We have some of the first details for Great Detective Pikachu.
Of course, the gumshoe Pikachu with the deerstalker cap is a completely new Pikachu, and he lives in Rhyme Town, where humans coexists with Pokemon (instead of catching them and breeding them for tournaments).
This Pikachu is bossy and pushy. He fancies women and favors a café where he always gets coffee. He’s loquacious and likes to stay standing on two feet like a human. As a result, he moves slowly, even at full speed.
In fact, this Pikachu is terrible at being a fighting Pikachu. He can’t discharge electricity or use any of Pikachu’s known attacks. However, like any great detective, he’s extremely knowledgeable, and has a knack for sharp thinking.
Pikachu faces a Disney like cast of characters. His main companion, and your playable character, is Tim, a human boy who goes to the city for an unspecified purpose, and meets Pikachu. In Pikachu’s agency are the president, Mike Baker, and assistant, Amanda Braxton. Working for the local TV station are the main director, Maiko Okamoto, and the new assistant director, Emilia Christie. High Hat Café, Pikachu’s favorite hangout, is operated by Pablo Milan.
Lastly, among the other Pokemon you will meet in Rhyme Town are an Aipom, Furfrou, Scraggy, Slurpuff, Fletchling, Ludicolo, Trevenant, Drifblim, and Litwick.
So, how do you actually play Great Detective Pikachu? As Tim, you go around Rhyme Town collecting information. You can gather evidence and talk to people, while Pikachu will help you seek evidence and talk to Pokemon. Pikachu will give Pikachu Hints when he notices something to help you in the evidence gathering, even complete hints.
Lastly, there are QTEs, which are actually cooperative events between Tim and Pikachu. These won’t change the outcome of the story, but it seems it will affect the relationship between the two. For example, one QTE requires Tim to catch Pikachu from falling off a tree. Whether you get him or not, there will be a different outcome, but again it won’t change the story.
Great Detective Pikachu is exclusive to the 3DS. It is releasing in Japan on February 3. A Western release has yet to be confirmed.
