Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club gets a demo

Nintendo has announced a playable demo for Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club, the first new entry in the Famicom Detective Club series in over three decades.

The new demo will let players experience the prologue of the game, as well as its first chapter. The demo launches on August 19th.

Here’s a rundown on the game, plus a new trailer:

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.



Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is set to launch on August 29th worldwide for Nintendo Switch (via the eShop) and at retail.