Famicom Detective Club Reviews
On the one hand, there are the very handsome graphics with great animations and a great voice acting. But then there are the repetitive passages and the problems with "finding your way", even though there are fortunately no dead ends. The decision will probably come down to gameplay and story. Those looking for fast-paced gameplay and unprecedented story will probably not be happy with Famicom Detective Club. However, if you're not averse to visual novels in general and can relate to scary stories from the 80s and 90s, you should definitely give the game bundle a chance.
Review in German | Read full review
What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s a classic question and one that is very special to each of us. For me, I wanted to join the police. I came close, but eventually, my career path took me down a different route. However, thanks to Rapid Reviews I still got my chance to achieve my dream. Famicom Detective Club puts you in the driving seat as a member of the Utsugi Detective Agency.
I don’t think anything is gained by playing either Famicom Detective Club that can’t be gained by watching a playthrough because the puzzles are at best throwaway and at worst barely present. These are inherently flawed games, but if somehow the idea of slogging through menus isn’t a turn off there are absolutely two great, down to Earth murder mysteries to be experienced here.
It feels like a bit of a shame that this is the case, because The Girl Who Stands Behind‘s visuals and full voice acting act as firm yet soft cushioning that can very well welcome onlookers and entice them to take those first steps into the genre. Nevertheless, It’s a solid enough game that makes it worth a try for those interested in the subject matter—remember to check out The Missing Heir first—but be prepared for a few rocky patches on the way up.
For visual novel fans, these shortcomings are a small price to pay for such a stunningly polished product, but they still stick out like a sore thumb amidst the rest of the jaw-dropping surroundings. Mystery fans and visual novel fans alike would be remiss not to check out this brilliant revival of a classic title, but they must be prepared with an extra set of thinking caps that otherwise shouldn’t be necessary.
Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind has an excellent murder mystery plot that is sadly obscured by frustrating and arbitrary road blocks. The visuals, writing, and soundtrack are excellent, but actually getting to those will take a lot of patience.
Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir feels like a top-notch mystery novel at its best moments. However, its limited mechanics can cause a bit of frustration, but if you stick with it, it'll be worth your time.
Famicon Detective Club is a bundle package going the extra mile to satisfy long term fans whilst introducing newer gamers to the franchise. Although visual novels generally age well, this new port of both The Missing Heir and The Girl Who Stands Behind wonderfully maintain the original feel of the games with some great new changes to make them future proof. They both feature truly spectacular narration as their stories unfold, and continue to keep things fresh with new themes interspersed at regular intervals. Both games look stunning as well, with superb visuals. Overall, this duology is perfect for lovers of visual novels who enjoy whodunnits with a side of horror and mystery added for good measure.
Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir is a solid, enjoyable mystery to play. I loved exploring Myoujin Village and learning about the cast, or swapping between the orchestrated arrangement and original chiptune songs. The game is also a time capsule into Nintendo’s past and the early days of graphic adventures on console, and has aged remarkably well. I sort of wish they’d included the original version of the game, if only for comparison’s sake, but having the music is a nice touch. The game even comes with a Music Mode you unlock after completing it. It’s a nice touch. Will this title wow veteran visual novel and graphic adventure aficionados? Not really. But for its place in the genre’s history, I think it’s worth a shot.
Like The Missing Heir before it, The Girl Who Stands Behind features an enjoyable and thought-provoking story, but its style of gameplay will take some getting used to whether you’re a connoisseur of visual novels or not.
The Missing Heir is a fun game with intriguing characters, a twisting though predictable plot, and a lot of trial and error.
This is a game that I can’t believe exists frankly, especially when you can go into the options and change the soundtrack to the original Disk System and Famicom versions. The Nintendo Switch has truly become enough of a broad success to allow room for experiments like this, even from Nintendo itself. And that rules.
The murder mystery experience that unfolds throughout the Famicom Detective Club games is a strong reminder of the importance of a well-written and nuanced story. Remasters can easily hold up when based on beloved characters or franchises. To have a 30-year-old visual novel presented to an entirely new generation and be well received by new players is a testament to the game's storyline.
Double portion of great Japan detective games.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
It's wonderful to have the classic Famicom Detective Club games remade with modern artwork and with full Western localisations, but the flow of these visual novel detective stories is distinctly lacking and infuriatingly obtuse at times. Still, we can hope this is a sign that Nintendo is considering a truly modern revival of the Detective Club series in future.
I enjoyed my time with Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir. It tells an interesting story that puts surprising twists on some expected tropes. While there were elements of the UI that showed their age, once I got used to them and played the game on its terms, I was able to work through it without much issue. With the story taking its time to get interesting, though and being fairly short at that, it is hard to call this a must-play. Still, for fans who have been interested for many years, finally getting to play this in English is a treat.
It's both an astonishing and exciting time in gaming to see Nintendo willing to dig into their archives and bring back a retro adventure title.
Famicom Detective Club is a great remake.
You can tell a lot of love and care has gone into the recreation of this over decades old game, and I for one am thrilled to have experienced it.
The Famicom Detective Club duology is, at its core, a beautiful set of remakes that will please players that can look past some of the dated mechanics.