A smile that lasts an eternity
By Paul Hunter
If you can believe it, it's been 35 years since the last Famicom Detective Club title. Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club marks an exciting return for fans of Nintendo's visual novel game series.
In this latest installment, you enter a chilling murder mystery that intertwines with urban legends. The game features a visually striking hand-drawn art style and a story filled with intriguing characters and puzzling scenarios that will challenge your detective skills. Beyond its striking visuals, what sets Emio apart is its gripping narrative filled with suspense and unexpected twists.
With a runtime of approximately ten hours, the game offers a substantial amount of content and I was entertained the whole way through. Let's unravel what this game has to offer to see if it's a case worth taking on!
Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club masterfully combines a contemporary murder mystery with elements of urban legend, creating a fun and puzzling mystery to solve. You play as a teenage detective at Utsugi Detective Agency, and alongside assistant Ayumi Tachibana and owner Shunsuke Utsugi, you're out to solve the murder of a middle school boy found dead with a paper bag on their head.
As you make your way through the plot, you encounter a range of intriguing characters, including other detectives, key witnesses and police officers, each with their own secrets and motives. The storytelling is captivating and the dialogue flows smoothly, allowing you to immerse yourself in the unfolding drama. The beautifully designed visuals enhance the atmosphere, making every scene come alive and in some cases, feel haunting.
Gameplay-wise, Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club offers a unique experience that blends traditional visual novel elements with detective mechanics. Progressing through the story involves engaging in conversations, searching your surroundings and taking a moment to think about situations.
One of the standout features is the game's investigation notebook system, which has you gather clues about key characters and piece them together to help solve the central mystery. Each time you discover a new important person they're added to your notebook, and any new information about these characters is also added to their notebook entries. It's an easy-to-navigate system and great because if you ever need a recap of who some of the characters are, the information is just a notebook page flip away.
As far as I can tell the story progresses linearly with choices affecting the current scene's dialogue but not the overall narrative direction. And that's fine because the combination of mystery and urban legend creates a captivating atmosphere that is hard to resist, especially with the graphics and voice acting being excellent to boot.
Turning our attention to the presentation in Emio, it features stunning visuals including beautifully crafted backgrounds and memorable characters. Each scene unfolds comic book style with gorgeous hand-drawn art and close-ups of characters' faces so you can see their emotions in vivid detail.
The atmospheric music complements the visuals perfectly, creating a sense of tension perfect for a murder mystery that keeps you on edge. Each track is thoughtfully composed, enhancing the emotional weight of key moments in the narrative, like making a case breakthrough or witnessing the aftermath of another gruesome crime scene. The sound effects are subtle yet effective, like doors suddenly swinging open or the footsteps of an approaching character, adding realism to the overall experience.
Voice acting is another highlight of Emio. The performances are strong and engaging, bringing the characters to life in a way that feels authentic. Each voice actor delivers their lines with emotion, making it easy to connect with the characters and their struggles. This level of quality in voice acting elevates the storytelling, allowing you to become fully immersed in the plot.
Another standout feature is the strong voice acting, which brings the protagonist and other characters to life. Each character has a distinct personality from the eager yet green protagonist to the flitatious detective Daisuke Kamihara and his no-nonsense workaholic partner Junko Kuze. Emio’s story is a testament to the talent of director Yoshio Sakamoto, who expertly crafts a tale that builds suspense effectively as you uncover clues of The Smiling Man murders.
Final Score: 8.5/10 - Great
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Adventure, Visual Novel
Modes: Single-player
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
If you can believe it, it's been 35 years since the last Famicom Detective Club title. Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club marks an exciting return for fans of Nintendo's visual novel game series.
In this latest installment, you enter a chilling murder mystery that intertwines with urban legends. The game features a visually striking hand-drawn art style and a story filled with intriguing characters and puzzling scenarios that will challenge your detective skills. Beyond its striking visuals, what sets Emio apart is its gripping narrative filled with suspense and unexpected twists.
With a runtime of approximately ten hours, the game offers a substantial amount of content and I was entertained the whole way through. Let's unravel what this game has to offer to see if it's a case worth taking on!
Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club masterfully combines a contemporary murder mystery with elements of urban legend, creating a fun and puzzling mystery to solve. You play as a teenage detective at Utsugi Detective Agency, and alongside assistant Ayumi Tachibana and owner Shunsuke Utsugi, you're out to solve the murder of a middle school boy found dead with a paper bag on their head.
As you make your way through the plot, you encounter a range of intriguing characters, including other detectives, key witnesses and police officers, each with their own secrets and motives. The storytelling is captivating and the dialogue flows smoothly, allowing you to immerse yourself in the unfolding drama. The beautifully designed visuals enhance the atmosphere, making every scene come alive and in some cases, feel haunting.
Gameplay-wise, Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club offers a unique experience that blends traditional visual novel elements with detective mechanics. Progressing through the story involves engaging in conversations, searching your surroundings and taking a moment to think about situations.
One of the standout features is the game's investigation notebook system, which has you gather clues about key characters and piece them together to help solve the central mystery. Each time you discover a new important person they're added to your notebook, and any new information about these characters is also added to their notebook entries. It's an easy-to-navigate system and great because if you ever need a recap of who some of the characters are, the information is just a notebook page flip away.
As far as I can tell the story progresses linearly with choices affecting the current scene's dialogue but not the overall narrative direction. And that's fine because the combination of mystery and urban legend creates a captivating atmosphere that is hard to resist, especially with the graphics and voice acting being excellent to boot.
Turning our attention to the presentation in Emio, it features stunning visuals including beautifully crafted backgrounds and memorable characters. Each scene unfolds comic book style with gorgeous hand-drawn art and close-ups of characters' faces so you can see their emotions in vivid detail.
The atmospheric music complements the visuals perfectly, creating a sense of tension perfect for a murder mystery that keeps you on edge. Each track is thoughtfully composed, enhancing the emotional weight of key moments in the narrative, like making a case breakthrough or witnessing the aftermath of another gruesome crime scene. The sound effects are subtle yet effective, like doors suddenly swinging open or the footsteps of an approaching character, adding realism to the overall experience.
Voice acting is another highlight of Emio. The performances are strong and engaging, bringing the characters to life in a way that feels authentic. Each voice actor delivers their lines with emotion, making it easy to connect with the characters and their struggles. This level of quality in voice acting elevates the storytelling, allowing you to become fully immersed in the plot.
Another standout feature is the strong voice acting, which brings the protagonist and other characters to life. Each character has a distinct personality from the eager yet green protagonist to the flitatious detective Daisuke Kamihara and his no-nonsense workaholic partner Junko Kuze. Emio’s story is a testament to the talent of director Yoshio Sakamoto, who expertly crafts a tale that builds suspense effectively as you uncover clues of The Smiling Man murders.
The Verdict
Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is a fantastic return to form for Nintendo's beloved visual novel series. The game really does have it all, from an engaging narrative to striking visuals to strong voice acting that adds depth to the characters. If you appreciate a good story and enjoy unravelling mysteries, this game is worth your time.Final Score: 8.5/10 - Great
Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club details
Platform: Nintendo SwitchDeveloper: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Adventure, Visual Novel
Modes: Single-player
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
A key was provided by the publisher.