Detective Pikachu Reviews

Detective Pikachu is ranked in the 48th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7.6 / 10.0
Mar 28, 2018

Detective Pikachu is a simple yet charming adventure, with a great roster of cast members and an adorable couple as the main characters. A must buy if you have kids who love Pokémon; on the contrary, if you consider yourself a true adventurer, remember that this one's a pretty easy game.

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73 / 100
Mar 30, 2018

Simple puzzle adventure in a magnificent game world, which represents a refreshing reorientation of the series.

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7 / 10
Apr 16, 2018

It may feel too simple at certain moments but overall, Detective Pikachu proves to be a fun and inclusive game that can even find a place with players who are not fans of Pokémon in the first place.

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7 / 10.0
May 11, 2018

Detective Pikachu is certainly a game out of left field. I mean, who would have thought that you'd ever play a game with a crime-solving Pikachu who sounds like a middle-age man? Admittedly, the preponderance of QTEs and lack of a battle system worthy of the Pokemon name feels like a missed opportunity. Its characters also feel a bit too vanilla. If the idea of a Pokemon-inspired Ace Attorney or Professor Layton type game intrigues you, however, then Detective Pikachu is a family-friendly title worth investigating.

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7 / 10
Apr 10, 2018

D'tective Pikachu has a cool concept and a truly great title character. That being said, the game is way too easy for most players. But it can make a fun first Adventure game for young kids.

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6.5 / 10.0
Apr 6, 2018

Detective Pikachu, as a character, is really quite special - but the game itself is unfortunately just not very much fun to play.

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7 / 10.0
Apr 1, 2018

I enjoy catching hundreds of Pokémon and collecting gym badges as the next person, but I wouldn't mind more diversions from the main Pokémon series if they come packed with as much hilarity and oddball humor that Detective Pikachu provided me at my side.

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78 / 100
Mar 30, 2018

Detective Pikachu is one the best Pokémon spin-offs. Its charming and full of personality, sadly it doesn't offer any challenge. As a Pokémon experience it feels great and adds quite a bit in terms of the relationships between pokémon and humans. Detective Pikachu and Tim make a team that we would like to see in action in the future.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Evan Slead
Top Critic
6 / 10.0
Mar 28, 2018

Detective Pikachu takes several steps away from the traditional Pokémon experience, with only a handful paying off. The beautiful imagery and distinct world-building will please any Pokémon fan, but the gameplay might leave them wanting more. While the point-and-click-style experience is a novel idea for the gameplay, it never manages to fully grab the player's attention.

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3.5 / 5.0
Mar 28, 2018

The quirkiness, presentation, strong voice acting, and characters help push past the simplistic gameplay and the narrative the game tells is surprisingly engaging. I had no idea what to expect from Detective Pikachu going in, but it ended up being one of the most unique Pokemon spinoffs ever.

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Mar 27, 2018

Detective Pikachu ranks as one of the most interesting Pokémon spin-offs we've seen in years, and does an wonderful job of offering a fresh perspective on a world we've become almost uncomfortably familiar with in recent years.

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GameXplain
Top Critic
Liked-a-lot
Mar 22, 2018
Detective Pikachu - REVIEW (3DS) video thumbnail
8 / 10
Mar 22, 2018

Detective Pikachu might be described as a spin-off, but the visual and narrative direction the game has taken is an incredibly welcome one that we would love to see again. The gameplay can be a little too easy and repetitive at times, and we were surprised to see the ending appear so abruptly, but everything is presented within a very solid package that will have kids and adults alike hooked. Dedicated fans of the series will likely get the most out of the experience, with the game's art, storytelling, and genuinely likeable cast showing the world of Pokémon in a great new light, but we'd urge anyone interested to give this one a go. Our adventure only just ended but we're missing our Pika-pal already.

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Daily Dot
Top Critic
Mar 20, 2018

Sorry, Detective. Maybe your story will turn out better on the big screen.

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RPG Fan
Top Critic
70%
May 23, 2018

Detective Pikachu has a lot of heart but is a bit too easy for my tastes.

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Unscored
Apr 6, 2018

Detective Pikachu may be for elementary school kids (my dear Watson) but it's still a welcome addition to the extended Pokémon spin-off universe.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jun 6, 2018

Fans of story-driven games or fans of the Pokémon series, in general, will enjoy Detective Pikachu. It's a fun adventure filled with some great Pokémon and interesting cases to solve. The thing I really loved about it was how they incorporated them into various jobs in each of the game's environments. They really made it feel like this world relied on the Pokémon and the humans coexisted with them in a meaningful way. I hope to see more of those types of details in future games. If you like mystery games and Pokémon, you'll be in for a treat with Detective Pikachu.

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GamingBolt
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Apr 5, 2018

If you have ever had even a passing interest in Pokemon's world, you owe it to yourself to play through Detective Pikachu.

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4 / 5.0
Mar 29, 2018

While it's an odd idea for a spin-off, Detective Pikachu manages to create something never seen in the series that works better than anyone might have expected.

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7.5 / 10.0
Mar 28, 2018

Detective Pikachu moves far away from the main series, boasting a strong narrative and a charismatic protagonist that bears little to none resemblance to the Pikachu we're familiar with. In spite of its faults, this first experiment managed to entertain us, and we can't wait to get some new adventures with this coffee-lover detective.

Review in Italian | Read full review