Review: Emio – The Smiling Man is Nintendo’s darkest story yet

The Famicom Detective Club The duo of remakes on Nintendo Switch immediately appealed to me, as a fan of visual novels and mystery games. When Nintendo revealed the third original title in the series for Switch, I couldn’t have been more excited. As it turns out, Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is my favorite game in the series and possibly the darkest game Nintendo has ever made.

Emio – The Smiling Man includes an immediately compelling mystery about a student found dead with a paper bag over his head. On the front, a smiley face is drawn on it. This initial mystery only deepens, as it ties into an urban legend and a previous murder case. Emio, the creepy paper bag killer, is creepy in all the right ways from the start.

The horror scenes rarely focus on Emio, giving the game a more suitable tone for The girl standing behind. However, Emio – The Smiling Man itself is one of the most unique games in Nintendo’s history. Its general gameplay will be familiar to existing fans of Famicom Detective Club or point-and-click adventures. Luckily for newcomers, I found the puzzle mechanics simpler yet more engaging than the previous two titles.

Each scene in Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club In short, there are a few key interactions. You think, talk, engage, and peer your way to the next part of the story. Most of the game involves using these key features to learn new details about the case as you interrogate various witnesses and notable characters. Those characters look better than ever, expanding on the beautifully detailed designs from the remakes with sharper visuals and some of the most dynamic animations I’ve seen from a visual novel or adventure game.

While the surveys may seem boring or a little simple at first glance, they function more like quizzes. In one case, you may need to ask about the same topic a few times before unlocking a new question. You may have to scan the environment to learn about a new topic to talk about. Finally, these sections lead to important review sequences near the end of each chapter. These act as tests of your knowledge of certain facts.

Game can be linearBut Emio – The Smiling Man It makes up for that with a new addition. Ayumi, the main character’s companion and friend from the previous games, takes on the role of a playable secondary protagonist for part of the experience. This change of perspective changes the usual formula from the previous two games in a significant way. You still play as the main character you can name, but Ayumi has a slightly different style of investigation. After all, she can ask questions and interact with characters that the main character can’t meet. She also has a much gentler and calmer approach. This idea leads to some of the game’s more heartwarming and groundbreaking scenes.

Those lighter moments are a welcome respite, considering the heavy content within. Emio – The Smiling Man. On its own, it sounds like a pretty disturbing murder mystery. This is especially evident when you consider the girls’ first three murders 18 years before the game begins. However, it doesn’t stop there.

Not to spoil too much, but some elements and scenes in the plot shocked me. Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is the darkest game I’ve ever played from Nintendo. It touches on some plot points that even the previous two games didn’t touch on. There are some story beats, especially towards the end, that I found hard to get into.

I appreciate the developer going this far with this. Emio – The Smiling Man The plot. It can be quite meandering at times, but it’s all the more compelling because of this realism. However, there are some pacing issues at times. For one, it feels a little shorter than I would have liked. Also, it ends in a uniquely compelling way that I can’t really talk about here, but I imagine will be received mixed. The chapters also feel quite short, especially at the beginning. This leads to some twists, main characters, and plot devices that feel like they need a little more time to cook up.

Even with the pacing issues, Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is the best entry in the series so far. The puzzle-like investigation gameplay is simple, just enough to challenge the player without being too overwhelming or too confusing. It all complements the excellent but somewhat unique story well. This story isn’t for every Switch player, it’s a little dark at times, but it’s rewarding for those who find it appealing.

Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club released to Nintendo Switch on August 29, 2024.

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