Nintendo Switch Critic Reviews

The Famicom Detective Club games are excellent, highly traditional detective mystery stories. Some might see that as "quaint", "old", "antiquated" or even "simple." That's simply our cultural experience talking. The reality is that these games are highly relevant to the Japanese understanding and interest in the genre, entirely modern, and the core storytelling experience is so modern it's easy to forget that they're remakes of NES-era classics. Throw in some of the most stunning VN art from the very masters of the genre, and this little collection of two titles has every chance of becoming one of the sleeper hits of the year. And, who knows? If it finds the audience it deserves, it might just inspire Nintendo and Mages to make a new one. I'd be up for more Famicom Detective Club.

The fact that Nintendo would remake Famicom Detective Club at all might be one of the most welcome and unexpected surprises of this year, and they’ve turned out remarkably well—dated puzzle design notwithstanding. An art style that combines the best parts of visual novel stills and fluid animation helps to lay the groundwork for a pair of truly engrossing detective stories. The way each mystery unfolds as you piece together the clues is nothing short of masterful, with the atmosphere, nuanced storytelling, and emotional underpinnings to tie it all together beautifully.

Famicom Detective Club holds your attention from first the first frames and to the credits, even if you know the genre like the back of your hand. Every piece of the story works in a tandem, creating a dark and twisted adventure with believable characters. Every session with Detective Club is an adventure of its own, and when you put the game down, it's hard to not delve on what will happen next.

Famicom Detective Club is a fantastic revitalised visual novel, let down only slightly by its lacking narrative options and gender selection. I would say that this is the best visual novel game I have had the pleasure of playing.

Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir & Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind provide us with two remarkable stories. Furthermore, artistically the game is impeccable, which is due to its polished anime-like graphics as well as its tracks and voice acting.

It feels like a bit of a shame that this is the case, because The Girl Who Stands Behind‘s visuals and full voice acting act as firm yet soft cushioning that can very well welcome onlookers and entice them to take those first steps into the genre. Nevertheless, It’s a solid enough game that makes it worth a try for those interested in the subject matter—remember to check out The Missing Heir first—but be prepared for a few rocky patches on the way up.

With an amazing story full of murder and mystery, Famicom Detective Club is a remake worth investigating.

And it would be a shame that after reopening the Famicom Detective Club "case", Nintendo does not follow up on the saga, because here is the material and there are the characters to give life to a long and beautiful series of detective stories.

With a story slightly better than Missing Heir, this episode of the Famicom Detective Club dives into a well-thought-out world of interesting characters and a surprisingly dark story. The world comes alive with gorgeously designed art, a fully orchestrated soundtrack, and fully-voiced characters. If you’re torn between the two Famicom Detective Club titles, I’d go with this one as it’s slightly better just because of the story alone.

While it sometimes feels its age in terms of gameplay, Famicom Detective Club is nonetheless an excellent Visual Novel. The two proposed surveys are pleasant to follow while the visual rendering impresses. Its sublime artistic direction, mixing the new and the old, is practically worth the detour on its own. And too bad if the whole thing sometimes lacks interactivity, because the essential is there. We take pleasure in following these budding detectives in their discoveries. Too bad these very successful remakes do not benefit from a French translation despite their prohibitive price.