Have you ever had someone look at you in shock and say “I can’t believe you never played ___!”? That’s what this column is about. I’m an old fart gamer experiencing some of the classic retro games for the first time – and rather than having something profound or meaningful to say about it, I’m just going to share my initial thoughts upon playing a game most others have already deemed a classic. Hope you enjoy my newcomer insight – and ignorance – to games I should have played by now!
This week, I tried out Sweet Home, for the NES.
As a Japan-only release, I probably wasn’t the only one who missed this one growing up. But with fan translations more common these days, what would normally be inaccessible is now fully playable. Sweet Home, a horror RPG from the NES days based on a film of the same name, was recommended to me by a writer and gamer I greatly respect, so I figured I’d try it out. For those who don’t know, the game is credited as the inspiration for Resident Evil games that would later come, which were cited to originally be a remake of this series. So, going into it, I was pretty excited to see a game that was influential in its prime.
The graphics sort of remind me of a cross between Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and Final Fantasy Legends II. The music, limited by the NES engine, has a simplistic but effective tone for a horror suspense game. It came out on the tail end of NES’ run in 1989, just a year before the SNES came out, though unlike games (like Little Samson) I wasn’t convinced the graphics and sound had stretched the limits of the system. Granted, there are some particularly gory scenes and battle sounds that grow on you over time. Make no mistake, however; it is games like this that made this generation not take graphics too seriously, valuing gameplay over all else.
The real reason this game comes as a gem is because it is good at what it does focus on: the horror aspect. Journal entries, letters, and remnants around the house you’re exploring will show the backstory: without going into too much detail, you play a team of documentary filmers, there trying to preserve the remnants of an old painter’s frescoes. Undeterred by the rumors of the painter’s wife haunting the mansion, your group goes in anyway, only to be trapped inside as soon as you walk in. I originally planned on giving you a brief summary of the plot, but finding the letters and learning why the place is haunted is part of the draw of the game. The protagonist characters don’t develop all that much, but in this case this is actually a good thing; you can name the characters after friends and put them right there in the haunted building with you, learning as they go. This isn’t about you or your story, but rather about this family that once lived here, and what happened to them.
Adding to the horror feel of the game, there are only 21 or so potions in the game that you can use to heal, and once someone dies in the party, they cannot be revived for the course of that game (there is no magic). Eventually, you can obtain items that mimic each character’s special unique items, but being down party members still makes the game harder by decreasing the already small inventory space and making it easier to game over. The suspense genre, with that in mind, actually combines well with RPG systems, despite not many games trying this. Depending on how many you can keep alive, there are multiple endings, which add to the replay value and incentive to keep alive.
One thing I kept thinking as I first tried out the game was the cool uses of inventory. Much like Earthbound, it takes place in modern time and utilizes realistic every day items for your equipment, such as a vacuum cleaner to clean up glass shards in the way, or wood you picked up to form a bridge over holes in the house. And, adding a sense of realism to make the game even more tense, each character has their main item, and room for only two more item slots, forcing you to constantly consider whether you actually truly need an item at any given time.
To give a better visual than a few screenshots can provide, I’ll share an experience playing. A typical day playing this game involves this inner monologue: “Great! I found one of the paintings. Now to just take the cameraman of the group and photograph it so I can move on. But wait, I need wood to make a bridge cross this hole. Who had the wood? Aw crap, I left it with that guy. But I can’t have all of them in the party at once, and I kind of want the medic in case I take damage on the way. But wait, what if I run out of tonics later and need one? Maybe I should just go to the painting and risk it. Oh god there are monsters everywhere! Why didn’t I bring the medic. It’s cool, I’ll just keep running and hope I survive until I get the painting. Okay made it – no! The painting is covered with dust and I need the party member with the vacuum! Where did I leave that one…?!”
This game is ideal for players who, much like the protagonists of this game, can find the beauty in exploring something long forgotten. It’s for players who can appreciate something that is not immediately flashy, but still well worth the time.
