Nintendo’s Creepy Game Is Taking A Neat Approach To Demos

Earlier this summer, Nintendo released the unsettling first look at Emio – The Smiling Man, before revealing that it’s a long-awaited sequel to the Famicom Detective Club games. The game will be arriving before the end of the month, but players won’t have to wait that long to get their hands on it because the first chapter will be released as a demo next week.

Nintendo has announced that it will be releasing multiple demos for Emio – The Smiling Man, starting with Chapter 1 on August 19. Additional chapters will be added on August 22 and August 27. And in a nice touch, players’ progress through each chapter can be carried over to the full game when it is released.

So far, what we know about Emio is that he’s an urban legend in the game who committed multiple murders nearly two decades ago. Emio’s smiling faces on his paper bag mask also appeared to change in the promo materials that are on Nintendo’s official site for the title. The new game will cast players as a private investigator’s assistant as they attempt to uncover the truth behind Emio’s apparent return. Is the original Emio resuming his murder spree? Or is there someone new behind the mask?

Players will be able to get their answers when Nintendo releases Emio – The Smiling Man on August 29, exclusively on Switch.