Nintendo took the internet by storm last month by uploading a creepy and cryptic video simply titled “Emio” to its official YouTube channel. The video shows a shadowy man wearing a beige raincoat and a paper bag over his head with a disturbing smiley emblazoned on it. At the time, the only other information we received was the hashtag in the description “#WhoIsEmio” and a PEGI 18+/ESRB M rating. Naturally, the internet debate raged for days as people speculated about the idea of Nintendo developing their own first-party horror IP. However, it wasn’t long before expectations were backfired, as Nintendo revealed that Emio was actually part of one of their pre-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 killer enough to live up to fans’ expectations.
There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Famicom Detective Club before, and honestly, I wouldn’t blame you. Before Emi, there were only two games in the classic mystery/adventure visual novel series, The Missing Heir (1988) and The Girl Who Stands Behind (1989), both of which were released exclusively for the Famicom (the Japanese version of the NES). . . There was no official English localization for decades… until both titles unexpectedly received full remakes for the Switch in 2021. Just like the remakes, Emio – The Smiling Man was developed by Nintendo in partnership with 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, is also back 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 Behind is a prequel). In addition, fortunately, it is not necessary to play the previous games, because the story of Emi is completely independent. There are no major callbacks other than some characters and locations being the same. The unnamed protagonist (whom you give a name at the beginning of the game) still works at the Utsugi Detective Agency along with assistant detective Ayumi Tachibana, and the main plot is to solve another case.
(Fun fact: Masahiro Sakurai considered Ayumi Tachibana as a fighter for Super Smash Bros. Melee, but decided against it because Famicom Detective Club was not relevant outside of Japan at the time.)
As for the case, a high school student named Eisuke Sasaki was found strangled to death near a gas station in the city of Koufuku. Tragically enough in itself, the victim’s body also wore a paper bag over its head with a smile scrawled on it. Through the investigation, you will soon hear about the urban legend known as “The Smiling Man” and its possible connection to another series of unsolved murders that took place 18 years ago. As the story goes, The Smiling Man (also known as Emio) would approach young girls while they were alone and crying. If they then laughed at him, he would just leave, but if they continued to cry, he would then kill them, giving them a “smile that will last forever” in the form drawn on a 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. Usually with other games of the genre I can predict exactly what will happen, but in this case I kept guessing. There were moments when my jaw dropped and moments when I genuinely cried. The dialogues are very well written, evoking a whole range of emotions, further enhanced by strong Japanese voice acting. At first, some of the characters seem like just a common anime trope, but as the story progresses and you get to know their personalities better, they become more fleshed out and interesting. I was completely engaged throughout the game’s 12 chapters (about 30-60 minutes each, 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 you put yourself in the detective shoes of the protagonist. Between conversations, a pop-up menu often appears that allows you to explore your environment by clicking on things with a magnifying glass pointer (the Switch’s touchscreen would be perfect for this, but unfortunately it doesn’t work), ask questions about relevant topics, interact with other characters, think about your current situation and open a notebook that contains all the information you have gathered so far. Once you’ve said and done everything necessary to proceed, a “travel” option will appear to take you to the next area. A lot of it is just trial and error, and there isn’t much in terms of difficulty, but I don’t necessarily see 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 recent developments in the investigation. This is done in a number of different ways, including choosing between multiple dialogue options, selecting a clue from your notebook, or manually typing in a keyword, and usually occurs near the end of a chapter when you return to the Utsugi Detective Agency to review your findings with Ayumi. There’s no real penalty (other than perhaps personal embarrassment) for getting one of these questions wrong, as you’ll either just be asked to try again or the character you’re talking to will immediately correct you. But even though the story will continue on the same path regardless, I still recommend that you try to get as many correct answers as possible for an undisclosed reason.
Using the same art style as the 2021 Famicom Detective Club remakes, the visuals in Emio – The Smiling Man are beautiful. With an appealing anime aesthetic for the characters and backgrounds, there’s rarely a dull moment, and little bits of animation go a long way. Mouths move as characters speak, hair sways in the wind, and facial expressions and body positions are often adjusted so you’re never looking at the same thing for too long. As expected for a visual novel, load times are fast, framerates are consistent, and handheld mode is perfect for playing in bed as if you were reading a good book.
While no stranger to releasing adult-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’re certainly not holding back. If the plot and age rating weren’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 company. There is no shortage of language, blood, violence, references to suicide, and some visual and thematic elements that can be deeply disturbing and/or depressing, even as an adult. I definitely didn’t expect some more suggestive dialogue (albeit rare), like a policeman saying “yes, 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: Detective Club Famicom is one of the most engaging and emotional visual novels I’ve ever played. A well-written, unpredictable story, multi-dimensional characters, and beautiful anime-style visuals make the latest entry in the Famicom Detective Club series a must-have for anyone who loves murder mystery and psychological horror. If you’re still on the fence, a free demo featuring the prologue and first three chapters of the game is now available on the Nintendo eShop. Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club launches for Nintendo Switch worldwide on August 29, 2024.
8.5/10
A copy of Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club was provided by Nintendo UK for review purposes.