REVIEW: Detective Pikachu Returns! The “incomplete” return of the franchise 185k5c

Released in October 2023, Detective Pikachu Returns is the return of the spin-off of the acclaimed franchise Pokémon, focusing on a different narrative than most mainline games. Considering the “Returns” in the name, the game is a continuation: its first edition was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2016, a huge success at the time. k4d6x

An interesting fact about the franchise spin-offs is that, in 2019, a film adaptation inspired by the first game in the franchise was released, called Pokémon: Detective Pikachu. The film is considered one of the best game-to-film adaptations.

Synopsis 6936h

As in its predecessor, in Detective Pikachu Returns we control Tim Goodman, son of Harry Goodman, an important investigator and former partner of the chatty and coffee addict, Pikachu. 

This game is a direct sequel, from which we will continue the search for Team e Pikachu by Harry, solving various mysteries and helping people and monsters in the development of the main story. The game begins two years after the events of the first game, with Team e Pikachu awarded by the mayor of Ryme City for resolving the case related to substance R, plot also used in the film adaptation.

Something important to point out is that it is not necessary to have played the first game in the franchise, as in the first few minutes of gameplay The game takes care to clarify past events and where we are.

Although the plot has some more serious elements, the game's characters have the same good humor seen in both the previous game and the movie adaptation.

While we seek to solve the main problem, which is discovering the whereabouts of Team, we are involved in the investigation into the disappearance of a priceless jewel, in addition to the famous side quests, secondary missions, which are mostly quick and simple to solve.

I felt that the game's target audience is more young people, because despite the seriousness at times, its events and expository dialogues make the narrative a little more predictable for people who like/enjoy the investigative genre.

Gameplay 106d5e

To talk about the gameplay, I will need to give a small spoiler, but it will not alter your experience with the game's story in any way. I prefer, however, to leave a warning here to make sure I don't catch anyone off guard.

The gameplay of Detective Pikachu Returns It's very simple, most of the time we control Tim Goodman and with it we can walk, talk and interact with objects, in addition to asking them to Pikachu Talk to other Pokémon.

During the game we will also control Pikachu: in these moments, in addition to the interaction possibilities already listed for Team, we can use some Pokémon to find clues. For example, setting up a Growlithe to sniff out traces.

Given the low complexity of the gameplay, there aren't many mechanical challenges in the game other than the quick time events, moments in which the player must press a button or series of buttons in a limited time.

To complete the game's story mode, the player must take around 11 hours of gameplay, but if you want to complete 100% of the game, this time should rise to an average of 14 to 15 hours.

Worth it? 3g3a2x

Detective Pikachu Returns is an spin off from the universe of pokemon, which brings a theme and gameplay very different from what we are used to in the series. Leaving aside collecting pocket monsters and turn-based combat, Pikachu Returns seeks to delve deeper into the psyche of Pokémon.

The concern in presenting a city where Pokémon and humans live side-by-side is notable, as in its predecessor and the film adaptation. Ryme City is beautiful and, even if limited, invites you to explore every corner available for interaction.

I could consider the game perfect, given the proposal and target audience, if it weren't for some points that leave a lot to be desired. One glaring issue concerns the game's graphics, which look the same as its predecessor on the Nintendo 3DS.

When Detective Pikachu was released in 2016, the game was considered beautiful, given the limitations of the 3DS, however, now in Nintendo Switch, of which we already know the potential, there is a notable drop in quality in the textures of the game's monsters.

The biggest problem, however, is the lack of subtitles in Portuguese, since the game's target audience may not have at least intermediate knowledge of any of the available languages. As it is a game focused on narrative, I believe that localized subtitles for our language would be the minimum for it to be truly successful with the audience for which I imagine it was designed.

Despite these factors, Detective Pikachu Returns It's an excellent choice for fans of pocket monsters and for those who are getting to know the Pokémon universe, but don't fit into the style of play of the main franchise. Even though it has a more juvenile story, the game manages to capture the attention of more experienced players.

If you are interested in the game and have a Nintendo Switch, it is now available and can be purchased through the official store costing R$249,00.

Editorial Board 272o3e

Game	Detective Pikachu Returns
The company	Creatures Inc.
Sideboard	Nintendo Switch
Release date	October 6th, 2023
Number of players	Single player
Genre	Aventura
Parental rating	Book
Compatible game modes	TV, semi-portable and portable
Game file size	9 GB
ed languages	German, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Spanish, French, English, Italian, Japanese
Price	R$249,00

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Text proofread by: Pedro Bomfim (23 / 10 / 23)