"This looks like a Wii game": Fans upset over Detective Pikachu Returns' underwhelming graphics on Nintendo Switch

Ever since its debut at the Nintendo Direct June 2023 showcase, Detective Pikachu Returns has had a largely mixed reception. This does not have to do with its story, characters, or writing — not particularly so. Much of the gripe is geared toward its presentation. Many fans have raised eyebrows at the subpar visuals in developer Creature's latest Pokemon spin-off.

Some assumed it could have been early development footage for the debut trailer. However, the latest showcase at the recent Pokemon Presents is not an upgrade either.

---

Fans across social media react to Detective Pikachu Returns graphics on Nintendo Switch

Detective Pikachu Returns recently received a brand-new trailer, offering players another look at the denizens of Rhyme City. However, fans are not impressed.

It is no secret that the Nintendo Switch is not a technical powerhouse, especially with its aging Tegra X1 hardware. In spite of that, we have seen some truly beautiful games on the same hardware.

Fans have been quick to compare Detective Pikachu Returns with various games, including the brand-new Pikmin 4:

So, what exactly is the issue here? The two key aspects are lighting and lack of shading. The former is surprisingly flat, given how many first-party games, like Luigi's Mansion 3, boast excellent lighting among other bells and whistles on the Nintendo Switch. As for the latter, there is no ambient occlusion whatsoever in crevices and areas that should have soft shadows to fill in gaps.

This is baffling when even the Nintendo 3DS original emulated self-shadowing on character models, as seen in the tweet above. Texture work is also hit or miss, with character models looking decent but background elements like building window reflections being straight out of games from the 2000s.

To chime in with other users, the visual feature set is primitive enough to make it look like a Nintendo 3DS game running at a higher resolution on the Nintendo Switch.

This was a point of argument back when Detective Pikachu Returns was officially announced as users scratched their heads at the visuals on display. On that note, the Pokemon franchise has never been cutting-edge from a graphics standpoint. At least that is the case under mainline developer Game Freak.

The studio's latest titles, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, have been critiqued harshly for many reasons, including their subpar visuals. Its previous offerings, such as Pokemon Legends Arceus as well as Pokemon Sword and Shield, were not lookers either.

On the other hand, the Bandai Namco-developed New Pokemon Snap and Pokken Tournament DX continue to be the best-looking Pocket Monster games on the Nintendo Switch.

Since Detective Pikachu Returns is launching in a couple of months, players will have to be satisfied with what's presented to them.

---

What is Detective Pikachu Returns about, and when does it launch on Nintendo Switch?

Detective Pikachu Returns takes place in Rhyme City. Players step back into the shoes of a sleuthing Pikachu that can talk. Alongside his human friend Tim Goodman, he must track down the boy's missing father, Harry. This journey takes the duo across the city's serene urbanscapes as they engage in investigations to help both trainers and Pokemon.

The game is scheduled for release on October 6, 2023. Pre-orders are live, and those who wish to grab the title in spite of its visual shortcomings can do so right now.