YMMV / Detective Pikachu

• Enjoy the Story, Skip the Game: The gameplay is little more than average Adventure Game fare for the most part, but the sheer personality and presentation injected into the cutscenes makes it an enjoyable experience regardless.
• Fanfic Fuel:
  • Detective Pikachu has a quick conversation with a Pikachu who is heavily implied to be Ash Ketchum's. So...what would happen if Ash and Tim ever met in Ryme City?
  • The game's open ending leaves a lot for interpretation. Namely, where's Harry and how Pikachu relates to his disappearance.
• Genius Bonus: One of the Pika Prompts shows Pansage prodding at a fatigued Detective Pikachu to eat the leaves on its head. The joke being that it relieves stress, according to PokéDex entries. This fact isn't brought up anywhere in the chapter, and only really makes sense to people who pay attention to Dex entries.
• Heartwarming Moments: The interaction between Tim and Emilia towards the end of chapter 8. The way they interact is simply adorable. Plus, there's the small Ship Tease moment with Tim calling Emilia beautiful.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Check the main page.
• It's Easy, So It Sucks!: Unlike the Ace Attorney franchise, Detective Pikachu has no lose conditions of any kind; if you ever pick a wrong option, Pikachu just lets you try again immediately. Those fans looking for a tricky bit of sleuthing may be put off by this.
• Just Here for Godzilla:
  • Much like a few other Pokémon spin-off games, like Pokémon Snap or Pokémon Conquest, the idea of inserting Pokémon into a genre it has never done before was enough to intrigue a good amount of people, as was the live-action adaptation.
  • Many fans were excited for Mewtwo having a speaking part and major role in the game.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • Shortly after its reveal, "Detective Pikachu: Ace Attorney" jokes were already starting to be made.
  • Way back when behind-the-scenes shots were released, Pikachu's Off-Model motion-captured face was a popular reaction image.
  • From the official reveal trailer, the brief shot◊ of Pikachu shouting passionately toward the camera along with edits◊ thereof◊ quickly became popular.
  • A petition to make Danny DeVito the English voice actor for Detective Pikachu blew up shortly after the initial reveal trailer. When Danny DeVito was asked about it, he replied with a baffled "What the fuck is Pokémon?!". Related to this is putting the caption "Oh, whoops, oh, I dropped my monster condom that I use for my magnum dong!" to the scene with Detective Pikachu trying to flirt with a receptionist.
• Nightmare Fuel: One of the most vivid things Detective Pikachu remembers from his past is being in a car accident and completely helpless to avoid it.
• Older Than They Think: Detective Pikachu is not the first time a Pikachu has spoken with a surprisingly deep voice. The anime special adaptation of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team had a Pikachu with a masculine voice, though he was somewhat more boyish sounding.
• Superlative Dubbing: The game’s English voice acting is seen by many to be very good with no real negative standouts, particularly given the Pokémon franchise's track record of dodgy English voice acting. Of course, the highlight is Detective Pikachu himself, but Christopher Corey Smith as Mewtwo also deserves a mention.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: Winning the detective's cape and the recipe book in the black market auction is given a lot of importance, but the game progresses the same way regardless of your degree of success, just with some minor changes to your collected evidence and a special Pika Prompt if you win the former.
• Visual Effects of Awesome: The game's use of Motion Capture initially brought some worries when it was first shown off during an episode of NHK Professional: Shigoto no Ryuugi, but when the game came out, it turned out to be one of the game's strongest points. At a time when mocap usually looked extremely uncanny, its use here was praised for being extremely fluid and well-executed. The sequel would later expand upon its usage to great effect, culminating in a fully choreographed Pokémon battle for its climax.

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