When we discussed the demo for Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club last week, I said I wasn’t sure if I would play the demo or just wait for the full game.

But when the first part of the demo became available yesterday, I decided I couldn’t wait and downloaded it to give it a try!

The current demo contains the prologue and Chapter 1, introducing the player to the start of the game. It definitely feels like a Famicom Detective Club game, with a presentation and controls very much in line with the Switch remakes of the first two.

Like in those games, you pick commands such as “call,” “ask,” “look,” etc. from a menu as you interact with other characters and investigate areas. And yes, sometimes you’ll need to choose the same option multiple times in a row or come back to actions after having chosen others.

However, the “think” command seems to have been improved so that when it’s not necessary for progression, it provides you with a slight hint toward what you should be trying. If that holds up throughout the whole game, it will go a long way toward avoiding the tedious “try every option and then try every option again” cycle the first two games often fell into.

It’s too early to have a good feel for the mystery in Emio, but the prologue and first chapter provide the basic setup for the case and introduce some new characters. There are a couple of fun easter eggs, too.

(And like with the first two, if you have save data from either of the others you can transfer the name you used for yourself instead of entering it again.)

One thing that feels a little strange is that the main character and Ayumi decide to split the investigation work, which means you spend the first chapter talking to the police while she meets with the victim’s family off-screen. Having that part handled off-screen is odd, but since the game’s description says Ayumi will be playable, I wonder if that means the next chapter will show that investigation from her perspective instead of picking up where Chapter 1 ended.

Either way, I’m looking forward to playing Chapter 2 when it becomes available tomorrow, and of course, I’m looking forward to the full game. Have you tried the Emio demo?