The previously mentioned basement scene has some of the most chilling music in the game, an enigmatic chant that hints at the history of blood burned into the walls. In the dungeon area, the random echoes portend unspoken agony that are difficult to bear and evoke discomfort with something researchers have noted as the horror of non-linear sounds (which in nature are the ultimate auditory indication of fear). Throughout the mansion, there’s an oppressive undercurrent, a discordant fear that wrecks the players. I’ve included a link to a Youtube video of the OST above, though keep in mind it doesn’t have as much significance without the context of the gameplay like a cutscene where one of the characters has his skin melt.

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Conclusion

Sweet Home fused gaming genres, borrowing from RPGs, adventure games and horror, plunging into the macabre in a way that most other games rarely have. The gruesome imagery in part explains why it never made its way over to western audiences, although we would feel its influence through the Resident Evil games. If there’s an adventure game/RPG fusion that deserves a sequel, or even a remake, this is it.

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Just as the frescoes reveal hidden text with photographs, each time I’ve played through the game, I’ve found an element I hadn’t noticed before, a deeper meaning in a title with limited exposition. I am still in awe of the level design and the way the designers help you discover the story rather than to just be told it. I also love the fact that the game takes place entirely in the mansion. The house is, in essence, one big, convoluted and surreal level, the perfect allegory for the tragedy that is Sweet Home.

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Very few games from the Nintendo era featured different endings based on who survives among your team, as well as the ability to save anywhere, a gracious allowance considering the difficulty. That strange melding holds up even now and feels as natural and comfortable as going home. Just don’t get too comfortable, no matter how sweet a home it seems.

Image for article titled The NES Game That Inspired Resident Evil
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Peter Tieryas is a character artist who has worked on The Good Dinosaur, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. His novel, Bald New World, was listed as one of Buzzfeed’s 15 Highly Anticipated Books as well as Publisher Weekly’s Best Science Fiction Books of Summer 2014. He loves writing about retro games, the lives of parasitic bugs, and Bohemian Rhapsody among other things.