Highlights
- Detective Pikachu Returns takes players on an adventure in Ryme City, two years after the events of the original game and movie, as Tim and Pikachu search for Tim's missing dad.
- Despite the presence of many Pokemon in the game, it's notable that Paldea Pokemon are completely absent, which is unusual considering the franchise's history of including new creatures in spin-off games.
- The focus on the Galar region in Detective Pikachu Returns suggests that the game may have been intended for release in Generation 8 rather than Generation 9, which makes the absence of Paldea Pokemon even more puzzling.
After five years of the development on the latest Pokemon spin-off title going deathly quiet, players now have an entire adventure of mysteries to experience in Detective Pikachu Returns on the Nintendo Switch. Taking place two years after the events of the original 3DS game, of which the Detective Pikachu movie was based on, Tim Goodman and his partner Pikachu are still searching for Tim's missing dad, Harry. In the meantime, though, there are plenty of other cases and local worries to solve in Ryme City.
As Detective Pikachu fans likely already know, Ryme City is a place that aims to promote harmony between people and Pokemon in search of an existence where they can coexist peacefully. In this new sequel on the Switch, this balance is still a work in progress after the "R" chemical caused several creatures to go berserk. Despite that, Ryme City is filled to the brim with plenty of Pokemon living alongside their human partners peacefully in Detective Pikachu Returns. However, the representation of the iconic pocket monsters falls short in one way, as Paldea Pokemon are completely absent.
Why Pokemon Representation in Spin-Off Games Matters
For likely over a decade of Pokemon history, there's been a very careful balance between the mainline games developed by Game Freak and the spin-off titles produced by other development studios. Thanks to the existence of these other games, players had tons of other experiences in the Pokemon world while awaiting the big new games like Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. Through this balance, many fans were kept satisfied, as these side titles included the latest creatures from the newer games to shine a different kind of spotlight on them that their original games couldn't provide.
Iconic appearances by recent roster additions, such as the number of Hoenn Pokemon in Pokemon Colosseum or the growing number of creatures that could be found and recruited in the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games, is only possible through Game Freak trusting other game studios with NDAs about the upcoming mainline titles so that these critters can be added during development. It is a purposeful exchange that helps promote multiple different games at once that has always made fans of newer creatures feel at home with the many Pokemon spin-offs.
Detective Pikachu Returns' Lack of Paldea Pokemon Says More Than It Seems
Despite the existence of this successful marketing strategy that's been used for quite some time now, Detective Pikachu Returns is a game released in Generation 9's lifecycle that lacks any of the Pokemon from its respective generation. While some players may notice the lack of creatures like Paldea's starters at the beginning of the game, who almost seem expected to appear in a game such as Detective Pikachu Returns, the omission certainly feels weirder as the adventure continues, and every generation gets its own moment in the spotlight except for Gen 9.
In fact, Galar in particular feels like the main focus in Detective Pikachu Returns, in terms of both the story and sheer number of Pokemon appearing from that region in the game itself. Because of this, it could be easily assumed that Detective Pikachu Returns was meant to be released in Generation 8 rather than Gen 9. It would certainly make sense, given that the Detective Pikachu sequel has been publicly stated as in development for at least five years.
What makes this situation even stranger is Detective Pikachu Returns was developed by Creatures Inc, who has helped with the mainline Pokemon titles since the very beginning of the franchise. With the fact that the studio was likely working on Pokemon Scarlet and Violet alongside Detective Pikachu Returns, the lack of acknowledgment for the Paldea region feels even stranger in that regard, as nothing was stopping the developer from throwing in a few pocket monsters from that region during the lengthy development period. No matter what the reason is, it seems that it will have to be up to other spin-off adventures to show off the Paldea Pokedex.
Detective Pikachu Returns is currently available on Nintendo Switch.
