Detective Pikachu

Detective Pikachu (known in Japan as Great Detective Pikachu) is an adventure game developed by Creatures Inc. and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. The game is a spin-off of the Pokémon franchise, in which the player works with a talking Pikachu to solve various mysteries. A shorter, downloadable version of the game called Great Detective Pikachu: Birth of a New Duo was released in Japan in February 2016, while the full version was released worldwide in March 2018.

In contrast to previous Pokémon role-playing games, Detective Pikachu is an adventure game spin-off focusing on narrative storytelling, with a presentation comparable to the Pokémon anime series. A live-action film adaptation was released in May 2019. That same year, a sequel, Detective Pikachu Returns, was announced for the Nintendo Switch and was released on October 6, 2023. The game begins with a peculiar talking Pikachu, who claims to be a great detective.

One day, Pikachu encounters a boy named Tim Goodman, who is able to understand what he is saying. They are immediately put to the test with retrieving a stolen necklace from thieving Aipom. Afterwards, they head to Baker Detective Agency and meet Mike Baker and secretary Amanda Blackstone, both of whom were close to Harry Goodman, Tim’s father and Pikachu’s owner. Harry had gone missing following a mysterious car crash that happened the same time Pikachu got amnesia.

Tim and Pikachu deduce that Harry was last seen trying to investigate Litwick Cave, and arrive just in time to rescue GNN reporter Meiko Okamoto and her assistant Emilia Christie from a rampaging Glalie, who seems to not remember why it was attacking to begin with. Detective Pikachu is an adventure game in which players control Tim Goodman as he works together with Detective Pikachu to solve various mysteries. This is accomplished by walking around scenes, finding potential clues, and speaking with people and Pokémon to uncover new information.