Emio: The Smiling Man - Famicom Detective Club

« Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is one of the best games I’ve ever played. It’s got an incredible story, stunning presentation, and plenty of bone-chilling moments that will stay with me for as long as I live. It’s the first step on a fresh new path for Famicom Detective Club, and hopefully the first of many for the newly revived series. »

« I lost sleep over this game. I can’t stop thinking about it, and reminiscing about my favorite moments gives me chills. It’s haunting, funny, beautiful, tragic, and so very human. I did not know Nintendo was capable of publishing something like this, or funding it. This is one of the highest-budget adventure games I’ve ever played, and I’m saying this fully understanding that Type-Moon localized the Tsukihime remake months ago. »

« It feels like a sendoff, the last big adventure game on the switch. I’m happy that this will be the last one on this console, but I desperately crave for Nintendo to fund more Famicom Detective Club games. No expense was spared in crafting this meticulously crafted and fleshed-out narrative. You’d expect the kind of polish and detail if Nintendo were the frontrunners for the adventure game genre. »

« Nintendo and MAGES defy all expectations, delivering a grim murder mystery filled with heartbreaking characters and a tragic narrative that stands among the visual novel genre’s best. Hopeful just as much as it is haunting, Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is a monumental feat of storytelling from Nintendo’s long dormant adventure series. »

« Yoshio Sakamoto has returned to the franchise after more than three decades to bring us an incredible story, full of unexpected twists and turns and with unprecedented production values. All this with an ending that has left me speechless, and that I recommend to any fan of the genre to enjoy on their own without the slightest spoiler. »

« Much as the remakes were 3 years ago, Emio truly feels like a love letter to an entire genre of games. Having experienced all that it has to offer, it's impossible to see it as anything else - and that love is immediately apparent when you sit down to play it. Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club might have only been revealed to the world a few weeks ago, but its already solidified a spot for itself as one of my favorite releases in a very, very packed year. If you're at all a fan of Visual Novels or Japanese Adventure Games, you owe it to discover who Emio truly is for yourself. »

« Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is a game that rewards the patient, observant, and curious. Its visual novel-esque gameplay isn’t going to thrill the casual Nintendo Switch player but should you be someone who relishes in the nuances and turns of a good story, you’ll feel right at home here. Emio - The Smiling Man is a tragedy just as much as it is a thriller, with a variety of complex and sensitive themes handled well. If you fancy yourself as an amateur sleuth, then I implore you to give it a go. Just prepare for the game to simultaneously tug on your heartstrings as it sends a chilling shiver down your spine, with both feelings staying with you long after the credits roll. »

« To say anything else about Emio would be doing you all a disservice, as it’s a winding, twisting mystery that is best enjoyed unspoiled. If you did play the remakes of the first two Famicom Detective Club titles then you’ll get more of the same here, just with modern standards of writing. That alone makes it a much stronger experience, because the narrative in this thing is incredible. »

« It’s really hard to rate this game... because this is *not* a game. There’s literally zero interactivity. It’s essentially an anime where you have to press "A" from time to time to advance the story. But it’s really good. The story is REALLY good, it’s a nice dark murder mystery with some mild horrific elements, and it works really well. The twists are tasteful, the characters are well written. Also despite this game not being a game, the fact the story is told from the point of view of the player and the fact you have to act to advance the story does something to immerse you in the story that a regular anime wouldn’t. I had never played visual novels before, I have no idea if that’s standard to have so little interactivity but I ended up being engrossed in the story and forgetting the slightly annoying quirks of the game. Indeed, the game expect you to press the buttons (mostly asking questions) in a very specific order. Most of the time this order is somewhat logical (once you get used to it) but sometime’s it’s not, and you will find yourself trying every combinations several times before realising you have to use an action you’ve never had to use so far or that you need to ask the same question a few more times even though you thought you were done. So yeah: if you like crimes and anime give it a try, it’s short enough and it’s really well witten. However if the lack of interactivity or the slow pacing (because the question order will slow down your progress ) bug you... maybe you should avoid it. »

« A little disappointed; I expected more after all the hype, but in the end, it's only talked about because it's a Nintendo game. There are many other better visual novels that no one pays any attention to simply because of the genre they belong to. The final chapter somewhat redeems the rest of the game in terms of its rather weak story. »

« It was a great game. This was my first visual novel, the story gets interesting since the begging and the ending is just surprisingly good. »

« Obra maestra del genero visual novel que te mantiene enganchado a una historia real, cruel y perfecta. »

« Nintendo's first M-Rated game was an absolute knockout. Even with the incredible remakes previously released, I would have never expected a new entry in the Famicom Detective Club series. Throughout this eerie journey it became very clear that Emio the Smiling Man is an idea the director has had for a long time, and I'm thrilled that he was able to run wild with this fantastic mystery. Given that this is a story heavy experience there isn't a lot I can say other than it was fantastic. An unsolved serial killing case is forced to reopen nearly two decades later when a new victim is found, and you have to solve the mystery of Emio the Smiling Man. This story which is not for the faint of heart quickly evolves into a compelling mystery that is hard to put down, leading to an incredible conclusion that still has me thinking about it. The visual appeal is one of the strongest factors with this title, with super vibrant colors and animated characters always making the world feel very lifelike. The music also ranges from beautiful to creepy on the fly which only adds to the incredible storytelling. If you love a good mystery and can handle heavy topics, I highly recommend Emio the Smiling Man. It's eerie enough to make you tense but never crosses a line where I believe it's too much. This is a compelling story with excellent characters and a perfect way to spend a weekend. Even if you're not a fan of visual novels, I promise this one is worth it. »

« Loved it alot. And it's much better than the previous remakes. Not that previous remakes were bad ****'s recommended to start with missing heir first, but you can start with Emio if you want. »

« Una historia brutal como está definido cada personaje, como se desarrolla, un epílogo brutal. »

« So, the game begins nicely. Throughout we do a lot of investigation work, lots of details to remember, interesting plots to follow. And then the ending happens and you're left wondering why did I even do anything I did previously. There is no interaction on the main character's part during the ending and we're left to suffice with a 5 minute short film which disregards all of our investigations before. :/ »