Nintendo has announced a free demo for mystery adventure game Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club will be available on August 19. The new visual novel will release ten days later, on August 29, for $49.99 physically and digitally for Nintendo Switch.
Players can download the episodic demo to play through the Prologue and Chapter 1 of Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club. Chapter 2 will be added to the demo on the evening of August 22, followed by Chapter 3 on the evening of August 27. Progress will be carried over to the full game.
Check out the new video below:
In Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club, a student is found dead with a paper bag on his head, with a strange smiling face drawn on it. This bears a resemblance to a series of unsolved murders from 18 years ago and links to the Emio (the Smiling Man), an urban legend who grants his victims “a smile that will last forever.” The protagonist is an assistant private investigator with Utsugi Detective Agency, who are tasked with helping police solve this crime.
This title follows the previously released first and second installments in the series, Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind, which were remade for Nintendo Switch.
Here’s an overview of Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club, via the Nintendo eShop:
Overview
Investigate a brutal death and its connection to an urban legend
A student has been found dead! His head was covered with a paper bag with an eerie smiling face drawn on it—much like the victims of Emio, the Smiling Man—a killer of urban legend who is said to place such a bag over his victims’ heads.
As an assistant private investigator, you are tasked with helping police solve this crime, which is reminiscent of a series of unsolved murders from 18 years ago. Has a serial killer returned, or is this the work of a copycat? Are these crimes inspired by the Smiling Man story, or the origin of it?
Discover the answers to these questions and more as a member of the Utsugi Detective Agency in this intense story of suspicion, isolation, and fragility.
Explore an interactive drama full of interesting characters
Continue the adventures of the Utsugi Detective Agency with the return of familiar characters—including the returning protagonist from previous games, and Ayumi Tachibana, who is now playable in certain sections of the game for the first time in the series!
Playing as the investigative duo, you’ll need to learn a lot about the personalities and backstories of the other characters if you want to discover the truth. Who is harmless, and who is keeping important secrets? Ask questions, reference your notes, and make connections—you’ll have to order your thoughts and examine your leads carefully to draw the right conclusions.
