The Pokemon franchise has made some very interesting spin-off games, but the recently announced Detective Pikachu: Birth of a New Duo for the 3DS may be the strangest Pokemon game yet. The trailer for Detective Pikachu shows a gruff, talking Pikachu with a Sherlock Holmes hat solving mysteries. The game is described as a cinematic adventure, with players following the adventures of Detective Pikachu and his human companion Tim Goodman. The trailer showed some gameplay footage of Detective Pikachu interacting with other people and Pokemon, all in low Japanese voice. I expected Detective Pikachu to have a high voice like in the anime, but hearing a little Pikachu talk like a hard boiled detective is very funny. If there is a western release, I hope Detective Pikachu is voiced by Danny Devito or Ron Pearlman.
According to the official website, Detective Pikachu is set to release on the Japanese eShop on February 3rd for 1,500 yen ($12.65). However, Japanese fans will be able to download the game for the discounted price of 1,200 yen ($10.12) until February 29th. No word yet on an Western release, but I would be suprised if this game isn’t released for North America and Europe. I mean the whole world loves Pikachu, especially if he drinks coffee and walks on his two pudgy little legs.
From the trailer it looks like Detective Pikachu will also feature other Pokemon,such as the scene where Detective Pikachu runs away from a Trevenant on his stubby little legs (which is adorable). Detective Pikachu shows a wide variety of expressions in the trailer, which makes him either cute or creepy (the answer is both). The trailer for Detective Pikachu is hilarious and unsettling, and I’m not the only one that noticed. We’ll see whether Detective Pikachu takes inspiration from Professor Layton, Phoenix Wright, L.A. Noire, or the Tell Tale Point-and-Click Adventure games. When I saw Detective Pikachu’s tiny hand grab a cup of coffee in the trailer, I was instantly sold.
This is certainly the strangest game to be announced for Pokemon’s 20th anniversary. Along with the re-release of the original Game-Boy games, the limited edition 3DS systems, Pokken Tournament, Pokemon GO!, and the Pokemon Company’s Super Bowl commercial, this is shaping up to be quite the anniversary for the franchise.