Detective Pikachu is a mystery-solving game developed by Creatures and published by Nintendo for Nintendo 3DS. An extended version of a game released in Japan in 2016, it launched worldwide in March 2018. Here is its sheet.
| Japanese title | Meitantei Pikachu (名探偵ピカチュウ) |
|---|---|
| English title | Detective Pikachu |
| Platform | Nintendo 3DS (physical and Nintendo eShop) |
| First revealed | October 28, 2013, NHK documentary |
| Short Japanese version | February 3, 2016, on the Japanese eShop |
| Extended version announced | January 12, 2018 |
| Release | March 23, 2018 in Japan, North America and Europe; March 24, 2018 in Australia |
| Developer | Creatures |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Genre | Mystery |
| Players | 1 |
| Accessory | Detective Pikachu amiibo (large format, 13.6 cm) |
| Chapters | Prologue and 9 chapters |
| Sequel | Detective Pikachu Returns (Nintendo Switch, October 6, 2023) |
An idea from 2013
The project was first mentioned on October 28, 2013, in a documentary by the Japanese channel NHK about Tsunekazu Ishihara, president of The Pokémon Company: a talking Pikachu who solves mysteries. Nintendo filed the “Meitantei Pikachu” trademark as early as October 11, 2013. The first game, Detective Pikachu: Birth of a New Duo, was released in Japan on February 3, 2016. See Birth of a New Duo.
The 2018 version
Announced on January 12, 2018, the extended version takes the first chapters of the 2016 game and adds many more, for a complete story. It was released on March 23, 2018, as a physical copy and as a download, along with a large Detective Pikachu amiibo. The 2016 game was withdrawn from sale at the same time. A demo was then offered on the eShop, as we reported in April 2018: Detective Pikachu now available as a demo.
The content
- a prologue and nine chapters: see the walkthrough overview;
- around a hundred Pokémon, all characters in the story: see Characters and Pokémon;
- short Pikachu videos to unlock, some of them with the amiibo, presented below.
The Detective Pikachu amiibo
The game’s release came with an amiibo of the hero, wearing his cap. At 13.6 cm tall, it is much larger than a standard amiibo. Scanned on the Nintendo 3DS, it unlocks short Pikachu videos, which may contain useful clues for the current investigation. It is not required to finish the game; if you are stuck, it can give you a helping hand.
Rating
The game was rated by PEGI for Europe as early as December 2017, even before the official announcement of its Western release, as we noted: Detective Pikachu: PEGI has rated the game for Europe.
