2023 has been quite an exciting year for video game fans of all kinds, and the holidays are almost here to shake things up even further. While there have been plenty of strange ups and downs with games like Forspoken and Hogwarts Legacy, there have also been plenty of surprises such as the Detective Pikachu sequel being both formerly revealed and released in the span of the last few months. One other surprise game is in a similar boat to the new Pikachu-centric Switch game, which is why Detective Pikachu Returns fans should play The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog.
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is a mystery-solving game, just like Detective Pikachu Returns, that sees a murder mystery birthday party for Amy Rose take a turn for the worse when Sonic isn't just playing dead. Released for April Fools' Day, the game sounds like a bit of a joke at first, but it's actually a legitimate game with proper problem-solving elements mixed with the usual platforming Sonic the Hedgehog is known for. As a result, it serves as a great recommendation for those wanting more after finishing Detective Pikachu Returns.
Detective Pikachu Returns and The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog Both Offer Low-Stakes Mystery Fun
Detective Pikachu Returns and its predecessor have been understood to be one thing above all else - simple. It typically presents its cases on the easier side of things so that the youngest of Pokemon fans, the target audience, won't be overwhelmed or confused by what it takes to deduce a proper mystery. It's often been discussed at length between players if this writing is too elementary and easy, which alienates plenty of older fans. The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is also rather simple, but only in the sense that it's rather easygoing.
Due to the fact that the game features Sonic and his friends attending a murder mystery birthday party for Amy, the visual novel April Fools' game stays rather uplifting and simplistic in its tone until the truth comes out at the very end, much like Detective Pikachu Returns and its plot. However, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog only leaves itself simplistic in terms of how the problems can easily be solved by simple deduction as well as its overall tone. Where Detective Pikachu Returns keeps itself fairly easy, The Murder of Sonic does have a difficulty curve that keeps players guessing and improving throughout the game's run time.
How the Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is an Easy Step Up After Detective Pikachu Returns
A big draw to Detective Pikachu Returns is easily the fact that players can go on an adventure with Pikachu for the entire duration. The game takes place in the marvelous world of Pokemon, where mysteries need to take into account what type a creature is and what its footprint says about it. However, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog offers that same opportunity to players as well as the world Sonic and friends inhabit isn't at all boring, either. Following the new carefully crafted lore Sonic Frontiers has established, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog lets fans explore Sonic's world through an audience surrogate, serving as a perfect introduction to everything the series is about.
To top it all off, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog was a surprise release for fans just before the festivities on April 1, so the game is actually an hours-long experience that's completely available on Steam for free for PC and Mac. This means that if players finish Detective Pikachu Returns and want something with the same feel, humor, and whimsy with a bit more challenge, then The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is their best option at no extra charge.
Detective Pikachu Returns is available on Nintendo Switch.
