Customer Ratings & Reviews

Emio The Smiling Man sets a new benchmark for the Famicom Detective Club series with its outstanding animation and emotionally charged narrative. The game offers high-quality visuals, tackles mature themes with depth, and features streamlined gameplay with fully voiced recaps. The multi-protagonist perspective enriches the story, while the hidden epilogue and Studio MAPPA’s OVA reward dedicated players. Though its mature themes and complexity may not appeal to everyone, and some content might be missed, the game is a must-play for visual novel and mystery fans, thanks to its compelling story and exceptional voice acting.

Emio The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club for Nintendo Switch is a fantastic blend of retro charm and modern gameplay. The gripping mystery and beautiful art style kept me hooked from start to finish. Plus, Best Buy’s customer service was excellent—quick and friendly, making the whole experience even better. Highly recommend for fans of detective games!

Emio – The Smiling Man is an unforgettable experience. The atmosphere is perfectly eerie without ever feeling cheap, and the art style gives it a unique charm that sets it apart from other horror titles. The story is compelling, full of twists that keep you guessing, and the pacing is spot-on, it never drags but still allows you to soak in the tension. Controls and mechanics are smooth, and the audio design is incredible, with subtle cues that make every encounter nerve-wracking. If you love atmospheric horror with a strong narrative and memorable characters, Emio – The Smiling Man is a must-play. It’s a perfect balance of creepy fun and engaging storytelling.

I think I still prefer the second game in this trilogy, The Girl Who Stands Behind, but the highs of The Smiling Man are really high. Loved the dark places this game went in the last hour or two.

The announcement of this game got me to play the other two and I thought they were pretty solid but Emio in particular really fantastic I hope this series can continue

Entertaining game with some plot twist and great narrative elements.

While I enjoyed my time with the game, with its decent mystery that had me asking plenty of questions and made me feel very much involved in the investigation, which a fan of detective fiction would want, I found myself frustrated at a lot of times. Now, those familiar with the Famicom Detective Club franchise would say that this is par for the course, as the original two games had many of the same frustrations, but those frustrations usually came from having to brute force the game. Here, however, things are far more frustrating because there are times where you have blanks that you fill. These boxes that you fill in do bring something new to the table, but there are times when you either must put in things in a particular way, like saying the victim’s cause of death was suicide and not “a suicide” or you have to put in the same answer again after having entered or selected it. This really hurt my enjoyment while playing it, especially because I have not had to do this in the other two games. Still, the story was good enough that I would recommend it, even though it is frustrating in ways it should not be.

Very good game for VN fans. You would think that a VN couldn't have interesting visuals, but this game pulls it off magnificently. Plus, the music is just perfect for a mystery like this. Definitely recommend if you like VNs.

I cant believe this game left a huge impression on me. I have been curious about this series but with the release of Emio, i had to buy it. Dont regret a single thing. I havent played a visual novel, so i didnt really think i would like it. Its more than that, its a detective adventure game. The characters are amazing and the story gets dark. Stay until the end, then keep going. This series deserves some more love and i am here to spread that.

A wonderful visual novel that is also decently creepy. It may not be the scariest thing ever but for fans of anime or vn’s whos looking for an engrossing experience this will definitely scratch the itch.

I got this for my husband and he loves it! If you love a good detective game don't miss out on this one!

I love a good mystery story. Wish the other 2 entries had a physical

Fantastic game in the series with a gripping story.

The product was well packaged and displayed on the shelf in cleae view. Game itself was a thrilling visual experience from start to finish. Worth picking up for any suspense fan.

If you love, anime and video games, this is the best combo with some horror elements

Cool to see them make a visual novel after like 30 years. Havent finsihed it yet, but it's been solid.

A great adventure game! It can be difficult to know what to do next, but it's a well-written, compelling mystery with a gut punch ending.

Coming back at full force from the days of the Famicom, this region locked series roars back to full international, AAA prominence asking the question "What if Heavy Rain didn't suck?" Beautifully animated with the type of production value you can only get from a master craftsmen.

We loved the first two games, and so far, this one is a worthy follow up. We love supporting games like this. It’s still a little clunky and slow to get started, but my wife and I love playing through it.

I am still running through the game, but I find the story to be engaging 75% in and will see this to the end. Fun cast of characters, neat point and click elements, and the music stays in my head after I close the game. Recommend if you are a fan of visual novels