Detective Pikachu has the single greatest game mechanic ever designed

OK, Detective Pikachu has been out on 3DS for over a week now, so the majority of people who are likely to buy it already have, right?

Wrong. So wrong. Because Nintendo messed up big time, you see. None of the marketing for the game bothered to mention the one aspect of the entire game that elevates it beyond "kid-focused adventure game".

The Detective Pikachu button.

Situated on the left-hand side of the touch screen at all times is a small picture of Detective Pikachu which, when pressed, triggers a short cutscene with the titular electric mouse as he tells you something completely unnecessary.

Sometimes he'll whip out a magnifying glass from nowhere and look for clues. Sometimes he'll try and do a Quick Attack, but he's too fat to run that fast. Sometimes he'll just tell you about coffee. Detective Pikachu flippin' loves coffee.

It's even context-sensitive, so if you happen to be in the right spot, or near the right Pokemon, he'll start playing with them instead of wittering out some nonsense. Do you want to see a gruff Pikachu screaming at the sight of a Mimikyu? Of course you do, even if you don't understand half those words.

It's great. It's a game seller, believe me. I'm fairly certain you can unlock all these cutscenes by introducing a Detective Pikachu amiibo to your 3DS, but where's the fun in that? It's far more exciting to tap that adorable button and take a chance.

Even our intrepid reviewer thought that the "incidental cutscenes" were a key factor of the game and gave it our Bronze Award. That's high praise coming from us, believe me.

You can buy Detective Pikachu right now, and if you possess a 3DS, I suggest you do. Just for the Detective Pikachu button. Trust me on this. You won't regret it.