A talking Pikachu in a detective cap, addicted to coffee and susceptible to the charms of pretty passersby: with Detective Pikachu, released on March 23, 2018 for Nintendo 3DS, The Pokémon Company and the studio Creatures tried something new. No battles, no catching, but an investigation in a city where humans and Pokémon live together. An idea born in 2013, tested in Japan in 2016, and which inspired a movie a year later. How good is the game?
Ryme City, a city at Pokémon height
The game’s first success is its world. Ryme City, with its park, its harbor, its café, its television studios and its laboratory, is a city where every Pokémon has a place and a personality. The Pidove in the park avoid passersby, the Ludicolo at the Hi-Hat Café dances while serving customers, detective Baker’s Accelgor hides as soon as anyone looks at it. You see Pokémon in a new light, in their daily lives, through around a hundred species that are all witnesses to question.
Above all, Pikachu carries the game. Grumpy, boastful, greedy, he comments on every situation with humor that hits the mark, and forms an endearing duo with the very serious Tim. The dialogue is plentiful and often funny, and the cutscenes, also plentiful, are polished.
An accessible investigation
The game follows the tradition of Japanese mystery games: you explore places, question characters, examine the scenery, collect clues in a notebook, then combine them to answer Pikachu’s questions. Occasionally, action scenes ask you to press a button at the right moment.
The system is simple, perhaps too simple. The deductions are often obvious, the clues few at each stage, and a wrong answer is corrected immediately. Players used to Phoenix Wright or Professor Layton will find the whole thing easy. But that is also what makes the game accessible to younger players, and you move forward happily, driven by the desire to see what comes next.
A story that builds up
The plot starts with small cases, a stolen necklace, an agitated cave, then moves toward a more ambitious storyline: the disappearance of Harry Goodman, Tim’s father, and the mysterious substance R, which makes Pokémon violent. Each chapter brings a new location and a piece of the puzzle, up to a spectacular finale at the Ryme carnival. Without saying too much, some questions remain unanswered at the end, which left the door open to a sequel, released in 2023 on Switch.
A modest length
The game has a prologue and nine chapters, which you can finish at a leisurely pace in a few evenings. There is no notable side content, other than the collection of short Pikachu videos, unlocked notably with the amiibo released at the same time as the game. Once the story is finished, there are few reasons to start over.
Pokémon as witnesses
The game’s most original idea is to make Pokémon full-fledged witnesses. Pikachu translates what they say, and each one has its own character. From the first chapter, you have to find the Pokémon that lost a black feather: the Pidove in the park fly off as soon as you approach, and it is a passerby feeding them who lets you obtain their feather. At Fine Park, it is park Pokémon who tell how Charizard went on a rampage during a parade. A fan of the series will take particular pleasure in it, but the game explains everything others need to know.
The pacing
Each chapter follows the same structure: a new case, a series of places to explore, deductions, then an action scene and a revelation. The formula works, but it becomes predictable around the middle of the adventure. The last chapters renew interest by linking the cases together, and the final hours, more fast-paced, leave a good memory. The main regret is how guided the exploration is: the locations are small, and you almost always know where to go.
The presentation
On an aging console, Detective Pikachu holds up well. The carefully modeled Pokémon have expressive animations, and Pikachu in particular gets constant attention. The scenery is simpler, but readable. The cutscenes, very present, give the game the look of an interactive cartoon.
The legacy
Detective Pikachu served as the basis for the movie Pokémon Detective Pikachu, released in 2019, the franchise’s first live-action movie. The game then got a sequel, Detective Pikachu Returns, released on Nintendo Switch in October 2023. See From the Game to the Movie and Beyond.
Playing it today
The game exists only on Nintendo 3DS, as a physical copy. The Nintendo eShop for the 3DS closed in March 2023: the digital version can no longer be purchased. Its sequel, Detective Pikachu Returns, is playable on Nintendo Switch, but the original remains the best way to meet the duo.
Our verdict
Detective Pikachu is an endearing investigation, driven by an irresistible Pikachu and a rich world, but too easy for fans of the genre. A game apart in the series, which gave rise to a movie and a sequel.
What we like
- Pikachu, funny and endearing
- Ryme City and its everyday Pokémon life
- A plot that builds up
- Polished presentation for the 3DS
- Accessible to younger players
What we like less
- Deductions that are too easy
- Modest length and little replayability
- An ending that leaves questions unanswered
- Available only on 3DS
