Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind are both releasing on Nintendo Switch next week on the 14th. Seeing as how there hasn’t been that much discussion about these games and that there hasn’t been that much marketing in the West, I thought I could do a write-up about this series, what these games are, and how the release of these games can represent an important shift for Nintendo and it’s view on localization and other IP’s.
**TL;DR at the bottom**
# – What is Famicom Detective Club? –
**Famicom Detective Club**, known as Famicom Tantei Club in Japan, is a series of **Adventure Visual Novels** that were initially created for the **Famicom Disk System** and were **exclusive to Japan.** The series is a **First-Party Nintendo IP** and was written by **Yoshio Sakamato,** known for his work as the **director and producer of multiple Metroid games** and produced by **Gunpei Yokoi**, **designer of the Gameboy and producer of both Kid Icarus and Metroid for the NES.**
**The Missing Heir**, released in 1988, focuses on the **playable protagonist** waking up with amnesia and learning that he is a detective amidst a murder investigation. Accompanied by **Ayumi Tachibana**, a member of the same detective agency as him, the game focuses on the **exploration, investigation, and interrogation** of a Country-side village and it’s inhabitants to solve the murder case.
**The Girl Who Stands Behind,** released in 1989, is a **prequel to The Missing Heir**. Both the **Protagonist and Ayumi Tachibana** return in this title, taking place in a high school. The case to solve revolves around the murder of one of the students, who happens to be a friend Ayumi’s, and a rumor of a ghost that roams the halls of the school.
The gameplay revolves around **exploring environments** for clues by observing and clicking on objects in different areas. You’ll also be able to **interrogate individuals** by speaking to them and gathering information from them as well. Some individuals say that the gameplay of Famicom Detective Club is **similar to the investigation portions of Ace Attorney games.**
# – Upcoming Remakes –
Both Famicom Detective Club games were revealed to be receiving remakes in the **Japanese September 2019 Nintendo Direct**. During the **February 17th, 2021 Nintendo Direct,** it was revealed both games were receiving **western localization** with a **Global May 14th, 2021 release date.**
The duology of games is being developed by **Mages**, a video game company that **focuses on Visual Novels,** known for their work on visual novels such as **Steins;Gate and Corpse Party. Yoshio Sakamoto** will fill in the roll of **producer** for these titles.
These remakes include:
**-HD Visuals**
**-Completely Redrawn Character Portraits and Backgrounds**
**-Live 2D Animated Character Portraits**
**-Full Voice Acting (Japanese Dub Only)**
**-Completely Redone Music (With toggles to revert back to the music from the Originals)**
These remakes also mark the **first official Western Release** of the series with **Complete English Localization.**
Both games are priced at **$34.99 Each**, however **with the purchase of one of the games, the other is discounted by $10, reducing the total price of purchasing both to $60.**
The Games are going to be **Digital Only in the West. A special edition with both games on a cartridge is being released in Japan, but lacks English support.**
**Here are a few videos that showcase gameplay:**
– [Official Announcement Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qw_6v9xN7s)
– [Official Overview Trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhWxF5LLR1U)
– [Nintendo Life Preview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYla2lHnLX4)
– [Easy Allies The Girl Who Stands Behind Preview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYdGCjafWQ0)
# – Importance: Localization and Revival –
Following the reveal in the Nintendo Direct on February 17th, discussion of these games seemed very minimal in comparison to other titles revealed. While these titles definitely aren’t on the scale of something like Zelda or Splatoon, I believe these games represent a potential shift in regards to how Nintendo approaches it’s release of games, and it’s due to the precedents that these releases represent; precedents that lean into what many Nintendo fans have been asking Nintendo to do for years: **localization of Japanese-Exclusive titles and the revival of currently dormant IP’s.**
Having been revealed exclusively in the Japanese September 2019 Direct, it was **unknown if these titles were ever going to be localized**. It wasn’t until the February 2021 Direct, nearly a year and a half later, that these titles were receiving English Localization and a simultaneous global release date, marking the series first foray into the Western Market, over 30 years later.
The release of the Famicom Detective Club remakes also marks the series **first new release in over 20 years**, the latest being the SNES remake of The Girl Who Stands Behind in 1998. Since then, the series has only seen a port to Gameboy Advance and various Virtual Console releases across the Wii, Wii U, and 3DS.
Seeing how the release of these games mark both a modern comeback for the series and it’s first appearance in the West, it’s entirely possible that the release of the Famicom Detective Club Games could set a precedent of **future localization of previously Japanese Exclusive Games (Mother 3, Buddy Mission BOND)** and the **revival of currently dormant IP’s (F-Zero, Earthbound)**, especially if these games do well in the West. While I’m not saying that the release of these games guarantee an official Western release of Mother 3 or the comeback of F-Zero, I believe these games do mark an important change in terms of Nintendo’s future releases. Many fans call for Nintendo to bring attention to smaller IP’s and I feel that many gloss over the fact that the release of Famicom Detective Club is exactly that.
**TL;DR: Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind are remakes of previously Japanese exclusive First-Party Famicom games. They are Adventure Visual Novels that focus on investigation, exploration, and interrogation. The release of these games mark a potential shift in Nintendo releases as this is the first Western localization of the series and it’s first new release in over 20 years. Many Nintendo Fans call for focus on smaller IP’s, the localization of Japanese Exclusive games, and the revival of dormant IP’s. It’s possible that if these games are successful in the West, similar localizations and revivals can follow.**