Summary
Detective Pikachu Returnswas aPokemonspin-off release that a lot of fans didn’t see coming this year. After the game was announced with very little fanfare, only to go quiet on updates for years afterward, the Switch sequel to the original 3DS game was re-introduced in the June 2023 Nintendo Direct, and released months later. Despite the lengthy time in development, though,Detective Pikachu Returnsis being criticized for its simplistic nature that clearly kept younger audiences in mind above the loyalPokemonaudience that has been enjoying otherPokemongames like it for decades. However, it is a very easy game for older players to relax and turn their brain off with.
DespiteDetective Pikachu Returns' flaws, there is one trait that stands strong with critics and fans alike, and it’s that the sequel does a great job in pulling players into theworld ofPokemon. There are quite a few iconic creatures for fans to meet during their playthrough, with some of them having an active role in the game’s story. Luxray, the final evolved form of Shinx, becomes a helper Pokemon with the ability to look through walls and objects. While this may seem like a strange ability, it’s actually a well-established fact from other parts of the series.
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Luxray the Gleam-Eyes Pokemon
Truthfully, the fact that Luxray can see through walls is more of an obscure fact that fell to the wayside the morePokemon’s 4th Generationlost the limelight over the years. The ability is such a staple to the lion-like creature that it makes up its classification name as the “Gleam-Eyes Pokemon,” and it’s mentioned in a majority of its Pokedex Entries in every game it’s available in.
While the ability may seem like a staple to Luxray, it’s understandable as to why fans may have forgotten this ability and felt that it came out of nowhere inDetective Pikachu Returns. Despite Luxray and its lower evolutions being available in everyPokemongame even after the National Dex was cut,Detective Pikachu Returnsmarks the first time in a long time thatLuxrayhas been properly relevant to a game’s story as it hasn’t had prominent focus since Generation 4.
Detective Pikachu Returns Featuring Luxray Feels Convenient, But It’s Deserved
It can easily be said that Luxray being able to see through walls and other objects lends itself well to a game about sleuthing, but it isn’t anything special to the Luxray inDetective Pikachu Returns, nor is it something thrown in just to make the stealth missions make sense. In fact, it’s almost perfect, as Shinx, Luxio, and Luxray have been popular startingSinnoh Pokemonfor over a decade now, but they haven’t had much spotlight to themselves in the series whatsoever.
Like many other creatures that have been in the franchise for quite some time, Luxray and its other lower forms have naturally had attention over the years, but nothing that truly stood out. Clemont in thePokemon XandYanime had a Shinx that evolved into a Luxray in the end, but despite the playful nature of the critter on his team, other characterssuch as Ash and Serenamostly took the spotlight for that series. A tribe of Luxray could be encountered inPokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of TimeandDarkness, but for the more popular and preferredExplorers of Skyversion, they were replaced with a group of Manectric.
With how many times Luxray has been set up to play a bigger role, only to be upstaged by other Pokemon and characters, having such a presence inDetective Pikachu Returnsfeels overdue. There may be flaws withhowDetective Pikachu Returnshandles its gameplay, but at the very least, Luxray fans have a brand-new game to enjoy with their favorite Pokemon taking center stage at last.
Detective Pikachu Returnsis available now on Nintendo Switch.
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