Developed by: Nintendo EPD / Mages
Published by: Nintendo
Platforms: Nintendo Switch

The Famicom Detective Club was a series of visual novel adventure games published by Nintendo for its Family Computer Disk System in Japan, an add-on for the Famicom – which was better known as the NES in Western markets. The first entry, The Missing Heir, was released back in 1988, was followed by a prequel the next year called The Girl Who Stands Behind. Both games involved the protagonist investigating a murder mystery in Japan through investigation and interrogation of suspects, selecting conversation topics from a list of options on the side of the screen. The two games were later remade for the Nintendo Switch in 2021 and released outside of Japan for the first time, which led to the creation of a brand-new sequel, Emio – The Smiling Man, in 2024.

With its eerie imagery of a man wearing a paper bag with a smile drawn on it, Emio – The Smiling Man stands out from the crowd and this was what led to me picking it up off the shelf in my local game shop. There’s a sinister vibe to the box art that really appealed to me, whilst the ‘visual novel’ genre has intrigued me since I played the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney games a few years back. The game shares plenty of similarities to the Phoenix Wright series; chiefly, the odd juxtaposition of quirky characters and slapstick, contrasted against grim and macabre crime scenes. The game also revels in its Japanese roots, showcasing the mix of urban city streets and wide-open countryside that makes the country so unique. There are plenty of societal and cultural trends present in the game, which is localized for English players but maintains its homeland charm. The game itself is voiced entirely by Japanese voice-actors, with English subtitles used throughout the game, which further augments the culture and vibe for a Western audience.

As a visual novel, there is a distinctly linear feel to Emio – The Smiling Man’s gameplay, with most options giving players the illusion of choice. Whenever I would make the incorrect choice in a question, the game would correct me and put me back on the right path; although I would later discover a “report card” in the post-game options that tracked all of my mistakes (deliberate or otherwise!) and gave me a score for each chapter. There is also just one ending for the game, removing any sense of control from the player as the story inevitably leads down one path. Gameplay consists of interviewing characters and discovering new clues and facts about the murder case that the protagonist notes down in his notebook, which can be accessed at any time. Occasionally, the player must review their progress in the case thus far by answering multiple choice questions or selecting key words from the notebook. These sections were few and far-between, often requiring little to no brainpower as you were recapping things that you’d discussed with your partner mere minutes earlier. Again, even in the case of an error, you are often spoon-fed the right answer in order to keep the narrative going in the right direction. When compared to the trial sections of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, this “interactive” part of the game lacks any real sense of urgency or engagement – it’s literally filling in the blanks of sentences and basic media literacy.

The story is broken down into twelve chapters, which takes roughly 10-15 hours to complete – depending on how exhaustive players are in exploring conversation topics and searching backgrounds. The plot is definitely something of a slow burn, as players must investigate the murder of a teenager and whether it links to a series of murders that occurred eighteen years ago. The first few chapters feel extremely sluggish, and it seems like each new piece of evidence is drip fed to the player after plenty of “filler” conversations. This is where the game’s quirky sense of humour comes in as we’re introduced to plenty of side characters who seem to exist as either red herrings or lengthy conversations to pad out the game’s length. One major offender is the school teacher Fukuyama, who clearly has a crush on the female sidekick and invents reasons to speak to her – often providing no additional information, as a result. During those early chapters, it is extremely frustrating as you want to get past the fluff to find out more about the murders, and the connection between them. As the game progresses, this uneven pacing becomes more bearable as more dramatic moments occur to fuel the plot towards its endgame.

Visually, the game is extremely impressive and it looks like an anime come to life with beautiful background locales and well-designed character models. Once again, it invites comparisons with the Phoenix Wright series, but looks more high-definition and glossier than those games. An epilogue chapter, made available after completing the game, is effectively a mini-movie and provides motivation and background on the killer – filling in some gaps of knowledge from the main game. Even the game’s UI is clean and crisp, allowing players to select various actions or questions to aid them in their investigation.

Most of the gameplay involves selecting an option from the sidebar; either “Ask/Listen”, “Think” or “Show”. Often you will need to alternate between all of the options before the game will progress, which reduces the questioning into a rather repetitive process of menu selection. Occasionally, a choice will pop up, but often the game course-corrects if you begin to lead the protagonist in the wrong way. There was only one bit that I got stuck on, and that was when I had to type out the real name of one of the characters and I kept misspelling it, and the game wouldn’t let me out of the screen to view the correct spelling in my notebook. Aside from this minor hiccup, the gameplay is extremely easy and coloured text in the dialogue offers a hint of which menu item you need to select next to progress the questioning. This is a fairly basic interrogation system, lacking the nuance of L.A. Noire, or even point-and-click adventures such as Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars.

Emio – The Smiling Man is a game that Western audiences might struggle with; not only does the story take place in Japan, with a heavy emphasis on the country’s unique culture and societal trends, but it is also part of the ‘visual novel’ genre, which prioritizes storytelling over interactivity and is typically popular in Asian markets. Those who have played the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series might acclimatize to the game’s unusual structure more quickly, but the linear nature of the story and lack of meaningful choices and puzzles makes the game feel more like a reading exercise with the occasional observation test thrown in.

After a slow and meandering start, the plot does become engaging midway through the game and the ending, whilst sudden, does provide an extremely satisfying solution to all of the clues and mysteries that had built up throughout the adventure. While not essential, watching the epilogue mini-movie does further enhance the experience, revealing all of the answers and providing closure to the case. In terms of the murder mystery at the heart of the story, it rivals Agatha Christie novels for all its twists and turns, and the satisfaction of the final reveal – although as an actual game, it suffers from repetition, over-long conversations and frustrating “filler” material. Perhaps if there had been more interaction with objects, potential pitfalls in questions that could led to a game over, or even multiple endings based on decisions, it would have felt far more like a game and less like a book with pretty pictures.

In retrospect, I found Emio – The Smiling Man to be an enjoyable experience and a very atmospheric murder mystery, but I also recognise that it has its own quirks and flaws that may make it divisive amongst other players. Far closer to novel than game on the “visual novel” spectrum, especially when compared to the likes of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, it does still hold up as a thrilling adventure, thanks to its engaging storyline. Those on the fence should check out the free demo available on the Nintendo Store before committing to the full-price game.

Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is available on Nintendo Switch via Amazon UK, or as a download via the Nintendo Store.