Sweet Home
Capcom, 1989

This document contains a minimal spoiler-free backstory and orientation for the video game Sweet Home (スウィートホーム), in order to provide some context for the characters that is not given in the manual, or within the game itself.

It is a small amount of preparing information that I hope would make the game a little more enjoyable for English-speaking players. I originally wrote this because I could not find a copy of the manual, using information about the characters which I learned from the movie version. I felt it would help the player identify with them a bit better. When I eventually acquired an original copy of the game and studied its manual, I realized that it also does not have much information about their backstories, so this page may still have a good purpose even with my transcription of the manual now available.

I have scanned and transcribed the Japanese manual, with an English translation, which you can read here: スウィートホーム説明書 / Sweet Home Manual

History

30 years ago, famous painter Ichirō Mamiya and his family disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
Their home was closed up and left abandoned. It is rumoured to be haunted.
Now a television documentary crew has been granted access to investigate.
In search of lost art and the truth of what happened, they enter the Mamiya mansion.

Characters

Kazuo Hoshino	The director of the television crew. He has a teenage daughter Emi, who has come with him to the mansion. His wife passed away several years ago. He has feelings for his colleague Akiko, but is afraid to express them. He is trying to quit smoking, but still carries a lighter.
Akiko Hayakawa	The producer of the television crew. She manages the budget and logistics of the production. She cares for Kazuo, but is hesitant to make any change to their relationship. She carries a first-aid kit, in case anyone gets hurt.
Ryō (Taro) Taguchi	The camera operator. Rude and amorous, he continually makes unsuccessful passes at the women in the crew. He carries a camera to photograph the old paintings.
Asuka	The eccentric host of the television show, and lead journalist. She has an aloof and egotistical personality. It is unclear whether she is interested in anything but her work. She carries a vacuum to remove dust and debris from the old paintings.
Emi Hoshino	Kazuo's daughter. On summer vacation, she has come along to spend time with her father. She would like to see Kazuo and Akiko together, but he doesn't appreciate her meddling. She carries the key to the mansion, taken to go exploring.
Kenichi Yamamura	An elderly man who owns the gas station in town. He gave directions to help the crew get to the mansion, but does not approve of what they are doing.