An Analysis of Emio – El Sonriente, a Gripping Story That Demonstrates the Power of the Genre

In the debate about video game genres, there are always some that are perceived as secondary to the more common ones. Shooter or open world have more names than when it comes to real-time strategy or visual novel. Especially when it comes to visual novels, it is done from a sometimes negative prism. Because? Well, because of the usual prejudices.what makes the average audience prefer a fully interactive environment to a genre that prioritizes narrative over all other elements. Perhaps this line of thought is born from ignorance of the genre’s references. In this analysis, we are dealing with a game that aims to bring to the masses a completely valid way of understanding a video game that has much more to offer than we think, and which has the same power as Saul Canelo’s right hand. ‘ Alvarez.

The game in question is Emio — El Sonriente: Famicom Detective Club. Its revelation was shrouded in mystery. Who was Emio? Who was behind the character with the smiling bag over his head? The doubts were soon resolved with the return of the legendary franchise to the genre. Surprisingly, it must be said, but once at the helm, the doubts gradually dissipated. This review is spoiler-free.; Basically, we won’t talk about the context of the plot, or the moment it starts, or the specific details. The best advice we can give you is to not find out what it’s about. That way, the plot punches have more impact.

Under the detective’s coat

The mystery surrounding the Emio case is tied to two lines of research. On one side, there are the police, those who try to stay ahead of other investigators and have a leading voice in its development. However, the second side is focused on a small private detective agency, relying on the talent of the youngest.During the investigation, we will look at the main character, whom we can name, and Ayumi Tachibana, our faithful comrade.

Although we are faced with a new visual effect, at a mechanical level, conversations develop based on certain interactions that we can carry out. “Speak/Listen” is usually associated with a specific option that is displayed depending on the moment we are in the conversation. For example, if we are talking to someone about a third person, the name of the character we are talking about will be displayed along with the “notes” option. The dialogue flows, but usually stops every now and then to continue the same topic (after a choice).

We have other options to fall back on if the conversation doesn’t continue. It’s just like in real life. You don’t always react to the information the person in front of you is giving you, but you have to process it, think about it, and even take into account the environment.. This gives rise to options like ‘Explore’, in which the magnifying glass is able to extract information from specific elements of the scene, and ‘Think’, which is usually the trigger when we don’t know where to go next. .

Our problems with the current game system are that in many cases it is not clear what you need to do to continue. Its conversation system seems simple, but sometimes it asks to be activated entrance concrete that is not obviousIt’s tedious to press some parameters without rhyme or reason to find the key that will allow us to move forward. There are other moments where it strives to go a little further in the exploration work and remains a little in no man’s land due to the lack of hanging mechanics. At times it seems like it strives to be a traditional graphic adventure (something that suits it very well given what it offers, why say otherwise) and the only thing it achieves is to extend in time moments that have more marked moments in the visual novel. life.

Impeccable storytelling: mystery surrounds you

But what really hooks Emio – The Smiley: Famicom Detective Club is its story. It starts out as another serial killer story with a teenage twist, peppered with Japanese cliches. Not at all: a couple of chapters are enough to get rid of all the chains and reveal a narrative arc full of mysteries that does not reveal all its cards until the denouement.. And in this genre, it’s very difficult to keep most of the threads unfolded until the final stretch. The hand of Yoshio Sakamoto, known worldwide as the designer, producer, and director of most of the Metroid franchise, is very noticeable. Many fans don’t know that he was also the creator of the original installments of the Famicom Detective Club saga. As for Emio, Sakamoto personally worked on the return of the brand.

He knows exactly when to give the narrative momentum. His pacing is almost flawless. We say “almost” because he sometimes gets lost in conversations that do nothing to flesh out the characters (especially one with a certain annoying police detective if there ever was one). He doesn’t shy away from filler, but thankfully they usually come as moments of relief between the beats of the plot. The cast is fantastic. You will quickly fall in love with the faces that the story is based on.From our battle comrade (and also the controllable character) to stories that converge in parallel with the common thread of the main character.

In a visual novel, animation is one of the means of conveying the narrative. Gestures, reactions, movements… It is necessary to describe in detail how feelings arise in the person in front of us.. Here we find a great level of animation. The faces convey very well what they are feeling. The illustrations seem clear and full of details. It must be said: at one point we had to use Google Lens to translate a sign from Japanese to Spanish. Because? Well, because at certain points in order to move forward, you need to write one or more words, and then it does not go further. If you get a little confused, we have no way to go back and read the notebook. The texts are localized in Spanish. The voices are only in Japanese, as is the entire environment (which is logical if the action takes place in the countryside).

We were surprised by how twisted the plot becomes as it reaches its climax. It takes on dark tones, blood; but it also does not shy away from dealing with sensitive and strictly topical issues. Although it is clearly a work of fiction, created to be effective in its twists, between the lines we find messages about mental health. We insist: hit hard.

This analysis was conducted using code provided by Nintendo Ibérica.