Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club Reviews
Emio: The Smiling Man – Famicom Detective Club is a Visual Novel with a very rich story, an engaging mystery, and many hours of enjoyment, which unfortunately are hindered by a tiring soundtrack and a lack of accessibility regarding localization.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
With an extremely interesting and unpredictable story, charismatic characters, highly detailed scenes, and an immersive soundtrack, Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club for the Nintendo Switch is a great entry point for those who have never experienced a visual novel before. Long-time fans of the franchise will also be well-served, as Emio maintains the quality already known to players, despite being a slightly longer title than previous games.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is a fantastic return to form for Nintendo's beloved visual novel series. The game really does have it all, from an engaging narrative to striking visuals to strong voice acting that adds depth to the characters. If you appreciate a good story and enjoy unravelling mysteries, this game is worth your time.
Despite shining in its narrative, the great mystery of Emio is discovering how to progress in its case without getting frustrated with its gameplay.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Emio - The Smiling man is a chilling detective story that leans a little too heavily into repetitive mechanics, but will reward those who stick with it.
Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is definitely my favorite part of the series. It's clear that the developers have gained experience and are now capable of delivering a narrative worthy of the name. I love this kind of story, where we're left to quietly discover every little element of the investigation before arriving at a grand, unexpected conclusion. It's the kind of adventure in which you'll feel so invested that you'll want more. I'm already looking forward to another adventure in the series.
Review in French | Read full review
If you like mysteries intertwined with urban legends, Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club will definitely pique your interest.
Review in Greek | Read full review
It offers an engaging story with appropriately speedy pacing that engages the brain without overtaxing it and there’s no bizarre leaps of logic required. Newcomers to the series can happily jump in at any point, but after the remakes showed that there’s plenty of modern appeal from its classic gameplay design, it’s great to see another title carrying the legacy on.
Although Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club has some strange pacing choices that lead to a lack of excitement in early chapters and a lessened emphasis on solving the case through detective work, it makes up for it with an excellent presentation, fun attention to detail, and a dark, emotional story that answers all its questions in the end.
Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is a phenomenal piece of work from Yoshio Sakamoto and Nintendo that sits as one of the best games of 2024. From the haunting story to the wonderful characters, this is a game I'll be thinking about for the rest of the year and beyond. I truly hope that Nintendo continues the Famicom Detective Club series, as it sits as a very special IP within the company's history.
While the experience is marred by its many drudging moments, Emio—The Smiling Man is a highly entertaining, engaging, and well-produced entry that fans will likely enjoy.
Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club, with a mystery much closer to our reality than the other two games in the series, surprises with its narrative quality. It is quite difficult to reach a concrete conclusion about this title, but I dare say that, in addition to being the best entry in the Famicom Detective Club series, it is, above all, a solid recommendation for fans of suspense stories. Don't be fooled by the text adventure label and gameplay that harks back to the last century: even with its small flaws, the case of the smiling man is promising from start to finish. And honestly speaking? I hope this is not the end of Famicom Detective Club, but if it is, we have here a golden ending.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
"Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is a captivating visual novel that immerses players in a dark tale blending a modern murder mystery with a chilling urban legend. The beautifully crafted visuals, atmospheric music, and strong voice acting enhance the experience, drawing you deeper into Emio's ominous world. However, the story is occasionally hindered by frustrating gameplay mechanics that make interactions feel repetitive and unnatural. Despite these flaws, fans of narrative-driven games with a taste for suspense and mystery will find Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club a memorable experience."
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is an interactive narrative with a terrifying lore, an absorbing mystery and charismatic characters, marred by a very linear structure and little gameplay.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club revives the classic mystery series with a thrilling new adventure. This game features meticulously crafted storytelling, immersive character interactions, and stunning Live2D animation. Players take on the role of a teenage sleuth, investigating a chilling urban legend while solving puzzles and piecing together clues.
Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is a classic visual novel that hooks you right in from the beginning and comes from a very unlikely developer. Despite this, the game fits on the Nintendo Switch. With the modernized art, better pacing, more engaging characters, and fully voiced dialogue, Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is easily the best entry in the series.
Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club, the third game in this series, tells a compelling and deep mystery that is far darker and more disturbing than anything we've seen from Nintendo before.
In terms of presentation, "Emio" also does well thanks to lovingly designed backgrounds, numerous animated cutscenes and the beautiful soundtrack. Nevertheless, we would have liked to see a little more dynamics, i.e. animated background objects, in some scenes - such as the train station of Kofuku. If you can overlook this shortcoming, the genre-typical rather shallow gameplay challenges and the lack of English voice acting, you will still get your money's worth.
Review in German | Read full review
“Emio – The Smiling Man” is a suspenseful and at times disturbing crime thriller. The last third of the game in particular completely blew my mind and left me sitting in front of the screen with my mouth open. The uneven pacing of the narrative and the somewhat outdated gameplay formula with its trial-and-error approach spoil the excellent overall impression. In terms of audio-visuals, “Emio” is convincing across the board. Beautifully drawn game characters and backgrounds bring the interactive story to life, while the catchy soundtrack provides the ideal background music. I hope we don't have to wait another 30 years for a new detective adventure from Nintendo.
Review in German | Read full review