Famicom Detective Club is brilliant. Famicom Detective Club is also incredibly stupid, sometimes. But it's still brilliant. It's both, at the same time, like a child who's just argued that, if glue is non-toxic, then there's really nothing wrong with them eating a whole cup of it. Sure, sticky child! You're technically right, congratulations! But you've also just eaten an entire cup of glue, and now your bowel resembles a kindergarten art project.
Famicom Detective Club comes in two parts: The Missing Heir, which first came out in 1988 in Japan, making it almost as old as Mario; and The Girl Who Stands Behind, a sequel which followed in 1989. The two games have never been released in English, other than unofficial fan translations, until now — and the remake, with new art, localisation and voice-acting (only available in Japanese) was a surprise that nobody expected.
Sadly, because nobody expected these games, other than die-hard fans, their reveal on the Nintendo Direct earlier this year flew largely under the radar. Many viewers — this reviewer included — had little idea of the provenance and importance of these two games, and they just looked a bit like another detective game cribbing from Ace Attorney. But, of course, they're much older, and set up a lot of the tropes that Ace Attorney used over a decade later.
Famicom Detective Club — both parts — are about a young man whose name you choose at the beginning (ours was called "Badguy Murderman" because we are very immature). In The Missing Heir, he's investigating a suspicious death as part of the Utsugi Detective Agency, despite only being 17 years old, and soon he gets caught up in much more than he bargained for.
The story itself is as you might expect from a Japanese murder-mystery: a dash of the supernatural, a rumoured curse, a question of inheritance, and a whole bunch of familial drama that will slowly ooze out like blood under a bandage. We won't say too much here, because it's much more fun to go in blind, but it's a good story, well told, even if the idea of a 17-year-old detective and his high school sidekick is a little... suspect.
You'll spend a lot of The Missing Heir alone, although each day will end with you and Ayumi Tachibana — the aforementioned sidekick — recapping the day and speculating on what it all means. Having played both games, it's a little disappointing that Ayumi gets sidelined in The Missing Heir because she plays much more of a vital role in The Girl Who Stands Behind, but most of The Missing Heir is focusing on the protagonist's own story, anyway.
Like Ace Attorney's investigation sections, your time will be spent walking from location to location, looking at items, and mostly talking to people, like Zenzou, the butler of the mysterious wealthy family at the heart of the case, or one of the skittish, miserable family members who want nothing to do with you. But, this being a mystery, there's an extra twist: you also have amnesia, because of course you do.
Famicom Detective Club shares a lot of DNA with the Ace Attorney series, despite being its predecessor by 13 years, and part of that shared DNA includes the frustration at not knowing what you're supposed to do. Like other old-school text-based games, The Missing Heir is annoyingly hard at times, not because you haven't figured out what to do, but because you know what you're supposed to do, but can't work out what arcane series of actions the game requires of you in order to do it.
One scene involves yelling the name of a character who isn't in the scene several times, in order to scare the man you're talking to into telling you a secret. Another scene might need you to ask someone a question multiple times, getting no answer each time, and eventually that character will say, "wow, you really care about this subject, don't you? Alright, I'll tell you." One particularly annoying solution is to look at an item in the background, which will spur a character into a line of dialogue that has very little to do with the thing you're looking at.
There's an informal name for this phenomenon in old games: "cat hair moustache puzzles", after the infamously ridiculous puzzle in Gabriel Knight 3 that required players to combine cat hair with maple syrup in order to impersonate a man that didn't even have a moustache. Granted, The Missing Heir is not quite that nonsensical, but there's definitely still a lot of "how the hell was I supposed to know that?"
But it almost doesn't matter. The visual upgrades made to the game are above and beyond what you would expect from an under-the-radar remake of a 30-year-old Japanese title. The animation technology used to make characters move and speak is reminiscent of how TV show Archer does it — a lot is achieved with a little, and characters will tilt their heads, smile, and toss their hair with convincing personality. Be warned, though, that the images of dead bodies that pop up from time to time are pretty spooky, with realistic and occasionally gory detail, far beyond the rather gentle corpses you get in Ace Attorney.
A few other quality-of-life improvements include the ability to check the text log (by pressing X) if you need a reminder of pretty much anything you've been told — you can play the voice line, too — and, when you restart the game, you can choose to read a short recap of what's happened so far. There's also the notebook, reminiscent of Ace Attorney's Court Record, which contains all the facts and rumours you've heard about people, plus their ages, names, and photos (if you know what they look like), and holding down the left bumper will fast-forward through text you've already read (if you turn the option on). As a neat little bonus, you can even change the soundtrack to the original Famicom bleeps and bloops — although the modern orchestral version is much nicer.
So, yes, You will spend a lot of The Missing Heir cursing at the game for being so bloody obtuse (although we have an upcoming guide that'll help with that!) but you'll also spend a lot of it hooked on the unfolding mysteries and getting to know the various personalities in the game. Once you've figured out how the game wants you to play — by repeating yourself, a lot — it'll get a little easier, at least, and you'll be able to really enjoy a ripping good murder-mystery.
Conclusion
The Famicom Detective Club remakes are living history, and a chance to catch up on what you missed out on, either by being too young, or not being able to speak Japanese. Though The Missing Heir has its faults, those faults are largely down to "that's just how games used to be", and it's held up remarkably well all the same.
Comments 71
Can’t wait to buy it!!!
The mystery to if the game is good or not has finally been solved.
I usually never go for japanese voice over but I'll be making an exception with this game. can't wait to play it
I had a suspicion it would be good, but this settles it, downloading it this weekend!
Really pricey, I'll have to wait for a price drop, but being from Nintendo we really can't count on anything beyond a 30% twice a year sadly.
Anyway I kind of wish they had included the original visuals too, with the possibility to toggle between the two options, like many remakes do. Now it feels like a DS/3DS visual novel.
Kate is just F**** great isn't she? I love this review, and i'm now more then willing to buy.
I was excited for this... so happy it was worth my hype
@CountDrakeulah I've read it again and still can't see the ageism. Care to explain?
@Snatcher No kidding! After having read the first paragraph I was laughing out loud due to the author’s imagination. Having read the whole review I am now on the fence of buying a game I had no particular interest in before 😀
@CountDrakeulah she harmed no one.
Kate did literally nothing wrong and she certainly doesn’t need to apologize lol
Can be frustrating to know what to do next
Now you have another game you love that'll never get another sequel
...these are cons because?
Cause getting stuck and learning what to do is considered normal for adventure games so how is that really a con here?
And not getting another sequel....seriously, how does that give it an 8/10?
@CountDrakeulah This is a sockpuppet account isn’t it. 4 posts, 2 of which are on this page.
Two for 60 enough said
Seems generous for a game you can only play once
Was on my radar since it was announced. I love games like this.
@Socar I’m fairly sure the latter remark is tongue in cheek. If you want to understand the author’s reasoning behind awarding the game a ‘Great 8/10’, it might be worth reading the review itself, rather than trying to infer it solely from the Pros/Cons list.
Looking forward to this one!
@Moroboshi876 I couldn't agree more. I see that we get a discount off the second purchase if we buy one, but yeah, Nintendo never really chops off too much in their sales. It'll sit on my backlog until that inevitable sale comes.
Sounds good. I'm a little concerned about the forementioned obtuse logic when progressing the story, which probably should have been addressed when remaking these games, but it doesn't sound like they really harm the experience that much.
It's nice that the original soundtrack is in here, but it was a missed opportunity now allowing players to flip between the modern presentation and the way it originally looked on the NES ala The Dragon's Trap remake.
@CountDrakeulah You tipped your hand when you mentioned Kotaku, Mr./Ms. Troll.
Funny that you mention the infamous GK3 cat-hair mustache puzzle. While it understandably sounds so stupid out of context, it has a certain (albeit miniscule) justification if you think about it this way — neither Gabriel nor his intended lookalike target has a mustache, but by ADDING a mustache to the target's ID, he makes all the other imperfections in his "costume" a lot less likely to be scrutinized. "Yeah, he has the same huge mustache as his ID... Huh, those wrinkles aren't there... Maybe he just got some face cream."
Still no excuse for why Gabe chose cat hair, though, or how he went about acquiring it.
I'm excited for these because I miss Cing and the series they used to make, such as Another Code and Hotel Dusk. But I will also be waiting for a discount as £50 is too much for visual novels.
I love the "Now you have another game you love that'll never get another sequel" Con. XD
I'm interested in both games, but the prices are a bit high for my liking. I'll probably wait for a sale.
Man, can't wait to play both of these. I'm on a murder mystery kick right now so these came out at the perfect time.
It feels strange after all this time to still have to callback to Ace Attorney when talking about these types of games. Oh well, glad this got a decent rating.
@CountDrakeulah Your false claims and nonsense against someone who did nothing wrong is a special word called trolling
Looking forward to playing these two games at some point, just not straightaway as have Subnautica preordered and downloaded ready for Friday.
@Maxz Read the full review and still don't get why its an 8. If its similar to Phoneix Wright, then being obtuse isn't a flaw. If the visuals are something like Archer..is that suppose to be bad?
Anyways, the reviewer is stating that its like Pheonix Wright..but doesn't say to those whether this game can be picked up if you haven't played Pheonix wright in the slightest.
Basically complaining about the core idea of adventure games and how frustrating it is to solve problems when that's literally how these adventure games are designed to begin with. Unless if she meant that they are cryptic..in which case..ok fair enough..but that's not mentioned even a bit.
I wanted to play the series ever since I found the trophy in Super Smash Bros Melee.
Can't wait to try it.
And don't try to badmouth Kate Gray for no reasons, random new account: she's an international video game treasure.
So is the Dual box Japan version english text if anyone knows?
@Socar A decent amount of the cons you’ll find on the reviews on this website are sarcastic, as is the case with it not getting a sequel. Just because a game doesn’t have any major cons doesn’t mean it gets a 10/10, because a game can have no cons but not be perfect. Only perfect games (like BotW or Odyssey) get 10/10s. They’re quite rare.
@BabyYoda71 Part of a review is to explain the flaws of the game hence why the score factors in. If you don't explain the reasoning behind the scoring, then you're not telling the game's problems to those interested in the game which is not being honest.
I expected an honest review. Not sarcastic pros and cons.
@Socar humor and honesty aren't antinomic.
But it's ok not to enjoy someone's or some site's style.
It would be awful if every review was identical though.
@Socar She said the puzzles are frustrating and obtuse - that alone can knock off 2 points depending on the reviewer. Everyone else here seems to think that's fair. She said too that these are still great games. The score given is significantly above the metacritic average. What more do you need to understand?
@Socar If you read the review then you would know that Kate wrote that it can be frustrating to progress at some points and not everything is explained well. Which is mentioned in her cons list. So I don't really see where you are finding any dishonesty.
Thank you for the well written review.
@Snatcher She's actually the best.
Great review. Informative and funny. Thanks.
Not sure if other countries still run the voucher program - but in Australia it's still available for $134.95 (AUD) for 2 vouchers. The game is $90 (AUD) and accepts a voucher - making the cost $67.48 (AUD), a 25% discount at launch. I've bought all my first party games this way.
I'll be honest, I expected a Visual Novel written by the guy that wrote the story for Metroid: Other M to be pretty bad so I'm pleasantly surprised it's getting decent reviews.
@LeonKennedy thank you, Leon! I loved you in RE4.
@Sabrewing I appreciate this insight! I never played Gabriel Knight 3, though I asked a friend about it for this review. Honestly, kids these days don't know how tough we had it in the point-and-click days
Looks good, I might consider it if Nintendo could provide a paid English Dub DLC.
Still a little annoyed with Nintendo of America for the lack of a Western physical release. This is a long unlocalized first party Nintendo game, for crying out loud! It should have a snazzy limited edition akin to the really nice Fire Emblem:Shadow Dragon 30th Anniversary edition, with a replica cartridge and faux Nintendo Power cover poster for Ninten Detective Club (or something like that). I’d even be fine if they just brought the Japanese LE over here. Anyway... I was onboard with buying both Famicom Detective Club games as soon as I saw the trailer, but I might hold off for now just in case a physical release is announced during next month’s Nintendo Direct. Both I and a younger sibling are really into Ace Attorney and other detective games, so I’d prefer to share one game between the two of us.
@NautoAis211Dx No matter how much I’d love an English dub, it’s probably not happening. Now, a physical release of the two games on the other hand...
@LXP8 Yeah, I agree, £50 is too much. I mean, all they did was completely update every single drawing in the game, put in a few animations, hire a team of voice actors to fully voice both games, make a complete translation from the previous Japanese only release, and add in a bunch of quality of life upgrades. They were SUPER lazy on this.
£50 gets you both games btw. £25 each. You probably paid more for Another Code, Hotel Dusk and the Ace Attorney games (if you bought them)
@Indielink @everynowandben I read the review, she mentioned specific puzzles that spoil the puzzle. Sure, many reviewers do this but this is an adventure genre based game. Of course you're going to expect cryptic puzzles at some point so why should that factor in the score?
Games like Maniac Mansion, Grim Fandango are difficult because of cryptic puzzles. But they are adventure games and there is little you can do in them.
But ok, I can take that as a con. It still doesn't cover up the Phoenix wright argument as that can only be understood to those who played Pheonix Wright. What about those who can't?
And what does not getting a sequel have anything to do with being a con? Plenty of games don't get sequels and they don't get criticism for not getting a sequel.
@Socar There is a difference between cryptic and, how the heck was I supposed to know that. And it seems like Detective Club crosses that line a few times. Just because "there is little you can do in them," doesn't mean they should be filled with inane crap to waste your time. That's really pretty simple.
Kate used on the most popular modern adventure games, and one with a long history on Nintendo systems, as a frame of reference to describe how the Detective Club works. This is a common thing people do. Comparing one thing to another. Thankfully, Kate is a good writer and still describes the gameplay well enough that people like me who haven't played AA can understand how Detective Club plays out.
As several people have mentioned, it's her goofing off and having some cheeky fun. People are allowed to do that sometimes and it's done rather frequently on this site for games that have very few flaws.
Honestly it sounds like you skimmed or barely read the review and are just trying to find something to moan about.
@Trikeboy I wasn't talking about the quality of the games presentation though. I'm saying £50 for this bundle is too much for me when they're just visual novels.
I checked the prices I got those games for and they actually added up to £50 as well coincidently. But that's for x4 games.
Another Code £8
Another Code R £6
Hotel Dusk £9
Last Window £27
@LXP8 Comparing second hand prices to the day one price? Just admit you are cheap and the people who put a lot of work into this game don't deserve to get paid.
@Indielink No its not. Because in that case that's more on you not able to figure it out and not the fault of the puzzle itself. That isn't fair for the 8 rating if you can't figure out the puzzle.
I mean a game like La-Mulana knowing for having obtuse puzzles is rated an 8 here but is praised for its puzzles despite that and the con was wonky controls.
And no I'm not a fan of sarcasim especially if a review is to target people who are interested in products that they might like. This review leaves a lot that I can't honestly figure out if its a good thing or not.
@Socar If you dislike the review so much, why don't you write your own review and build yourself up instead of tearing other people down?
@Socar Dude, reread the examples she gave. There are multiple instances where you just need to repeat the same option over and over until something changes. That's not good game design. How is the player supposed to figure out that nagging an NPC ad nauseum will eventually turn a positive result. La Mulana's puzzle are weird but there are actual hints and logic behind them.
She threw in a silly comment at the very end of a mostly glowing review. It wasn't insulting towards anyone who might be interested in the game and was just a joke about the age and history behind the game.
@Trikeboy I'm not cheap, I just don't have the money to buy every release from Nintendo at full price. I have to select which ones to buy at launch based on factors such as their gameplay, and which to wait for a sale or buy used. I'm not sure why you're coming at me so strongly about this, it's my money to spend and I'll be waiting for a discount for these games.
Also why do you think the developers shouldn't be paid? Or did you word your last comment wrong? I'm sure they will do well from these games and I hope they do.
@everynowandben I do write reviews. I just find this one rather unpleasant. Is there an option to submit my reviews here at Nintendolife?
Anyways, doesn't really matter since Nintendolife still has better reviewers like Tom and Alex.
@Indielink I don't want to bother spoiling the puzzles for myself thank you very much. Even so, many points she brings up are not making any sense. Is it suppose to be bad that the game is having visuals similar to Archer or a good thing? Because most visual games are illustrated in that manner.
@LXP8 I certainly think developers should be paid. You are the one moaning about the price of TWO games, not one, being packaged together at £50 by dismissing it as "just a visual novel" when they are clearly more than that. Compare the games to their original form and you can clearly see the developers of these remakes have done a lot of work to more than justify the price of the games.
I do look forward to trying this game. An investigation game from the 80's modernized made by Nintendo. A genre they don't specialize in and that I don't touch could be interesting. I've heard about Ayumi Tachibana and that she was considered for Smash once. Waiting a while, but I'll get them.
@Trikeboy Okay it's just you just worded your previous message to this one so that it implied you didn't want them to get paid, which threw me off.
I don't know why my original comment came across as moaning to you. It was a sensible comment where I put my opinion across in a way which wasn't over the top with emotion. If it bugs you to see people discussing negative opinions on aspects of games you think are good, you should probably find a different website to chat on.
For me these games are too much money for what they are and I'm not planning on buying them at this time. I'm sorry but you haven't said anything to convince me otherwise.
@Socar Maybe just let it go and focus on your own reviews, then. If you think you can do so much better, then prove it. There are plenty of websites that allow user reviews. If you're actually good at it, you'll get noticed. Good luck.
@everynowandben Yeah that works. Also I do get attention for my reviews...atleast in one site.
@Socar She praised the visuals. How are you somehow twisting that as a bad thing? It sounds like you didn't actually read anything, not the reviews, not the pros, maybe just the cons, and latched on to something totally without context. Which would be your fault and not the reviewer.
@Socar Even if she didn't put those cons it would have still been given a 8.
@Indielink
" The visual upgrades made to the game are above and beyond what you would expect from an under-the-radar remake of a 30-year-old Japanese title. The animation technology used to make characters move and speak is reminiscent of how TV show Archer does it — a lot is achieved with a little, and characters will tilt their heads, smile, and toss their hair with convincing personality. "
Where do you see anything on a positive note regarding visuals? Cause I can't figure out the point the reviewer was trying to make.
@Socar I don't understand how you can read that and NOT think that is positive.
@LXP8 And what would you consider a good price for the people who spent hours upon hours completely overhauling these games from the ground up?
@Trikeboy Hmm definitely somewhere below £50
@Socar "Part of a review is to explain the flaws of the game hence why the score factors in."
I think it's perfectly clear from the review that this is a visual novel, so it's understandable that this isn't getting more than an 8, regardless of whether one thinks the listed cons are actual cons or not.
Just finished the first game, I thought it was great! Also, great review and THANK YOU for such an awesome guide!!!! I am amazed at how much effort you put into it too make it spoiler free but keep it accessible. Because there are numerous moments when there are no apparent choices to progress the story and it is NOT a skill-based issue. There are literally zero clues or reason or rhyme to some moments (moments which aren't even that important at times, which baffles me that some of the progression triggers are so convoluted). These aren't really things I can fault them for since I'm assuming it's more or less a 1 to 1 remake and part of the charm is in the old school obtuse menus lol.
I was nervous about looking it up at certain points because you can be right on the brink of a lead and you don't want it to be spoiled but the guide handles this soooo well - THANK YOU
Also lol @ people in this comment section putting almost more effort into complaining about the review without even playing the game. If you're interested in an old school point and click adventure you know exactly what you are getting into. If not, look it up. Because you're wasting your time and everyone else's by crying here. This is a perfect review of this game and after beating it I agree 100% with everything she said.
Also the hand drawn art in this game is beautiful, I am not even much of an anime or manga fan tbh but this game's art style is gorgeous
@Socar seek help. I hope I never stumble across your video game reviews. Goodbye.
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