Over five years ago, Detective Pikachu on 3DS traded traditional Pokémon elements for mysteries more familiar to Phoenix Wright/Professor Layton gamers. A year later, the movie adaptation became the second highest-grossing video game film at the time, removing trainers, Poke Balls, and battles in favor of evidence-gathering, deduction, and a Pikachu that can speak far more than its own name. It’s difficult to tell the story of Detective Pikachu Returns without dealing with the discrepancy between the game and the movie. Because of this discrepancy, Detective Pikachu Returns has no story to tell.
It begins with Tim Goodman and Detective Pikachu receiving awards for their investigative work in the last game. As they continue the search for Tim’s father, Harry, things quickly go wrong, and they solve a series of connected mysteries. Tim was the straight man to Pikachu’s gruff, coffee-swigging comic relief, and I enjoyed their familiar rapport. A great experience is watching this relationship grow and evolve as the cases become more personal as the game progresses.