Visual novels are not really my thing, I prefer a bit more gameplay with a tale if I am being honest. But when Nintendo have a direct hand in shaping one, let’s say you have my interest. Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club from MAGES and Nintendo EPD is the fourth instalment of the Famicom Detective Club series.
Read More: Thank Goodness You’re Here! review – Adventure Out of Yorkshire
If you’ve never heard of it before I don’t blame you, this Nintendo Switch title is the first new title in 27 years, since 1997’s BS Tantei Club: Yuki ni Kieta Kako. And even then, that game was only available in Japan on the innovative-but-obscure BS Satellaview.
Japanese Noir
To say Famicom Detective Club is a forgotten series is an understatement. Beyond two remakes for Nintendo Switch in 2021, it has been mostly quiet on the scene.
The tale is set in Japan, and follows the murder of a junior high school boy.
This murder is tied to an urban legend of a serial killer called Emio, aka Smiling Man, who wears a smiling paper bag mask and trench coat. However, the Smiling Man’s day was 18 years ago, which adds an extra layer of mystery to the mix.
The legend of the Smiling Man sees him finding and offering crying girls a smile that will last for ever, which would end with him strangling them and placing a paper bag with a crudely drawn smile on it.
To Chase a Copycat
This new copycat killer is enough to bring back the fear of the legend to the locals. This prompts you, an assistant private investigator, and your partner Ayumi onto the case. The duo of the Utsugi Detective Agency will work side by side with the police to investigat. It’s an intriguing tale and set up that will pull you in quite quickly.
As its cast of characters are revealed, you are left to search for clues from a number of different scenes. Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club then becomes more of point-and-click adventure. This turn to adventuring brings a bit of gameplay into this narrative-heavy title.
Where once you have found clues, you talk it over and then have a good old think about what’s happened. Yes, there is genuinely a think option. This is very much faithful to the gameloop of the Famicom Detective Club series. However Emio does streamline some parts of the experience for modern tastes.
Light Spoiler Alert
A light spoiler, but you get to also play sections as Ayumi, which brings in a few interesting features as both you and her have notebooks and you can draw different conclusions based on your perspective, meaning one may know more than the other until they review their findings.
This also means that when talking to the suspects and the like, depending on how much you know these interactions will be different between the two of them, which is a cool touch as well.
Especially given the depth and complexity of the characters on show, adding a real richness to the whole visual novel side.
As the game has a very ‘rooted in the facts’ way of thinking, you get very few wild ideas or conspiracies popping up. And this makes everything feel more real, in an odd way. As it all unravels and unfolds to the ultimate truth.
Detective Works
Visually, Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club features astriking 2D art-style. The story works very well within this style thanks to an abundance of little details and touches that add character to the scenes. The overall sense of compassion in the characters’ faces and expressions is outstanding.
The audio is also good and is fully voiced, just not in English. The soundtrack is well crafted for that moment-to-moment sleuthing.
Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is a gripping tale that you need to walk into blind to really get the most from. The writing is very good at times, and I really enjoyed my time in its world.
For being a visual novel, it’s an incredibly well polished and crafted title. The pacing can be bit slow at times, and the gameplay elements may be a bit too simple for some. But, I couldn’t wait to get to the bottom of the mystery one rainy Sunday afternoon, and many of you will feel the same pull.