Summary
Nintendohas provided a first teaser for an upcoming horror title, potentially hinting at a new M-rated exclusive. While there have been some horror exclusives for Nintendo’s consoles over the years, fromFatal Frame: Maiden of the Black Wateron the Wii U toDeadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguiseon the Switch, it’s not a genre commonly associated with Nintendo in recent years, with the majority of horrors on theNintendo Switch being third-party titles.
The 15-second teaser, simply titled “Emio,” was uploaded to variousNintendoYouTube channels today, andfeatures a figure wearing a trenchcoat with a paper bag over their head with a smiley face drawn on it.The caption asks, “Who is Emio?” in hashtag form, already sparking plenty of fan speculation. Emio loosely translates to “Smiling Man,” which makes sense considering the character’s attire, something that will likely be adopted for many a low-effort cosplay should the game be successful.
The age restriction on the YouTube upload was also requested by Nintendo rather than assigned by YouTube.
A Japanese page forEmiowas launched at around the same time on theNintendowebsite, but it is equally mysterious as it displays an image of the character and the name and nothing more.
10 Scariest Horror Games On Nintendo Switch, Ranked
Although Nintendo mostly releases and licenses family-friendly games, the Switch has a fair share of great horror games. Some of which are terrifying.
Who Is Emio?
Fans Are Already Speculating Who The Figure In Nintendo’s Teaser Is
The Nintendo UK YouTube clip opens with a “Viewerdiscretion” warning that the video “contains scenes that some viewers may find disturbing.” It sports a PEGI 18 rating upon its opening, which is certainly not common for a first-party Nintendo title. The company often caters more to families with its exclusive output. Therefore, it quickly caught the attention of horror fans who are keen to figure out who this mystery figure is.
It’s also surprising that Nintendo would announce a new game after what was presumed to be thefinal Nintendo Direct showcase for the Switchin June 2024. It’s possible that this wasn’t announced as part of the showcase to keep it mostly family-friendly with its content. Still, itcould also suggest that the horror may be coming toNintendo’s announced-but-yet-to-be-revealed next-gen console, especially if it uses the same more realistic visuals as its trailer that the Switch’s hardware may struggle with.
Time will tell, but the prospect of a new full, M-rated horror title byNintendois intriguing enough. Now that the teaser has been revealed, hopefully, it won’t be much longer before Nintendo provides some answers about who Emio is and just what horrors await their players.
