Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club

 Switch
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 68 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 68
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 68
  3. Negative: 1 out of 68
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  1. NintendoWorldReport
    Sep 18, 2024
    30
    Is there anything I really liked about Emio? Sadly no. I can tell you that the artwork is nice, and the animation can bounce between stiff and puppet animation. The music is just nice elevator music, but I don’t really have any strong feelings towards it. It’s cool that its voice acted, even if I don’t speak Japanese. But I really wish I had more positive comments for the overall experience. This just did not land for me at all and that’s okay, it’s not going to be for everyone. I have observed online a plethora of praise for the ending, and its animated epilogue, so it’s divisive to say the least. I don’t think I am going to be the only person letdown by the edgy promises from the reveal. Just because something has dark themes like mental illness and domestic abuse doesn’t suddenly make it a great commentary on them. Games such as Mother 3 and Captain Rainbow being left unlocalized compared to the cavalcade of embarrassment in Emio is probably the biggest mystery this game has. Hopefully you’re left with a bigger smile on your face than I was.
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  1. Polygon
    Aug 28, 2024
    It was weaving things together with a compelling momentum. But then it tripped, and things unraveled. There are specifics here worth talking about, but Nintendo’s review guidelines are explicit that I should not. So all I can give are my overall impressions, and, overall, the last couple of hours of Emio – The Smiling Man felt incredibly disappointing. If that feels abrupt, it perhaps gets at something about the game itself.
  2. The Verge
    Sep 3, 2024
    Because there are so many moving parts and — at first — only loose theories holding them together, I had a lot of fun doing all of the asking, looking, and reviewing. It’s very satisfying when things click into place. There are plentiful threads to pull on, which shift the story into even darker and more disturbing directions as the scope becomes clear. Even without the horror element, there’s plenty to be creeped out about in Emio.