Detective Pikachu Returns (Nintendo Switch) Review

For those completely unfamiliar with the Detective Pikachu series, it is a very different sort of tale. No traditional battles, no tricky gyms, no hauling Pokémon. Instead its crammed full of action as a point and click adventure.

Players step into the shoes of a young detective prodigy called Tim, following on directly from the events of the first game. The clue sleuth isn't alone, as Tim is joined by a Pikachu with a slightly unhealthy obsession for coffee. The twist is that this particular mouse and his partner have what seems to be a psychic link. Those "pika pika" cries everyone else hears? Tim hears as full-blown sentences from a gruff, straight talking chap.

The mechanic is interesting. Detective Pikachu Returns allows players to indirectly communicate with Pokémon by using Pikachu as a translator of sorts. It opens up all sorts of dialogue options and allows Tim to draw advice from his partner directly.

Detective Pikachu takes on similar gameplay cues from its 3DS predecessor; playing much like the point-and-click games of old.

The game is almost like a blend of Ace Attorney in sleuthing and Professor Layton in puzzle solving. It leans more towards the former, with the detective duo dashing about and solving smaller mysteries, helping humans and Pokémon, whilst pursuing a bigger, more sinister narrative.

These set-pieces have a fair bit of variety, with players tasked to getting clues by talking to NPCs, interacting with Pokémon, stitching together objects, and carefully scouring the environment for clues to trigger the story forward. It's a standard adventure game brew, made more interesting by a whole host of Pokémon to meet. Once everything in place, Pikachu prompts the player into trying to piece together a hypothesis. Who did that heinous crime? How to get through that locked door? What's the best way to cross a river?

On the whole, the gameplay choices and mechanics work well - easy enough to pick up, with a sprinkling of variety throughout. That said, Detective Pikachu Returns isn't without its faults. Whilst the first game did feel fairly complex in places, it feels like the sequel took a step back in difficulty. Granted, the games are aimed at a wide audience - from young children to seasoned clue hunters - but some sections are obvious. The trope where the player understands the solution before the character is incredibly prominent in Detective Pikachu Returns - with plenty of backtracking to ensure each step of the dialogue trees are met. These frustrating moments are savoured, however, by the allure of the main story - keeping players chugging through the tasks to creep close to the big reveal.

It's the story and relationship between humans and Pokémon that's the key strength in both games, and in the Nintendo Switch sequel the critters feel more alive than ever before, going about their lives - with humans - in this bustling city. It's colourful, bright and effortlessly charming in visual design. The draw really is finding those Pokémon - not for any sort of collecting purpose, but to see favourites interacting within their environments in refreshingly different ways. The main series could really take some lessons in how to setup cities/locales with more character to them. The game is text heavy and can ramble on in places - it's perhaps not for someone who's looking to skip through - but there are accessibility options to change the pace.

In terms of presentation, Detective Pikachu Returns was met with heavy criticism from fans after the first glimpses of gameplay footage. Is it a significant step up from the the Nintendo 3DS version? No. Does the game take advantage of the Nintendo Switch hardware? Not particularly. That said, the game performs and runs well overall, and doesn't take away from the story. The design direction is there, but there could have been an opportunity to push the visual gloss that bit more, New Pokémon Snap springs to mind.

Detective Pikachu Returns is a fun little Nintendo Switch adventure that is ideal for younger players, offering a colourful, eclectic mix of characters, Pokémon and storytelling. It does veer to the simpler side in places in both game design and visual fidelity, but the appeal of the Pokémon universe is strong enough to draw players of all ages into the tale. Those who were fans of the Nintendo 3DS game or simply enjoy a classic point-and-click adventure would feel right at home with Detective Pikachu Returns.