One of the first big surprises of Wednesday's Nintendo Direct was the announcement of the Nintendo Switch version of two games over 30 years old. Introducing the Famicom Detective Club, a series of two games originally released in 1988 and 1989, respectively. These two Nintendo-developed adventure games, modernized for 2021, will be released individually on Switch starting May 14. Their official localized titles will be Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind.
As should be clear, these two Famicom Detective Club games are complete remakes. Text-based adventure games originally released on the Japanese equivalent of the Nintendo Entertainment System aren't going to have aged particularly well. Now both games have impressive animated visuals akin to modern visual novels and updated gameplay. Gone are the text-based mechanics, but the mystery-based storytelling has been preserved.
For those curious as to how the game will play, it's perhaps best conveyed by the developer's past works. The two Famicom Detective Club remakes are being made by Mages, formerly known as 5pb. Mages is a well-known visual novel developer responsible for the highly-rated Steins; Gate game franchise, as well as dozens of other VNs. In 2021 alone, Mages will release five other VNs, including Memories Off Historia Vol. 1 and 2, Phantom Breaker: Omnia, and Steins; Gate 0 Elite.
Officially, both Famicom Detective Club games were announced in September 2019. At the time, it was believed that the two games would be exclusively available in Japanese. The games were eventually delayed in 2020 and have now both been announced for worldwide launch. Nintendo must have seen something special in the two Famicom Detective Club remakes, especially to feature them in today's Nintendo Direct.
Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind release May 14 on Nintendo Switch.