It’s no coincidence that Detective Pikachualthough perhaps the least known video game of the saga, was the first film with real actors after years and years of animated films and a very long series of cartoons. The idea of a sort of ironic noir mystery set in a world where humans and Pokémon coexist side by side in an urban context it’s the perfect breeding ground for gags and interesting situations.
And perhaps also thanks to that success and its inevitable sequel (which is still in the works), here we are faced with a new chapter: Detective Pikachu Returnsin which we will return to the field to help Pikachu and his human friend Tim Goodman in a series of increasingly complex cases.
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The story resumes at an unspecified time after the 2016 game for 3DS and the only real connection with the past concerns Tim, whose father disappeared mysteriously and we don’t know what happened to him. The story is set in the fictional Ryme City and is still based on a very specific mechanic: Tim is the only one who can understand Pikachu.
Thanks to this peculiarity, the two can collaborate to solve small and large mysteries: Tim deals with talking to humans, and Pikachu interrogates the other Pokémon, who are often unwitting witnesses to thefts and other crimes. To make everything funnier and paradoxical there is Pikachu’s voice, which when he talks about himself uses a hoarse detective voice all bourbon and cigarettes (but in the game he obviously only drinks coffee) but is heard with the usual ringing “Pika! Pika!” by humans.
The game is designed especially for a very young audience, therefore, despite being a detective story, don’t expect particularly scabrous situations or crimes, nor overly complex puzzles. However, rest assured that there will be no shortage of twists and turns.
Don’t expect a classic Pokémon game either: we’re more in the neighborhood of a very simple graphic adventure where all you will be asked to do is talk to the people involved in the case and analyze the scene to find clues and objects that can help resolve the situation. Once we have collected some information, we will be able to formulate hypotheses to understand how the story unfolded what the next step could be. Was it really the butler who stole a precious gem? Which creature could help us with its powerful sense of smell to find the next clue?
Occasionally we will be able to exploit the abilities of some Pokémon to help us in investigations or reveal certain areas. For example, Luxray is a Pokémon with powerful X-ray vision that will be extremely useful for spotting something beyond a wall, other Pokémon could help us with their strength and so on.
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From a visual point of view, even taking into account that we are on Switch, a console with its years behind it, Detective Pikachu Returns it does not shine with particular visual solutions. Which is a bit of a polite periphrasis to say that it seems like a remake of the chapter for 3DS rather than a game released in 2023. The animations are very plastered and the visual effects are reduced to a minimum. It’s okay that the game is designed for an audience of young and very young people (or die-hard nostalgics) but given the limited environments something more could have been done on the details.
For the rest, Detective Pikachu Returns represents a perfect title for one family game session in which parents can have fun with boys and girls solving small puzzles and stimulating logical thinking, thanks to a story suited to them both in terms of themes and level of difficulty. If, however, you are looking for something for more than skilled solvers or normally play visual novels and investigation games, you may be disappointed. But given Pikachu’s charisma you might still find some funny moments. And then a puzzle is always a puzzleso just start to make you curious to understand what lies behind the next twist.