But that’s just us, of course. Australian outlet Vooks awarded the game the top score of 5/5, with glowing impressions laced throughout the review: the reviewer even goes on to say that Emio – The Smiling man is “one of the best games I’ve ever played.”
“Nothing can prepare you for Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club. You might think you’re ready, but you’re not. It’s a whirlwind adventure that keeps you on your seat from the opening scene to the very end, and it’s one of the best games Nintendo has ever published.”
High praise indeed. Digitally Downloaded was almost equally as glowing about Emio, scoring it a 4.5/5. Again, the writing was lauded, but the trial-and-error nature of the mystery was the only real knock against it:
“To say anything else about Emio would be doing you all a disservice, as it’s a winding, twisting mystery that is best enjoyed unspoiled. If you did play the remakes of the first two Famicom Detective Club titles then you’ll get more of the same here, just with modern standards of writing.”
God is a Geek is another voice in the chorus that praises the story, awarding Emio with an 8.5/10. The drawback for them, however, is that while the game thinks it’s scary, it might not be as scary as you’re hoping:
“Emio is very clever at the way the story is delivered, and as many times as I thought I had solved things in advance, I was never quite right.”
Siliconera highlighted the darker nature of the game compared to other Nintendo titles, although criticised the uneven pacing of the mystery, awarding a score of 8/10.
“It all complements well with the excellent but a bit unique storytelling. This tale is not for every Switch player, being a bit too dark at times, but it is highly rewarding for those it appeals to.”
Game Reactor EU felt similarly to us about Emio – The Smiling Man. In their review (originally written in Spanish), they felt that the mechanics were dated, despite it being a modern title, but praised its existence:
And, with all my gripes and reservations about visual novels, Emio – The Smiling Man is a title that I’m grateful to have come out today. Especially because it brings back to the forefront, and with the backing of a great company like Nintendo, a genre that has always survived barely in the shadows of modern systems.
Last up for this round-up is Eurogamer‘s 3/5 review, and just like Game Reactor, it’s the gameplay and dialogue-heavy nature that wore the experience down. But, like every other review mentions, the story is the star:
“When it comes to Emio – The Smiling Man though, we’ve been given a faithful adaptation of the past instalment’s gameplay – perhaps too faithful, for a series which last got a new main entry in 1989 – wrapped inside a story about love, loss and the importance of recycling paper bags.”
It’s a pretty even spread, then. All things considered, if you’re a fan of excellent writing, mysteries, or loved the previous games in the series, then Emio – The Smiling Man is for you. Just don’t go in expecting a revolution.
The game is currently sitting at a 78 on Metacritic — for comparison’s sake, The Girl Who Stands Behind and The Missing Heir are both sitting on 74.