Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Detective Pikachu Returns welcomes fans back to Ryme City this fall

Jess Reyes
By
Summer Gaming Marathon Feature Image
This story is part of the Digital Trends Summer Gaming Marathon series

Detective Pikachu Returns, the sequel to 2016 Pokémon spinoff Detective Pikachu, is coming on October 21. Nintendo announced the sequel during its June 21 Nintendo Direct Showcase, which also included deep dives on other games like Pikmin 4.

Detective Pikachu Returns - Nintendo Direct 6.21.2023

The Detective Pikachu Returns trailer showcases Ryme City, its inhabitants, and more of signature banter between the two main characters. It starts with a peaceful compilation of the people living in harmony with their Pokémon, playing with them in the park or coexisting in the city’s different locales. The mayor has just declared the start of Pokémon Friendship Week. During the ceremony, Detective Pikachu can be seen sleeping onstage next to his partner, Tim Goodman. Then, the trailer skips to the point: The detective duo is still on the job.

Recommended Videos

Those familiar with the Detective Pikachu movie might be expecting something more sinister. However, it’s too early to tell because Nintendo hasn’t hinted at what to expect beyond Pikachu and Tim’s return to crime-solving. Much of the trailer features bright, friendly, or otherwise humorous moments with plenty of cute critters and coffee breaks. It also touches on the puzzle-solving mechanics to expect in the game.

Pikachu with detective cap and boy with brown hair and red jacket eating breakfast
Nintendo

The first Detective Pikachu game involved investigating different mysteries throughout the city, from petty thievery to crime syndicates. Warner Bros. later adapted the game into a full-length movie starring Ryan Reynolds as Pikachu and Justice Smith as Tim Goodman. The movie was grittier than the original premise, but it looks like Detective Pikachu Returns leans more into a lighter tone. We’ll have to see if it’s a bait and switch.

Related

Detective Pikachu Returns will be released on October 21, 2023, for Nintendo Switch.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jess Reyes
Jess Reyes
Jessica Reyes is a freelance writer who specializes in anime-centric and trending topics. Her work can be found in Looper…
Nintendo Direct June 2023: how to watch and what to expect
Pikmin 4 release date

There has been a lot of online debate about whether or not Nintendo would host a full-fledged Nintendo Direct this month. Well, we don't need to argue about it anymore: It's true.

Nintendo announced that a full Nintendo Direct presentation will take place on June 21, giving us more insight into upcoming exclusives like Pikmin 4, as well as other games in the works for the system. We don't know much about Nintendo's fall game lineup right now, so this showcase should be quite exciting.

Read more
Another Crab’s Treasure is the SpongeBob Soulslike I didn’t know I wanted
The crab holds an item in Another Crab's Treasure.

If you're on gaming Twitter, you've probably heard of Another Crab's Treasure. This indie game immediately gained a lot of attention after a May 2022 Indie Showcase because of its hilarious Soulslike-starring-a-crab premise. Aptly named developer Aggro Crab quickly capitalized on that and now has one of the most consistently funny gaming Twitter accounts out there as it promotes Another Crab's Treasure. Still, when developers are that loud and boastful about a game on social media, it needs to live up to the expectations that have been set. All the jokes mean nothing and will feel like a distraction if the game isn't good. Thankfully, Another Crab's Treasure lived up to my expectations when I played it at Summer Game Fest Play Days.

During my half-hour demo, I was able to platform and fight through a preview build-exclusive level and fight two bosses. During that time, it lived up to the Soulslike moniker with tough, fast-paced fights, which are only emboldened by Another Crab's Treasure's unique shell mechanic and moveset that feels like it could work in a more traditional 3D platformer. On top of that, it features a colorful and cute aesthetic that makes it feel like the more masochistic cousin of this year's SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake.
Se(a)kiro
As soon as I hopped into this preview build of the game at Summer Game Fest Play Days, I was able to get a feel for Another Crab's Treasure's controls. It actually feels a bit like a traditional 3D platformer like The Cosmic Shake, which is similarly set underwater, as players can jump, climb, run, roll, and swim-glide around. The level was designed like with platforming challenges in mind too, so fans of 3D platformers may want to check this out. As soon as you get into a fight, you'll be quickly reminded that Another Crab's Treasure is inspired by FromSoftware's games, namely Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
Controls are similar to FromSoftware's game, and the pace of fights is fast, like Sekiro or Bloodborne. The game really encourages blocking and parrying, like Sekiro, which plays into the game's unique shell feature. Scattered around the levels and arenas of Another Crab's Treasure, I found lots of trash that I could equip and use as a shell. This not only allows me to take more hits while blocking, but comes with unique special abilities. A soda can let me shoot bubbles at my enemies, while I could eat a piece of sushi I used as a shell to restore health.

Read more
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective’s demo proves this cult classic holds up
Sissel lies on the ground dead in Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective key art.

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is a game that’s not known by many, but it is beloved by those who do know about it. It was a point-and-click adventure game released by Capcom for the Nintendo DS in 2010. As a ghost, players use their powers to prevent murders by interacting with different objects. Its gameplay and puzzles feel minimalist, but its dialogue, animations, and characters were all incredibly charming, creating an adventure game like no other.

Sadly, the game didn’t sell well and became particularly expensive stateside, so unless this quirky adventure enticed you back in 2010, it’s unlikely that you’ve ever heard of it. Thankfully, Capcom is giving people another chance to try the game later this month with a remaster, which received a demo today during the Capcom Showcase. I had the opportunity to play this demo ahead of time, and I found that Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective is shaping up to be just as much of an enjoyable romp in 2023 as it was in 2010.
A remaster done right
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective begins with a man regaining consciousness. Soon thereafter, a sentient desk lamp reveals that he’s dead but has the power to help people by pulling off tricks in his ghost form. For example, he could possess a bicycle from the afterlife to send it toward a bad guy and prevent them from shooting someone. As part of the first case, he’s saving a mysterious girl with red hair from being murdered in the same junkyard as him.

Read more