Nintendo and horror are two things that don’t mix, so everyone was taken by surprise when the Japanese gaming giant dropped an unsettling and age-restricted teaser on 10 July for what seems to be a fresh horror adventure.
Featuring 15 seconds of grainy footage, it stars a figure in a trench coat with a paper bag over their head. The Cheshire cat grin elevates the sense of uneasiness that permeates the video, stemming from a few disturbing notes on a child’s piano, a Jack-o’-lantern cutout, and a straight cut to a person’s hand which appears to be missing a finger.
The teaser then ends with Japanese text in the background, translated to mean “laughing man” or “smiling man”. Apart from the accompanying caption of ‘#WhoIsEmio”, there’s barely any information to be gleaned, with the U.S., Europe, and Japanese X/Twitter accounts remaining equally enigmatic.
This out-of-the-blue tease wouldn’t be such a big deal, except that Nintendo is all about being family friendly and “put[ing] on the faces of everyone we touch,” per its mission statement. Yeah, that’s definitely not happening here.
It’s unclear who’s working on the project, but a number of fans pointed out that established horror developer Bloober team has announced a work-in-progress titled Project M for “Nintendo platforms”. Reportedly, the game is expected to be unveiled this year, which is also when the studio’s Silent Hill 2 Remake will release.
In any case, a new Nintendo horror game is an exciting and interesting prospect, especially with its rare foray into scream territory. For those seeking some not-so-scary thrills, Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD is your best bet amid the wait.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Yonk
