TOKYO, Jan 16 — Pokémon Go is rolling out its first Community Day event on Saturday, January 20, while video game Detective Pikachu is set for a March 2018 release ahead of a movie adaptation the next year.
Shockingly cute yellow gerbil Pikachu is more than just high-pitched squeaks and conductive jolts.
That’s the lesson an international audience will soon be learning when video game Detective Pikachu releases for Nintendo 3DS on March 23, 2018, according to the game’s US site.
For one diminutive Pikachu in particular is a deep-voiced master of deduction, ready to lead players on an improbable series of mystery-solving adventures.
“This Pikachu is unlike any other — the gruff Pokémon talks tough, loves strong coffee, and boasts about his brilliance as a wannabe great detective,” reads the game’s official blurb.
“Side by side, Tim and Pikachu will search for clues and talk to witnesses to investigate the disappearance of Tim’s father, Harry.”
An English-language trailer was released on January 12.
Released in Japan in February 2016, Detective Pikachu is now being turned into a feature film by Hollywood studio Legendary Entertainment, with Goosebumps director at Rob Letterman at the helm, Ryan Reynolds voicing Detective Pikachu, Justice Smith as Tim, and Kathryn Newton as fellow human Lucy.
Alex Hirsch of Gravity Falls and Nicole Perlman of Guardians of the Galaxy are turning the game into a movie-length story.
Meanwhile, another Pokémon game is receiving a new lease of life within the week, again courtesy of Pikachu.
July 2016’s Pokémon Go is expanding to encompass a monthly Community Day.
Developer of the hit iOS and Android app, Niantic, wants the Community Day to be “an opportunity for Trainers around the world to meet up at their local parks to make new friends and experience what it means to be a part of this special community.”
During each three-hour event, a special Pokémon with an exclusive move will be made available to find and catch in the location-based Augmented Reality game, while other bonuses such as increased experience points will also be active.
The first Pokémon Go Community Day is to take place on January 20, 2018, with Pikachu as its star.
The Community Day edition of Pikachu will know a special move called Surf. No specific locations were detailed, with Pokémon Go studio Niantic encouraging players to explore their local parks and make new friends while staying safe and being respectful of public spaces.
The January 20 event starts at 12pm in Asia Pacific, 10am in Europe, the Middle-East, Africa and India, and 11am in The Americas and Greenland. — AFP-Relaxnews
