New Nintendo Switch Game Is One of Its Highest Rated Exclusives

New Nintendo Switch Game Is One of Its Highest Rated Exclusives

Key Takeaways

  • Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club reached the Switch in late August 2024, receiving great reviews at launch.
  • The game currently boasts an aggregate score of 79 and a 71% reviewer recommendation rate on OpenCritic, making it one of the highest-rated Switch exclusives of 2024.

As someone who has been a long-time fan of visual novels and Nintendo exclusives, I can confidently say that Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club is a must-play for any Switch owner this year. Having just finished the game myself, I’m blown away by its immersive storyline, engaging characters, and beautiful artwork.


As a gaming enthusiast, I’ve just dived into “Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club” on my Nintendo Switch. The early reviews for this game have been phenomenal, and it seems to be living up to the hype. In fact, its initial critical reception has been so strong that it’s already among the top-rated exclusive games of 2024!

After a few mysterious hints, Nintendo officially unveiled “Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club” in July 2024. This game is the latest addition to the murder mystery visual novel series known as the “Famicom Detective Club,” being its fourth installment. It was exclusively launched for the Nintendo Switch on Thursday, August 29.

Emio – The Smiling Man Debuts to Strong Reviews

The game “Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club” was warmly received by critics, as evidenced by its current “Strong” rating on OpenCritic. This rating is based on its aggregate score of 79 and a 71% recommendation rate from reviewers. As a result, it stands out as one of the highest-rated Nintendo Switch exclusives of 2024. So far, only two other Switch-exclusive games – “Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door” and “Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil” – have been released this year, and they’ve managed to secure an even more positive critical reception.

It’s yet unclear if the enthusiastic reception of this review will lead to significant sales. Nintendo, understanding the specialized audience for visual novels, has released not one but three demos of Emio – The Smiling Man, which were eventually merged into a single trial version on the eShop. This demo covers the visual novel’s prologue and first three chapters, providing a substantial sneak peek at the game. For context, Emio – The Smiling Man consists of 12 chapters in total, each taking approximately the same amount of time to finish according to data gathered by HowLongToBeat.

Top 10 Highest-Rated Nintendo Switch Exclusives of 2024 (So Far)

Game Release Date OpenCritic Avg. Recommendation Rate
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door May 23 89 99%
Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Feb 27 84 85%
Emio – The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club Aug 29 79 71%
Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD Jun 27 78 72%
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble Jun 25 77 71%
Mario vs. Donkey Kong Feb 16 76 69%
Princess Peach: Showtime! Mar 22 75 60%
Another Code: Recollection Jan 19 74 64%
Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition Jul 18 70 52%
Endless Ocean Luminous May 2 62 25%

Despite being the third highest-rated Nintendo Switch game of 2024 so far, Emio – The Smiling Man might not hold onto this position until the end of the year, as several highly anticipated Switch exclusives are yet to be released in the latter part of 2024. One such game is The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, scheduled for release on September 26.

As a dedicated gamer, I can’t wait for the next addition to the Zelda series! After that, it’s time for two more Nintendo classics: Super Mario Party Jamboree and Mario & Luigi: Brothership. These exciting titles are set to release on October 17 and November 7 respectively. With Nintendo’s history of creating amazing games, I believe these upcoming releases could surpass the success of “Emio – The Smiling Man”, mainly due to their broader mainstream appeal.

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2024-08-30 14:53