FIRST IMPRESSIONS: DETECTIVE PIKACHU
April 17, 2018
After two years of waiting, this quirky spinoff from the iconic main series Pokémon has finally been released in Europe.
You start off as a young boy called Tim Goodman in search of Baker Detective Agency to help him find out what happened to his father. Along the way, you find yourself partnered up with the greatest coffee-loving detective of all time Detective Pikachu. The rosy-cheeked Pokémon turns out to have been your father’s partner before his disappearance! Together you must solve the mysteries hidden throughout Ryme City.
Throughout the game, there is no Pokémon trainer dynamic and this is intriguing to see them work together as equals rather than ordering the Pokémon about.
And this Pikachu can really stand out by itself.
Instead, of an adorable yellow mouse with its usual cute Pika Pika noises for the past 22 years. He has developed a rough, witty tone and speaks in the human language which only your character can understand.
Never in all my years, I would have never expected that a familiar deep voice to come from that creature. Ryan Reynolds is known for sassy, talking back characters such as Deadpool. How on earth did the company manage to hire such a big actor for a seemingly unimportant spin-off?
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The art style is what you would usually see in the later 3DS Pokémon main series such as X, Y, Sun and Moon.
This game takes the visuals in a different direction. 3d like characters and the world is centred more around cities and amazingly well put together so the humans and Pokémon don’t look out of place with each other.
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This style is not completely stand out and appears as less cartoon-like. Even some of the simplistic illustrations in the Case Notes are still charming to look at.
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Instead of your classic battle format of attacks, this game requires more search and interrogation, like the playstyle of the Ace Attorney. Simple mechanics are in place and easy to understand.
The game difficulty is easy even on the more difficult settings but then again, the game is geared towards a 7 plus audience and is nowhere as difficult as puzzle detective game Professor Layton. At first, I was expecting a series of minigames, yet the cases have a strong enough storyline alone.
The easy navigation helps as the bottom screen will contain Case Notes and Pikachu will hint at what direction and what questions need to be answered. You gather clues and still need to answer the questions, which at times can be quite tedious. The only thing is if you are an avid Pokémon fan with a lot of knowledge, you will easily be one step ahead of the characters the entire time.
Going into this game, I didn’t hold high expectations, but I was surprisingly impressed. Thought had clearly in place in some of the comedic skits. Although the mysteries were somewhat predictable, it was very enjoyable.
Detective Pikachu really comes into its own, the sassy version of the rodent steals the entire show and the sketches on his own were easily entertaining. This game will easily be enjoyed by younger audiences, but older fans of the franchise can really appreciate how this game comes into a league of its own.
This game is indeed “a bolt of brilliance.”