Review – Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club

Developer: Nintendo | Publisher: Nintendo

Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is a new entry in a series that its fanbase had long presumed dead. It’s the first new entry in 35 years and follows the first and second instalments of the series, yet does not require prior knowledge when picking up this title. Visual novels have come a long way since the original titles came to fruition, can Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club revive a long, almost lost legacy?

Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is a narrative-heavy game, first and foremost because it’s a visual novel. The story opens with the discover of Eisuke Sasaki’s body. A young school student wearing a paper bag on his head, designed with a smiley face and marks on his neck. The murder strongly resembles a string of serial killings eighteen years prior, and thus begins the investigation into Emio, The Smiling Man.

Passion bleeds through the story telling of this visual novel. It’s easy to see how much dedication this title received from its development team as a whole. Like any good detective thriller, there are breadcrumbs to follow throughout the story, leading you to suspect just about everyone and anyone who’s path you cross. But a good story is nothing without compelling characters, each with distinct and real personalities. By the end of the game, they feel like real people you know. The game starts by tickling your mind with wild theories, but by the end it grabs your soul as you feel emotionally connected to the cast.

Obviously a visual novel requires a lot of reading, it’s in the name. But for those who prefer a more relaxed experience or dislike the strain of reading for too long, they might want some voice acting in a game like this. There is voice acting throughout, however it is entirely in Japanese.

For the most part, I can’t criticise any of the story-telling. Almost each and every scene is as important as the next as the narrative evolves deeper into conspiracies and suspicions. There is the occasional scene which feels like a filler, or padding. But really they are opportunities to get to know the characters better, and to immerse yourself into the world of Famicom Detective Club.

As a traditional visual novel, there isn’t a lot of gameplay to digest and discuss, but Emio – The Smiling Man does a few things to make the player engage with the game, rather than just sit and read away.

As you work your way through conversations in this game, there’s a menu with a variety of prompts to select from. In order to progress to the next scene, or the next crucial part of the conversation, it’s up to the player to select the right option, such as to press the subject for more answers, or show them something to trigger their memory. Sometimes it’s guess work, other times it’s more obvious about what you have to do, especially when a new option becomes available. It’s not the most exciting mechanic in any game, but there is a sense of reward as you progress through conversations and discover something to make the game tick forward.

Don’t go into this expecting interactivity on the same level as something like Pheonix Wright. Although they both sit firmly in the same genre, the Famicom Detective Club series takes a more relaxed approach. There isn’t really any way to fail this game. At the end of most chapters, or during certain scenarios, you “review” what you’ve learned so far for that given day. It usually takes as a conversation between you and your partner, Ayumi Tachibana. If you get the prompt wrong, there’s no penalty, other than watching your character go through the sheer embarrassment of being a pretty poor detective at times.

I did find that, despite the compelling nature of the narrative, the lack of interactivity in the gameplay made me not want to binge this game. Maybe for the better, as I looked forward to my evening dose of Emio. I would progress a chapter or two and feel like it was enough. I didn’t want to rush through the game and complete chapter after chapter every night. I just wanted to enjoy the experience in bite-sized portions while tucking in to a piping hot cup of tea and seeing that part of the day out.

As a visual novel, both the art-direction and OST play a vital part in setting the scene and creating ambience surrounding the words the player reads. Emio – The Smiling Man does just that, with beautiful anime-style scenes, animations and sound effects that capture the essence of the moment within the story.

Being a visual novel, there’s not an awful lot to discuss with the controls. Mainly you will be pressing “A” to progress the text, while using directional inputs to select your options. Despite there only being a small set of controls, I had one very minor criticism.

When using the “Look” function, which requires the user to move a magnifying glass across the screen and identify a subject, the scroll is slow. There’s no way to speed up the sensitivity or the movement, so this can feel sluggish when it’s used.

Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is no doubt one of the best games I’ve played this year. It made me fall in love again with visual novels and reminded me of not only how good they can be, but how they rightly deserve a place in the gaming world. This is the perfect game to settle down with a cup of tea, turn the lights low and watch the evening go by as you progress a chapter or two.

9.5 out of 10

Review code provided by Publisher | Tested on Nintendo switch