With Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club being Nintendo’s big August release for this year, Nintendo has opted to make Emio – The Smiling Man their next covered game, as part of their “Ask the Developer” interview series. Across three chapters, many questions were asked of Producer, Yoshio Sakamoto and Assistant Producer, Kaori Miyachi.
When talking about trying to bring Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club, to a wider audience, they had the following comments to share:
Emio Devs on Bringing Emio – The Smiling Man to a Wider Audience:
Yoshio Sakamoto: For better or worse, the previous games had an unrefined, gloomy atmosphere. That’s part of Famicom Detective Club’s charm, but for this title, we wanted a more colourful, vibrant feel. Famicom Detective Club games have always used humour to break up the sense of dread.
That said, we still felt there was something heavy or gloomy lingering around them. Of course, that’s always been our aim, and that hasn’t changed in this game. However, we wanted to change the atmosphere in this game to make it less oppressive and more refined.
We achieved this in the end, thanks to Miyachi-san’s contributions. I believe that Famicom Detective Club’s “sunnier” side has been enhanced in a good way.
Kaori Miyachi: Speaking of jokes, we had to explain the meaning of this really lame Japanese pun to the overseas localisation teams, which was…a little embarrassing. (Laughs) Once we’d explained the meaning, they got it and suggested changes to make it work for players outside Japan. So, no matter which language you play in, you’ll get to see some funny jokes. (Laughs)
Yoshio Sakamoto: You mentioned localisation, but regardless of which language you play it in, I think some things are universally understood. For example, the subtle changes in characters’ emotions or small details presented in the game. I hope players enjoy those aspects as well.
To all fans of the series, and to everyone who got into Famicom Detective Club through the remakes, thank you very much for waiting. First and foremost, we’d like everyone to enjoy this new Famicom Detective Club game with its fresh storyline and gameplay. But we also hope you’ll enjoy the same old Famicom Detective Club style of human drama tinged with horror, unfolding through our carefully thought-out directions.
We’ve made a demo for this game, which includes a fair amount of gameplay, so if you’re new to the series, I recommend you give that a try. The demo contains just enough to make you want to know the whole story!
Kaori Miyachi: Lots of Famicom Detective Club players pay close attention to every detail and notice things we’ve secretly planted in the game. When it comes to packing in lots of Easter eggs, this title is no exception, so we hope players will enjoy playing through it multiple times.
The two of us wrote the story and should know the game’s contents inside out, but even so, during our multiple test playthroughs, we often came out with things like, “Oh, so those two things are connected! Sakamoto-san, were you aware of this?”. (Laughs) Every time we replay it, we discover something new.
We hope everyone will enjoy the game at their own pace, whether they’re playing Famicom Detective Club for the first time or are long-time fans of the series. And it would be great if those who play the game become a little kinder to the people who are always close to them.
Yoshio Sakamoto: That’s true. I hope this game will be a reminder of that. In fact, what you just mentioned, Miyachi-san, is really a constant theme for the Famicom Detective Club series. And to hear that come out of your mouth so naturally… I know I can count on you.
Miyachi-san and I worked to create this new iteration, bouncing ideas off each other to keep developing them. So, fans of the series, rest assured. I’ve found the heir at last! (Laughs)
Kaori Miyachi: I’ll do my best not to become “the missing heir”. (Laughs)
For the full interview, why not click here to check out Ask the Developer Vol. 12, Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club – Chapter 3.
Ask the Developer | Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club (Participating Developers)
- Yoshio Sakamoto | Producer
- Kaori Miyachi | Assistant Producer
