There’s a demo version of Detective Pikachu out right now and progress transfers over to the full game

It brings you through the starter mission

Detective Pikachu was generally my cup of coffee despite its easy going difficulty curve, it just happened to squander a bit of its potential — mostly in terms of the ongoing narrative.

You can see if it’s your cup though by way of a demo version, which runs through the initial tutorial mission that helps you acclimate to both the clue hunting aspect of the game and Detective Pikachu’s personality. It’s available on 3DS right now, and the best part? Nintendo has confirmed that if you buy the full game your progress will transfer (it’s only around 30-45 minutes depending on how much you linger, but it’s nice to not have to do it again).

From now through April 22 you’ll get a download code for a Detective Pikachu theme if you pick the game — Nintendo says to look at retail packages for the code or grab it on the eShop until that date. Although I was disappointed a bit there’s still a lot to love, so maybe you’ll dig it!

Free special demo version of the Detective Pikachu game! [Nintendo]