Nintendo took the internet by storm last month by uploading a creepy and cryptic video simply titled “Emio” to their official YouTube channel. The video depicted a man in shadow wearing a beige trench coat and a paper bag over his head with an unnerving smiley face drawn on it. At the time, the only other info we were given was the hashtag in the description “#WhoIsEmio,” and a PEGI 18+/ESRB M rating. Of course, online discussion ran rampant for a few days as people speculated on the idea of Nintendo developing their own first-party horror IP. It wasn’t long until expectations were subverted however, as Nintendo revealed that Emio is actually part of one of their already existing game series: Famicom Detective Club. Now that the cat is out of the bag, and the release is just around the corner, let’s take a look at Emio – The Smiling Man to see if the game is killer enough to live up to the fan anticipation.
There’s a pretty good chance you’ve never heard of Famicom Detective Club before, and honestly, I wouldn’t blame you. Before Emio, there were only two games in the classic visual novel mystery/adventure series, The Missing Heir (1988) and The Girl Who Stands Behind (1989), with both being exclusively released for the Famicom (the Japanese version of the NES). For decades, there was no official English localization… that was until both titles unexpectedly received full-blown remakes for Switch in 2021. Just like with the remakes, Emio – The Smiling Man was developed in-house by Nintendo alongside MAGES, a Japanese studio best known for their work on other visual novel series such as SciADV, Memories Off, and Corpse Party. The original producer and writer of the Famicom Detective Club series, Yoshio Sakamoto, also returned for the new project.
Emio – The Smiling Man is a direct sequel, taking place two years after the events of The Missing Heir (although released after, The Girl Who Stands Behind is a prequel). With that being said, it is fortunately not mandatory to play the previous games, as the story of Emio is completely stand-alone. There aren’t any major callbacks besides some of the characters and locations being the same. The unnamed protagonist (who you give a name to at the beginning of the game) still works at Utsugi Detective Agency alongside assistant detective Ayumi Tachibana, with the main plot being to solve yet another case.
(Fun Fact: Masahiro Sakurai considered Ayumi Tachibana as a fighter for Super Smash Bros. Melee but decided against her due to Famicom Detective Club not being relevant outside of Japan at the time.)
As for the case, a middle school student named Eisuke Sasaki was found strangled to death near a pump station in Koufuku City. Tragic enough on its own, the corpse of the victim was also wearing a paper bag on his head with a smile scribbled on it. Through the investigation, you soon hear about an urban legend known as “The Smiling Man” and its possible connections to another set of unsolved murders that occurred 18 years ago. As the story goes, The Smiling Man (also referred to as Emio) would approach young girls while they’re alone and crying. If they were to then laugh at him, he would just walk away, but if they continued to cry, he would then kill them, giving them “a smile that will last forever” in the form of a drawn on paper bag.
Keeping things vague to avoid spoilers, the story and characters are the driving force that makes Emio – The Smiling Man worth your time. Typically with other games of the genre, I’m able to predict exactly what’s going to happen, but in this case, I was constantly left guessing. There were times when my jaw dropped and times when I genuinely cried. The dialogue is very well-written, bringing about a whole range of emotions, amplified more so by the strong Japanese voice acting. At first, some of the characters seem to be nothing more than a common anime trope, but as the story progresses and you get to know their personalities better, they become more well-rounded and interesting. I was fully engaged throughout the game’s 12 chapters (each about 30-60 minutes depending on reading speed) and the ending was unexpected and very narratively satisfying.
It’s worth noting that Emio – The Smiling Man is a mostly linear experience, with no branching paths and only one possible ending. As a visual novel, most of the game consists of reading through dialogue, but there are also some interactive gameplay elements that help put you in the detective shoes of the protagonist. A pop-up menu often appears between conversations that allows you to investigate your surroundings by clicking on things with a magnifying glass cursor (the Switch touchscreen would have been perfect for this but it sadly doesn’t work), ask questions about relevant subjects, engage with other characters, think about your current situation, and open a notebook that contains all the information that you’ve gathered so far. Once you’ve said and done everything necessary to continue, a “travel” option will appear to take you to the next area. Much of this is just trial and error, and there isn’t a lot in terms of difficulty, but I don’t necessarily consider that as a bad thing.
Almost as if the game is making sure you’re paying attention, you’ll also sometimes be asked specific questions about the recent developments of the investigation. This is implemented in multiple different ways, including choosing from multiple dialogue options, selecting a clue from your notebook, or manually typing in a keyword, and commonly occurs towards the end of a chapter when you head back to the Utsugi Detective Agency to review your findings with Ayumi. There is no real punishment (besides maybe personal embarrassment) for getting one of these questions wrong, as you’ll either just be asked to try again or be immediately corrected by the character you’re speaking with. However, even though the story will continue on the same way regardless, I still recommend trying to get as many answers right as possible for an undisclosed reason.
Using the same artstyle as the 2021 Famicom Detective Club remakes, the visuals in Emio – The Smiling Man are gorgeous. With an appealing anime aesthetic for both the characters and backgrounds, there is rarely a moment of stillness, and the small bits of animation go a long way. Mouths move while characters talk, hair sways in the wind, and facial expressions and body positions are frequently adjusted so you’re never looking at the same thing for too long. As expected for a visual novel, load times are fast, framerate is consistent, and handheld mode is perfect for playing in bed as if you’re reading a good book.
While no stranger to publishing mature-rated titles, with games like Bayonetta, Fatal Frame, and Eternal Darkness, Emio – The Smiling Man marks the first time Nintendo has actually developed their own, and they certainly do not hold back. If the plot and age rating wasn’t enough of a warning, it should be made clear that this game is absolutely not for children, despite Nintendo’s reputation as a family-friendly company. There is no shortage of language, blood, violence, suicide references, and some visual and thematic elements that can be deeply disturbing and/or depressing, even as an adult. I was also definitely not expecting some of the more suggestive dialogue (although infrequent), like a police officer saying “yeah, they’re real. And this isn’t the first time I’ve caught you looking,” clearly referring to her breasts (I swear I was just trying to look at her uniform).
Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is one of the most engaging and emotional visual novels I’ve ever played. The well-written, unpredictable story, multi-dimensional characters, and beautiful anime-style visuals makes the newest entry in the Famicom Detective Club series a must-have for anyone that loves murder mystery and psychological horror. If you’re still on the fence, a free demo that contains the prologue and first three chapters of the game is available now on the Nintendo eShop. Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club launches for Nintendo Switch worldwide on 29th August 2024.
8.5/10
A copy of Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club for review purposes was provided by Nintendo UK.
