Detective Pikachu Returns Review

Detective Pikachu has always been a character I loved. The concept of our familiar, soft, cute Pikachu solving mysteries with its deep voice and being a coffee addict is a concept I find incredibly appealing. I already like detective/crime themes, so when I saw this game during Nintendo Direct, I got really excited.

Unfortunately, I didn't play the Detective Pikachu game released in 2005, so I won't be able to comment much on that. Therefore, when Detective Pikachu Returns was announced, I had no idea what would happen in the game. However, as you can guess, it revolves around Pikachu and its companion Tim Goodman solving various mysteries in Ryme City. Tim can understand what Pikachu says, allowing you to interrogate various Pokemon by asking them questions through Pikachu.

The game gives us an initial background story. Pikachu is actually a Pokemon belonging to Tim's father, Harry. However, two years ago, Harry Goodman mysteriously disappeared. Tim is curious about the truth behind this mystery. Additionally, Pikachu and Tim are celebrated as heroes for previously saving Ryme City from a great threat.

When you look online, you can see that the game has mixed reviews. I could clearly see the reason for this at the beginning of the game. It doesn't offer much in terms of gameplay; it heavily relies on dialogues. In fact, these dialogues, sometimes repeating themselves too much, can be tiresome and exhausting.

I don't expect high-quality graphics from Nintendo games; I just appreciate their stylized appearances. Detective Pikachu doesn't look as good as Pokemon Scarlet, but it's not terrible either. They couldn't establish a cohesive visual style, and the images of human characters felt raw. In short, I was very disappointed in the first hour of gameplay. I just couldn't get into the game.

So, when did I start liking the game?
Here's the surprising part. I really enjoyed the game.

I realized that I might be unintentionally too critical because I had looked at the scores beforehand. So, I tried to play the game in a neutral way, immersing myself, and this time I couldn't stop playing for hours. Yes, the game is still like a visual novel, based on dialogues. However, this is expected from a detective game. As I played, I found the dialogues fun and liked its unique humor.

The first case we solve in Detective Pikachu is about a stolen precious jewel. We interrogate employees and Pokemon in a huge mansion. At first, I thought, "Yes, it's obvious who stole this jewel," and underestimated it a bit. The game wanted me to think that way. As I played, everything became more complicated and began to unravel like a knot. I held the thread in my hand and followed the clues with excitement and curiosity.

There are also gameplay sequences in a mini-game style, and the overall gameplay reminded me of Ace Attorney. I liked the idea of making a game like that with Detective Pikachu.
We write witness statements in a notebook and make deductions later. We may make mistakes, but they don't have much impact on the game. Pikachu comes and tells us that our deduction doesn't make sense, and we inevitably give the correct answer.

In addition to the main task we follow in the game, there are also small sweet side tasks such as finding a missing Pokemon. While playing, I felt like a part of Ryme City, always playing with curiosity about what would happen next. The game beautifully reflects a world where Pokemon and humans live together. I got really into it. It took its place among the special games for me this year.

The game doesn't appeal to everyone as I described. If I try to look at it objectively, it's a very average game. I liked it because I could find something for myself.

If you're in search of action, prefer mainstream Nintendo games with very high scores, and don't like visual novels, this game is not for you. If you have a special connection with Pokemon, like crime themes, and find Detective Pikachu cute, you might enjoy this game.