LukeMaster27

So... Does this game just not exist? If so, then it is, in every sense of the word, unplayable. And gets a zero

This is probably the most disappointing game I've ever played. I have so many problems with every aspect of this game, but I can't say it's the worst as it is still an important part of video game history, and it was the 1st of the Famicom Detective Club duology, so as a standalone thing from its time, it's fine. But as it is now... The gameplay is so stupid. There was no SNES remake that refined how it worked, and MAGES did barely anything to actually refine it themselves. So much time is spent being sent into town to talk to the pointless, idiotic NPCs who only have one piece of actually relevant information, but you have no idea who would even know it, or how you'd get it out of them. The cast of named characters are so boring. The Ayashiro family are all **** who I didn't care about at all when they died. I kinda feel like they deserved it. The butler and Genshin are ok I guess, but the maid is annoying. It's stupid that it's extremely obvious she knows crucial information about the case, yet you can't actually pursue and pressure her at all. You only get what you can out of her when the game allows it. The protagonist is a nothing character, and it's all because of the idiotic amnesia plotline, which ultimately adds nothing, ruins everything, and could be so easily written out in favor of an actual personality for the protagonist, and much better character interactions. Not only could it still be understandable for him to not remember his family members, but maybe he'd have an actually good, and tangible arc that doesn't drag down the entire series as we know it. The doctor and Ayumi are the only good characters. I really like when the doctor tries to help you in the case, and Ayumi shows how much she's grown as a person since she joined the detective agency. She's gone from a shy, vulnerable student, to an independent woman who can go to bars to dig up information on the yakuza. I almost would've preferred if the game was about her, or maybe you could switch between her and the protagonist like in the Famicom Mukashibanashi games. Or maybe MAGES could've added a side story to see what she got up to. Or, idk, remake BS Tantei Club for God's sake. The visuals and animations share the same strengths and weaknesses as the other remake. Music is ok, but it gets much more repetitive as you keep playing. The best thing about the game is the tone, and how the plot points tie into it. As the game goes on, the curse of the Ayashiro family feels more and more real, as the family members are killed off in more graphic and mysterious ways. While the townspeople are still annoying, their increased hysteria as the game goes on adds even more. It is kinda ruined by the fact that the killer is identified way before the game actually ends, but it shows that this game had potential. That's the thing. There was so much potential with the content of this game, because as stated before, on it's own, it's a serviceable classic adventure game. But because it seems like a series wasn't in mind with the development of this game, yet the prequel/sequel ended up being better than this game could ever be, The Missing Heir, and the Famicom Detective Club series as a whole, is retroactively ruined.

This game is really something special. It shows what Nintendo's greatest minds are capable of without trying to make a product for general audiences, and and it shows the inspiration and influence Nintendo has given to game developers over the years. Like the developers of this remake, MAGES, who wanted to remake it because they were huge fans when the series was alive and strong in the 80s and 90s. For me personally, the SNES version is one of my favorite games of all time, and if I could rate it, it'd be an instant 10/10. But this remake doesn't quite capture all that makes it special. The music, which is central to the tone and atmosphere, is often ruined in one way or another. Thankfully you can switch osts at any time, so it's not my biggest issue. The lighting in scenes is great, but it's not dynamic like in the SNES version, and characters don't directly follow the lighting of the scenes, unless the sprites are specially made for that scene. The little gameplay tweaks are great. It's good that you can speed up text, and review what has just been said, the UI is simple, but you can't quick scroll through menus anymore, which is weird. And, why do you have to click on the stick to move the cursor faster? It's so awkward. The general progression retains all the aspects of the SNES version, for better and for worse. Like, there's no reason you needed to keep the clock inspection in chapter 7, because that was never even in the original Famicom version. You had the chance to take out the one unnecessary addition to the SNES version, but no. But then there's the translation. Now, I'm holding this game to the standards set up by the SNES version, which has had a fan translation for years, and despite my high acclaim for it, there are definitely moments that look rushed and amateur-ish, where it looks like it was run through Google translate and thrown in without testing or a second thought. Most of the time, it's fine though. This remake on Switch feels much more refined, like it was actually done by professionals. Again, for better and for worse. There are several moments where you can inspect girls in the SNES version, and they call you a weirdo, which they should. In the Switch remake, almost all of these moments are completely censored, as the characters just stare at each other and say literally nothing, but still make weird grunts. It's really stupid and immersion breaking, but the worst offender is the chapter 8 scene. Now, I didn't even know about this for a year, because there was no reason for me to initiate such a terrible scene. On it's own, I already hate everything about it, as it completely breaks the now established relationship between the protagonist and Ayumi. But the protagonist still faces the consequences of his actions in some way. In the Switch version, not only did they keep in the scene, but they censored the hell out of it, making it about bees. It's like, this is an all or nothing situation. Either completely remove the scene in all versions, or keep it in with everything that makes it bad. The fan translators went with the latter, so it's faithful to the original Japanese script of the SNES version, and you hate everything about the scene for all the right reasons. But Nintendo of America tried going down the middle of the road, and ended up making it worse than ever. Now, I don't want to specifically mention where and how you initiate this scene, because it's completely optional, and was never supposed to be in the game in the 1st place, since it's not even in the Famicom version. And playing the game without knowledge of this scene is ideal. I know that's counter intuitive because I just mentioned it, but 1: It's a topic that can still be discussed maturely by people who don't have half a brain cell in which they use to review bomb a game because Nintendo is " JUST LIKE CHINESE GOVERNMENT!!" and 2: this is a review where I want to express everything I want to about this remake, and what it does right and wrong. And in my opinion, while it will never replace the SNES masterpiece, it's a fine way to play this game, and it's a miracle we even got it in the west. If you really do care about the interesting games Nintendo has made, and if you want to see an interesting turning point in the Japanese adventure game/visual novel scene that lead to games like Ace Attorney, please support this game and actually buy it. Because a lot of what makes the game special is still here, and it should be experienced 1st hand.