Detective Pikachu

Detective Pikachu
Packaging artwork, featuring the protagonists Tim Goodman and Detective Pikachu
Developer(s) Creatures
Publisher(s)
Director(s) Naoki Miyashita
Producer(s) Hiroyuki Jinnai
Hitoshi Yamagami
Programmer(s)
  • Katsunori Orimoto
  • Jun Kanda
  • Tomofusa Shimamura
Artist(s) Masataka Hata
Writer(s)
  • Tomokazu Ohara
  • Haruka Utsui
Composer(s) Takuto Kitsuta
Platform(s) Nintendo 3DS
Release
  • JP: February 3, 2016
  • NA: March 23, 2018
  • EU: March 23, 2018
  • AU: March 24, 2018
Genre(s) Adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Detective Pikachu[lower-alpha 1] is an adventure game developed by Creatures Inc., published by The Pokémon Company, and distributed by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is a spin-off of the Pokémon franchise, in which players work with a talking Pikachu to solve mysteries. A shorter, downloadable version of the game called Great Detective Pikachu: Birth of a New Duo (名探偵ピカチュウ 〜新コンビ誕生〜, Meitantei Pikachu ~Shin Konbi Tanjō~) was released in Japan in February 2016, while the full version was released worldwide in March 2018.

A live-action/CGI-hybrid film adaptation will be produced by Legendary Entertainment and released by Warner Bros. Pictures in May 2019.

Plot

Premise

The game begins with a peculiar talking Pikachu (voiced by Kaiji Tang), who despite not being as powerful and nimble as other Pikachu of his kind, is rather intelligent and claims to be a great detective. One day, Pikachu encounters a boy named Tim Goodman (voiced by Khoi Dao), who is able to understand what he is saying. Together, the two begin working together to investigate the disappearance of Tim's father and Pikachu's owner, Harry Goodman, as well as solve various mysteries revolving around the people and Pokémon in Ryme City.

Chapter 1: Tahnti Park

After Tim and Pikachu's initial meeting, the duo end up having to help a young girl whose necklace has been stolen by an Aipom. They chase it into the park to find that it has been injured and that the necklace is gone. They realize that due to a series of circumstances, the necklace ended up being part of a Burmy's cloak and manage to retrieve it for the girl while also befriending native Emilia Christie. They head to Baker Detective Agency and meet Mike Baker and secretary Amanda Blackstone both of whom were close to Harry. Despite his reassurance, Baker tells Tim to stay out of trouble. They head to Harry's apartment and look for clues, deducing that he was investigating Litwick Cave.

Chapter 2: Litwick Cave

The duo arrive at the cave and find Emilia and GNN reporter Meiko Okamoto getting attacked by a Glalie. Pikachu, who is incapable of performing any moves, teams with Tim and knock him out, but are all trapped in the cave. The Glalie does not remember its sudden rampage, but they manage to find a broken vial of some kind. After finding a Drifblim and creating a cold draft, Tim, Pikachu, Emilia and Meiko manage to escape the cave. As the duo gather clues, Amanda notices that Pikachu has an odd obsession with candy while Hi-Hat Café owner, Pablo Millan, notices that it likes coffee. Both of these were traits of Harry's and that Pikachu initially did not care for these items.

Chapter 3: PCL

Tim and Pikachu realize that the vial came from the Pokémon Comprehensive Laboratory and pretend to apply for a part-time job there as Tim Ottman. After meeting with the staff, they are met by Emilia and Meiko who have arrived to report on PCL's current findings, but a Trevenant suddenly goes on a rampage like Glalie. Anti-social scientist Wallace Carroll blames Tim, but he proves him wrong through video footage Meiko recorded. Due to the clues left behind, Tim and Pikachu deduce that a Gengar was at least partially responsible and discover that it has been working with PCL employee Carlos Hernando who had created a drug called "R" that has been causing the rampages. Carlos is arrested by Frank Holiday who promises to interrogate Carlos while Baker decides to support Tim's quest to finding answers. While resting by the side of the road, Mewtwo flies in the moonlight.

Chapter 4: Cappucci Island

The duo head to Cappucci Island after learning that the creator of R, Dr. Waals, lives there. However, Holiday's lieutenant Brad McMaster has him under arrest for an incident involving the island's fog and a dangerous Pokémon that has been attacking the native wildlife. With the help of native Milo Green and his Feebas, Tim and Pikachu discover that a Crawdaunt has been loose. Their interaction with it causes Feebas to evolve into Milotic who disposes of Crawdaunt. Eventually, tourist director Louise Mulligan is outed as the true culprit in an effort to claim Dr. Waals' home. After helping him, Dr. Waals reveals that R was supposed to be a miracle drug using the DNA of Mew, but by mistake the DNA came from Mewtwo who has a "berserk gene" that causes the rampaging Pokémon. Dr. Waals then directs the duo to Fine Park. Pikachu soon afterwards has a dream of him fighting something.

Chapter 5: Fine Park

Before leaving, Tim and Pikachu meet Emilia and Meiko's boss from GNN Roger Clifford. They explain that a Charizard went berserk at the park a couple of months ago and it has lain abandoned since. Though they have recorded footage of the incident, they will not be able to look at it until tomorrow. Tim and Pikachu head to the park which is now filled with wild Pokémon that are either afraid of people or are out of a job due to Charizard's rampage. After asking all the Pokémon in the area, they save a Buneary who had Harry's locket. Buneary tells them that a Skorupi attacked Harry and crashed nearby from it. As the duo leave, Mewtwo watches and states that Pikachu has kept a "promise" of some kind.

Chapter 6: GNN

Tim and Pikachu head to the GNN building to meet with Meiko about the Fine Park footage. When she leaves to go get it, Tim and Pikachu meet with GNN head Ethan Graham who gives them a tour of the studio, but soon they end up having to look for a Purugly that belongs to snooty host Olga Ellison, immediately followed by an incident involving violinist Carina Mitchell's prized violin getting destroyed. They realize the destroyed violin was a fake switched out by failing comedian Max Warhol who was in heavy debt and was worried about his show not getting renewed. Meiko finally reveals the footage and learn that assistant director Keith Norman has used a Skorupi to release R on Charizard at the park. Found out, Keith makes his escape on a Noivern, but Pikachu discovers that the locket left by Harry has a hidden secret in it.

Chapter 7: Ryme Wharf

Pikachu has a dream about Harry battling Keith and the crash afterwards. Baker informs him and Tim that the locket is a camera with photos coming from Ryme Wharf. They head out there, but with Baker's Accelgor joining them. After asking around, they find the warehouse where R is being created and discover that it is closely guarded by the warehouse's owner Alexander Wilde. After surveying the layout, they encounter a Pansage whose owner, and Waals former assistant Simon Yen, has been forced to create the drug. Pansage, Accelgor and a hungry Spinarak create a diversion so that they can get to Simon who directs them to the second floor where they can get more information. Pikachu suddenly remembers that he made a promise to Mewtwo to stop the creation of R. They outwit Wilde and with Simon's help sneak into a crate that they hope will lead them to the source.

Chapter 8: Where R Goes

Tim and Pikachu find themselves on the S.S. Prime Treasure and locate the R shipment to a room guarded by two Krokorok. They also run into Emilia who is there covering a story on Gino Farina, a famous chef who is trying to recreate the Henry Bros.'s famous recipes. They soon encounter Rose Milton and learn that her suitcase has been switched with one containing a stolen mask. Through understanding the Frillish, Tim and Pikachu realize the culprit is Gino who used a Kecleon to steal back the mask as he intended to use it for the secret auction that was being held on the ship. Tim, Pikachu and Emilia manage to get into the auction and come to the conclusion that the other items may have been stolen. The player has the option to bid on the other two items: The Henry Bros. Cook Book and the Detective's Cape. Keith reveals himself to be selling R and Tim and Pikachu give chase ending with them capturing him. As Tim and Emilia have a moment, Pikachu speaks privately with Mewtwo who reveals that his promise is not over and that he still needs him to get rid of his cells. He also admits that he trusts the humans that Pikachu works with. After looking through Keith's things they learn he is working for someone at GNN and that they plan to release R during the Pokémon carnival.

Chapter 9: Pokémon Carnival

Tim, Pikachu and Emilia race back to the Baker Agency to inform them about the clues they have gathered. Realizing that the culprit plans to release R at Central Square, the group split up to look for clues. Eventually, with Brad McMaster and his Manectric's help, Tim and Pikachu locate the three different types of R: a gaseous kind located in a balloon, a liquid kind located in the food and a capsule of R held onto by a mysterious man in a yellow hat. They capture him, but Holiday reveals that Keith mentioned a fourth location. Tim and Pikachu conclude that it is in the clock tower and find a large machine that they are able to successfully disarm. At that point, they realize that the culprit is Roger, due to him mentioning that Pikachu does not have powers (something that only Keith knew). Roger reveals himself with Emilia hostage. He explains that he wanted to use R as a way to report on its disaster in Ryme City, making GNN more powerful and leading to having total control of information. Tim and Pikachu rescue Emilia, but Roger summons his Noivern who uses screech. Pikachu finally summons enough energy to use thunderbolt and they defeat them. As Roger is taken away, Pikachu meets with Mewtwo to return the last of his cells. Pikachu then "makes a decision" and is put to sleep by Mewtwo. Tim confronts him and he reveals that his father is still alive and to keep looking. The next day, Tim and Pikachu get up, after the latter pulls a prank on the former, and the two set off to continue looking for Harry as Tim and the "Great Detective Pikachu".

Gameplay

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.[1]

Development

Development on Detective Pikachu began in mid-2013. The game was first revealed in October 2013 during an episode of the Japanese television show The Professionals as part of a profile on The Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara. NHK, the show's television network, leaked some information about the game on its website in advance of the show's airing. Early shots of the game depict a Pikachu in blue. Later that year, Nintendo filed a trademark for the name Great Detective Pikachu.[2] The developers released a debut trailer in late January 2016, a week before the game's launch.

In a 2018 interview, the creators of Detective Pikachu, which features a talking Pikachu, revealed that the original intention for the anime was to have the Pokémon talk, but OLM, Inc. were unable to come up with a concept that Game Freak were accepting of.[3]

Release

The game's initial version, called Great Detective Pikachu: Birth of a New Duo (名探偵ピカチュウ 〜新コンビ誕生〜, Meitantei Pikachu ~Shin Konbi Tanjō~), was released on the Nintendo 3DS eShop in Japan on February 3, 2016. On January 12, 2018, this version of the game was removed from the eShop in Japan,[4] and later that day it was announced that an expanded version of the game, simply titled Detective Pikachu, was scheduled for a physical Nintendo 3DS release worldwide on March 23, 2018. This version of the game featured nine chapters of story, as opposed to the three of the original release.

On March 9, 2018, a Special Demo Version of the full game was released for free on the Nintendo 3DS eShop in Japan. The demo featured the first half of the first chapter of the game and allowed players to transfer their progress to the full game.[5] This demo was later released in the West on April 5, 2018.[6] Similarly, Japanese players who had completed the original download version of the game were able to start playing the full version from where they left off upon release. The game was released alongside a giant Detective Pikachu amiibo figure, which unlocks hints and optional cutscenes in the game.[7]

Following the Japanese release of the game, dedicated fans started a petition requesting American actor Danny DeVito as the English voice actor for the titular character. The petition gained 40,000 signatures, but DeVito declined to audition for the role.[8][9]

To promote the release of the full version of the game, The Pokémon Company released a free promotional eBook called Detective Pikachu Episode 0 - Eevee's Case, available until May 15, 2018 on Apple's iBooks and Amazon's Kindle stores. The short story acts as a prequel to the game, setting up its story. The book was originally released in physical form as a pre-order bonus for the game in Japan.[10] Alongside this, a set of stickers was also released for free on iMessage and Line on the same day.[11]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic70/100[12]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid6/10[13]
Edge6/10[14]
EGM6/10[15]
Famitsu33/40[16]
Game Informer7.25/10[17]
GameSpot7/10[18]
GamesTM5/10
IGN8.2/10[19]
Nintendo Life8/10[20]
Nintendo World Report7.5/10[21]

Detective Pikachu received "mixed reviews" from critics according to review aggregator Metacritic.[12] Critics praised the game's presentation, storytelling, witty writing, voice cast, and puzzles. However, it was criticized for the difficulty, game mechanics, and short length.

Ryan Craddock of Nintendo Life gave the game a "great" 8 out of 10, stating that while the game was quite easy with no real penalty for incorrect decisions, "the game's art, storytelling, and genuinely likeable cast [showed] the world of Pokémon in a great new light". There was also praise given to the game's "gorgeous" visuals and the character of Detective Pikachu himself.[20]

Film adaptation

On July 20, 2016, Legendary Pictures announced that they have acquired the rights to make a live-action film based on the Detective Pikachu character. The film began pre-production in 2017.[22] Later that year, it was reported that Alex Hirsch and Nicole Perlman will be writing the script.[23][24] Dean Israelite, Robert Rodriguez, and Tim Miller were being considered as potential directors. On November 30, 2016, it was revealed that Rob Letterman was chosen to direct the film.[25] The film stars Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, and Ken Watanabe, with Ryan Reynolds as the voice of Detective Pikachu. Filming began in London in January 2018 and the film is slated to be released on May 10, 2019. Warner Bros. Pictures will distribute it outside Japan, while Toho will distribute the film in Japan.[26]

Notes

  1. ↑ Great Detective Pikachu (名探偵ピカチュウ Meitantei Pikachū) in Japanese

References

  1. ↑ Emily Gera. "New Pokemon game featuring Pikachu in development". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  2. ↑ Alexa Ray Corriea. "Nintendo trademarks 'Great Detective Pikachu'". Polygon. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  3. ↑ "5 Detective Pikachu Facts From Our Developer Interview! (What's New, Movie, & Origin)". Youtube. 2018-03-05. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
  4. ↑ "Detective Pikachu – Birth of a New Duo completely removed from the Nintendo 3DS eShop". Pokémon Blog. January 12, 2018. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  5. ↑ Iggy (March 10, 2018). "Detective Pikachu Demo Now Live In Japan". NintendoSoup. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Free special demo version of the Detective Pikachu game!". Nintendo. April 5, 2018.
  7. ↑ Schreier, Jason. "Look At This Giant Detective Pikachu Amiibo". Kotaku. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Pokémon Fans Petitioning to Make Danny DeVito the Voice of Pikachu (He'd Be Perfect)". Yahoo! Tech. Archived from the original on February 6, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Paley Center on Twitter: "Audience Q:Will Danny DeVito voice the Detective Pikachu videogame? Danny says "No" and asks what it is, "What the F is Pokemon?" #PaleyLive" (Twitter post). Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  10. ↑ Craddock, Ryan (March 23, 2018). "Detective Pikachu: Eevee's Case Is An eBook Prequel To The Game, And You Can Read It For Free". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018.
  11. ↑ Brian (March 23, 2018). "Detective Pikachu stickers now available on iMessage". Nintendo Everything. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018.
  12. 1 2 "Detective Pikachu". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018.
  13. ↑ Carter, Chris (March 22, 2018). "Review: Detective Pikachu". Destructoid. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Detective Pikachu". Edge. Future plc (319): 122. June 2018.
  15. ↑ "Detective Pikachu for 3DS review". EGM. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Detective Pikachu Famitsu review". Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Detective Pikachu review". Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  18. ↑ Plagge, Kallie (March 22, 2018). "Detective Pikachu Review: Elementary, My Dear Watt-son". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on March 22, 2018.
  19. ↑ Sanchez, Miranda (March 22, 2018). "Detective Pikachu Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018.
  20. 1 2 Craddock, Ryan (March 22, 2018). "Review: Detective Pikachu (3DS)". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Detective Pikachu review". Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  22. ↑ Fleming, Jr, Mike (July 20, 2016). "Legendary Catches 'Pokemon' Live-Action Movie Rights Deal". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 21, 2016.
  23. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (December 6, 2017). "Ryan Reynolds to reportedly star as Pikachu in Detective Pikachu movie". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Pokemon Movie Writers Set with Marvel Vet, Gravity Falls Creator". Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  25. ↑ Fleming, Jr, Mike (November 30, 2016). "Rob Letterman To Direct Pokemon Film 'Detective Pikachu' For Legendary". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Detective Pikachu Live-Action Movie Officially Begins Filming". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.