Detective Pikachu’s creators say the game’s real mystery is why Pikachu can talk
The first and most important question anyone should ask about Detective Pikachu, the new crime-solving, neo-noir Pokémon spinoff game for the Nintendo 3DS, is how it got made at all. The game features a talking Pikachu that sounds indistinguishable from a 1930s-era Dashiell Hammett protagonist, equipped with a deerstalker hat, magnifying glass, and gruff sensibility.
The sheer alarm at hearing the franchise mascot speaking, and with a voice and personality that feels profoundly out of place, has sent shockwaves through the fandom. The intrigue has only deepened with the official live-action adaptation of Detective Pikachu, which is set for a 2019 release, featuring actor Ryan Reynolds voicing the crime-solving mouse detective in its…
