Reason enough to flash those pearly whites!
Written by Jason Venter
Published Jul. 18, 2024
The Famicom Detective Club series returns on August 29, 2024, Nintendo announced this week in a press release. The title represents the first all-new installment in the series in 35 years, following the semi-recent release of the recently remade first and second installments.
In Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club, players investigate the murder of a student who was found dead with a paper bag placed over his head. Markings on the paper sack bear a resemblance to a clue last uncovered during the investigation of a series of (ultimately) unsolved murders 18 years prior. There's also the “Emio” angle, which refers to an urban legend who grants his victims “a smile that will last forever.”
Of course it will. They're dead.
Players work as an assistant private investigator at the Utsugi Detective Agency. Their goal is to help the police solve the baffling crime by scrutinizing clues and testimonies, as well as determining how they might tie to events of the past.
The Famicom Detective Series has been credited as inspiration for the popular Phoenix Wright series from Capcom, and offers darker fare than most players are used to seeing from Nintendo. Yoshio Sakamoto, who worked on the previous games, was involved with everything from “plot foundations to the small details of the script and cutscenes,” according to Nintendo.
Ultimately, players will learn whether a dreaded serial killer has returned, or if a copycat is at work. Either way, tensions will be high in this follow-up to Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind.
If you haven't done so already, this is a great time to catch up on the series before the time comes to dive into the unexpected new installment. What's next, Nintendo? A new StarTropics game? (One can only hope.)
