Emio - The Smiling Man has detectives hunting a bizarre urban legend

Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is just around the corner this month and marks the first new game in the series in around 27 years. With it comes an all-new original story from lead producer Yoshio Sakamoto (also known for his work on the Metroid series). The Smiling Man pulls urban legend into real murders and players will have to sift the legends from the actual crime. It just so happens we got to play Emio’s prologue and opening chapter, and this case is turning out to be an intriguing dive into urban folklore and crime drama.

Back on the beat

Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club puts us back in the role of the detective assistant (who we name at the beginning of any game) who works at the private investigator company, the Utsugi Detective Agency. Along with fellow assistant Ayumi, we aid Detective Utsugi in whatever case comes his way, and the latest is a creepy one. When a young boy is found strangled in the woods near a pump station in the countryside near Koufuku City, the Utsugi Detective Agency is called in to help. The victim is found with a paper bag over his head and a smiling face drawn on the bag, but more than that, Detective Utsugi recalls a similar MO to a string of murders that had happened 18 years prior.

Add to this mystery the legend of Emio - The Smiling Man. The legend goes that when a girl is crying alone, The Smiling Man may appear. He will offer them a smile that will last forever, then he kills them and puts a smiling face bag on their head. It adds mystique to the case as the details of the current murder, the murders from 18 years prior, and the legend of Emio converge. And it only gets more interesting as the first chapter plays out.

That’s also due in part to a decent cast of characters introduced in Emio’s opening chapter. Detective Utsugi, fellow assistant Ayumi, and more familiar faces return in interesting fashion, but we also meet with Inspector Kamoda, who is old friends with Utsugi. We also meet Detectives Kuze and Kamihara. Kuze is a hard-as-nails female detective that runs everything by the book. She does her job with precision and has no tolerance for anyone who gets in her way, including the protagonist and her partner. Said partner, Kamihara (or “Dice” as he insists on people calling him) is an oddball. He’s pretty observant, but he also never seems very serious. Both characters are interesting in their own ways and seem to hide far more than they’ll tell us on first meetings. I’m looking forward to unraveling more of their stories and secrets.

The progress and gameplay elements have also been refined from the original Famicom Detective Club games, but not so much so that they’re unrecognizable. In most instances, you must choose the right option to gain new details and move the story forward. That can mean asking present company about important topics, listening to what they have to say, observing the scenery for clues and information, or even having the protagonist think to themselves (which also often serves as a clue to what to do next if it’s not the key option to moving forward in the moment). Those who played the remade Famicom Detective Club games in 2021 will likely feel right at home here.

The visuals have taken an interesting bump as well. The locations look well drawn and the characters are semi-animated and fully voiced. That is to say, they’re done as 2.5D models this time, and they emote and gesture actively as they speak throughout the game, which is a neat step up from even the remade versions. Their activity and voices also helped to draw me into the mystery quickly.

Facts and legends on a crash course

Emio - The Smiling Man is shaping up to be quite a creepy and captivating adventure. Not only does it share a compelling story with interesting new characters to explore, but it seems to be building upon the foundations of the 2021 Famicom Detective Club games rather nicely. We’re only a chapter in and already excited to see where this case leads. Thankfully, we won’t be waiting long to find out. Stay tuned for more coverage!

This preview is based on an early version of the game provided by the publisher. Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club launches on August 29, 2024, on the Nintendo Switch. A demo is available as of August 19, 2024.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.