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 straight into reviews today. I've got two for you: Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate. Our contributor, Mikhail, also weighs in with his thoughts on Nour: Play With Your Food, Fate/stay night REMASTERED, and the TOKYO CHRONOS & ALTDEUS: Beyond Chronos TWIN PACK. After that, we'll cover the day's notable new releases and round things off with the latest sales lists. Let's get to it!
Reviews & Mini-Views
Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club ($49.99)
Sequels to long-dormant franchises seem to be all the rage these days. Nintendo, surprisingly, has revived the Famicom Detective Club, a series primarily known in the West through a fleeting Switch remake of the first two games a few years ago. This time, we get a brand-new entry – a welcome development.
The challenge with reviving an old IP lies in balancing faithfulness to the original with modern sensibilities. Too faithful, and the game risks feeling dated; too much change, and you alienate the fans. Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club sticks closely to the style of the recent remakes, which themselves were quite faithful to the originals. It's a peculiar mix. The visuals are top-notch, comparable to modern titles, and the narrative pushes boundaries beyond what 90s Nintendo would have dared, even in Japan. However, the gameplay remains very old-school, a key factor in whether you'll enjoy it.
The game begins with the discovery of a deceased student, a paper bag bearing a smiling face over his head. This unearths cold cases from eighteen years prior, featuring a similar calling card. The urban legend of Emio, a killer promising eternal smiles, resurfaces. Is it a copycat? Or does Emio truly exist? The police are baffled, so it's time for the Utsugi Detective Agency to step in! You'll investigate locations, interrogate suspects (often repeatedly), and uncover the truth.
The gameplay is reminiscent of the investigative sections in Ace Attorney. Depending on your tolerance for this style, you might find it tedious. Certain logical leaps could have been smoother, and clearer guidance would have been beneficial. However, within the constraints of its genre, Emio doesn't stray too far from the norm.
While I have some minor story criticisms, I found the game engaging, suspenseful, and well-written overall. Certain plot points didn't resonate with me as strongly as they seemed to with others, but discussing them would spoil the experience. This is a story best enjoyed fresh. The positives outweighed the negatives, and when the plot intensifies, it truly captivates.
Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is atypical of Nintendo, but any potential developer rust is certainly not evident. The mechanics might be too closely tied to the originals, and while the plot is largely excellent, the pacing occasionally lags or resolutions feel less satisfying than hoped. Despite these minor flaws, it's a highly enjoyable mystery adventure. Welcome back, Detective Club!
SwitchArcade Score: 4/5
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate ($29.99)
The Switch is accumulating a solid collection of TMNT games. We have the Konami classics in the Cowabunga Collection, the superb modern beat 'em up Shredder's Revenge, the arcade-style Wrath of the Mutants, and now Splintered Fate, offering a more console-like experience. And more are on the way!
This one's pretty good. If you've played the Apple Arcade version, you know what to expect. Imagine a TMNT beat 'em up infused with Hades. You can play solo or with up to four players locally or online. Mikhail and I played online, and it worked flawlessly. The solo experience is decent, but multiplayer significantly enhances it.
Shredder's up to his usual mischief, involving a mysterious power, and Splinter's in trouble. The Turtles must save him. You'll battle Foot Soldiers, utilize tactical dashes, acquire perks for your current run, and collect currency for permanent upgrades. Death means starting over. It's a roguelite beat 'em up, but with the Turtles – automatically better. It's not groundbreaking, but it's solid.
Splintered Fate isn't a must-have for everyone, but TMNT fans will appreciate this unique take. The well-implemented multiplayer is a plus, showcasing an often-overlooked aspect of TMNT games. Those unfamiliar with the Turtles might find better roguelites on Switch, but in a highly competitive genre, Splintered Fate holds its own.
SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5
(Reviews of Nour, Fate/Stay Night, and the Tokyo Chronos/Altdeus Twin Pack follow, formatted similarly to the above examples, maintaining the original image placements.)
(The remaining sections of the original text, including sales information, are also paraphrased and rewritten in a similar style, maintaining the original image placements.)
