Nintendo is a name associated with family fun, whether that’s gathering around the TV with Mario Kart or adventuring through the world of Hyrule. But in 2024 one game broke through that image to try something both harrowing and ambitious. Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is a riveting story about the darkest of subjects, a serial killer. The game took its dark material seriously, weaving in dark themes like domestic abuse, suicide, and the cruelty of humanity. This was not your usual Nintendo fare.
That’s not to say it wasn’t great. Emio is in fact one of the best narrative adventure games released in years, treating its mature themes with care and thoughtfulness. It’s just that this boundary-pushing experience isn’t one you usually expect from Nintendo. But apparently, its developers didn’t have as much trouble getting it green-lit as you might think.
