Pierre the Maze Detective


Pierre the Maze Detective is a series of children’s puzzle books created by Japanese illustrator Hiro Kamigaki and his Hiroshima-based design studio IC4DESIGN. First published in 2015, the series combines large-format hand-drawn illustrations with mazes and hidden-object challenges. Each volume presents intricate double-page spreads depicting bustling cityscapes and fantastical settings filled with hundreds of miniature figures and unfolding side stories. Readers are tasked with tracing a continuous path through each maze while searching for hidden items and clues woven into the artwork.
The narrative follows Pierre, a young detective who specializes in mazes, and his companion Carmen, as they pursue the elusive Phantom Thief X, whose magical thefts turn cities into labyrinths. In each spread, Pierre begins at the maze’s starting point while the thief appears at the goal, framing the reader’s progress as a visual chase through the story’s world.
The visual style of the series reflects influences from Where's Wally?, Tintin, and the broader tradition of Franco-Belgian comics, combining European comics’ narrative continuity with the search-and-find format’s visual density. The series has been noted for its elaborate composition and humor, drawing comparisons to the works of Jean “Moebius” Giraud for its architectural detail and imaginative scope. Since its debut, the series has sold over one million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages. The franchise has expanded to include activity books, puzzles, and a video-game adaptation.

Concept and creation

Background

IC4DESIGN is a Hiroshima-based illustration and design studio founded in 2006 by Hiro Kamigaki. The studio consists of about four artists and is known for its hand-drawn, highly detailed compositions, developed through multi-year production cycles for each project. The books have credited IC4DESIGN team members Daisuke Matsubara, Yoko Sugi, Arisa Imamura, Masami Tatsugawa, Keiko Kamigaki, Liang Xiaoming, and later Yujiro Ayano. The studio first gained international attention through its pop-art sensibility and precise visual storytelling, producing cover art and campaigns for The New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Times Magazine, and other global clients.
Experience in commercial design and editorial illustration shaped the creation of Pierre the Maze Detective, merging professional visual discipline with playful, narrative complexity. Each title reportedly takes several years to complete, evolving from preliminary sketches to intricate, full-color spreads through a collaborative, iterative process within the studio.

Description and gameplay style

The Pierre the Maze Detective books combine the visual appeal of picture books with the interactivity of puzzle games. Each double-page spread presents a maze rendered as a complex, hand-drawn environment—such as a museum, fairground, or treetop city—populated with hundreds of characters engaged in simultaneous stories. Readers are challenged to trace a continuous route from “Start” to “Goal” while also uncovering hidden items, clues, and smaller puzzles interwoven throughout the scene.
Kamigaki has cited Where's Wally?, Tintin, and Franco-Belgian comics as major stylistic influences. Critics have compared his colorful, architectural compositions to those of French illustrator Jean “Moebius” Giraud, praising their humor and visual density. Kamigaki has stated that his goal is “to draw interesting scenes that no one has ever seen,” designing illustrations that reward slow observation and reveal new stories with each viewing.

Characters and narrative

The recurring protagonists are Pierre, a courteous young detective in a red cap and suit, and his analytical companion Carmen. Their nemesis, Phantom Thief X, commits spectacular thefts using magical artifacts—such as the Maze Stone—that turn ordinary spaces into labyrinths.
Each story begins with one of these disruptions and unfolds as a visual pursuit through a sequence of interconnected mazes. Instead of traditional text-based narration, the plot advances through embedded visual cues and dialogue within the illustrations. This format merges narrative progression, spatial reasoning, and visual discovery, producing a hybrid experience that blurs the line between reading and interactive play.

Publication history

Main series

The first book in the series, Pierre the Maze Detective: The Search for the Stolen Maze Stone, was published in 2014 in Japan and launched internationally in 2025. It was followed by Pierre the Maze Detective: The Mystery of the Empire Maze Tower in 2017, Pierre the Maze Detective: The Curious Case of the Castle in the Sky in 2020, and Pierre the Maze Detective: The Hunt for the Maze Pyramid in 2025.
As of 2021, the series had sold nearly one million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages. The books have been distributed in over 33 countries and localized for markets across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Future plans

In 2023 Kamigaki stated in an interview with the Tokyo Illustrators Society that a fourth volume in the Pierre the Maze Detective series was in production and that he hoped to publish five books in total, noting that a five-volume set would provide a meaningful presence on bookstore shelves. In interviews, he reiterated his intention to continue the series, expressing a desire to produce a fifth installment.

Other spin-offs

Several companion works and activity editions have been released in connection with the main series. Pierre the Maze Detective: The Sticker Book includes reusable stickers and reproduces selected locations from the original volume for younger readers. Pierre the Maze Detective: The Great Coloring Adventure offers black-and-white versions of Kamigaki’s illustrations, allowing readers to color and complete mazes based on scenes and characters from the books.
Additional licensed products have included jigsaw puzzles, poster sets, and activity sheets released by Laurence King Publishing. These editions retain the series’ emphasis on detailed illustration and interactive exploration, adapting it to different formats and age groups.

Reception

Critical response

The Pierre the Maze Detective books have been noted by reviewers for their intricate illustrations and interactive design. Publishers Weekly described the debut volume as featuring “Where’s Waldo?–level detail” and praised its ability to maintain reader engagement through a combination of maze-solving and hidden-object tasks. The Guardian referred to the series as “seductively intricate,” observing how its visual storytelling merges search-and-find elements with a continuous narrative.
GeekDad described the first volume as “one of the finest children’s books” of its year, highlighting the abundance of minor visual details and subplots that invite extended observation. Reviewers have compared the series to Where's Wally? and to Franco-Belgian comics such as Tintin for its dense composition and visual humor.
The books’ visual quality has been remarked upon. Get Hiroshima described the artwork as “incredibly detailed and colorful,” noting that each spread required significant production time and precision. Time for Kids quoted Kamigaki’s stated aim “to draw interesting scenes that no one has ever seen,” emphasizing the series’ imaginative and exploratory intent. In later reviews, critics observed that the level of visual density allowed readers to revisit pages multiple times and continue discovering new details.

Awards and distinctions

The Pierre the Maze Detective series has been recognized internationally for its illustration quality and design innovation. The debut book was shortlisted for the World Illustration Awards in 2016 by the Association of Illustrators, cited for its detailed visual storytelling that combined maze puzzles with hidden-object art.
The third volume, The Curious Case of the Castle in the Sky, earned the NYX Grand Winner Award in 2020, praised for its creative concept and intricate composition blending story, interactivity, and illustration. The same volume later received honors at the Kyoto Global Design Awards for its multi-layered visual design.
  • World Illustration Awards 2016 – Shortlisted for Pierre the Maze Detective.
  • ADC Awards 2018 – Recognition for The Mystery of the Empire Maze Tower.
  • NYX Awards 2020 – Grand Winner for The Curious Case of the Castle in the Sky.
  • Kyoto Global Design Awards 2021 – Visual Design recognition for The Curious Case of the Castle in the Sky.

Books main series

  • *The book co-credits IC4DESIGN team members Daisuke Matsubara, Yoko Sugi, Arisa Imamura, Masami Tatsugawa, Keiko Kamigaki
  • *The book co-credits IC4DESIGN team members Daisuke Matsubara, Yoko Sugi, Arisa Imamura, Keiko Kamigaki, Masami Tatsugawa
  • *The book co-credits IC4DESIGN team members Daisuke Matsubara, Yoko Sugi, Arisa Imamura, Keiko Kamigaki, Masami Tatsugawa, Liang Xiaoming
  • *The book co-credits IC4DESIGN team members Daisuke Matsubara, Yoko Sugi, Arisa Imamura, Yujiro Ayano, Liang Xiaoming, Keiko Kamigaki, Masami Tatsugawa

Video game adaptation

Description

Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective is a video-game adaptation of the eponymous book series, developed by the Paris-based studio Darjeeling and published by Pixmain. The game was released for PC via Steam in June 2021, followed by versions for Nintendo Switch and iOS the same year. It is directly based on the first book, Pierre the Maze Detective: The Search for the Stolen Maze Stone.
The game follows Pierre as he pursues his adversary Mr. X through Opera City after the theft of the Maze Stone, a gem able to transform its surroundings into mazes. Players navigate maze-like environments, interact with characters, and search for hidden objects across ten hand-drawn levels rendered in two-dimensional animation. The visual design replicates the books’ art style while introducing animation, music, and voice acting. According to Get Hiroshima, the adaptation expanded the original concept into a more immersive world, giving names and dialogue to many of the minor background characters drawn in the books.

Origins

Labyrinth City was first conceived when a Darjeeling staff member contacted IC4DESIGN after the success of the debut book, leading to a collaboration that Kamigaki later described as “surreal and humbling.” The artist, who had previously worked in the game industry, noted that seeing his static illustrations animated on screen “made the effort worth it.”

Reception

The game received positive reviews and multiple awards for its art direction. It won the Best Quality of Art prize at the Game Connection Asia Indie Development Awards 2020 and the Visual Design Award at IndieCade 2020, both recognizing its faithful adaptation of Hiro Kamigaki’s hand-drawn aesthetic and the intricate detail of its environments.
Critics praised the game’s translation of the books’ visual density into animation and its accessible, exploration-focused gameplay. Eurogamer described it as “an absolute delight,” highlighting its “dense, lively worlds” and “book-like flatness.” PC Gamer noted that its “colorful environments packed with wonderful detail,” while Rapid Review UK called it “a pleasant and soothing experience.” The game holds a Metacritic score of 81, indicating generally favorable reception. Reviewers compared it to Where’s Wally?–style search-and-find games for its emphasis on discovery rather than difficulty, and several noted its gentle humor and nostalgic appeal.

Awards and distinctions

  • Game Connection Asia 2020 – Indie Development Awards: Winner, Best Quality of Art.
  • IndieCade 2020 – Winner, Visual Design Award.
  • IndiePlay China 2020 – Nominee, Best Overseas Game.
  • Digital Dragons Indie Celebration 2021 – Finalist.
  • Busan Indie Connect Festival 2021 – Winner of the Jury Prize and Excellence in Art Award.