This year we’re putting together a list of 31 Retro Horror games. Games that have come from dead console generations, back to haunt us. Sadly, not all of these games will be available for you to play due to the complicated nature of video game preservation. However, we’re going to note if it’s possible to play them on modern hardware. We’ll be covering games from the Seventh Generation (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii) and earlier. So basically anything before 2006.
Day 21
Sweet Home
This is probably the most important retro horror game that you’ve never heard of. Based off of a Japanese film of the same name and released only in Japan, Sweet Home is an RPG survival horror game that served as the main inspiration for Resident Evil.
While Sweet Home never got a US release, you can play some homebrew versions with a little finagling. It’s possible to watch playthroughs on YouTube, even in authentic Japanese with English subtitles.
Ironically, the Sweet Home game was better received than the film it was based on. The plot was changed around a bit to match what sort of gameplay is possible–but that was a surprisingly normal practice in such film-to-game type adaptations.
Sweet Home would seem pretty tame in the scares department compared to modern games. But somehow Sweet Home still manages to make an unsettling atmosphere. Most of the gameplay revolves around solving puzzles. You play as a team of two or three or explore solo. The style of gameplay is remarkably similar to Resident Evil or even metroidvania type games–you find an item in one part of the mansion and then you travel back to use that item to progress.
I would love for an official localized version of Sweet Home to release, but due to licensing issues that’s nearly impossible, sadly.
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