Emio The Smiling Man Famicom Detective Club Review (Nintendo Switch OLED)

Rating: 7.4
Author: Jim Smale

by Jim Smale · September 6, 2024

Emio The Smiling Man Famicom Detective Club Review, Unmask the truth in a dark, twisted thriller for Nintendo Switch: Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club. Solve the tragic murder of a junior high school student, where a creepy clue recalls cold cases from the past and an urban legend about a killer with a disturbing modus operandi.

Emio The Smiling Man Famicom Detective Club Review Pros:

Brilliant graphics.
5.4GB download size.
Japanese voice with English subtitles.
21 save slots.
Free demo that is actually the first three chapters of the game and your save transfers to the main game.
System settings – autosave settings (none/all scenes/all chapters), a. D messages skipped in skip mode (all/only read text).
Text settings – display speed, and highlight terms.
Protagonist voice can be set to be played or not.
Handybautopay button for cutscenes and interactions.
The game boasts Beautiful cutscenes with an Anime comic book style with slight animations and they carry that over to the game’s core graphics aswel.
In multiple-choice interactions, you get control over what you ask and new questions and observations can appear as you go about your investigation.
A flow shows when selecting options and questions so you can see each step you take.
When look/examine is used you have a magnifying glass and can look anywhere on the screen, luckily text pops up when highlighting objects and items.
You get to name your character.
The head Detective looks a lot like a younger Columbo and I am all for that.
Yellow prompts in the text boxes help you.
Has a knack for asking one thing can open up another thread or a certain action could trigger a new line of questioning.
Actual story cutscenes have a cool Anime filter over them and add a lot to the experience.
The game is best played on a handheld with headphones.
Combines many genres from visual novels, to puzzles and hidden object games.
The story is absolutely fantastic and you get hooked almost immediately.
Your notebook has any important information and details on people stored here, it has great page-turning animations and is overall a great little menu.
Manually save when you want.
The Story revolves around the body of a young child with a smiley face bag on his head, it shows signs of previous murders from 18 years ago, and the killer is an urban legend.
To break up large info dumps and conversations the game will sprinkle in little interactive spots.
You get a lot of control over how you investigate, you can choose what to say, where to travel, etc.
Multiple choice interactions.
The story or characters can be influenced or have elements changed by your actions and interactions.
You can lock save slots to avoid accidental deletes.
At the end of a chapter, you have to review everything you have learned by picking the answers out from multiple choice.

Emio The Smiling Man Famicom Detective Club Review Cons:

You cannot remap the controls.
No English voice.
At times it’s not clear what needs to be done or there is no quick way to check what was asked of you.
The music is OK but it does repeat and when you spend a while on a screen doing something it can be annoying.
Little in the way of game settings.
With so many genres of gameplay going on and the nature of the game, the pacing can be a bit up and down.
It feels like that at times you luck into an answer or new thread of questioning and observations.
For me I felt like I had to keep selecting the same option over and over until I got the same response, it didn’t all flow like it probably should.
You can get frustrated when meeting someone new as you never know what needs to be said to just get the interaction going.
The game never tells you about the fact that you have to sometimes click a certain part of someone like their face, the text pop-up doesn’t change and it’s really frustrating.
Next to no replay value.

Emio The Smiling Man Famicom Detective Club:

Official website.

Developer: Nintendo

Publisher: Nintendo

Store Links –

Nintendo

8/10

Graphics - 8/10
8/10

Sound - 8/10
7/10

Accessibility - 7/10
7/10

Length - 7/10
7/10

Fun Factor - 7/10

7.4/10

Summary

Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club impresses with its brilliant graphics and beautiful cutscenes that blend an Anime comic book style with slight animations. The game offers a 5.4GB download size and features Japanese voice acting with English subtitles, enhancing the immersive experience. Players can enjoy 21 save slots and a free demo that includes the first three chapters, with progress transferring to the main game. The system settings are comprehensive, allowing for autosave configurations and message-skipping options, while text settings include display speed and term highlighting. The protagonist’s voice can be toggled on or off, and a handy autoplay button is available for cutscenes and interactions.

The game excels in multiple-choice interactions, giving players control over their questions and observations, with new options appearing as the investigation progresses. A flowchart helps track each step taken, and the look/examine feature uses a magnifying glass to highlight objects and items on the screen. Players can name their characters, but unfortunately, the controls cannot be remapped, and there is no English voice option. At times, the game lacks clarity on what needs to be done, and the repetitive music can become annoying during prolonged gameplay. The game settings are minimal, and the pacing can be inconsistent due to the variety of gameplay genres.

Despite these drawbacks, the game offers a fantastic story that hooks players almost immediately. The narrative revolves around the body of a young child with a smiley face bag on his head, linked to murders from 18 years ago, and an urban legend. The game breaks up large info dumps with interactive spots and provides significant control over the investigation, including choices on what to say and where to travel. The story and characters can be influenced by player actions, and yellow prompts in text boxes help guide the investigation. The notebook feature stores important information and details on people, with great page-turning animations.

However, the game can be frustrating when meeting new characters, as it is not always clear what needs to be said to progress interactions. The game does not inform players that certain parts of characters, like their faces, need to be clicked, leading to potential frustration. There is little replay value, and the head detective’s resemblance to a younger Columbo is a charming touch. The game is best played on a handheld with headphones, combining elements from visual novels, puzzles, and hidden object games.

In summary, Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club offers a visually stunning and engaging experience with a captivating story and interactive gameplay. While it has some flaws, such as unclear objectives and minimal game settings, the overall experience is enriched by its beautiful graphics, multiple-choice interactions, and the ability to influence the story through player actions. The game is a must-try for fans of visual novels and detective stories, despite its minor frustrations.