. Wandering around is what you’d expect in any Nes RPG: over-head, tile-based movement. You use a variety of items to solve puzzle in this environment, while randomly encountering enemies. The graphics are really nice, too. The overhead graphics almost remind of Quest of the Avatar for some reason, and the battle graphics and portraits look really nice for the Nes. It’s a great game.
Decided to try and sneak one more spooky game in for October, and this one did not disappoint. NES-era JRPG horror game, so while there isn't any real fear present due to the age of the system it is certainly creepy. Several unique mechanics I haven't really seen in other games come through here - mainly the party and team system - makes for an overall unique gameplay experience. Story isn't profound, but it helps move the gameplay along and is serviceable. Pacing is a little off, especially in terms of the difficulty, and there is a steep learning curve at the beginning - as you learn the characters, their key items, and the team-up system - but once you get trucking this one is quite fun!
Resident Evil ain't got nothin' on inventory management compared to this game!
Resident Evil ain't got nothin' on inventory management compared to this game!
Un blast jugarlo de principio a fin, me gusta cómo plantea mecánicas que luego se desarrollarían en Resident Evil.
The grandfather of all survival horror and an absolute marvel for the Famicom.
would absolutely play again.
That good ending rocks C:
It all started here.
If you're a Resident Evil superfan and constantly resetting so you can more correctly manage your inventory gets you moist, I definitely recommend trying this out. It's amazing how many of the ideas that would eventually blossom into survival horror are already here, and even more amazing that the game is actually still fun to play.
Having played a lot of the other pre-RE horror adventure games they're mostly VERY rough and you won't get far without having a guide open next to you. This game is definitely old and has old game problems, but by comparison it's much more thoroughly playtested and player-friendly than something like Clock Tower. There are hints everywhere so you know what items you need where, there are backup items so you don't softlock, there are tons of little shortcuts that open so you never have to do a full backtrack through an area. Outside of the Zelda franchise, it's the next best execution of top-down exploration I've seen from this era of games.
If you're a Resident Evil superfan and constantly resetting so you can more correctly manage your inventory gets you moist, I definitely recommend trying this out. It's amazing how many of the ideas that would eventually blossom into survival horror are already here, and even more amazing that the game is actually still fun to play.
Having played a lot of the other pre-RE horror adventure games they're mostly VERY rough and you won't get far without having a guide open next to you. This game is definitely old and has old game problems, but by comparison it's much more thoroughly playtested and player-friendly than something like Clock Tower. There are hints everywhere so you know what items you need where, there are backup items so you don't softlock, there are tons of little shortcuts that open so you never have to do a full backtrack through an area. Outside of the Zelda franchise, it's the next best execution of top-down exploration I've seen from this era of games.
If you haven’t heard of Sweet Home then you are not alone, as it was only ever officially released in Japan. The version I am playing is a translated reproduction cartridge, meaning it isn’t an original NES game, but you wouldn’t know that by the looks of it. Sweet Home, produced by Capcom, is a precursor to the Resident Evil (Biohazard) series. Similar to Resident Evil, it’s a survival horror themed game that takes place in a creepy mansion filled with creatures and zombies. The mechanics draw similarities as well, as you progress by collecting items, backtracking, and using those items to progress in the form of light puzzles. Notes left behind offer clues to both your advancement and the grander story. Even the ability to toggle between characters is later found in Resident Evil Zero.
Where Sweet Home differs from the Resident Evil lineage the most is two-fold: 1) it’s an RPG, and 2) what makes this game so unique is how you partner with the five playable characters. With regards to the latter, the dynamic of grouping (and ungrouping) with your fellow trapped survivors is what makes the game unique and special. You are restricted to no more than three characters in a party at a time, and each character can only hold two items, in addition to their special item. This forces the player to make strategic decisions. Do I have a good set of items for what I anticipate ahead? If I need items from the group of two I left behind will they be able to safely catch up to the party of three? You’re constantly making trade-offs, and while on occasion it feels somewhat tedious, it mostly feels engaging.
And at times, safety in numbers can backfire. I find myself often toggling between holding a stance that the clues are too literal, and thus, too easy, and wishing the game was more challenging. And then, just minutes later, my entire party of three will fall into a pit, hanging for their lives, and because I wasn’t careful enough my remaining party of two isn’t able to get to them in time to save them. It’s actually moments like these that really up my appreciation for this game as it’s these types of creative surprises that adds flavor.
While I save often in this game, in fear of permanently losing a character, there was a moment that occurred early in the game where I decided to not reset and, instead, decided to accept and carry on. I had crossed a pit to obtain an essential item, by placing a log to form a bridge. My party of three doubled back after gathering the item, and this is when the character in the center of the line broke the bridge and hung to the edge. I was able to pull the character back up, but this meant that one of my other characters, Asuka, was now stranded on the other side. I ended up leaving Asuka on that lonely island for a huge portion of the game, always knowing, or at least hoping, that I would come back. It was a promise I made both to myself as a player as well as between the characters in the context of the game world. Eventually I found more logs, returned, and saved my friend. It was a sense of relief to finally be reunited. That was also when I realized that Asuka, all along, had a log in her inventory that she could have used to cross that gap. I laughed to myself.
The survival horror theme is bolstered even further by the ways in which characters become separated. If you’re like me, you occasionally take unnecessary risks in games (especially if you just saved your progress) in an effort to push the boundaries of the game. For example, there are spirits that will pull a character away from their group, plopping them in a room many screens away. The wisest decision in this moment would be to take the remaining two characters that are still bound together, and to have them navigate to their lost friend. However, like foolish teenagers in countless horror movies, I will often take my solo character and journey on, acting as if I am confined to the perspective of that person. Ask yourself, if you were taken from your friends by ghosts, would you sit still in a strange room? Probably not. Now, a solo trek like this can be disastrous, as you might break a flimsy plank that stretched across a pit, with no one to pull you up. Or you will face enemies alone, and with a finite number of healing items available in the game, this isn’t wise (assuming you even have an item to heal yourself with). This is actually where another ingenious mechanic comes into play: the ability to call for help. In this mode, another character (or set of characters) has limited time to run towards their comrade and assist them. It’s a heart-pounding moment.
Further on the topic of encounters, as mentioned before, this is an RPG, albeit a rather atypical one. Battles are randomly triggered, with the exception of the fights that ensue when you come into direct contact with enemies that traverse across some of the screens. The battles are rather simple, made up primarily of attacks and prayer (think magic). Many of the traditional systems found in RPGs, such as collecting coins, purchasing weapons and items, and resting at inns to regain health, do not exist in Sweet Home (nor do they have a place here). Rather, there is no currency, weapons and items are discovered, and hit points and prayer points are replenished only with tonics.
The environments powerfully convey the mood. In this vast mansion you twist and turn down hallways, up and down stairs leading you to great heights and depths, and explore the outer areas surrounding the property. Each section is truly unique, ranging from underground labyrinths to a lakeside forest. The top-down view is contrasted by more detailed scenes of paintings and monuments, and the occasional open door animation.
Most areas, in addition to having their own visual complexity, are accompanied by a variety of music compositions that fit snugly in the horror genre. A rolling low tone base line is accented by squealing highs. There is a deliberant tempo juxtaposition between the moderate beats-per-minute (BPM) of the exploration music and the upbeat, panic inducing songs that quickly loop and build anxiety when you battle enemies and suffer from poison.
Even with the limitations of the NES, Sweet Home managed to nail the theme of what survival horror should be. You’re scared. You’re often alone. Your resources are limited. Danger lurks behind every corner. The atmosphere is terrifying. A sinister backstory slowly reveals itself, making the world that much more frightening. Death is final.
Not only did Sweet Home bring me back to the joy of experiencing a new NES experience, it also reminded me of the pleasure of solving mysteries through the use of taking notes. Note taking, for many, in and outside the context of gaming, is considered a chore. Growing up in the days of the NES, however, it was not just helpful at times, but often essential. Drawing maps, scribbling down clues, recording passwords...these are all staples of the NES experience.
Where Sweet Home differs from the Resident Evil lineage the most is two-fold: 1) it’s an RPG, and 2) what makes this game so unique is how you partner with the five playable characters. With regards to the latter, the dynamic of grouping (and ungrouping) with your fellow trapped survivors is what makes the game unique and special. You are restricted to no more than three characters in a party at a time, and each character can only hold two items, in addition to their special item. This forces the player to make strategic decisions. Do I have a good set of items for what I anticipate ahead? If I need items from the group of two I left behind will they be able to safely catch up to the party of three? You’re constantly making trade-offs, and while on occasion it feels somewhat tedious, it mostly feels engaging.
And at times, safety in numbers can backfire. I find myself often toggling between holding a stance that the clues are too literal, and thus, too easy, and wishing the game was more challenging. And then, just minutes later, my entire party of three will fall into a pit, hanging for their lives, and because I wasn’t careful enough my remaining party of two isn’t able to get to them in time to save them. It’s actually moments like these that really up my appreciation for this game as it’s these types of creative surprises that adds flavor.
While I save often in this game, in fear of permanently losing a character, there was a moment that occurred early in the game where I decided to not reset and, instead, decided to accept and carry on. I had crossed a pit to obtain an essential item, by placing a log to form a bridge. My party of three doubled back after gathering the item, and this is when the character in the center of the line broke the bridge and hung to the edge. I was able to pull the character back up, but this meant that one of my other characters, Asuka, was now stranded on the other side. I ended up leaving Asuka on that lonely island for a huge portion of the game, always knowing, or at least hoping, that I would come back. It was a promise I made both to myself as a player as well as between the characters in the context of the game world. Eventually I found more logs, returned, and saved my friend. It was a sense of relief to finally be reunited. That was also when I realized that Asuka, all along, had a log in her inventory that she could have used to cross that gap. I laughed to myself.
The survival horror theme is bolstered even further by the ways in which characters become separated. If you’re like me, you occasionally take unnecessary risks in games (especially if you just saved your progress) in an effort to push the boundaries of the game. For example, there are spirits that will pull a character away from their group, plopping them in a room many screens away. The wisest decision in this moment would be to take the remaining two characters that are still bound together, and to have them navigate to their lost friend. However, like foolish teenagers in countless horror movies, I will often take my solo character and journey on, acting as if I am confined to the perspective of that person. Ask yourself, if you were taken from your friends by ghosts, would you sit still in a strange room? Probably not. Now, a solo trek like this can be disastrous, as you might break a flimsy plank that stretched across a pit, with no one to pull you up. Or you will face enemies alone, and with a finite number of healing items available in the game, this isn’t wise (assuming you even have an item to heal yourself with). This is actually where another ingenious mechanic comes into play: the ability to call for help. In this mode, another character (or set of characters) has limited time to run towards their comrade and assist them. It’s a heart-pounding moment.
Further on the topic of encounters, as mentioned before, this is an RPG, albeit a rather atypical one. Battles are randomly triggered, with the exception of the fights that ensue when you come into direct contact with enemies that traverse across some of the screens. The battles are rather simple, made up primarily of attacks and prayer (think magic). Many of the traditional systems found in RPGs, such as collecting coins, purchasing weapons and items, and resting at inns to regain health, do not exist in Sweet Home (nor do they have a place here). Rather, there is no currency, weapons and items are discovered, and hit points and prayer points are replenished only with tonics.
The environments powerfully convey the mood. In this vast mansion you twist and turn down hallways, up and down stairs leading you to great heights and depths, and explore the outer areas surrounding the property. Each section is truly unique, ranging from underground labyrinths to a lakeside forest. The top-down view is contrasted by more detailed scenes of paintings and monuments, and the occasional open door animation.
Most areas, in addition to having their own visual complexity, are accompanied by a variety of music compositions that fit snugly in the horror genre. A rolling low tone base line is accented by squealing highs. There is a deliberant tempo juxtaposition between the moderate beats-per-minute (BPM) of the exploration music and the upbeat, panic inducing songs that quickly loop and build anxiety when you battle enemies and suffer from poison.
Even with the limitations of the NES, Sweet Home managed to nail the theme of what survival horror should be. You’re scared. You’re often alone. Your resources are limited. Danger lurks behind every corner. The atmosphere is terrifying. A sinister backstory slowly reveals itself, making the world that much more frightening. Death is final.
Not only did Sweet Home bring me back to the joy of experiencing a new NES experience, it also reminded me of the pleasure of solving mysteries through the use of taking notes. Note taking, for many, in and outside the context of gaming, is considered a chore. Growing up in the days of the NES, however, it was not just helpful at times, but often essential. Drawing maps, scribbling down clues, recording passwords...these are all staples of the NES experience.
This review contains spoilers
alabama
Sweet home Alabama 🎵🎶 where the skies ☁️ are so blue 🔵
this shit is so good. really love it a whole lot. keeps the RPG battle system simple while providing depth in other areas, impeccable vibes, i played a lot of it and then fucked up and had 3 out of my 5 characters die in water and uhhh i'll go back to my save later...
well, finally got around to playing through this one. i'd really like to give it an even higher rating, too, because it's such a cool proto-survival horror jrpg adventure, and i love how it looks, i love its music (even if it is spread way too thin, it completely whips ass. like, the final boss music is straight up black metal: ugly, primitive, menacing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UagrRqidHI)... but the inventory management—knowing who should be grouped together and when, who should carry what, which items to leave behind when you find something new and potentially important—i feel like it really hampers the mood. even though it's also kind of the point.
to its credit, this is a game where you can make it through without every character surviving, and deceased characters' unique abilities are not lost, as you can find items which serve their purpose. of course, as you can imagine, inventory management becomes even more of an issue... this is a pretty stressful game! random battles are persistent as hell.
on presentation alone, i could easily call this one of my favorite famicom games. even with the music pieces used over and over throughout the game. to my knowledge there's not much else occupying this specific niche!
to its credit, this is a game where you can make it through without every character surviving, and deceased characters' unique abilities are not lost, as you can find items which serve their purpose. of course, as you can imagine, inventory management becomes even more of an issue... this is a pretty stressful game! random battles are persistent as hell.
on presentation alone, i could easily call this one of my favorite famicom games. even with the music pieces used over and over throughout the game. to my knowledge there's not much else occupying this specific niche!
A survival horror RPG. Great atmosphere. Early elements that can be seen in the Resident Evil series such as how puzzles are solved and door opening animations. Five characters each with a unique item (I think they ran out of ideas for the one with the vacuum), death is permanent but replacement items can be found so other characters can fill their role, although inventory space is very limited (also like the later Resident Evil games). Characters can move individually or in groups of 2-3, everyone can participate in a battle by calling other party which takes you out of the battle for a little while while you try to walk the other character or group to the fight. Good enemy models. You can run into traps, be hit by objects, or have spirits move one of your characters to another part of the house. There are definitely times where you don't won't characters to all be together when you need to avoid or trigger traps but it is annoying constantly having to call the other party to join you in battles so everyone can get experience. Like a lot of old RPGs there is a pretty high encounter rate, better than a lot of old RPGs I've played though. When you have to revisit old areas of the house it can be annoying to fight early enemies again that you can now kill in one hit.
Screenshots: https://twitter.com/Legolas_Katarn/status/628794835823120384
https://twitter.com/Legolas_Katarn/status/629518971423862784
https://twitter.com/Legolas_Katarn/status/629669248852471809
Screenshots: https://twitter.com/Legolas_Katarn/status/628794835823120384
https://twitter.com/Legolas_Katarn/status/629518971423862784
https://twitter.com/Legolas_Katarn/status/629669248852471809
The game has a pretty good atmosphere and an interesting enough story, but it's rather tedious item management/character switching system serves neither. Because the game is pretty damn easy, they're rarely any risky decisions that need to be made, decisions that you'd think would be taken into consideration when implementing such a system. Who you choose to team up with, who you give an item, and who you send into a room/battle; none of these choices matter. The various frescos' "hints" ruin most of the game's "puzzles", and needing the permission of a note on the wall to advance is pretty lazy game design. On the bright side, the titular home's design is well thought out, and the majority of the accompanying music is pleasant on the ears. The enemy sprites are also well done, even though the designs are lacking in variety. A solid title overall.
When it comes to some of the most important titles from the third generation of video games, the ones that pop up to most folk’s minds would be ’Super Mario Bros’ and ’The Legend Of Zelda’. I feel one game that gets overlooked from this time period for its influence is ’Sweet Home’. The reason for this is due to it being the biggest inspiration for the ’Resident Evil’ franchise. Being the title to essentially birth survival horror is incredibly important and I feel it deserves a lot more credit for that. I think it ends up falling short from getting all that credit due to this game also being an adaption of a movie that’s not so popular. Oh, and the game was never released outside of Japan. Due to this, I ended up playing through a fan translation of the game by Gaijin Productions and Suicidal Translations. So thanks to those folks, we can play the game.
Now mind you, this game is influential as hell and incredibly important, but I don’t think it’s necessarily good. There are a few reasons for this, but I think it has to be due to conflicting ideas that can make the game frustrating at times. The entire game, you spend in the mansion doing the thing you’d expect from a survival horror game. You find key items and solve puzzles while slowly, but surely unlocking more of the mansion to uncover a mystery. This part of the game is actually really satisfying and well constructed. I thoroughly enjoyed every time I figured something out on my own. There were a few moments where I would look towards a guide for a helping hand since some of the puzzles can lean into the “how was I supposed to know that?” territory, but that is an exception. Most of them are well thought out and made sense to me otherwise.
The best aspect to the game is the five protagonist system. Throughout the game, you will need to switch between characters and use them to get past certain areas. You can rename them if you’d like, but I decided to keep their normal names. Kazuo has a lighter, Taguchi has a camera, Akiko is the doctor with a first aid kit, Asuka has a vacuum, and Emi is our “master of unlocking” with a key that can open most doors. All these items are very important throughout your journey to progress. This doesn’t mean the game won’t punish you harshly though. If a character dies, they are dead for good. That means you lose their special item and you’ll lose all their inventory slots permanently. This makes the game tense as hell and actually gives death some real weight compared to other games. You’ll be able to find replacement supplies for all of the major ones, but that is a huge hassle and inconvenience compared to having the main item. You can save whenever you’d like, but if you’re like me, you’ll end up forgetting to save often and deciding against it to add some challenge. This is an amazing system and I thought it was the best aspect of the game. Keeping all the characters alive isn’t too difficult, but knowing the punishment for letting them die is stressful enough and does a good job keeping you worried throughout the game.
Overall, so far I’ve been fairly positive. What is my issue? I do not like old JRPGs. I don’t like having to deal with randomized fights specifically because it constantly makes me feel like i'm being taken away from the game I want to play. If you are into this sort of game, then you may end up enjoying this aspect, but I’ve never been into these kinds of games. There are elements with it I take issue with here though besides “it’s not for me”. I feel it gets in the way of the slow tense atmosphere when their version of the ’Jaws’ theme starts playing and you’re thrown into a combat encounter. It doesn’t have the same feeling as the encounters you’d have in ’Resident Evil’. The other issue is it is really really frequent. There are moments where I would have three steps between encounters and that would frustrate me because I just wanted to go back to exploring the mansion. It isn’t completely bad. I do like the giant armor guys that walk around and you hear their giant footsteps as you try to avoid them. Those are pretty spooky! I just wish random encounters weren’t such a frequent occurrence. You don’t need to grind experience points though which is a good thing.
The story of ’Sweet Home’ I won’t go too far into it because of how much of it is left up to your interpretation and I don’t want to take that part of the experience away by explaining every detail from my playthrough, but for simple thoughts, it does a decent job adapting the movie into game form and trying to remain faithful while having enough changes to feel fresh. I enjoyed my time with it, but I never was hooked into it. I do think it does a better job at giving a mysterious feeling than the movie does, but not by a lot.
’Sweet Home’ is artistically, in its presentation, one of my favorite NES games. The game has so much detail put into its world that I really enjoyed it. The first thing is how every room gives off a unique atmosphere and feeling. Not only is this good for the tension of never knowing what’s next, but also gives you a good idea where you are at all times since not many rooms look the same. As much as I disliked the combat in the game, I did like plenty of the enemies and the designs of them when they showed up on screen. Some of them are quite grotesque as well which surprised me, but other times, the enemies can be very silly such as a face inside of a wall and when the enemy shows up it just yells “Wall!!!” which never failed to make me laugh. The music here is pretty fantastic as well and is some of the better chiptune music I’ve heard out there which is neat.
’Sweet Home’ is an intriguing title due to its importance, but nothing more than that to me personally. The game has plenty of really good ideas that we would see be fully fleshed out in ’Resident Evil’, but the game is held back by its JRPG elements, at least to me. I don’t see myself ever replaying it, but I still recommend it to others especially if you are into these types of games! It was neat seeing all the ideas that would go into making something I love and I’m thankful for this game.
Now mind you, this game is influential as hell and incredibly important, but I don’t think it’s necessarily good. There are a few reasons for this, but I think it has to be due to conflicting ideas that can make the game frustrating at times. The entire game, you spend in the mansion doing the thing you’d expect from a survival horror game. You find key items and solve puzzles while slowly, but surely unlocking more of the mansion to uncover a mystery. This part of the game is actually really satisfying and well constructed. I thoroughly enjoyed every time I figured something out on my own. There were a few moments where I would look towards a guide for a helping hand since some of the puzzles can lean into the “how was I supposed to know that?” territory, but that is an exception. Most of them are well thought out and made sense to me otherwise.
The best aspect to the game is the five protagonist system. Throughout the game, you will need to switch between characters and use them to get past certain areas. You can rename them if you’d like, but I decided to keep their normal names. Kazuo has a lighter, Taguchi has a camera, Akiko is the doctor with a first aid kit, Asuka has a vacuum, and Emi is our “master of unlocking” with a key that can open most doors. All these items are very important throughout your journey to progress. This doesn’t mean the game won’t punish you harshly though. If a character dies, they are dead for good. That means you lose their special item and you’ll lose all their inventory slots permanently. This makes the game tense as hell and actually gives death some real weight compared to other games. You’ll be able to find replacement supplies for all of the major ones, but that is a huge hassle and inconvenience compared to having the main item. You can save whenever you’d like, but if you’re like me, you’ll end up forgetting to save often and deciding against it to add some challenge. This is an amazing system and I thought it was the best aspect of the game. Keeping all the characters alive isn’t too difficult, but knowing the punishment for letting them die is stressful enough and does a good job keeping you worried throughout the game.
Overall, so far I’ve been fairly positive. What is my issue? I do not like old JRPGs. I don’t like having to deal with randomized fights specifically because it constantly makes me feel like i'm being taken away from the game I want to play. If you are into this sort of game, then you may end up enjoying this aspect, but I’ve never been into these kinds of games. There are elements with it I take issue with here though besides “it’s not for me”. I feel it gets in the way of the slow tense atmosphere when their version of the ’Jaws’ theme starts playing and you’re thrown into a combat encounter. It doesn’t have the same feeling as the encounters you’d have in ’Resident Evil’. The other issue is it is really really frequent. There are moments where I would have three steps between encounters and that would frustrate me because I just wanted to go back to exploring the mansion. It isn’t completely bad. I do like the giant armor guys that walk around and you hear their giant footsteps as you try to avoid them. Those are pretty spooky! I just wish random encounters weren’t such a frequent occurrence. You don’t need to grind experience points though which is a good thing.
The story of ’Sweet Home’ I won’t go too far into it because of how much of it is left up to your interpretation and I don’t want to take that part of the experience away by explaining every detail from my playthrough, but for simple thoughts, it does a decent job adapting the movie into game form and trying to remain faithful while having enough changes to feel fresh. I enjoyed my time with it, but I never was hooked into it. I do think it does a better job at giving a mysterious feeling than the movie does, but not by a lot.
’Sweet Home’ is artistically, in its presentation, one of my favorite NES games. The game has so much detail put into its world that I really enjoyed it. The first thing is how every room gives off a unique atmosphere and feeling. Not only is this good for the tension of never knowing what’s next, but also gives you a good idea where you are at all times since not many rooms look the same. As much as I disliked the combat in the game, I did like plenty of the enemies and the designs of them when they showed up on screen. Some of them are quite grotesque as well which surprised me, but other times, the enemies can be very silly such as a face inside of a wall and when the enemy shows up it just yells “Wall!!!” which never failed to make me laugh. The music here is pretty fantastic as well and is some of the better chiptune music I’ve heard out there which is neat.
’Sweet Home’ is an intriguing title due to its importance, but nothing more than that to me personally. The game has plenty of really good ideas that we would see be fully fleshed out in ’Resident Evil’, but the game is held back by its JRPG elements, at least to me. I don’t see myself ever replaying it, but I still recommend it to others especially if you are into these types of games! It was neat seeing all the ideas that would go into making something I love and I’m thankful for this game.
haven't played it yet but i watched the original movie with some friends yesterday and one asked the mydramalist link but i sent them the mobbygames one by accident
I played using the English Fan Translation 2.0 by JMN and TheSiege.
This is a really good JRPG and also a really good Survival Horror game. The translation could still use a little proof reading in a couple of spots, and two potential game breaking bugs are introduced because of it. As a result, I would recommend using a Save State along side the use of the in-game save function just to be sure that you don't end up having wasted hours of your time. One of the bugs in question has been reported to delete your save.
It takes a little bit to get a handle on the learning curve that this game presents. The story is simple, but impactful. The encounter rate is dialed up a little high, but that is typical of JRPGs of that era. The sprite work is great, and presents quite a bit of gore for a system as limited as the Famicom was. I especially thought the implementation of a proto-quick-time-event system was really neat.
Definitely surpassed my expectations.
This is a really good JRPG and also a really good Survival Horror game. The translation could still use a little proof reading in a couple of spots, and two potential game breaking bugs are introduced because of it. As a result, I would recommend using a Save State along side the use of the in-game save function just to be sure that you don't end up having wasted hours of your time. One of the bugs in question has been reported to delete your save.
It takes a little bit to get a handle on the learning curve that this game presents. The story is simple, but impactful. The encounter rate is dialed up a little high, but that is typical of JRPGs of that era. The sprite work is great, and presents quite a bit of gore for a system as limited as the Famicom was. I especially thought the implementation of a proto-quick-time-event system was really neat.
Definitely surpassed my expectations.
Sweet Home has been sitting in my backlog for a while, now, as I kept forgetting it exists because....well, because next to no one seems to talk about it.
Now, considering the graphical limitations, this isn't genuinely frightening in any real way, but it is definitely unsettling.
Otherwise, this is a really well done JRPG with a handful of unique mechanics but ultimately is fairly standard when viewing it from a modern perspective.
Now if only the difficulty pacing were more better - by about halfway through the game you'll probably find yourself slaughtering enemies without much thought and just getting annoyed at the random encounters that just waste your time.
Now, considering the graphical limitations, this isn't genuinely frightening in any real way, but it is definitely unsettling.
Otherwise, this is a really well done JRPG with a handful of unique mechanics but ultimately is fairly standard when viewing it from a modern perspective.
Now if only the difficulty pacing were more better - by about halfway through the game you'll probably find yourself slaughtering enemies without much thought and just getting annoyed at the random encounters that just waste your time.
Spiritual prequel to the Resident Evil series, I can see its influence on RE very clearly. It’s also one of those rare JRPG horror mix.
This game would’ve been great if they just added a few QoL changes for modern gamers, but as it is, it’s just a good game, maybe even bad to some people.
The easiest way to explain this game is what if RE classic, becomes a JRPG and has top down view. You explore a huge interconnected mansion, collecting a bunch of items and equipment to progress through the game, while also being bombarded with lots of random encounters with zombies, possessed dolls, ghosts, etc.
You control 5 people, each with their own unique item that only they can use. In combat they’re not that different. But, while you have 5 people, you can only control 3 max at a time, you can swap around who to bring in your party but the one you don’t bring will stay on the same spot you left them. This is tedious because you wouldn’t know what item you will need later on, so if you need item A, and you didn’t bring the guy with said item, you will either have to backtrack and get him or let him go to you with only 2 party members. This can easily be circumvented by just switching back and forth while progressing little by little, but that’s also tedious.
Another annoying thing is how little each person can hold, you have 2 free inventory slot per person (10 max), this is enough, but it’s tedious having to backtrack just because you thought you didn’t need an item anymore only for the game to slap you in the face for not knowing that you will need it. Though to be fair to the game, it usually provides you with a replacement pretty close to where you need said item. Keyword is usually.
Other than that, I think this game is good. I like the eureka moment when I solved a puzzle or found out how to progress the game. Atmosphere is pretty scary at first, though you will get used to it after some time because of how much backtracking you will do. Combat difficulty is just right, it’s pretty hard at first but once you gain enough level, most enemies die in 1 or 2 turns. However, in tradition with old JRPG, the final boss will have a pretty steep difficulty curve.
The story is okay, it’s just 5 people trapped in a haunted mansion. You later discover why the mansion’s ghost is angry and will have to appease it to be able to escape. There’s some kind of twist at the very end but I really don’t understand why it exists other than for shock factor.
Oh yeah, you can save everywhere, so that's good.
This game would’ve been great if they just added a few QoL changes for modern gamers, but as it is, it’s just a good game, maybe even bad to some people.
The easiest way to explain this game is what if RE classic, becomes a JRPG and has top down view. You explore a huge interconnected mansion, collecting a bunch of items and equipment to progress through the game, while also being bombarded with lots of random encounters with zombies, possessed dolls, ghosts, etc.
You control 5 people, each with their own unique item that only they can use. In combat they’re not that different. But, while you have 5 people, you can only control 3 max at a time, you can swap around who to bring in your party but the one you don’t bring will stay on the same spot you left them. This is tedious because you wouldn’t know what item you will need later on, so if you need item A, and you didn’t bring the guy with said item, you will either have to backtrack and get him or let him go to you with only 2 party members. This can easily be circumvented by just switching back and forth while progressing little by little, but that’s also tedious.
Another annoying thing is how little each person can hold, you have 2 free inventory slot per person (10 max), this is enough, but it’s tedious having to backtrack just because you thought you didn’t need an item anymore only for the game to slap you in the face for not knowing that you will need it. Though to be fair to the game, it usually provides you with a replacement pretty close to where you need said item. Keyword is usually.
Other than that, I think this game is good. I like the eureka moment when I solved a puzzle or found out how to progress the game. Atmosphere is pretty scary at first, though you will get used to it after some time because of how much backtracking you will do. Combat difficulty is just right, it’s pretty hard at first but once you gain enough level, most enemies die in 1 or 2 turns. However, in tradition with old JRPG, the final boss will have a pretty steep difficulty curve.
The story is okay, it’s just 5 people trapped in a haunted mansion. You later discover why the mansion’s ghost is angry and will have to appease it to be able to escape. There’s some kind of twist at the very end but I really don’t understand why it exists other than for shock factor.
Oh yeah, you can save everywhere, so that's good.
Modern Gamers' Guide to 8-Bit RPGs #2 - Sweet Home
An intimidating game for the modern gamer, though I personally adored the archaic mechanics once I got the hang of them.
Gameplay involves guiding five party members through an abandoned mansion infested with all sorts of supernatural creatures in the form of random turn-based encounters while solving Resident Evil style puzzles--which isn't much of a surprise since this game directly birthed the Survival Horror genre as we know it today.
The encounter rate is less rapid than traditional RPGs from this era, allowing you to chew on puzzles without excessive interruptions. The answers to every puzzle exist within the game itself in a fairly straightforward manner as long as you thoroughly explore to discover every hint strewn throughout this decrepit manse.
The crust factor is immediately apparent due to a lack of basic gameplay explanation. You have five party members and can split them into independent teams to go explore different parts of the mansion, each with their own signature tools for exploration, but the game doesn't explain any of this.
There's also permadeath for your characters, which can lock you out of finishing the game depending on if you've managed to find replacements for the dead character's signature item. Not to mention the several other situations where poor resource management can fully lock progression; and because Sweet Home only has a single save slot, these progression locks can mean full game restarts if you saved at the wrong time.
The biggest mercy in all this is that you can save from the pause menu at any time. Just make sure not to save while your characters face imminent death or you're going to be cursing Sweet Home, the survival horror genre and the whole third generation of consoles all at once.
My Enjoyment - 7.5/8 Bits. The unforgiving survival mechanics hit that sweet spot for me.
Difficulty - 6.5/8 Bits. Potential progression locks and unexplained gameplay mechanics can feel pretty rough.
Modern Accessibility - 2/8 Bits. The right palate may discover more similarities with aged wine than aged milk, but beware of how obtuse this game's mechanics are without a guide. Sweet Home really throws you into the deep end.
Final Verdict - Sweet Home is worth the Bits if you can forgive its utter lack of sympathy for your time and patience, but overall modern gamers might find this gem hard to go back to.
(My overall ratings are based on my personal enjoyment, as you can see here. If you find my reviews helpful in deciding what games you want to go back to, always refer to the Modern Accessibility rating as your primary indicator.)
An intimidating game for the modern gamer, though I personally adored the archaic mechanics once I got the hang of them.
Gameplay involves guiding five party members through an abandoned mansion infested with all sorts of supernatural creatures in the form of random turn-based encounters while solving Resident Evil style puzzles--which isn't much of a surprise since this game directly birthed the Survival Horror genre as we know it today.
The encounter rate is less rapid than traditional RPGs from this era, allowing you to chew on puzzles without excessive interruptions. The answers to every puzzle exist within the game itself in a fairly straightforward manner as long as you thoroughly explore to discover every hint strewn throughout this decrepit manse.
The crust factor is immediately apparent due to a lack of basic gameplay explanation. You have five party members and can split them into independent teams to go explore different parts of the mansion, each with their own signature tools for exploration, but the game doesn't explain any of this.
There's also permadeath for your characters, which can lock you out of finishing the game depending on if you've managed to find replacements for the dead character's signature item. Not to mention the several other situations where poor resource management can fully lock progression; and because Sweet Home only has a single save slot, these progression locks can mean full game restarts if you saved at the wrong time.
The biggest mercy in all this is that you can save from the pause menu at any time. Just make sure not to save while your characters face imminent death or you're going to be cursing Sweet Home, the survival horror genre and the whole third generation of consoles all at once.
My Enjoyment - 7.5/8 Bits. The unforgiving survival mechanics hit that sweet spot for me.
Difficulty - 6.5/8 Bits. Potential progression locks and unexplained gameplay mechanics can feel pretty rough.
Modern Accessibility - 2/8 Bits. The right palate may discover more similarities with aged wine than aged milk, but beware of how obtuse this game's mechanics are without a guide. Sweet Home really throws you into the deep end.
Final Verdict - Sweet Home is worth the Bits if you can forgive its utter lack of sympathy for your time and patience, but overall modern gamers might find this gem hard to go back to.
(My overall ratings are based on my personal enjoyment, as you can see here. If you find my reviews helpful in deciding what games you want to go back to, always refer to the Modern Accessibility rating as your primary indicator.)
They oughta call me “Sweet Home (Famicom, 1989)” the way I’m constantly laying down thick hard wood into deep black holes
An incredible blend of genres that feels really advanced for its time. My only complaint is the clunky controls and mechanics, but it's easy to get used to it
A game that punches so far above its (8-bit movie tie-in) weight class that it's insane.
To say Sweet Home is an interesting game would be the undersell of the century. To say it's one of the best games on the NES wouldn't be doing much better. It's nothing short of a historical revelation for the 8-bit era--and gaming as a whole. The game's permadeath, party, combat, exploration, and inventory systems--combined with the numerous world puzzles and interactions--makes for one of the most intricate games of its decade.
There are so many unique (and sometimes literal) pitfalls that await careless players--all of which had me on edge my entire playthrough. How you:
Structure your party,
Meter out your insanely limited health items,
Plan out inventory spacing,
Utilize spirit powers,
Use items during battle,
and how you explore the mansion (in constant fear of the worst) plays a large role in your experience, as well as how many of your poor party members will make it out alive.
I had always heard Sweet Home was a large influence to the eventual survival horror genre, but I think that was a bit of a lie. Sweet Home wasn't an influence to the genre, it is the genre. Resident Evil didn't take influence from Sweet Home, it practically remade it--and I mean that in the best way possible. Moreover, it's very clear that the game also played a large role in what would later become the Metroidvania genre. While the combat certainly doesn't reflect it, the exploration mechanics will no doubt feel very familiar for fans of the genre.
Not only does Sweet Home manage to outclass virtually all of its Famicom contemporaries (yes, even you Metroid), it manages to do it with an awesome air of atmosphere--one befitting a haunted mansion. The audio and visuals can be unnerving (for an 8-bit title), and the presentation will often raise your blood pressure. Every time I saw that damn door opening animation I sat in fear of what would be beyond it--a lesson clearly learned in Resident Evil's equally fantastic presentation.
The narrative is also home to some very discomforting moments and visuals--child corpses and visions of children being burnt alive, along with the rest of the stories that haunt the Mamiya family. Diary entries and graffiti messages (sound familiar?) strewn through the mansion further the game's air of dread. Most of all, the gameplay mechanics get married with narrative beats in the most intelligent ways. The game presents an insanely compelling set piece as its final boss--requiring you to help a grieving and vengeful mother come to terms with her own death and the loss of her child instead of just bludgeoning her over the head.
Think about it. If this were done today, critics would be all over it. And somehow, Capcom was pulling this off in fucking 1989.
Certainly the game is not without issues--some puzzles suffer from a bit of the trademark Famicom cryptic-ness and backtracking can become a pain if you've forgotten the location of key items you dropped...but those are incredibly small oversights considering just what Sweet Home managed to accomplish in 1989. Between its narrative presentation, atmosphere, immersive gameplay systems, and how all of it brilliantly intertwines, it's safe to say that we're still playing catch-up with Sweet Home to this very day.
P.S. I wasn't thinking about it while playing, but I think it's safe to say that Sweet Home is the (or at least one of the) best licensed/movie tie-in games of all time. Can you think of better ones?
To say Sweet Home is an interesting game would be the undersell of the century. To say it's one of the best games on the NES wouldn't be doing much better. It's nothing short of a historical revelation for the 8-bit era--and gaming as a whole. The game's permadeath, party, combat, exploration, and inventory systems--combined with the numerous world puzzles and interactions--makes for one of the most intricate games of its decade.
There are so many unique (and sometimes literal) pitfalls that await careless players--all of which had me on edge my entire playthrough. How you:
Structure your party,
Meter out your insanely limited health items,
Plan out inventory spacing,
Utilize spirit powers,
Use items during battle,
and how you explore the mansion (in constant fear of the worst) plays a large role in your experience, as well as how many of your poor party members will make it out alive.
I had always heard Sweet Home was a large influence to the eventual survival horror genre, but I think that was a bit of a lie. Sweet Home wasn't an influence to the genre, it is the genre. Resident Evil didn't take influence from Sweet Home, it practically remade it--and I mean that in the best way possible. Moreover, it's very clear that the game also played a large role in what would later become the Metroidvania genre. While the combat certainly doesn't reflect it, the exploration mechanics will no doubt feel very familiar for fans of the genre.
Not only does Sweet Home manage to outclass virtually all of its Famicom contemporaries (yes, even you Metroid), it manages to do it with an awesome air of atmosphere--one befitting a haunted mansion. The audio and visuals can be unnerving (for an 8-bit title), and the presentation will often raise your blood pressure. Every time I saw that damn door opening animation I sat in fear of what would be beyond it--a lesson clearly learned in Resident Evil's equally fantastic presentation.
The narrative is also home to some very discomforting moments and visuals--child corpses and visions of children being burnt alive, along with the rest of the stories that haunt the Mamiya family. Diary entries and graffiti messages (sound familiar?) strewn through the mansion further the game's air of dread. Most of all, the gameplay mechanics get married with narrative beats in the most intelligent ways. The game presents an insanely compelling set piece as its final boss--requiring you to help a grieving and vengeful mother come to terms with her own death and the loss of her child instead of just bludgeoning her over the head.
Think about it. If this were done today, critics would be all over it. And somehow, Capcom was pulling this off in fucking 1989.
Certainly the game is not without issues--some puzzles suffer from a bit of the trademark Famicom cryptic-ness and backtracking can become a pain if you've forgotten the location of key items you dropped...but those are incredibly small oversights considering just what Sweet Home managed to accomplish in 1989. Between its narrative presentation, atmosphere, immersive gameplay systems, and how all of it brilliantly intertwines, it's safe to say that we're still playing catch-up with Sweet Home to this very day.
P.S. I wasn't thinking about it while playing, but I think it's safe to say that Sweet Home is the (or at least one of the) best licensed/movie tie-in games of all time. Can you think of better ones?
You know, getting attacked by that killer doll back there's making me think maybe this home isn't so sweet!
I've never seen the 1989 film on which Capcom's Sweet Home is based, but I am familiar with the games development history and role as a precursor to the Resident Evil series. I think we all are by this point, but it was a precipitating factor in me playing it, because I sure do love me some Resident Evil and experiencing the game inspired it would be nothing if not novel.
Sweet Home is pretty good, though. Solid enough that it can stand on its own, though dated in some ways. The survival horror genre as we understand it hadn't yet been established, but you can see kernels of Resident Evil staples here, like its precise inventory and resource management. Puzzles have a similar sort of feel to those you find in the Spencer Mansion; items you pick up and ferry along on your journey are critical to opening new rooms and passageways, and the dark history of the house is exposed the more you unravel its secrets.
It also has a unique party system where each member of your team has their own clearly defined utility both for puzzle solving and combat, which is handled in a RPG style that (naturally) reminds me a lot of Resident Evil: Gaiden. Party members can die in Sweet Home, and while you can give items more crucial to progression to surviving members, this eats up valuable inventory space. Of course you also lose their special abilities, which help tremendously in surviving the night. You might be able to get by with one or two members of the team dying, but after that you might as well restart. Death is impactful, and there is a certain screwed up fun in trying to squeak by with a dwindling team.
While I think Sweet Home is conceptually impressive, it is limited by the NES hardware and some JRPG design conventions of the time. Combat is incredibly repetitious and the house's many winding corridors have a tendency to blend together. I'm also not a fan of needing wooden planks to patch up holes in the ground. I get that the intention was to build tension by making you waste space on a limited resource, and plan carefully where and when you need to set a plank down, but it doesn't quite translate and just becomes annoying.
I should probably watch Sweet Home, but I'm going to be honest, any time I think about sitting down with a Japanese haunted house movie, I just end up watching Hausu. It can't be helped, really. Where's my god damn Hausu video game? Get on that, Capcom.
I've never seen the 1989 film on which Capcom's Sweet Home is based, but I am familiar with the games development history and role as a precursor to the Resident Evil series. I think we all are by this point, but it was a precipitating factor in me playing it, because I sure do love me some Resident Evil and experiencing the game inspired it would be nothing if not novel.
Sweet Home is pretty good, though. Solid enough that it can stand on its own, though dated in some ways. The survival horror genre as we understand it hadn't yet been established, but you can see kernels of Resident Evil staples here, like its precise inventory and resource management. Puzzles have a similar sort of feel to those you find in the Spencer Mansion; items you pick up and ferry along on your journey are critical to opening new rooms and passageways, and the dark history of the house is exposed the more you unravel its secrets.
It also has a unique party system where each member of your team has their own clearly defined utility both for puzzle solving and combat, which is handled in a RPG style that (naturally) reminds me a lot of Resident Evil: Gaiden. Party members can die in Sweet Home, and while you can give items more crucial to progression to surviving members, this eats up valuable inventory space. Of course you also lose their special abilities, which help tremendously in surviving the night. You might be able to get by with one or two members of the team dying, but after that you might as well restart. Death is impactful, and there is a certain screwed up fun in trying to squeak by with a dwindling team.
While I think Sweet Home is conceptually impressive, it is limited by the NES hardware and some JRPG design conventions of the time. Combat is incredibly repetitious and the house's many winding corridors have a tendency to blend together. I'm also not a fan of needing wooden planks to patch up holes in the ground. I get that the intention was to build tension by making you waste space on a limited resource, and plan carefully where and when you need to set a plank down, but it doesn't quite translate and just becomes annoying.
I should probably watch Sweet Home, but I'm going to be honest, any time I think about sitting down with a Japanese haunted house movie, I just end up watching Hausu. It can't be helped, really. Where's my god damn Hausu video game? Get on that, Capcom.
NES RPG? Perma Death? Horror?
HELL YEAH!
HELL YEAH!
One of the most important survival horror games and RPGs ever. Honestly, the constant item swapping was surprisingly addictive and I appreciate how ballsy Capcom was to make a limited amount of healing across the game. I think they went overboard with puzzles like the blue candles and the endings are quite silly but the raw ambition and charm carry it hardcore. It's cool to see a game like this with an emphasis on permadeath as well. Also, even with 8-bit graphics, a lot of the enemy designs managed to be disturbing.
The survival horror game that eventually led to Resident Evil. It was an interesting RPG game with the start of item management, although archaic system here. You control 5 characters at once and can separate them throughout the game. Sweet Home wasn't too difficult, but it was annoying most of time managing between the characters and their items. Worst of all, once a character dies, they are gone for the rest of the game. It was stressful, but I had 3 members left by the end. It's an interesting game to look back on, but I struggled a bit with this.
Its pretty fun for a nes rpg and has a pretty creepy and sad story to it as well as a perma death element on it l would look for a guide and watch the movie though