Sweet Home FAQ
--------------
version 1.0
by Chris Klimas / robin@textfire.com
This document is Open Content. It may be distributed freely, and it may be
modified as long as proper credit is given and the revisions remain Open
Content. For more details, see http://www.opencontent.org/opl.shtml.
Sweet Home is copyright 1989 by Capcom.
Contents
--------
About Sweet Home
Sweet Home on the Web
About this FAQ
Getting the Game
The Characters
The Interface
Items
General Gameplay Strategy
--- Spoilers begin here ---
Interesting Features of the Manor
Solving Puzzles in the First Floor
Solving Puzzles in the East Garden
Solving Puzzles in the Second Floor
Solving Puzzles in the Courtyard
Solving Puzzles in the Lake Area
Solving Puzzles in the Courtyard, Revisited
Solving Puzzles in the Basement
Solving Puzzles in the Verandah Area
Solving Puzzles in the Second and First Floors, Revisited
Solving Puzzles in the Cavern
Solving Puzzles in the Endgame
Unsolved Mysteries
About Sweet Home
----------------
Sweet Home is a horror-themed role-playing game for the 8-bit Nintendo
system that incorporates puzzle elements as well. As the game begins, an
investigative team enters the haunted Mamiya manor, searching for a lost
fresco. They become trapped after entering, and Mamiya's spirit vows that
none of them will escape her wrath. The team must find their way out by
exploring the manor, solving puzzles, and fighting Mamiya's minions.
The game was released by Capcom in Japan in 1989, but because of Nintendo's
stringent content guidelines back then (as well as the as-yet-unproven
appeal of RPG's in America), it was never brought to the U.S. The game's
plot is based on a Japanese horror movie of the same name, but information
on it is scarce. (If you've seen the movie or know how the game compares to
the movie, drop me an email.) In 2000, Gaijin Translations and Suicidal
Translations released an English translation of Sweet Home.
About this FAQ
--------------
This is not a walkthrough. This document explains the finer points of game
strategy, gives details about items you'll find in the game, and also
provides hints for common trouble spots. Since this is an 8-bit horror
game, I think that a lot of the fun of the game is lost if you know exactly
what's going on. But there are a few points where the combination of no
instruction manual and a pretty terse English translation can leave you
scratching your head.
Thanks belong to Justumaru, whose FAQ introduced me to the game and helped
me get past many of the difficult puzzles.
If you notice mistakes or have information you'd like to have added to the
FAQ, email me at robin@textfire.com.
Getting the Game
----------------
Playing Sweet Home requires an NES emulator, an IPS patching program, the
Sweet Home ROM, and the IPS patch. Finding an emulator and IPS patcher is
easy -- there are versions available for nearly every modern platform. The
IPS patch can be found at http://gaijin.romhacking.com/Sweethome.htm.
Finding the original ROM is by far the most difficult task, as it's not
only a Japanese game, but an obscure one at that. I found my copy at
http://www.emux.com/, but there may be other sources.
Once you have all of these things, apply the patch to the original ROM
using the patcher. (There should be some documentation with the patcher on
how to use it.) Then crank up the emulator and go to town.
Sweet Home on the Web
---------------------
-- http://www.psextreme.com/exclusiv/sweet.html has some screenshots
comparing Sweet Home to the Resident Evil series, and also discusses the
game in some length.
-- http://www.conacopia.com/arcade/sweet_home.html is a short review of the
game.
-- http://www.imdb.com/Title?0141861 is the IMDB's page on the movie. Not
much information here, though.
If you have more suggestions for this section, email me.
The Characters
--------------
Kazuo is a young man who, judging from his suit, may be a journalist. Kazuo
seems like a generally nice guy; he's concerned with everyone's well-being.
He carries a lighter that can burn rope barriers in the manor, and is the
strongest fighter of the group.
Akiko appears to be a nurse of some kind, though she also acts in the
beginning as the leader of the group. Akiko doesn't have much in the way of
personality in the game, but she has the all-important first-aid kit, which
will heal various status conditions. I discovered three in the game:
poisoned, where taking a step will inflict a point of damage on a
character; stunned, where the character is frozen and can't move or fight;
and fear, where the character becomes stunned and poisoned after a certain
amount of time. Akiko's not a very good fighter, though.
Asuka's profession isn't clear, but she seems to be initially in charge of
the expedition. She comes bearing a vacuum cleaner, which has two major
roles in the game, one of which is to clear broken glass from the floor.
(See the Puzzles section for the other use.)
Taro is the cameraman of the group. His fighting skill is second only to
Kazuo's. (See the Puzzles section for the importance of the camera.)
Emi is a young lady who seems the most timid of the group. She carries a
key that unlocks some of the doors of the manor. How she got it is never
explained. Despite her trepidation, she's a better fighter than Akiko or
Asuka.
Yamamura is a mysterious man you'll meet in the manor. He seems initially
helpful-- but can you trust anyone inside the manor?
Mamiya is the spirit haunting the manor. You'll meet her at the beginning
of the game, and you'll be seeing a lot of each other throughout the game.
The Interface
-------------
There are three major parts to the interface: walking around the manor,
fighting monsters, and examining special features of the manor.
You'll spend most of the game in the first part of the interface, which
resembles Dragon Warrior, Final Fantasy, and nearly every other NES RPG.
Pressing the B button will bring up a list of your characters; their
current life rating is displayed to the right of their name. Selecting an
individual character with the A button will display their experience level,
their life rating, their attack rating, their pray rating, and their
inventory.
All characters start at level 1 and can progress to level 20. The attack
ratings are a bit obscure -- I never was able to understand what the two
numbers corresponded to exactly, but higher numbers are obviously better.
The left life statistic is the character's current level; the right one is
the maximum. The pray ratings work the same way. All of these statistics go
up as characters gain levels, though better weapons will also improve
attack ratings.
Pressing A in the main interface screen will bring up a menu of commands.
"Party" lets you switch control to a different character.
"Item" lets you manage your characters' inventories. To use an item, select
it, press A, and select "Use." To switch items among characters, select the
item to be used, press A, and select "Move." Point to where you'd like it
to go and press A. (You can exchange items by pointing to another item
instead of a blank space.) To pick up an item, face it in the manor, choose
"Item," point to where you'd like it to go, and then choose "Move." (If you
point to an item in your inventory, you'll exchange it with the item you're
facing.)
Note that you can't move or exchange the topmost items in the inventory
screen; those belong intrinsically to that particular character. To take
items, choose the bottommost slot of the character's inventory. You'll
automatically equip that weapon.
Which characters' inventory appears depends on the situation. Normally, you
see the inventory of the character you're controlling as well as his
teammates. But if you're facing a character not on your team, you'll see
his inventory instead of the teammates'.
"Talk" lets you converse with people you find in the manor. Most of them,
unfortunately, are people who were turned into zombies by Mamiya's minions,
so they're not exactly stunning conversationalists.
"Team" lets you build a team of characters, which is essential to survival
in the manor. Face the character you'd like to add to your team and choose
this option. There can be at most three people on a team. To have a
character leave a team, face no one and select this option.
"Look" serves two purposes. If you're not sure what something is, face it
and choose this option. If it's significant, your character will explain
what it is. Using "Look" facing special things (like frescoes) will enter
the examining-special-features part of the game.
"Save" saves the game. You can use it at any point. If it doesn't work for
you, make sure that the ROM image has the "battery backup" flag on.
(Changing this is different in each emulator.)
"Quit" is a bit misleading. It lets you either restart at the last save you
made or delete your saved data.
When you've gotten into a donnybrook with a denizen of the manor, you're
dropped into a Dragon Warrior-esque fight interface. Each of the characters
on your team has five options to choose from; each character's life points
are displayed to the right of the menu.
"Attack" puts the smack down. How much damage is done corresponds to that
character's attack rating and, I assume, the strength of the monster you're
facing.
"Pray" performs an especially damaging attack useful for when you think
you're overmatched. It uses valuable pray points, but don't be too
hesistant to use it if you think you're in trouble.
"Tool" allows a character to use an item. Some items cause damage to
certain monsters, but in general, "Attack" works better.
"Run" attempts to run away from the battle. The catch here is that each
character must make his escape on his own; those left behind will have to
face the brunt of the monster's attack by themselves.
"Call" is kind of interesting. This switches control to another character,
who can join the battle by navigating the manor to the scene of the fight
and pressing A. If other characters are on the his team, they automatically
join the battle as well. This is usually too complicated to be useful, but
if one character is stranded, it can be helpful.
When you're looking at interesting features of the manor, you drop into a
first-person view of the particular object. There are four options
available to you. "Look" describes what exactly you're currently looking
at. Always a good idea.
"Item" allows you to use an item from your inventory. This is how you
usually interact with what you find.
"Pray" actually does more than pray, most of the time. When you want to do
something but it doesn't fall into the category of "use this item," pray.
Hit A when the meter is full for best results. If you don't get it high
enough, nothing will happen.
"Leave" returns you to the main screen.
Items
-----
Item management is a tough part of the game. Those two inventory slots per
character fill up quickly. The best idea is to pick up things that look
important -- one-of-a-kind items that will open up new areas of the manor
-- but leave common items around until you need them. Either way, it's
important to remember where stuff is. A couple puzzles require many items
to solve, and searching can be frustrating if your memory isn't good.
Note that many items, like candles or picks, work for as long as your team
stays together. If you monkey around with teams, you'll have to use the
item again for it to be effective.
Matches, pills, brooms, cameras, and wires are replacements for the
characters' items, if they should die. You could also use them to eliminate
some team-switching, but since everybody needs experience levels and
inventory slots are at such a premium, it's probably a good idea to go
without them unless someone dies.
Tonics will restore the entire team's life and pray points to their
maximums. The best way to use them is to wait until at least two characters
are weak, and then form a team of the ailing. Be careful, though -- you can
get caught by a monster while you're healing yourself and the results will
not be especially happy.
Wood can be used to bridge gaps. Be careful, though -- it may break.
According to Justumaru's FAQ, Asuka is most likely to break the wood,
though it can happen to any character. Use the team command to save people
who've fallen. The blue variety doesn't appear to be any different.
Wax candles serve as a light source. Each candle suffices for an entire
team.
Ropes are used to bridge gaps and rescue trapped characters. Use them when
you're facing a distant post-shaped object to pull yourself and your team
across.
Mallets can be used to dig out debris and break mirrors.
Logs can be used to bridge water.
Fire Extinguishers (rendered as FireX in the Gaijin/Suicidal translation)
put out fires, obviously.
Gloves protect an entire team from prickly branches.
Axes can be used to cut down particularly offensive bushes. Note that the
special item has no axe icon next to it, as axe weapons do.
Boots allow a team to walk across sticky surfaces without getting stuck.
Picks allow you to cross fast-moving bodies of water as well as slippery
ice.
Bows are a longer form of rope, necessary for crossing wide chasms.
Knives, staves, swords, axes, spears, pitchforks, and other pointy objects
are weapons spread throughout the manor. None of the female characters can
equip axes, for whatever reason, and none of the men can equip spears.
Keys, rings, and other miscellaneous doodads are used to solve puzzles in
the manor.
General Gameplay Strategy
-------------------------
Playing Sweet Home requires different tactics from the average RPG, because
there isn't a safe haven you can return to when your characters get
weakened. Tonics are a limited substitute for the archetypal inn, and there
is no way to resurrect dead characters. The one advantage that the game
gives you is that your characters always get to act first during a battle;
that is, if they can do enough damage to kill the creature attacking them
in one round, they will never get hurt.
This fact makes it imperative that you travel in groups of three as often
as possible. With only one character, you'll find yourself taking huge
losses of life as you struggle to kill off monsters.
The approach I found best was to proceed through the game cautiously,
stopping exploration if you run into monsters that take more than two
rounds or so to kill. Backtrack a little and build up your characters'
levels; while it's exciting to plunge onwards despite increasingly scary
monsters, it's easy to miss something important while you're worrying if
you can make it back to the safer areas alive.
(You might want to enable the turbo function on your A button while you're
building up levels. There are a lot of pauses in each battle for button
presses. And you might want to pop a CD in, too. While the music is scary
when you first enter each new area, it can get a bit annoying after ten
minutes. And the Jaws-esque encounter music? Eesh.)
The way I approached dividing up the five characters into was to choose one
main character that you'll use all of the time, who will lead teams of two.
I chose Kazuo because he's the strongest character, but nearly anyone will
do. (Using Akiko may not be such a hot idea, since she's best kept in
reserve for bailing out poisoned and paralyzed characters.) Then divide up
the remaining four into two teams. I put Taro and Emi in one team because
their items were useful for exploring new areas, and left Asuka and Akiko
in the other. Though one team will be weaker than the other, Kazuo's extra
experience will help the weaker characters level up faster.
This wasn't the best choice since Asuka and Akiko weren't the best
fighters, so if something bad happened to my main party, these two had to
make it through territory they weren't especially ready for. Then again, I
was playing with emulator save states (where I could save by pressing one
key), which meant that if anything really bad happened, I just jabbed the
restore key. If you're playing without save states, making saving and
restoring a more time-consuming process, you might want to compromise and
place Taro with Akiko, and Emi with Asuka.
I let the backup team hold onto Tonics, freeing spaces in my exploring team
for puzzle-solving items. Once your main character logs enough time,
especially if you get stumped, you no longer have to worry about gaining
levels for all of your characters, although you might want to make sure
that everyone's at level 20 by the end of the game.
Sometimes it makes sense to send a single character in, when you encounter
especially dangerous situations that require speed. Obviously, you want to
minimize their solo time as much as possible; Sweet Home is pretty
forgiving in this regard. You can usually make it into a room, do what you
need, then run back and team up again before hitting a random encounter.
There's a tricky way to get information from an especially treacherous
fresco. Save outside a dangerous room, send in Taro and Asuka, make note of
the information, and then restore.
An interesting ethical question arises if one of your character dies. It
only happened to me at the very end of the game, but I guess if you aren't
especially careful, it could happen. So do you play onward or load up the
last save? The typical RPG answer is to restore, but it might preserve that
feeling of impending doom that can build up while you're playing to keep
pushing on and using the replacements detailed in the Items section. Either
way, it's worth killing off your characters at least once to see the nifty
little cinemas that play when they die, and to see their cute little anime
bodies splayed across the floor.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
YOU MIGHT WANT TO STOP HERE.
THE INFORMATION AFTER THIS POINT WILL SPOIL PARTS OF THE GAME.
I know that FAQ's by definition spoil the game, but this is a special case,
I think.
Sweet Home is, after all, an 8-bit horror game. What makes things scary are
not the startling graphics and sound but the feeling that anything could
happen to your characters, that maybe you don't get to win this time.
Horror movies don't play fair with their characters, so why should a game?
That uncertainty and mystery is what made me enjoy the game so much.
And when the graphic sequences do come in, if you already know what's going
to happen, you'll only see the meager color palette and blocky pixels. I
was raised on Nintendo's strict content guidelines for American releases,
and part of the shock (if not fright) of the game was having that line of
what was appropriate for 9-year-olds being crossed repeatedly.
If you play Sweet Home alone in the dark, you will be scared. Promise. And
that's something amazingly unique for a simple NES game.
I'd hate to have something I wrote ruin the game for someone else, so think
carefully before reading on. I've been careful up until this point to write
only what you'd read in a manual. The goal was to make playing the game a
little clearer, not to spoil anything.
Besides which, getting stumped from time to time is useful. Gaining levels
is a lot more interesting if you're trying to work out a puzzle while
defeating the nth zombie.
This isn't a complete walkthrough. If you need that, look at Justumaru's
FAQ.
SPOILERS BEGIN HERE.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interesting Features of the Manor
---------------------------------
Doors. They're everywhere. Some open using Emi's key, others require more
exotic keys that you'll find throughout the manor, and a few can only be
opened from one side. These one-sided doors usually act as easy ways to get
to previous areas of the manor.
Frescoes are all over the manor, too. While the introductory text seems to
imply that they were made by Mamiya, they were in fact made by her husband.
(It may be that Mamiya is her surname, but if that's so, her first name
isn't revealed.) Using a camera will reveal hidden messages that will help
you solve puzzles. If they appear dim and brownish, you'll need Asuka's
vacuum to clean them.
Aside from the random monsters you'll encounter, there are also creatures
visible while you're walking around. The first you'll meet are blue spirits
who emit a chilling sound as they appear onscreen. If they touch any of
your characters, they will be spirited away to another part of the manor.
These are far more insidious than your average wandering monster, since
splitting up your team will make things much more dangerous, especially if
you're exploring a new area where retrieving your teammates will be
difficult.
Dodging most of them is fairly easy once you know the trick. Just move out
of their way, then walk parallel to them so that your entire team dodges.
If you don't, one of your team will stand still and get nailed.
The blue spirits come in three varieties. The first is an amorphous blob a
single tile wide; the second, looking a little like a lesser incarnation of
Mamiya, is three wide, which makes dodging a little less trivial. The
third, shaped like a little like a kidney, moves in circles. The key to
dodging the third kind is that they can only turn in a fixed radius.
Dodging them requires a little practice, and is best done by a single
character.
You'll run into notes, books, and bloody writing providing helpful
information. Also, make sure to look at dolls and skeletons. Some will
provide useful information; others will try to scare you. As strange as it
sounds, talk to the (eternally dying?) people in pools of blood. They're
the unlucky members of past expeditions into the manor, and usually will
alert you to the special traps of the manor.
>From time to time, you'll be attacked by inanimate objects of the manor,
like chandeliers or knives. You're presented with a menu of options, but
which is correct appears to be random. Fortunately, if you are hit, only a
little damage is done.
There are blue bronze statues scattered around the manor. They're a bit
tricky in that early on, it's hinted that you can destroy them with a
special item. In fact, most can only be affected once you've progressed far
enough in the game. There's no difference in the two kinds, not even when
you look at them, so you'll have to experiment.
There are boulders that you'll encounter that will begin to roll at you
once you step on a certain tile. The best way to deal with them is to send
in one character who can dodge them easily. The upside is that a boulder
only does a relatively small amount of damage.
There also bats and haunted suits of armor that will follow you around, and
if they touch you, you'll have to fight them. Avoiding them is mostly a
matter of moving quickly,. Usually, you want to be strong enough that
getting caught won't be a problem. (The one exception: you should just run
for it when you first encounter a pair of armors.)
You can use teams to trick the monsters that home in on you. They chase the
active team, so you can use them to distract the monsters, then switch and
make a run for it. You can also use a team to keep monsters from
respawning; they reappear when all of your characters leave their room.
Keep a team in the room to keep it empty. This is useful in the beginning
of the game, where the monsters have an advantage over your characters.
Cats and rats patrol the manor. They are mainly there for atmosphere, but
can also act as obstacles.
There are also two forms of transportation in the manor. There are rowboats
outside and a mine cart in the basement. Only two people can fit in them at
a time, which makes the mine cart a bit pointless, since it doesn't cover
that much distance. But while your characters are inside either boat or
cart, they can't be attacked by monsters.
Solving Puzzles in the First Floor
----------------------------------
Q: How do I clear the shiny stuff blocking the initial door?
A: Use the look command and you'll see it's broken glass. In general, if
you're not sure what to do, use look. Use Asuka's vacuum to clear the way.
Q: What do I do with the frescoes?
A: Use the look command to get a closer look, and then use Taro's camera to
reveal the hidden message. (Using the camera without first looking at it
won't do any good.)
Q: How do I get past the rope barrier?
A: Use Kazuo's lighter.
Q: It's dark! I can't see.
A: Use the wax candle (found in the room with the first fresco).
Q: How do I cross chasms?
A: Use wood to create a bridge.
Q: What do I do if of my team members breaks the bridge and falls?
A: Use the team command to rescue them. You'll have to use another piece of
wood to rescue any stranded characters.
Q: How do I get past that glowing barrier?
A: You'll need to find a flashlight (rendered as F-Lite). But don't worry
about it at first. You can find another way around the first barrier.
Q: A fresco I found is covered in dust. How do I get the hidden message?
A: Use Asuka's vacuum.
Q: What do I do with these mysterious blue statues?
A: Nothing for now. You'll come back to them later.
Q: Part of a room I entered caved in, and there's a set of rocks I can't
cross in another room. What should I do?
A: You need to find a mallet. You'll have to venture up to the second-floor
landing to find it. (Incidentally, it doesn't work on the boulders blocking
the initial entrance. Tough luck.)
Q: A zombie stunned one of my characters and the screen turned teal. What
do I do?
A: Until you pray, your other characters' attacks will be directed at the
stunned character. If you're low on pray points, running away also works.
You'll need Akiko to heal the stunned character. If this happens to you,
you probably should build some levels before proceeding.
Q: I can't find the mallet. Where is it?
A: Look at the top right corner of the table on the second-floor landing.
(The rat is the clue.)
Q: How do I get the flashlight?
A: Set up bridges towards it, but send only one character after it. It's
best to give the single character a piece of wood and the wax candle so
that he can see. Make sure that your other characters are safely out of the
way, then grab the flashlight and make a run for it.
Q: How do I retrace my steps from the flashlight room?
A: For whatever reason, the doorway you need to go through isn't shown by
the wax candle. Push against the south wall and you'll find it eventually.
Q: I go into a room but are immediately booted out. What should I do?
A: You'll need to turn on the generator in the garden first.
Q: How do I rescue the man calling for help?
A: Go up the stairs; near the doll is a walkway leading south to him.
Q: The room suddenly burst into flames!
A: Use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. There's one in the hallway
outside, but you'll need to get the other one from the rock wall hallway
(with the large blue spirit) to get into both rooms. Note that once you put
out the fire, it won't be triggered again.
Q: What am I supposed to do with the knight blocking the way into the
garden?
A: A fresco nearby holds the clue. There's another knight statue that has a
spear.
Q: How do I get the spear from the other knight?
A: You'll have to pray. In general, when the translation refers to not
being able to concentrate, you need to pray.
Q: I gave the spear back to the knight, but nothing seemed to happen.
A: Pray.
Solving Puzzles in the East Garden
----------------------------------
Q: I switched on the generator, but nothing happened. What do I need to do?
A: You'll have to find the gas, which is in the other building in the
garden. Use it while facing the generator (this is one of the few
exceptions to looking at something before acting on it) and then turn on
the generator.
Solving Puzzles in the Second Floor
-----------------------------------
Q: How do I cross the wide chasm?
A: Use a rope. There's one in the generator room in the garden, and there's
also one earlier on in the game.
Q: How do I get down to the courtyard?
A: You'll have to find a rope ladder to attach to the pegs.
Q: The wall creature frightened one of my characters and they won't move.
What should I do?
A: Use Akiko's first aid kit or the pills to heal them.
Q: My characters got stuck in the sticky floor! What do I do?
A: Have a free character use the team command to rescue them. Though you'll
be told that taking four steps across the muck will cause you to get stuck,
it's in fact a bit more lenient than that, and as long as you aren't
attacked, you can use the team command to leapfrog across the sticky floor.
The countdown to being stuck gets reset after you step on an ordinary
floor, so you can step carefully between clear areas as well.
Q: How do I read the diary?
A: You won't be able to until much later in the game.
Q: How do I reach that rope post on the outside?
A: You won't be able to until a little later in the game.
Q: How do I evade those armors on the sticky floor?
A: It's best not to, at least before you get the boots, because you'll only
strand team members behind you, leaving your team leader to fight the armor
alone. Better to level up enough so that the armors aren't a problem.
Q: Where do I find the boots?
A: They're in the central chamber of the large sticky-floored room. (Take
the upper entrance to reach it -- the other door is best for picking up
anybody who's gotten tagged by a spirit.)
Q: Where do I find the rope ladder?
A: Go through the right door of the boots room, then go down and open the
door.
Solving Puzzles in the Courtyard
--------------------------------
Q: No matter how I try, I can't cross the river. What am I supposed to do?
A: Use a pick and you'll be able to walk across the water normally. (I
think the idea is that you're using it to hold onto cracks in the floor.)
Picks can be found in the diary room of the second floor and near the door
to the outside walkway, also on the second floor.
Q: I turned off the water, but the poor guy doesn't say anything.
A: Use the mallet on the horned fountains. (If you've left yours behind,
you can find another in another room in the basement.) Go left to him and
talk.
Q: How do I reach that key that's sitting up there?
A: Don't worry about it for now. You won't be able to reach it until near
the end of the game.
Q: Eeeagh! Big streams of water just burst out of the room!
A: There's no way to get past them without being hurt. But they're not too
painful, as long as you move quickly. If you're really feeling picky, send
someone to read the note and to pick up the mallet and heavy axe.
Q: Where is the hidden room that the bloody writing alludes to?
A: In the upper-left corner of the courtyard, the third mirror from the
left has a door hidden behind it. Use the mallet to break it. Incidentally,
if you break all the mirrors in the level, the mirror creatures won't
attack you anymore.
Q: How do I get past these bronze statues?
A: Once the water of the maiden fountain turns to blood (drink from the
fountain to have this happen), fill the pail with it. The pail now can be
used to destroy certain statues -- certain meaning 'one.'
Q: Which statue can I melt?
A: It's the one in the bedroom below the maiden fountain room.
Q: What am I supposed to do with the fountain, anyway?
A: Explore the lake area to find out.
Solving Puzzles in the Lake Area
--------------------------------
Q: The heck? How do I get through those piles of logs?
A: You'll need the axe above you.
Q: The heck? How do I get that axe without getting hurt? How do I get
anywhere here?
A: It's time to use all of those logs you've been running into. You can use
a log to bridge certain two-tile gaps between pieces of land. It's not
completely obvious often where to use a log, but don't worry-- there are
enough logs to put them everywhere possible.
There are six logs in total; you can get away with a bare minimum of 3, but
you'll take serious damage here and later in the game. You'll also miss a
confusing and nonessential clue, too. The first is in the third fresco
room, left of the second-floor landing. The rest are in the courtyard.
There's one in a flooded room of the courtyard, next to an extra set of
boots (it was probably the second room you explored); there's one in the
maiden fountain room; there's one in the fresco room above the fountain
room; the last is in the bedroom to the right of the hall of mirrors.
This puzzle can be really annoying, because it requires a jump in thinking
and then a scavenger hunt. The first time I played through, I picked up the
log near the second-floor landing and had exchanged it for a tonic in the
second-floor boots room. Remembering where you put the logs can take a bit
of effort.
Q: How do I land the boat?
A: You can land at tiles that look like wood planks.
Q: What am I supposed to do at the memorial tower?
A: Use the shovel from the shore below, pray, then look in the hole.
Solving Puzzles in the Courtyard, Revisited
-------------------------------------------
Q: How do I use the low key?
A: It's not immediately apparent, is it? Explore the areas Yamamura led you
through to find out how to do it.
Q: The floor of the fresco room collapsed on me and I can't move!
A: This happens twice. In the room with the posts, the best way to do it is
to use the posts inside the room to avoid being caught up in a pit. Shoot
straight down and you'll make it across as the gap appears.
In the room with the chairs, there are a couple (sucky) options. First, you
can give Taro two pieces of wood and send him in alone. Secondly, you can
allow yourself to get tagged by a spirit; you'll be taken to the
rubble-filled room. Thirdly, you can save outside, read the fresco, then
restore. The message isn't ultimately that important, anyway.
Q: Okay, so I read the clue, but I still don't understand what to do. And
then the blue statue I thought I was supposed to melt disappeared.
A: This is a heinous puzzle. The blue statue that the clue refers to is in
the outdoors passage that Yamamura took you through earlier. Think about it
for a moment and maybe you'll get it. Remember what Yamamura did as he led
you around.
Q: I tried to think but nothing happened. What am I supposed to do here?
A: Push the blue statue through the doorway into the maiden fountain. Pick
up the tool and use it in the sandy area by the rope ladder.
(I stumbled into the solution this one completely by sloppiness, so don't
worry if you got stumped.)
You don't melt the blue statue with the pail, though that certainly would
have been logical.
Solving Puzzles in the Basement
-------------------------------
Q: How do I get through those flames? A fire extinguisher doesn't work.
A: You'll need the help of the man in the the uppermost room. To reach him,
you'll need to dive briefly through the flames.
Q: How do I get through the door that the statue is blocking?
A: Concentrate on taking out the flames first.
Q: Where do I get a shovel?
A: The lake area, of course.
Q: My team got broken up. How do I find my team members?
A: Switch to them briefly so that you know where they are, then send your
strongest team member out to gather them up. It's a tad safer (though more
complicated) to send in a two-person team and bring all of the lost
characters together, then team them up again.
Q: How do I get past the blue flame?
A: Get the gem from the room that the statue was guarding. You'll need to
use the wood that's laying around to bridge the gap. Use the gem -- despite
what the fresco says, you don't need to pray -- on the flame to make it
disappear.
Q: Guh! The door won't open!
A: Use the low key.
Q: What am I supposed to do with the coffins?
A: As one of the notes hinted, the diary key is in one of them. Look at
them to open each one up.
Solving Puzzles in the Verandah Area
------------------------------------
Q: Where is the verandah that Ichirou's diary refers to?
A: It's that outdoor area that you passed by on the way to the boots.
Remember the note with the Resident Evil reference? The statues and the
post?
Q: So how do I get past the statues?
A: Just push them like you did the other one. Generally speaking, you can
now push bronze statues.
Q: How do I get across the gap? My rope is too short.
A: Use a bow. You can find one in the rubble-filled room that Yamamura took
you through, and there's another in the leftmost fresco room adjoining the
outdoors passage that Yamamura led you through as well.
Q: I can't open the door, though.
A: Use the low key.
Q: Guh! How do I avoid the boulders?
A: At this point, your characters should be of high enough level that you
can take a few hits. Once the boulders hit you, they don't come back. If
you're really anal about it, send a lone character ahead to trigger them
and dodge into the nooks.
Q: Guh! When I step onto the ice, I slip into these scary people-like
things that hurt me!
A: You can use a pick to traverse the ice and pick up the goodies at the
end. Be careful-- some doors will open directly onto ice.
Q: I can't open any of the doors in the two-carpeted area.
A: Use the two key. Take the stairway leading down from the servants'
quarters, then go right and up a floor.
Q: What am I supposed to do with the three statues?
A: Nothing quite yet.
Q: How do I get past Ichirou's servant?
A: You'll need to find the two rings.
Q: How do I reach the ring that's behind the statues? I can't push them.
A: You'll have to go further to find it. Enter the red-and-blue carpeted
area (the entrance has two boulders in front of it). The stairway in the
room full of cats and mice (it's in the lower left area) will take you to
the ruby ring.
Q: Where is the second ring?
A: It's in the room directly above the cat-and-mouse room. The door at the
bottom of the room will lead to Ichirou's study, where you'll find the jade
ring.
Q: I tried using the rings in front of Ichirou's servant, but nothing
happened.
A: You need to equip your lead character with both of them, then use them.
Q: The rings are shining, but the servant still doesn't react.
A: Pray.
Solving Puzzles in the Second and First Floors, Revisited
---------------------------------------------------------
Q: I just got transported back to the first floor. What am I supposed to
do?
A: Notice that the fireplace isn't lit anymore? You can go in there.
Q: I looked around in the cavernous area, but couldn't get past the gates.
A: There's a gold key in Mamiya's room. Go back and get it-- for some
reason, she isn't there if you go back. (Incidentally, there's a rope in
the fresco room adjoining the second-floor landing, if you left yours
behind.) There are three rooms you can unlock with the gold key, and
they're all in areas you've explored earlier in the game.
Q: Where exactly are the doors I can open with the gold key?
A: There's the room on the first floor with the stairs visible above it.
There's a room back in the hallway with the two sets of armor that led to
the east garden. The third door is on the right side of the second-floor
landing; it's a shortcut to the two-carpet area.
Q: What do I do with the projector?
A: Use slides in it. There are three in all. The first is in the cavern
immediately after the fireplace entrance. The second is near the
underground river that you encountered in the beginning of the game. Now
you can push the statues out of the way. The last is in a door you can now
open in the hallway with the two sets of armor that led to the east garden.
Q: I put all of the slides in, but nothing happened.
A: If you haven't figured out by now to pray, then you should be ashamed of
yourself.
Q: How do I open the door on the walkway?
A: Use the two key.
Solving Puzzles in the Cavern
-----------------------------
Q: So really, how do I get past the gates?
A: The door past the projector on the first floor leads to the raised
portion of the courtyard. You'll find an iron key there that will open the
gates. The iron key also opens the last remaining closed door on the first
floor.
Q: How do I rescue my characters stuck in the sand?
A: The sand will spin your trapped characters around. Enter through a
higher entrance and use the rope to catch them. It takes a bit of timing.
Q: How do I cross the rivers?
A: The best way to do it is to send each character in your team across
individually. You can just make it across in every case, but make sure that
once you've gotten a character across, you move them a little so that
everybody has a tile of land to reach. Then reassemble your team.
The third time across, use the posts to pull yourself as far to the left as
possible before crossing the river.
Q: Do I really have to retrace my steps from the coffin room?
A: Of course not. Grab the mallet from the left side and break the mirror.
Solving Puzzles in the Endgame
------------------------------
Q: So, uh, what am I supposed to do now?
A: There are two tasks you'll need to accomplish. The first is finding the
three blue candles needed to get past the three statues in the two-carpeted
area. They'll open the way to the final confrontation with Mamiya. The
second task is to gather up the items you'll need to defeat her.
Q: Where are the blue candles?
A: One is in an ice-filled room towards the top-right of the verandah. It
has two entrances, one of which is next to the entrance to the servants'
quarters. The second is in the room full of cats and mice that's in the
red-and-blue carpet area. The third is in a hidden courtyard room,
accessible by going up the stairs blocked by the bottom gate in the cavern.
Q: How do I unlock the hidden courtyard room?
A: Use the two key.
Q: How do I get past the statues?
A: Use of each of the candles, then the lighter, then pray. (You may have
to pray twice.)
Q: What are the items I need to fight Mamiya?
A: You'll need the tool, the diary, the coffin, and the photo.
Q: Where are they?
A: The tool is wherever you left it -- remember, you got it by pushing the
statue into the maiden fountain. The diary is in the, uh, diary room on the
second floor. The coffin is found by going through the cavern area. The
photo is in the hidden courtyard room, accessible by going up the stairs
blocked by the bottom gate in the cavern.
Q: No matter how fast I move, I always get caught by the mass of spirits.
A: There are a couple tricks that aren't entirely obvious. The first is
that you're going to have to send each team member in alone. It's much too
hard to do it in pairs or, heaven forbid, a team of three. The second trick
is that if your character goes under an overhang, he or she can't be
captured by a spirit. The technique I used was to go under the overhang
immediately up from the entrance and wait for the spirits to swarm. There
are five in all. If you can get them to pile onto each other, it becomes
much easier to dodge them.
Q: I can't figure out where to go in the maze.
A: The route I used was to go immediately up, pausing under the pathway to
get the spirits to swarm. At the corner, take a right. Go up at the next
corner and ascend the two stairs. After the fight, turn left at the corner,
then up.
Q: Guh! Mamiya started picking on the one guy I managed to get to the end
of the maze!
A: Well, you'll have to use the call command to get your other teammates
into the fight with you. In general, though, it's best to clear the path
with one character, then allow him or her to be captured by the spirits.
Use a tonic to restore the health he or she lost fighting, then send each
team member through the path you've just cleared, stopping right before
Mamiya comes out. Assemble the team again and go to town.
Q: I can't kill Mamiya.
A: This isn't a fight. It's an exorcism. Remember the hints about the items
that you were given and what Yamamura told you.
Q: How do I exorcise Mamiya?
A: When she tells you that you're going to die, use the tool. It takes a
few rounds of fighting to get to that point, so don't get too jumpy about
it. When she tells you to begone, use the photo. On the next round, pray.
If the items were effective, the screen will flash white. When Mamiya says
that Ichirou loves her, use the diary and pray. Getting to this point takes
another few rounds of fighting. When she talks about her baby, use the
coffin and pray.
Q: Is this the only ending?
A: Nope. They depend on how many characters are alive at the end of the
game -- though as far as I know, it's impossible to beat the game with just
one character. My personal favorite ending is with four survivors, though
the one with everyone surviving provides the most plot (in a relative
sense).
Unsolved Mysteries
------------------
-- I never discovered a use for the two pipes in the manor.
-- Who created the frescoes? The text isn't clear on this point.
-- The article on PSExtreme (linked towards the top of this document) says
that there's a map you can see monsters on. Anyone know how to get that
map?
End of FAQ.
