VGC awarded it 3 out of 5 stars, labelling it an enjoyable but simple mystery adventure:
“Detective Pikachu is full of simple puzzes, witty dialogue and Pokemon to discover. It won’t thrill older fans from a gameplay perspective, and it’s visually inconsistent, but it will likely introduce throusands of young fans to a whole new genre of video games.”
GameSpot gave it 6 out of 10 and called it “soft-boiled”:
“Detective Pikachu Returns is charming and well-made enough for what it is, but that is a mystery game made for younger readers. Its setting, story, and mechanics are all geared toward gently introducing the uninitiated to mystery tropes with a soft-touch approach, and that makes it hard to recommend for any age group above tweens. There’s some satisfaction to be had in seeing the story unfold, but mostly this is a game made to be played by or with kids, not to make you feel like a kid again.”
Comicbook.com called it “Ace Attorney for 8-year-olds” and awarded it 2.5 out of 5:
“Unless you’re a Poke-Fanatic or a young child, Detective Pikachu Returns probably won’t hold very much for you. Detective Pikachu is still a joy to watch, but his shenanigans are hardly worth the $50 price tag. However, I think that this game would be a great fit for younger Pokemon fans who aren’t looking for deep multi-layered mysteries. As much as I wished that Detective Pikachu Returns had a stronger storyline, Detective Pikachu still has plenty of charm and the kids seem to enjoy his shenanigans as much as they did during his movie.”
IGN thought the game had a bit of a dark streak to it, delivering a final score of 6 out of 10:
“The mystery story of Detective Pikachu Returns makes some bizarre and unexpectedly dark choices to get to its underwhelmingly predictable conclusion, and as a result it’s unclear who this is all for. Is it for young kids who will find the simplified puzzles about right, or adults who grew up with Pikachu and can handle the more mature themes of the second half? It’s still a cute, bubbly, animated adventure with humor, unique pokemon to meet, and a mystery to solve, but the mystery solving is long-winded, the visuals are lackluster, and the gameplay is so basic it might as well not be there at all.”
And last but not least, Eurogamer gave this sequel 3 out of 5 stars, calling it one for Pokémon fans:
“All of the game’s Pokémon are pretty great, in fact, and are given enough personality that I’m again reminded of the franchise’s anime, rather than its main series games. Not since Pokémon Mystery Dungeon have fans been able to see Pokémon natter quite so much amongst themselves about, well, us – and it’s always interesting to hear what quirky comments they might have to share. As a window into the world of Pokémon I can’t help enjoying this second slice of Detective Pikachu’s story – though it’s an experience I’d likely only recommend to similar Pokéfans.”
Will you be checking out Detective Pikachu Returns on the Switch this week? Tell us in the comments.
VGC awarded it 3 out of 5 stars, labelling it an enjoyable but simple mystery adventure:
“Detective Pikachu is full of simple puzzes, witty dialogue and Pokemon to discover. It won’t thrill older fans from a gameplay perspective, and it’s visually inconsistent, but it will likely introduce throusands of young fans to a whole new genre of video games.”
GameSpot gave it 6 out of 10 and called it “soft-boiled”:
“Detective Pikachu Returns is charming and well-made enough for what it is, but that is a mystery game made for younger readers. Its setting, story, and mechanics are all geared toward gently introducing the uninitiated to mystery tropes with a soft-touch approach, and that makes it hard to recommend for any age group above tweens. There’s some satisfaction to be had in seeing the story unfold, but mostly this is a game made to be played by or with kids, not to make you feel like a kid again.”
Comicbook.com called it “Ace Attorney for 8-year-olds” and awarded it 2.5 out of 5:
“Unless you’re a Poke-Fanatic or a young child, Detective Pikachu Returns probably won’t hold very much for you. Detective Pikachu is still a joy to watch, but his shenanigans are hardly worth the $50 price tag. However, I think that this game would be a great fit for younger Pokemon fans who aren’t looking for deep multi-layered mysteries. As much as I wished that Detective Pikachu Returns had a stronger storyline, Detective Pikachu still has plenty of charm and the kids seem to enjoy his shenanigans as much as they did during his movie.”
IGN thought the game had a bit of a dark streak to it, delivering a final score of 6 out of 10:
“The mystery story of Detective Pikachu Returns makes some bizarre and unexpectedly dark choices to get to its underwhelmingly predictable conclusion, and as a result it’s unclear who this is all for. Is it for young kids who will find the simplified puzzles about right, or adults who grew up with Pikachu and can handle the more mature themes of the second half? It’s still a cute, bubbly, animated adventure with humor, unique pokemon to meet, and a mystery to solve, but the mystery solving is long-winded, the visuals are lackluster, and the gameplay is so basic it might as well not be there at all.”
And last but not least, Eurogamer gave this sequel 3 out of 5 stars, calling it one for Pokémon fans:
“All of the game’s Pokémon are pretty great, in fact, and are given enough personality that I’m again reminded of the franchise’s anime, rather than its main series games. Not since Pokémon Mystery Dungeon have fans been able to see Pokémon natter quite so much amongst themselves about, well, us – and it’s always interesting to hear what quirky comments they might have to share. As a window into the world of Pokémon I can’t help enjoying this second slice of Detective Pikachu’s story – though it’s an experience I’d likely only recommend to similar Pokéfans.”
Will you be checking out Detective Pikachu Returns on the Switch this week? Tell us in the comments.
