Detective Pikachu Reviews

Detective Pikachu is ranked in the 48th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Geeks Under Grace
Juliana Purnell
7.5 / 10.0
Jun 10, 2019

Detective Pikachu offers a refreshingly different kind of story set in the Pokémon world, although the gameplay proves too simplistic for adult players.

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Guardian
Steve Rose
Top Critic
May 3, 2019

The inspired casting of the Deadpool actor transforms this from an average Pokémon movie into fun family fare

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Digiato
Arash Parsapour
Top Critic
79 / 100
Jul 8, 2018

Detective Pikachu takes about 9 hours of your time, which most of this time is filled with funny scenes and enjoyable moments especially for the fans of the series. If you already have a 3DS at home, you should be playing it by now.

Review in Persian | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Jun 7, 2018

Detective Pikachu is an interesting spin off to say the least, while it doesn’t really add anything to the puzzle or visual novel genre, it is still a charming adventure.

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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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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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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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ZTGD
Top Critic
6 / 10.0
Apr 25, 2018

Ultimately, I like the concept of Detective Pikachu and will likely see the movie when it releases, but hopefully the developers choose to challenge their audience a bit more with any potential sequel.

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B
Apr 20, 2018

Some players will get frustrated having to figure out the puzzles in the exact way the game dictates, and they can get a little monotonous at times, but the game's style and humor will make most Pokémon fans grin from ear-to-ear. Hopefully the live-action film will produce similar results.

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6 / 10.0
Apr 20, 2018

Detective Pikachu is certainly the boldest game in the Pokemon franchise, but delivers too little in the gameplay aspect. With a linear story and puzzles that lack challenge, the game is suited mostly for very young players.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Apr 17, 2018

Detective Pikachu is a must play for Pokémon fans everywhere.

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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.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

GameMAG
Shibito
Top Critic
8 / 10
Apr 11, 2018

Detective Pikachu is a wonderful quest, where the bright atmosphere of the Pokemon series coexists with 1940s detectives stylistics. Intuitive gameplay, an interesting plot and a great music will please even those who are new to the Pokémon world.

Review in Russian | Read full review

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.

Review in French | Read full review

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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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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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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6 / 10
Apr 3, 2018

Detective Pikachu is a deceptively small game with simple cases and not a heck of a lot else. As someone whose detective itch is usually scratched by the Phoenix Wright games, this felt like solving the really easy introduction cases in each, rather than challenging logic and reason. It certainly has the presentation chops, but the people who'll get the most out of Detective Pikachu are diehard Pokémon fans and younger gamers.

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7 / 10.0
Apr 2, 2018

Detective Pikachu, although limiting at times, was a good adventure puzzle game for all ages and more so for Pokémon fans but in the same breath it just is not a game that is capable of sending the 3DS off well in its last days of life.

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Dave Aubrey
Top Critic
6.5 / 10.0
Apr 2, 2018

Detective Pikachu is a mystery game built for kids, and that is clear throughout, though adult gamers can still have fun with the mysteries and world of Pokémon. Simple, charming, though certainly far from essential.

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