In truth, we’re still stunned at the announcement of Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club. The simple reason is that Nintendo typically doesn’t lean into the horror genre. It’s sometimes fine with bringing in other publishers takes on the genre to their systems, but a 1stparty horror game from Nintendo is rare. Then, there’s the fact that this game is the continuation of a series that hasn’t had a new title in 30 YEARS!!! That’s a long time to wait for a follow-up, but the remakes from 2021 gave the team the encouragement they needed to try and make something special and horrifying.
Sure enough, the reviews for Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club have emerged on Metacritic, and it seems to paint the mystery/horror title as a worthy game for those who don’t mind the playstyle. It has flaws, to be sure, but they do not hold it back too much, apparently.
Of the 29 reviews for the Switch game, 22 were positive and 7 were mixed, which isn’t too bad, all things considered. But what were the people actually saying about the title?
If you look at the very positive reviews, of which there are a few perfect scores, you’ll find that they enjoyed the games’ looks, presentation, and the “bone-chilling moments” that apparently resonated quite well with them. One even stated in their review that they were “kept up at night” because of what they witnessed in the game. Some even state that those who play it MUST NOT SPOIL THE ENDING!!! Why? Because it’s apparently one that’s so shocking that you need to experience it for yourself.
Others noted that it feels like a “love letter” to those who enjoyed the original games, or their remakes, and feels like a true continuation of them. Given that some of the OG team worked on this title, that makes sense.
Some of the flaws are intrinsic to the game itself. For example, because it’s a visual novel title, the “playing” isn’t exactly as engaging as other titles. But that won’t be a problem for those who love mysteries and want to see how they unfold.
Others noted that while the story can be gripping, they wished that the team pushed forward more with the gameplay, and didn’t rest so much on its laurels.
In the end, it’s up to you whether you decide to get this Switch game. If you want a “test run” of it, though, you can get the multi-part demo right now!
