Visual novels are insanely popular in Japan, but not the most favorite genre among Western and especially Russian gamers. But if you slightly dilute the reading of the text with elements of a classic quest and search for objects, you get a very interesting combination. Famicom Detective Club is Friv2Online's attempt to breathe new life into a classic and introduce it to the rest of the world. I must say, quite successful.
As you might guess from the name, Famicom Detective Club is a Switch remake of the Famicom-era detective simulator, as the NES console, known to us as "Dandy", was called in Japan. In addition to the Famicom, one of the parts came out on the Super Famicom (aka Super Friv2Online). Now the series has been translated into English for the first time and has been released outside of Japan.
Famicom Detective Club Review - High School PoirotThis is how it looked before
The bundle included two games: The Missing Heir, which was first released in 1988, and The Girl Who Stands Behind, a prequel released a year later. On the Switch, both friv games run independently, but access each other's saves to sync up the protagonist's name that the player enters. A trifle, but nice.
Both games are identical visually and gameplay, differing only in the plot. In The Missing Heir we investigate the murder of a wealthy family, and in The Girl Who Stands Behind we investigate the death of a high school student under mysterious circumstances. To say more is to turn the review into one big spoiler, so it's much better if you evaluate them yourself.
In terms of gameplay, the Famicom Detective Club friv games look like a hybrid of a visual novel with a hidden object. We look around different locations looking for various clues and clues, and also interview different people, trying to find something useful in their words for the investigation.
As new details are clarified, we may discover new topics for conversation or the possibility of moving to another place - this is how the plot moves. Everything is expected to be simple - after all, the roots of these friv games go back to the eight-bit era.
Management is carried out through the text menu, and in the inspection and search mode - by moving the cursor on the screen and selecting interesting places. In order not to forget anything, our hero keeps a notebook with information about the victim and all the people interviewed. It is also used in a kind of mini-game in dialogues, where, according to available data, it is necessary to fill in the gaps in some statements - like in school tests. And when loading the save, we are invited to take a look at the "summary of the previous series."
WHAT DID YOU LIKE
Beautiful graphics. The Switch was not an updated version or even a remaster of the 80s classic, but a full-fledged remake. All characters and locations are redrawn to match the modern platform. The pictures are mostly static, but are diluted with light animations and cut scenes. And it all looks very cool.
Excellent audio track. The soundtrack has always been a strong point of Japanese games, and Famicom Detective Club is no exception. Pleasant music perfectly matches the environment and creates the right atmosphere, and all dialogue is fully voiced in Japanese. The actors try very hard and convey emotions well, so at times there is a feeling of watching a good anime in the original with subtitles.
Simple and intuitive control. There is no tutorial in the game from the very beginning, only small hints along the way when introducing new mechanics. Even the button to rewind the dialog is not shown. However, the management here is so obvious that you deal with everything yourself literally in the first seconds.
Interesting detective story. Given the specifics of the genre of the game at the junction of a quest and a visual novel, I would not like to talk about the plot here at all - any little thing can become a spoiler. In both games, it is very interesting and exciting: The Missing Heir is clearly inspired by the detective classics in the spirit of Agatha Christie, and The Girl Who Stands Behind is a detective with elements of school horror in Japanese flavor.
WHAT DID NOT LIKE
Linearity and lack of replayability. Unlike many modern visual novels, Famicom Detective Club does not feature any branching of the plot. Most likely, this is due to the original source - in those days one could only dream of non-linearity - but in any case, returning to games after passing is almost pointless.
Multiple selection of the same items in dialogs. When talking, we choose not specific remarks, but general topics for conversation. Therefore, no matter how much the interlocutor tells us, they do not change, and instead of harmoniously following the thread of the narrative, the dialogue turns into “finishing off” each point until we stop receiving new answers.
Pixel hunting. In addition to dialogues, we will need to inspect some places in search of evidence, and the objects of interest to us are far from always clearly visible. You have to look for them by moving the cursor almost all over the screen.
Lack of localization. As in all friv games close in genre, here you need to read a lot and understand the meaning of what is written well. Without knowledge of English it will be problematic.
WORTH TAKING?
Famicom Detective Club Review - High School PoirotThe last name of the victim in one of the friv games is Kojima
If you like detective stories and measured meditative gameplay, then Famicom Detective Club is exactly what you need. The game will pull you in with its plot and charm you with a wonderful soundtrack and a cute picture. True, it is quite expensive - a full-fledged "full price" at the level of top Friv2Online titles. But this is somewhat offset by the fact that the kit comes with two games at once, and not one.
