Pikmin 3

Pikmin 3 is not necessarily a less enjoyable game than its predecessors, but it is less interesting. The only real new thing here is that you have three characters that you can send around the map independently. This allows you to be more efficient by dividing the workload - problem is that there is no point in being efficient because the campaign mode is overall too easy and forgiving. Pikmin 1 had the infamous time limit, Pikmin 2 had difficult dungeons, this one has neither. You could play the mission mode if you want an actual challenge, but you'd have to be a real die-hard Pikmin fan to actually perfect all of the missions.

Throwing Pikmin around is still fun and this is by no means a bad game, just somewhat forgettable.

In a perfect world, this would be at the top of the charts. But sadly, in our pained state, we must live with the fact that the world does not have good taste.

I adore Pikmin, and this is a very good game. I think it's slightly too short and easy compared to the previous games, but it's still a delightful journey. I think the other thing it lacks compared to 1 + 2 is a loveable protagonist: while the 3 heroes are all fine, I think Alph is the only one that gets close to Olimar's thoughtful confidence that reminds me of an old-timey explorer's log book. I wouldn't say Olimar is even particularly charismatic, but something about the way he's written, even in this game, is better than the other three.

The game is cute, though! I am constantly delighted at the art and game design, even if it did feel a little too short and simple at times.

The planet of Koppai is running low on natural resources, so teams are sent out to explore nearby planets in search of food resources. A team of three explorers; Alph, Brittany and Charlie, crash on a fruitful planet.

Initially scattered, you start off by controlling Alph, and soon encounter the planet’s friendly inhabitants known as Pikmin. Pikmin work hard and are great at helping you gather the fruit and possess some combat abilities, however they need to be commanded which is convenient for your explorer.

Pikmin have a base which the explorers call the Onion. When you defeat an enemy, you can instruct the Pikmin to carry the carcass back to the Onion which then churns out more Pikmin seeds which can be plucked from the ground to bring them to life. You can have up to 100 Pikmin on the field at once.

The different types of Pikmin are unlocked as you progress through the game and you can return to earlier levels with the newly discovered types to reach previously inaccessible areas and find more fruit.

Red Pikmin are immune to fire and are good at fighting. Rock Pikmin are strong, cannot be crushed and can shatter glass. Yellow Pikmin can be launched higher, are good at digging, and can conduct electricity. Pink Pikmin can fly and are good at defeating flying creatures. Blue Pikmin are water resistant.

You point a cursor and sling your Pikmin to carry out commands. If they are near an enemy, then they attack, if they are next to a retrievable item, then they grab it. Pikmin are weak on their own, but are effective in swarms. Objects have different weights and therefore require more Pikmin to carry them. You can assign more Pikmin than necessary to carry the objects faster.

Additionally, an explorer can sling their friends. This is good when there is a gap in the ground, so you sling your teammate with a horde of Pikmin over to the other side. Then you switch control and carry on.

Reaching a particular area may require a few steps, but often there is a shortcut to unlock; giving you an easy route back.

Each day has a limited time, and when night begins to set in, your job is to make sure all Pikmin are escorted to the Onion. At night, nocturnal creatures come out and gobble up any stragglers.

It is disheartening when you see the little spirits of your lost Pikmin float into the sky. I tended to lose a few Pikmin here and there, but often lost 30 or so when encountering the boss battles. The nice thing about boss battles is that even if you run out of time, the boss’ health remains the same. So when they just need a few more hits, you will defeat them in no time when you return.

The basic enemies seem to respawn every 3 days or so, which is a good compromise between allowing you to travel through previously explored areas and giving you opportunities to grind out more Pikmin. You can restart the day in the menu, or even rewind to previous days if you make a big mess of things.

Using the gamepad is pretty clunky. I wasn’t that keen on using UP to cycle through Pikmin types and DOWN to cycle through your crew. The lock-on mechanic seemed quite clunky: you need to point the cursor at an enemy and hold the Left trigger, once done, you tap the whistle button on the touchscreen to charge your group of Pikmin. The thing is, if you haven’t locked on and tap the whistle, then this disbands them. When you mean to charge a boss, but abandon them instead; it is very problematic. There are other control schemes such as the remote and nunchuk but I didn’t test this out.

The last mission is interesting. It’s like a sequence of tunnels and basic puzzle areas, but you have to navigate this whilst fleeing a slow-moving enemy. There’s not enough time to do it in a day though so it becomes a bit tedious. Like the normal levels, there are shortcuts to open, but this gives the shortcut to the enemy too.

The game definitely has a lot of charm and it’s great fun trying to work out where you should explore and what Pikmin you require to achieve your task. It’s great when your plan comes together, and not only do you need to make sure you are finding fruit, but you need to keep growing a supply of Pikmin, then get them all back by the end of the day.

An absolutely gorgeous game but in order to attempt to popularize the series, Nintendo opted to drain out what made the previous two games so enjoyable, the stress. This game has almost no sense of stress as you're playing it, its very casual and relaxing outside of a few highlights (two boss fights which are best off experiencing and not describing).

Not bad, but I certainly hope this isn't the direction the series is going in the future.