Game Information

Game Title: Detective Pikachu Returns

Platforms:

  • Nintendo Switch (Oct 6, 2023)

Trailer:

Publisher: Nintendo

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 68 average - 21% recommended - 24 reviews

Critic Reviews

GamesHub - Leah Williams - 4 / 5

While overtly silly and over-the-top at times, Detective Pikachu Returns effectively balances its light with its extreme darks, wielding its cuteness as a tool to tell an impactful and fairly relevant tale about corruption, felt throughout various cases.

Siliconera - Brent Koepp - 8 / 10

Detective Pikachu Returns is a charming mystery adventure. The long-awaited sequel to Tim Goodman’s saga was worth the wait.

Spaziogames - Nicolò Bicego - Italian - 7.7 / 10

Detective Pikachu: The Return is a definite step forward from the first installment, but it still lacks that quality leap that could make this subseries a must for franchise fans. The main charm of the adventure lies in the charisma of its two protagonists and the opportunity to experience the Pokémon world in a different way compared to what the main series offers. However, the game’s extreme simplicity, driven by the choice to make it accessible to a wide audience, may not satisfy all fans of the saga.

Atomix - Aldo López - Spanish - 75 / 100

It can be difficult to recommend Detective Pikachu Returns, unless you are a Pokémon fan who buys absolutely everything they put in front of them. On the other hand, if you like it more casually, I would say save your money.

GAMES.CH - Benjamin Braun - German - 75%

If you are looking for a Pokémon game without combat but with atmospheric staged mystery cases and a humorously presentation, Detective Pikachu Returns could be exactly your cup of tea. Well, if it’s not a problem for you, that the gameplay is mostly totally unchallenging.

GamePro - Eleen Reinke - German - 73 / 100

Detective Pikachu Returns is a simple puzzle adventure without much of a challenge, but with a charming story.

Hobby Consolas - Daniel Quesada - Spanish - 72 / 100

If you like strong challenges, surely this game is not for you, but if you have kids at home or you are looking to immerse yourself in the Pokémon world without further complications, this game will please you like a good cup of coffee.

The Games Machine - Daniele Cucchiarelli - Italian - 7.2 / 10

A “Layton-esque” detective game in which Pikachu is obviously the undisputed star. Light and somewhat repetitive gameplay make it suitable for a fairly young or inexperienced audience in this genre of titles. Those looking for a deeper, more complex and challenging experience should look elsewhere.

God is a Geek - Adam Cook - 7 / 10

Detective Pikachu Returns is a relaxing time in a universe full of characters you know and love, and it’ll make you laugh, but it won’t be for everyone.

LevelUp - Pedro Pérez Cesari - Spanish - 7 / 10

The apple didn’t fall far from the tree with Detective Pikachu Returns. It’s a game that stands out for its charisma, but can be guilty of being too simple, something quite similar to what happened to the Nintendo 3DS entry.

Nintendo Life - PJ O’Reilly - 7 / 10

Detective Pikachu Returns serves up more of what delighted us first time around, with an endearing and exciting story packed full of fun and light-hearted silliness. We really do enjoy this gruff, coffee-addled take on Pikachu, he never fails to raise a smile when he goes off on one, and the game successfully straddles a very thin line in giving us an adventure aimed at younger players that long-time Pokémon fans and ancient gamers such as ourselves can also enjoy. If you can handle the inherent repetitiveness of most of the core gameplay, alongside some rather drab visuals, you’ll enjoy this one.

Press Start - Steven Impson - 7 / 10

Detective Pikachu Returns is a decently fun little detective story. Don’t expect any intense logical deductions or unpredictable twists – but it’s fun enough to follow along with even so. The relationship between Tim and Pikachu is a highlight as are the Pokémon who help you along the way. Uninspired human character designs marr an otherwise decent presentation full of cool Pokémon and fun music.

WhatIfGaming - Rizwan Anwer - 7 / 10

Detective Pikachu Returns is a fun game that is brimming with personality, a memorable cast of characters, and a familiar setting that is somehow new again. Unfortunately, it’s held back by a menial playtime with no replay value and a very predictable plot, but that doesn’t take away from enjoying the world of Detective Pikachu Returns.

COGconnected - James Paley - 68 / 100

While I’ve made it clear that this game is meant for a younger audience, I still recognize its merits. The visuals are clean and crisp, even if the humans look a bit weird. Pikachu himself is a real bright spot, with more charm and personality than any other character. And if you’re a diehard Pokémon fan, there are a ton of them scattered throughout this story. But I can’t recommend this game to anyone reading this review. Rather, Detective Pikachu Returns will be a great fit for your kids. If you’re looking for a fun, approachable adventure they can dive into, this might be a pretty good choice.

IGN Italy - Francesco Destri - Italian - 6.7 / 10

Detective Pikachu: The Return only works as a large and varied “Pokémon container,” but as a detective adventure it will only be able to give some satisfaction to the youngest players.

Video Chums - Mary Billington - 6.3 / 10

Detective Pikachu Returns is definitely adorable in this Switch debut although the required deduction skills to solve its cases remain at an incredibly low bar to clear which made it hard to hold my attention for very long.

Digital Trends - Giovanni Colantonio - 3 / 5

Detective Pikachu Returns works as a charming interactive cartoon, but its simplified deduction takes some of the mystery out of it.

IGN - Carli Velocci - 6 / 10

Detective Pikachu Returns is yet another mystery whodunit in the Pokemon universe, but it’s tough to deduce who this is for, despite having all the clues.

Stevivor - Matt Gosper - 6 / 10

Investigations are multi-staged, and some of the reveals are interesting if not particularly surprising. The inclusion of newer-generation Pokémon since the original title makes Ryme City feel even more alive and part of the Pokémon world, and the city is full of small details to really drive home the idea of people and Pokémon living together.

VGC - Jordan Middler - 3 / 5

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.

We Got This Covered - Shaan Joshi - 3 / 5

Detective Pikachu Returns hasn’t lost the charm of its predecessor, but the overly simplified gameplay might alienate some players.

But Why Tho? - Charles Hartford - 5 / 10

When it’s at its best, Detective Pikachu Returns delivers the charm and cuteness that have always been hallmarks of the Pokémon franchise. However, all too frequently it fails to reach those heights thanks to shallow gameplay, a bloated story, and repetitive missions that feel lackluster, no matter what age demographic they are targeting.

ComicBook.com - Christian Hoffer - 2.5 / 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.

Console Creatures - Bobby Pashalidis - Recommended

Detective Pikachu Returns is an excellent follow-up to its predecessor, expanding the world around Tim and Pikachu. However, the sequel mostly plays it safe by giving you more of the same experience.