Famicom Detective Club: Which Game Should You Play First?

Both Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind were released by Nintendo on May 14th, 2021. Since the games are remakes, one may assume that they should play them in the release order of the originals; the truth however is a little bit more complicated. Continue to below to find out how you should play these two games.

The Missing Heir was the original release in the series of games. It follows the protagonist as he attempts to uncover the grim details of the death of the cursed Ayashiro family matriarch. The original game helped to pioneer the visual novel genre. The Girl Who Stands Behind was the second entry in the series and tasks the same protagonist with uncovering a murder at a high school that has been attributed to a spirit of a girl thought to have died over a decade previous. While one can certainly play these games in the order of their original release, The Girl Who Stands Behind is a prequel and can also be played first.

This leads to two separate recommendations. For those who would prefer to experience the story in chronological order, you are best playing The Girl Who Stands Behind first and then taking on The Missing Heir. While there is no compelling story reason to play them in the original release order, The Girl Who Stands Behind benefits from the experience the team gained from making The Missing Heir and features more logical puzzles and writing. If you are the type of gamer who needs to play a series in order or has trouble going back to an older game in the series after playing new entries, then you should probably play The Missing Heir first before moving on to The Girl Who Stands Behind. Ultimately, both are connected and worth experiencing together; and both made our Top 15 Games for Spring 2021 List.

Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir and Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind are available on the Nintendo Switch