Detective Pikachu: western release announced, out on March 23rd

12 January 2018 Lite_Agent Creatures Inc., Detective Pikachu, The Pokémon Company

Detective Pikachu – Release details

A couple of years ago, The Pokémon Company released a peculiar Pokémon game in Japan: Detective Pikachu. It was originally supposed to get an episodic release, but most likely due to unsatisfactory sales, The Pokémon Company changed their plans and decided to release the whole thing as a complete, stand-alone package at retail (and on the Nintendo eShop), on March 23rd.

And it looks like The Pokémon Company was waiting for the full game to be ready before releasing the game in Europe and North America. Today, it was announced that Detective Pikachu would also be released on March 23rd in the west, and at retail too.

Of course, the first episode will not be released outside Japan (it’s not even available to purchase there anymore), which doesn’t really matter as it’s part of the full game. In Japan, players who already purchased the first episode will be able to buy the full game at a discount. Players will also be able to get a special Nintendo 3DS Theme when they purchase the game on the Nintendo eShop (retail copies will come with a key ring).

Detective Pikachu will be available with both Japanese and English voices, with subtitles in Japanese, English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese. Naturally, those languages are also available for text in-game.

Alongside the game, a special Detective Pikachu amiibo will be released. What’s so special about it? Well, it’s about twice as big as a regular Pikachu amiibo (from the Super Smash Bros. series)! When you tap it in-game, it unlocks short videos that may contain helpful hints for your investigation.

Source: The Pokémon Company / Serebii

Detective Pikachu – Game details, trailer, and screenshots

Here’s not one, but two trailers for Detective Pikachu (Japanese and international versions), that allows you to check out the English and Japanese voices:

The protagonists of Detective is a special Pikachu and his friend, Tim, and together, they go and unconver the many mysteries of Ryme City. What’s so special about this Pikachu, you ask? Well, for starters, he can talk. Also, he loves to style himself as a hardboiled detective, which is why he’s always talking tough. He also happens to laugh strong coffee. See? You don’t see a Pikachu like that one very often!

Together, Tim and Pikachu are investigating the disappearance of Harry, Tim’s father. To do so, they have to look for clues all over Ryme City, but also talk to various witnesses to get closer to the truth.

Here’s some of the character they will meet during their investigations:

Brad McMaster: a police lieutenant;
Mike Baker: a former co-worker of Harry’s
many different Pokémon

The thing about Pikachu is that he can not only talk to Tim, but also Pokémon, which is pretty handy!

As you find new evidence, Pikachu can tell you when you’ve discovered something important. And thanks to his catchphrase, “A bolt of brilliance!”, you know when he’s learned enough to advance the case. There’s also Pika Prompts: short video clips featuring Pikachu’s quips and antics… but also a hint or two!

If you’re not too familiar with adventure and need some help, you can activate Easy Mode. Don’t know what to do or where to go? Simply ask Pikachu to give you some handy hints!

Finally, here’s various pictures for the game: