Nintendo's first Famicom Detective Club game in 35 years is getting an evolving demo starting next week

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Emio - The Smiling Man's demo will get two more chapters before launch

Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Emio - The Smiling Man - the first new Famicom Detective Club game in 35 years - is getting a demo next week that will continually add new chapters until launch.

Emio - The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is out for Nintendo Switch on August 29, but Nintendo just announced that a demo will be arriving next week on August 19 in the US and August 20 in Europe. This demo will carry over progress to the full game when it launches just over one week later.

That's great, but what's even better is that the demo will update with new chapters in the days after it launches. One chapter will be available on launch day, August 19/20, while a second chapter will arrive on August 22, and a third and final chapter will debut on August 27, just two days before the full game launches.

This should help introduce us to the main characters surrounding the Emio case. The titular character is a killer of urban legend - one who committed a series of murders 18 years before the new game takes place and might have resurfaced for another murdering spree. You take on the role of a young assistant to a private investigator, attempting to crack the Emio case once and for all.

Nintendo's first teaser surrounding Emio shocked pretty much everyone, because it sure looked like the developer was making a full-fledged horror game. That's not quite the case, although it must be said that Emio - The Smiling Man does look pretty unsettling.

If you didn't already know, famed Metroid developer and all-around Nintendo veteran Yoshio Sakamoto is producing Emio - The Smiling Man, after overseeing the superb Metroid Dread. I think it's fair to say the Famicom Detective Club revival is already in good hands.

Take a look at our upcoming Switch games guide for an overview of all the other exclusives Nintendo has slated to launch this year and beyond.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.