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.on my spider-man obsession era@themaiker_@SerebiiNet This looks like a wii game9@SerebiiNet This looks like a wii gameSome 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 SwitchDetective Pikachu Returns recently received a brand-new trailer, offering players another look at the denizens of Rhyme City. However, fans are not impressed.Felix Sanchez@FelixSandwichezDetective Pikachu Returns might be the worst-looking game I've seen on Switch pic.twitter.com/p7chEd7Ly736914Detective Pikachu Returns might be the worst-looking game I've seen on Switch 😂😭 pic.twitter.com/p7chEd7Ly7NinTwinDo@xxNinTwinDoxxThey better boost up those graphics for Detective Pikachu Returns. They have no excuse why it doesn't look like the promo render.They better boost up those graphics for Detective Pikachu Returns. They have no excuse why it doesn't look like the promo render.FoodForThought@Food4ToK@IGN How does every Pokémon game manage to look worse and worse11@IGN How does every Pokémon game manage to look worse and worsejames@Jam_Brok_detective pikachu returns literally just looks like a 3ds gamedetective pikachu returns literally just looks like a 3ds gameTappedForMana@TappedManaTell me why the upcoming 'Detective Pikachu Returns' looks like a prerendered PS2 cutscene pic.twitter.com/GyXOyal6Ww3Tell me why the upcoming 'Detective Pikachu Returns' looks like a prerendered PS2 cutscene pic.twitter.com/GyXOyal6Wwnovasoup 🏳️‍⚧️ on that fnf composing grind@novasoup_@ArloStuff detective pikachu returns looks worse than the first detective pikachu game graphics-wise2@ArloStuff detective pikachu returns looks worse than the first detective pikachu game graphics-wiseAlpha25@Alpha25_@Touyarokii I'm glad Detective Pikachu is making a return but those graphics really don't look appealing enough to me 1@Touyarokii I'm glad Detective Pikachu is making a return but those graphics really don't look appealing enough to me 😭EmmettAaron@emmettaaronzack@Bulbagarden Everything looks good except graphics, it looks like they made it using Gmod1@Bulbagarden Everything looks good except graphics, it looks like they made it using GmodJoe Puopolo@NintenjoSwitchyI'm not one to generally complain about graphics, but what is up with the new Detective Pikachu?! The character designs & the lack of shadows, it just seems off. Makes me feel like this was a 3DS game initially & they never bothered to update the visuals for Switch. pic.twitter.com/ICt3X2y8M02I'm not one to generally complain about graphics, but what is up with the new Detective Pikachu?! The character designs & the lack of shadows, it just seems off. Makes me feel like this was a 3DS game initially & they never bothered to update the visuals for Switch. pic.twitter.com/ICt3X2y8M0It 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:Dorian Scott@Dorian_of_Scott@NintendoAmerica How does it look worse than the 3DS game!? pic.twitter.com/6sF9G7XTc117@NintendoAmerica How does it look worse than the 3DS game!? pic.twitter.com/6sF9G7XTc1Laura 🌿 — 🌼 Pikmin 4 🌼@laurapikpikPKMN (2023) vs PKMN (2023) pic.twitter.com/fn1mXaDjk5 twitter.com/KoboldTrash36/…14019PKMN (2023) vs PKMN (2023) pic.twitter.com/fn1mXaDjk5 twitter.com/KoboldTrash36/…ᑭ໐††єᖇℤᓰᒪᒪᗩ Certified Rat Man@PotterzillaHonestly still baffled that Detective Pikachu Returns not only looks worse than Scarlet and Violet but even the 3DS prequel is more visually appealing...Game looks fun still, just wish it looked a lil better ngl pic.twitter.com/VqxLSDRXqw9Honestly still baffled that Detective Pikachu Returns not only looks worse than Scarlet and Violet but even the 3DS prequel is more visually appealing...Game looks fun still, just wish it looked a lil better ngl pic.twitter.com/VqxLSDRXqwSo, 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.Earleybyrd 🫡@BrosNeku@ArloStuff Like c’mon. Staying the genre of detective games, just look at Astral Chain, looking closer to the locales of the actual DP movie. Or look at New Snap-DPR has a far less intensive gameplay loop than either of those. It should be beautiful, but it’s just embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/jBS7pB8Nnj141@ArloStuff Like c’mon. Staying the genre of detective games, just look at Astral Chain, looking closer to the locales of the actual DP movie. Or look at New Snap-DPR has a far less intensive gameplay loop than either of those. It should be beautiful, but it’s just embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/jBS7pB8NnjTo 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?Nintendo of America@NintendoAmericaIn #DetectivePikachuReturns, your adventure takes place in Ryme City, where humans and Pokémon live side by side!The famous detective duo Tim and Pikachu are searching for Tim’s father, Harry, while taking on all sorts of cases. pic.twitter.com/DRFdaIs4ZI68791In #DetectivePikachuReturns, your adventure takes place in Ryme City, where humans and Pokémon live side by side!The famous detective duo Tim and Pikachu are searching for Tim’s father, Harry, while taking on all sorts of cases. pic.twitter.com/DRFdaIs4ZIDetective 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.