Nintendo's second mystery on Famicom Disk System. A new case, new suspects — and a prequel chapter that came after.
Famicom Tantei Club Part II: Ushiro ni Tatsu Shōjo was developed and published by Nintendo for Famicom Disk System in June 1989 — the sequel to Famicom Tantei Club, featuring a new murder investigation in a high school setting involving a mysterious girl who had died decades before. The game added Ayumi Tachibana as a central character who would become a recurring figure in the series. Unlike the first game, Part II told its story in two discs. It sold approximately 700,000 copies and is considered by fans to be the series' strongest entry.
About this game
Famicom Detective Club Part II: The Girl Who Stands Behind is a mystery adventure game released in 1989 on the Famicom Disk System, and a prequel to the 1988 original. The player investigates the murder of a high school student whose ghost appears standing behind people — and the secret of an unsolved case at the same school from years prior. Produced by Gunpei Yokoi and directed by Satoshi Okada, the game was inspired by Italian horror director Dario Argento's techniques of synchronizing music with imagery to generate dread. It remained Japan-exclusive for 32 years until the Nintendo Switch remake brought English subtitles in May 2021.
Key Features
Classic Japanese adventure game command-based investigation. Two-part structure across separate FDS disks. Composer Kenji Yamamoto deliberately mixed regular game music at half-volume, then maximized volume for the game's climactic final scene for maximum impact. Full voice acting added in the 2021 Nintendo Switch remake. Option to switch between the original 8-bit soundtrack and the new score.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Producer Gunpei Yokoi cited Dario Argento — specifically Deep Red (1975) and Suspiria (1977) — as the primary creative inspiration, marking one of the earliest documented cases of Italian giallo horror influencing a Japanese video game. The game's scenario writer hid their name as an anagram in the credits, and the packaging artwork was sketched in a shojo manga aesthetic by designer Toru Osawa. For 32 years, this was inaccessible to non-Japanese players — a masterpiece of interactive mystery fiction hidden behind a language barrier.
Tricks & Tales
Composer Kenji Yamamoto's sound design is a deliberate psychological tool: regular in-game music runs at approximately half the standard volume throughout the game, conditioning the player to a certain audio level — then the final climactic scene hits at maximum volume, creating maximum physiological shock. The scenario writer's credit uses a deliberate anagram of their actual name. The 2021 Nintendo Switch remake by MAGES. is the first version with English text, ending a 32-year wait for international players.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Japan-exclusive until the Nintendo Switch remake (May 14, 2021), which added English subtitles and Japanese voice acting. All previous versions — Super Famicom (1998), GBA (2004), Wii (2008), 3DS (2013) — were Japan-only. Original FDS disks (both parts) are considered rare collector's items.
Maintenance Tips
The drive belt is the most critical maintenance item. The original rubber belt (approximately 31mm diameter) stretches and eventually fails after decades of storage, preventing the drive from reading disks. Replacement belts are widely available from retro hardware suppliers and require no special tools -- a documented procedure exists in multiple collector guides. After belt replacement, the drive may need alignment, which is a more involved process. The RAM adapter board contains electrolytic capacitors that should be recapped if the unit is used regularly -- leaking capacitors can damage the PCB and corrupt disk reads. Clean the battery compartment with vinegar and a cotton swab if corrosion is present. FDS disks should be stored in their cases away from magnetic sources.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Famicom Detective Club Part II: The Girl Who Stands Behind copies regularly.
What hardware do I need to play a Famicom Disk System game?
An FDS game requires three components: a Famicom console, the RAM Adapter (which plugs into the cartridge slot), and the Disk Drive unit (connected to the RAM Adapter). The drive requires its own power supply (six C-cell batteries or an AC adapter). Without both the RAM Adapter and disk drive, FDS disks cannot be played. The Famicom Disk System was sold exclusively in Japan and was never released elsewhere.
Are Famicom Disk System disks and drives still reliable after 35+ years?
Disk reliability varies — the magnetic media can degrade over time. More commonly, the rubber drive belt inside the FDS disk unit degrades with age, causing read errors even on undamaged disks. Belt replacement is the most common and important FDS maintenance repair. If you plan to use FDS games, have the drive belt inspected before use. A working drive with a fresh belt can read original disks reliably.
How does saving work on Famicom Disk System games?
FDS games save directly back to the floppy disk itself — there is no internal battery backup. Data is written to the disk after the save command is given, so the disk can be overwritten. To protect original game data, cover the write-enable notch with tape to make the disk read-only. Many collectors keep one play copy and one archival copy for important titles. Never power off the Famicom during a disk write operation.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Famicom Detective Club Part II: The Girl Who Stands Behind
A short checklist for buying a used Famicom Disk System disk wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Inspect the disk and its shell
Disk System media is fragile — the magnetic disk can wear, and saves are written back onto the disk itself.
Ask whether it was tested and reads reliably; look for cracks or a warped shell in photos.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is Japanese Famicom Disk System media and requires a Famicom with a working Disk System drive.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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Mind the drive belt on the console side
Disk System drives commonly need a replacement belt to read reliably — this is a console matter, not the disk.
If reading is unreliable, the console's belt is the usual culprit, not the game.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
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Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Famicom Detective Club Part II: The Girl Who Stands Behind sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
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