Home News Emio Review, New Releases Hit Switch Today

Emio Review, New Releases Hit Switch Today

Author: Ethan Jan 25,2025

Hello fellow gamers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for September 5th, 2024. It's Thursday already! Time flies, doesn't it? We're diving deep into reviews today, with two comprehensive analyses: Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate. Our contributor, Mikhail, also weighs in on Nour: Play With Your Food, Fate/stay night REMASTERED, and the TOKYO CHRONOS & ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos TWIN PACK. After that, we'll highlight the day's best new releases and round up the latest sales, both new and expiring. Let's get to it!

Reviews & Mini-Views

Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club ($49.99)

Sequels to long-dormant franchises are all the rage, mirroring Hollywood's trends. Nintendo's unexpected revival of Famicom Detective Club, a series largely known in the West through a fleeting remake of its first two games on Switch, is a prime example. This new millennium finally brings a brand-new Famicom Detective Club adventure!

The challenge in reviving old IPs lies in balancing faithfulness to the original with modern sensibilities. Too faithful, and the game risks feeling dated; too much change, and fans might be alienated. Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club stays true to the recent remakes' style, which closely mirrors the originals. This creates a unique blend: modern visuals meet a slightly bolder narrative than what 90s Nintendo would have dared. However, the gameplay retains an old-school feel, significantly impacting the overall enjoyment.

The mystery begins with a student found dead, a smiling face on a paper bag over his head. This triggers a re-examination of eighteen-year-old unsolved murders with a similar calling card. The legend of Emio, a killer promising eternal smiles, is raised. Is Emio back? A copycat? Or merely an urban legend? The police are baffled, hence the call to the Utsugi Detective Agency! You'll use deduction and interrogation to uncover the truth.

The gameplay involves searching scenes for clues, interrogating suspects (often requiring repeated questioning), and piecing together the connections. It's reminiscent of the investigation segments in Ace Attorney. The effectiveness of this gameplay will vary. Some aspects feel clunky, and the game could benefit from clearer logical pathways. However, it's a classic style, and by those standards, Emio isn't flawed.

While I have some minor story critiques, I enjoyed the game overall. The plot is engaging, full of twists, and well-written. Some plot points didn't resonate as strongly with me as they apparently did with others, but I won't spoil anything. This is a mystery best experienced fresh. The positives outweigh the negatives, and the pacing is excellent when it gets going.

Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is atypical for Nintendo, but any potential team rust is unseen. The adherence to original mechanics might be excessive, and the plot, while largely superb, has occasional slowdowns or unsatisfying resolutions. Despite these minor drawbacks, it's a highly enjoyable mystery adventure. Welcome back, Detective Club! Let's hope the next installment doesn't take so long.

SwitchArcade Score: 4/5

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate ($29.99)

The Switch is amassing a solid collection of TMNT games. We have the Konami classics in Cowabunga Collection, the fantastic modern arcade beat 'em up Shredder's Revenge, the modern arcade experience Wrath of the Mutants, and now Splintered Fate, offering a more console-style experience. More are on the way! So, how does this one fare?

Quite well, actually. If you've played the Apple Arcade version, you know what to expect. Think of a TMNT beat 'em up fused with Hades. You can play solo or with up to four players locally or online. Mikhail and I played online, and it worked smoothly. The solo experience is fine, but multiplayer enhances it. That's TMNT in a nutshell.

Shredder and a mysterious power cause chaos. Splinter is in danger, and the Turtles must save him. Expect plenty of Foot Soldier slicing and dicing. You'll dash, use perks, collect currency for permanent upgrades, and start over if you die. It's a roguelite beat 'em up, but with the Turtles, making it inherently better. It's not groundbreaking, but it's well-executed.

Splintered Fate isn't a must-have for everyone, but TMNT fans will appreciate this unique take. The well-implemented multiplayer is a plus. Those without a fondness for the Turtles can find better roguelites on Switch, but given the platform's intensely competitive roguelite scene, Splintered Fate holds its own.

SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5

Nour: Play With Your Food ($9.99)

Nour: Play With Your Food's initial PC and PS5 release surprised me by omitting Switch and mobile. It seemed perfect for touchscreens as an experimental food art experience. I enjoyed the PC version, but it's not a traditional game for everyone. If you enjoy playful sandbox experiences and love food, you'll likely adore Nour, but the Switch version has shortcomings.

For newcomers, Nour lets you play with food in various stages, set to interesting music. It's a blend of an interactive app for food and art enthusiasts. You start with basic tools, but the amount of food-based play is surprisingly extensive. This highlights why touchscreen control might be preferable.

The lack of touchscreen support on Switch is disappointing. Performance is also compromised compared to other platforms, resulting in noticeable load times.

Nour: Play With Your Food is worth checking out if you're into food, art, and interactive apps. While the Switch version isn't ideal, its portability is a plus. Hopefully, it will perform well enough to warrant DLC or a physical release. Games like Nour and Townscaper offer a nice contrast to more involved RPGs and story-driven titles. -Mikhail Madnani

SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5

Fate/stay night REMASTERED ($29.99)

Fate/stay night REMASTERED, released last month on Switch and Steam, is a remaster of the 2004 visual novel. It's the best entry point into the Fate universe. For those only familiar with the anime and other games, this is a chance to experience the series' origin. The 55+ hour playtime is remarkable given the price.

For those who played the original Japanese versions, Fate/stay night REMASTERED offers significant improvements. English language support is a major addition, along with 16:9 support. The remaster's visual enhancements are impressive, though it doesn't reach the visual fidelity of Tsukihime's remake.

The inclusion of touchscreen support on Switch is a welcome feature, making it particularly well-suited for the Switch Lite and OLED models. Its Steam Deck compatibility is also excellent.

The only significant drawback is the lack of a physical Switch release. Hopefully, its success will lead to one. -Mikhail Madnani

SwitchArcade Score: 5/5

TOKYO CHRONOS & ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos TWIN PACK ($49.99)

Having missed out on VR gaming, I was curious about TOKYO CHRONOS and ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos, praised for their VR experiences. The Switch version lets you choose which game to play. TOKYO CHRONOS follows high school friends in an alternate Shibuya, dealing with lost memories and killers. The narrative is predictable at times, but the visuals are good.

ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos is superior, boasting better production, music, writing, voice acting, and characters. It expands beyond a pure visual novel format, enhancing its memorability.

Some story elements might not resonate with everyone, and the Switch version has camera movement issues. However, touchscreen support and rumble make up for it.

TOKYO CHRONOS & ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos TWIN PACK is a great Switch experience, thanks to touch controls and rumble. I'm glad I finally experienced these stories without needing a VR headset. -Mikhail Madnani

SwitchArcade Score: 4.5/5

Select New Releases

Fitness Boxing feat. Hatsune Miku ($49.99)

The title perfectly describes the game's content. It's Fitness Boxing with Hatsune Miku, featuring 24 Miku songs and 30 more from the Fitness Boxing series. The mechanics are similar to other games in the series. Pick it up if you're a fan of both.