The original was by no means a masterpiece but this game might just make it look like one, the budget on this game must have been ridiculously low, the models look worse than on the 3DS and animate like mafia city ads, and the voice acting... Oh god the voice acting... You'd get better voice work hiring on fiver, even Tim and Pikachu sound worse than in the original so I know they're capable of better so who knows what happened there.

The plot is also pretty nonsensical, villains use these all-powerful Deus ex machina cubes that let them completely control pokemon at will, they also try to act like they're not gonna go the same route with Pikachu as the movie did, but guess what? They did. A very odd fake out that I don't see much purpose to. The only thing that redeems this game from getting a much lower score was the ending, the main bad guy converting himself into Deoxys' body and throwing down with Mewtwo was pretty cool, still wish the rest of the game could have been at least on the level of the first game.

The art of deduction is the process of drawing logical conclusions based on available evidence and reasoning. Being able to examine the evidence and come to an accurate conclusion is the lifeblood of detective work. If the answers were to present themselves without having to do the work of gathering evidence and formulating inferences based on logical reasoning then there would be no need for detectives at all. While Detective Pikachu Returns demonstrates these principles, the player is scarcely expected to conduct any form of deductive reasoning. As a matter of fact, the player is barely allowed to conduct their own investigation. What Detective Pikachu Returns does offer, is a concise and moderately paced story. In the wake of the successful film adaptation, Detective Pikachu Returns is the next logical step for this Pokémon spinoff series.

The first thing that stands out when playing is the tutorial investigation. This was done well as it shows you, functionally, how the game flows between gathering evidence, speaking to witnesses, and making deductions. The investigation is short, and it effectively introduces the main characters and tells you about them. The next investigation then expands on these principles by giving you multiple factors to figure out. Each investigation has a unique setting that fits within the expectations of detective work. Investigations include a stolen jewel from a mansion, finding your way to an archeologist lost within ancient ruins, and gathering evidence in the city to prove the innocence of several Pokémon that were detained for crimes they did not commit. All of these investigations tie together for the overall story in which, our main characters (Tim Goodman and Pikachu) are trying to find Tim’s father who hasn’t been revealed as the very Pikachu that Tim is doing detective work with. Each investigation adds a new piece to the puzzle until you uncover the heinous plot being perpetrated by the mysterious organization called Unitas.

While each investigation is interesting in its own respect, the game never allows you to do the investigating on your own. At every turn, Pikachu, Tim, or another character tells you what to do. When investigating a crime scene the game tells you when you are looking at an object of interest, and informs you that you’ve gathered all that you can from the scene once you’ve interacted with every piece of evidence. Then once you’ve gathered all of the evidence, Pikachu or Tim will say “Alright! It’s time to start deducing” as a way to inform you to bring up your notebook and draw your conclusion. This is presented to you as a multiple-choice question such as “How did the professor open the door?” There are no consequences if you select the wrong answer as Tim or Pikachu will say something along the lines of “Hey that can’t be right because of this” or “Are you sure that’s the answer? Consider this” and then put an “X” on the answer you chose and let you try again. The overall experience makes you feel like you’re engaging in a visual novel with reading comprehension quizzes, rather than a detective game. If the presentation did a better job of conveying that then this would be less of an issue.

The presentation of Ryme City, and its surrounding environments, was effective in conveying the idea that people and Pokémon coexist more equally to each other than the traditional relationship of Pokémon and their trainers. The streets are bustling with activity as many different shops are run by people and their partner Pokémon. Being able to interact with the various people and Pokémon allows you to feel the sense of community that is present. Pikachu has a rapport with the owner of his favorite coffee shop, the quiz professor is present around every corner, ready with her partner, Toucannon, to test your knowledge of the Pokémon in the area, and the rival detective who always seems to be one step ahead of you with his Manetric. All of these factors lend themselves to a cohesive world and make interacting with it enjoyable. Some of the dialogue is corny but it’s endearing in its own way. The sum of it all makes you want to participate in the world and get to know the citizens of Ryme City.

Due to how the game plays out it’s a blessing how short it is. The game takes about 10-20 hours to complete depending on how much time you spend looking around and interacting with the other characters. There are a series of sidequests throughout each investigation but those are for the player's self-satisfaction as there is nothing to gain from helping anybody out. You do it more because it makes sense for Tim and Pikachu to want to help out more than to ignore everyone to focus on the main investigation. Were the game to allow you to take charge in your detective work then I would have enjoyed the game much more. That being said, the different settings present were still fun to explore and the story was interesting enough to encourage me to keep going and if the experience were a little more involved I would have wanted more from it. With these good qualities present, the experience of Detective Pikachu Returns overall remains bland and dissatisfying.

No sabía muy bien lo que me iba a encontrar al empezar este juego, pues no tuve oportunidad de jugar la anterior entrega de 3DS pero debo decir que ha estado bien, ni muy bueno ni muy malo, decente.
Desde luego las tonterías del adicto al café mas perspikachu me han sacado alguna risita que otra y la trama si bien es muy predecible, no me ha impedido disfrutarme las casi 16 horas que le he dedicado, aunque reconozco que a los primeros 15 minutos de juego no sabía muy bien si seguirlo o dejarlo guardado para otra ocasión.

Ahora, el caso que me ha tenido en velo constante y con ganas de acabarlo hasta el punto de acostarme casi a las 3 de la mañana por ello fue demostrando la inocencia de Pikachu en el capitulo 3. En última instancia me gustaría decir también que la banda sonora me ha flipao en todo momento. No es nada especialmente rimbombante, mas bien está para dar ambiente pero la he escuchado de pe a pa durante horas y no me ha parecido nada pesada ni aburrida.
Algún día probaré el juego original de 3DS y ataré cabos.

Especial mención al metacomentario que se hace de la película al final del prólogo.