Detective Pikachu Returns

Our analysis

A charming, light-hearted sequel that improves on its predecessor's story while keeping the same simple questioning, clue-gathering, and multiple-choice deduction. The gruff coffee-addled Pikachu remains a delight and new one-off mechanics help break up the repetition, but it's aimed squarely at younger players so it's largely unchallenging, leans on retracing steps, and looks unforgivably drab and sterile. Still an entertaining romp for Pokemon fans of any age.