Sweet Home

"Sweet Home" follows the exploits of five members of

an investigation group: Kazuo, Akiko, Taro, Asuka, and Emi. The famous painter Mamiya Ichirou lived many years in a secluded mansion, and rumor says there are some valuable frescos to find inside. Our investigators decide to take some pictures of the frescos. However, upon entering the mansion, a ghost-like figure of Mamiya appears and threatens them. After this, they find themselves trapped in the mansion. The heroes must now find a way out of the mansion, not forgetting the frescos they came there for, and the destiny of an earlier investigation group that has disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

"Sweet Home" is perhaps the first known example of survival horror genre, created by the same company that later made the famous Resident Evil. However, "Sweet Home" is also a console-style RPG: characters fight random monsters in turn-based battles, equip various weapons and level up. You can (and must) form different teams from the five available characters, both for battles and for solving puzzles. Each character has his (or her) own item-based skill: Taro can take pictures, Emi can unlock almost any door, Kazuo has a lighter, Akiko uses a vacuum cleaner to remove dust and other obstacles, and Asuka has medical kits.

The game was never released outside of Japan.