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Pik Up The Pace!
Nintendo’s real-time strategy series, Pikmin, finally makes its debut on the Nintendo Switch with a deluxe port of the Wii U classic, Pikmin 3, and its quality-of-life improvements and exciting bonus content really add to this already expansive, addictive, charming adventure.
Return To The Pikmin Planet
Three intrepid explorers crash land on PNF-404 during an expedition to collect food for their dying home planet, Koppai. To complete their mission, our heroes must reunite by teaming up with the curious plant-like creatures called Pikmin. The story is simple, but its stakes are high, and it feels like a natural progression of the first two games’ stories, while also standing out on its own.
Not only are the Pikmin charming as ever, but the three main Koppaites are interesting, and their lovable personalities really shine during their interactions. The trio includes Alph, the cheery young engineer; Brittany, the caring botanist; and their “brave” leader, Captain Charlie. Their experience with the Pikmin leads to them sharing a special bond and learning the values of planning and teamwork.
This is the best-looking Pikmin game so far, taking place in a beautiful, nature-filled world that gives the player five unique and expansive areas to explore, such as a colourful garden, a snowy tundra, and an autumn forest. Even the hostile creatures that inhabit the world are whimsical in their designs and names, like the Bulborb, the Fiery Blowhog, and the Armoured Mawdad.
A Race Against Time
The main goal, aside from collecting fruits, is to find the ship’s cosmic-drive key in order to start the journey home. Pikmin games consist of multiple in-game days, with each one having its own time limit; when the clock hits zero, you move on to the next day. However, Pikmin 3 has a refreshing take on day progression by having each fruit you find be converted into juice, which our heroes drink in order to live another day. With no juice, it’s game over!
I understand that time limits can put people off playing the story because it sounds as if it could be stressful, but I think that’s the series' main appeal. This feature motivates you to manage your time and get as much done as possible. Once the story is finished, it encourages you replay the game to collect every fruit or finish the game in as few in-game days as possible.
This game plays responsively with any controller, but I’d definitely recommend the Switch’s Joycons. These replace the Wii’s already excellent pointer controls with a more intuitive lock-on system. The ability to see the map allows you to send captains to a location using the “Go Here!” feature, except the Wii U Gamepad is now replaced with map button and control stick, making it less tricky than using your finger to control the map.
The port even has small yet effective improvements that mean it surpasses the original game. Small changes include the larger radius of your whistle and being left with an army of one Pikmin type when disbanding your squad. Big changes include switching to any captain at any time or having the S.S. Drake call every stray Pikmin in the area back to base so they don’t get left behind!
The Small Garden Of Little Soldiers
The gameplay loop is to raise your Pikmin numbers by having them bring pellets and dead enemies to their mothership, the Onion. Pikmin can join your group if you use your whistle, and they can attack enemies and carry objects by throwing them or using the charge action. However, only 100 Pikmin can be out in the field at one time, so planning what numbers of each Pikmin type to take with you and utilising them to their fullest potential—while ensuring you keep them alive—is the key to the most efficient, satisfying day possible.
The Pikmin are wonderfully cute and charming, and letting these soldiers die—if they get eaten by enemies, or if you leave them behind at the end of the day—makes you feel genuinely sad, driving you to do better to keep them alive next time.
Along with the return of the fire-resistant Red Pikmin, electric-resistant Yellow Pikmin and aquatic Blue Pikmin, the game introduces two new Pikmin types in this army of adorable creatures, adding variety to the game. These are the tough-as-nails Rock Pikmin, which destroy crystal walls when thrown, while also being crush-resistant; and the flying Winged Pikmin, who are weak in battle but able to carry items in the air.
Again, the Switch port improves the Pikmin’s A.I. and pathfinding, while also making less subtle changes. For example, Pikmin won’t immediately join your squad when quickly whistling at them, which means they won’t be interrupted when already doing tasks, unlike in the original version.
It Takes Two
For the first time in the series, the whole story mode can now be played with two players. This is not only a huge game-changer since it shapes up strategies in a unique way, but also because it makes this port worth playing regardless of whether you already own the Wii U version. In fact, every game mode can be played with two players!
Returning from the Wii U version, Bingo Battle is the game’s competitive multiplayer mode. To win, each team (Blue vs Red) must collect treasures and defeated enemies to create a line on their bingo card, or collect a “Victory Macaroon”. This mode can get very chaotic in the most fun way possible, and you can unlock up to twelve stages upon repeated playthroughs. It would’ve been even better if Bingo Battle could be played online, especially considering other Wii U-to-Switch ports have online functionality.
Next is the Mission Mode. These consist of timed challenges, requiring you to use your Pikmin to collect as many treasures as you can, or defeat all the enemies you can. Playing this mode improves your ability to plan strategies the more you play, and it’s so much fun to replay these challenges and get the best score possible. Even better, all of the DLC from the Wii U version is automatically unlocked without needing to pay for it.
Switch Up The Mission
If you’re looking for a challenge that the original didn’t have, then you can choose to play the story mode with different difficulties, with “Ultra Spicy” being the hardest. Along with this, there’s an achievement system in the form of “Badges” which are unlocked by completing certain tasks, adding a new layer of challenge to the game. There’s also the surprise return of Pikmin 2’s “Piklopedia”, which provides information on every enemy in the game, told from the perspectives of each character.
The main selling point of the Switch port, however, is the fourteen brand-new side story missions featuring Captain Olimar (the protagonist of the first two games) and his companion, Louie. These play out like the Mission Mode stages, but with remixed level designs from the main game; although simple and super easy, they’re still just as replayable if you want to beat your high score. Better yet, the “Olimar’s Assignment” missions cleverly reuse top-notch, charming animations (and add new ones, too), explaining the two captains’ motivations for why they’re on the familiar planet for the third time. However, I wish the “Olimar’s Comeback” missions had more cutscenes for consistency.
Verdict
With quality-of-life improvements and added bonus content, on top of its already memorable story and addictive gameplay, Pikmin 3 Deluxe is the definitive way to experience this Wii U classic. If you’re interested in this quirky strategy series or a long-time fan desperately waiting for Pikmin 4, definitely give this galactic adventure a shot!
