Detective Pikachu gets a new trailer

Nintendo’s YouTube channel has uploaded a new trailer for the much anticipated Detective Pikachu.

Originally released as a Japan exclusive in 2016, it was announced in January that the game would be translated and released in the West. English-speaking Pokémon fans have been waiting for a trailer to show them what they can expect from the game, and Nintendo has obliged:

This trailer features – for the first time – Pikachu’s speaking voice! Despite what a subset of fans might have hoped, it’s not Danny DeVito.  The voice actor behind the scenes has not been revealed, but fans have speculated that it may be Kaiji Tang, voice actor for the character Owain  in Fire Emblem: Fates. Kaiji Tang has neither confirmed nor denied the rumor, instead teasing in a tweet “Guess we”ll find out who it is when the game comes out!”.  

The trailer also shows off the game’s story, a mystery revolving around the human Tim Goodman’s father and a mysterious Pokémon. The gameplay looks to consist of uncovering clues by conducting interviews with witnesses, with human and Pokémon alike. Since the game has both a human and a Pokémon protagonist, it looks like Tim will interview the humans while Pikachu handles Pokémon interactions. The game also seems to contain several different types of puzzles, though it doesn’t show any of them in detail.

We haven’t had very many games that focused on the casual side of the Pokémon world.  The main-line Pokémon games are all about battling and reaching the pinnacle of achievement, and the Mystery Dungeon series ignored the human world almost entirely. However, Detective Pikachu promises a new look at the world of Pokémon – every day life with humans and Pokémon living together as friends and even coworkers.

The game will be released on March 24th. For more info about Detective Pikachu, check out the Nintendo website.