Pikmin 3 (2013)

I had played every other Pikmin Game to this point, but I bought Pikmin 3 when I was a kid, and I put it down because it was too hard. I really enjoyed Pikmin 4, so I wanted to go back to this and see if it was as good. The short answer is no.

Context: Playthrough was about 10 hours. Did not 100%. Basically just did the story.

Unique to this game is a fruit gathering mechanic that adds a survival aspect other Pikmin games don't really have, despite the plot being about survival. You need to gather enough fruit so you have enough juice at the end of the day. If you run out, you starve. I quickly got a large surplus of fruit so I could focus on the story, which was cute but, again, not as fun as 4.

Some Aspects I Liked:

• Alph, Brittany, and Charlie are your new team members. You start with Alph and search for the others along the way. I enjoyed a new mechanic in which you were required to split into teams and control one characters at a time while ordering the others to do tasks automatically. It adds a new kind of strategy that made the game harder near the end. More on that later.
• The music is just like the other games. This is a good thing, because if it ain't broke, don't fix it. One of the best attributes of this series and it was a constant through this game.
• The puzzles kept you on your toes. Creative as usual and actually encouraged you to use different Pikmin pretty much all the time.
• The boss fights were actually kind of difficult. Not overwhelming but I'm glad this didn't feel like a kiddie game.
• Gathering fruit so you could survive to the next day was scary for me when I was younger, but that's because I was bad. In fact, now I believe it helps you keep a good pace. It brought a slight pressure that the rest of the series doesn't bring and it was an interesting change. It's not just about collecting treasure and solving puzzles. You needed to be efficient. I will admit this was only true for the first third of the game because eventually I had a stockpile large enough to get me through the rest. I still liked it, though.

Some aspects I did not like:

• The controls did not make sense. Aiming where to throw your Pikmin was the same analog stick as moving your character. Is was hard to be precise.

• To add to that, if the lock on target system was good, there wouldn't be much of an issue. I could not get over how annoying it was. Sometimes it just didn't work, even when I was already hovering over the enemy with my cursor. The charge button (all pikmin attack at once) is the same as the dismiss button. If you weren't perfectly aiming at your enemy for an all out ambush, you would get the complete opposite result. This was extremely frustrating during boss fights. I don't think I used the X or Y buttons at all. Why program it this way??

• The characters were pretty static. There is no development at all but that doesn't surprise me for a Pikmin game. We never get that anyway.

• The story was whatever. Very similar to the other games. It didn't bring much of a twist, except for when Olimar and Louie showed up, but even that wasn't exactly life changing since I played Pikmin 4 first. The game also ended really suddenly. Thinking back, the end of the story makes sense, but I feel like I missed the build up. This could be my fault since I played through kinda fast. Not sure.

• After you complete the story, you can't go back and 100% the game unless you rewind to before the final boss. Maybe this complaint isn't valid since I technically can go back? It just feels weird to me though.

I have mixed feelings on the final stage (spoilers):

The last stage was small. I now realize I should have seen the end of the game coming with that, I suppose. Anyway, As you are trying to save Olimar, there is this creature constantly but slowly chasing you. If it catches up, you have to stop what you're doing and fight. As I try to clear a path, I've got this blob thing on my tail and I basically just made Brittany go in circles to distract it while Alph and Charlie were actually doing something. The concept of adding that element is really cool on paper but man it was annoying. Some people will like it and some people won't, that's why I'm not sure what else to say on it. It made the rest of the game feel really simple, so take that as you will.

Overall:

Pikmin 3 is a fine game. If you have enjoyed anything in this series I bet you will like it. I would probably rank this last out of the 4 games, but this sets a pretty high floor. Not much re-playability but I'm still glad I went back after all these years.

I recently finished playing through Pikmin 3, and I had a lot of fun. It came out almost 10 years after the second one, so instead of trying to experiment with new mechanics and risk killing the series, it decided to play it safe and go back to the basics. And while it may not be as exciting as it could be, I think it still works. it's a really fun time and a great return to form. I like it a lot.

The story is, surprisingly, not that simple. There's a planet in space called Koppai that's currently going through a world-wide famine. In a last-ditch attempt to survive, they send a group of scientists to Earth, as this is the one other planet they found that naturally grows fruit, so they can take the seeds they find back to Koppai and solve their crisis. And just like the protagonists before them, these scientists also end up crash landing on Earth, getting separated and losing the one part of their ship that allows them to leave the planet. So it's now your job the reunite the three different captains, fix the ship, and save Koppai.

The gameplay is the same as always: You use a few silly little plant guys to carry stuff back to your ship, grow more silly plants guys, and then use them to grab even more stuff until you've collected enough treasures (In this one, they're fruit!). It's Nintendo's take on an RTS, and it's already been proven to be a good one, so there's not much to say about it.

However, Pikmin 3 does differentiate itself by being the most linear and story-focused in the entire franchise. While the objective remains the same, use your pikmin to carry as much treasure back to your ship, this is the only game to feature defined boss fights and a strict progression in its levels and objectives. It's a very unique idea that tries to reinvigorate the formula, and while it may not be my favorite game of them all, I think it's at least an interesting approach.

But even with this change to the progression, the main gameplay loop still draws a lot of inspiration from previous entries, specifically the first one. Caves are now gone, and management is once again the name of the game. The gameplay revolves entirely around trying to optimize your route to get as much treasure as possible, trying to keep your pikmin safe, and trying to get as much done in a single day. Pikmin is finally back baby.

The biggest improvement this game makes over the previous two is the introduction of actual, real multitasking. You can now throw other captains, command them from the minimap, and even get them to pluck pikmin while you're somewhere else. The floodgates are now open, and it's finally possible to harness all the power of Dandori you always wished for.

In my opinion, the biggest flaw with Pikmin 3 is that it doesn't really take any risks. Nothing in Pikmin 3 feels really new, instead feeling more like the natural evolution of the previous titles. Sure, everything in the game is strictly an improvement over the previous entries and, objectively speaking, this is better than the ones that came before it. But it plays it a little too safe and, in my opinion, makes the game a lot more forgettable than the rest of the franchise.

Finally, I wanna talk about the presentation because oh my god this game is simply beautiful. The environments and fruits are the clear standouts, but the design for all the bosses and enemies is also stunning. I don't care how much juice I'm getting for bringing this banana back to the ship, just looking at the beautiful 3D banana model is my reward. And as for the music, I don't think it's as iconic as some other tracks in the franchise, but it's still a delight to listen to.

IN CONCLUSION: Pikmin 3 is a great game that's held back only by the developers playing it too safe. All the seeds for an unrivalled experience have been planted, but the game never really does anything interesting with them. Is it bad? No, it's still a really good game in every aspect, but it's just a little too... basic.

In my Pikmin 1 review I mentioned I didn't really think back on Pikmin 3 as much, and I think that's why. It almost feels like the developers spent a lot of resources trying to perfect the original formula instead of trying to make something new, and while that makes for a great game as you play, it also kinda makes the entire ordeal a bit forgettable once you're done. 8/10

...

But that's just the main campaign let's talk about the side content oh my god the time attack modes?? the olimar campaing???? fucking bingo battles????????? I lied this game's actually 11/10 baby let's gooooOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

I've never really played a Pikmin game, I did have the first one but I don't remember anything from it especially not Olimars voice lol, it's so bassy. Other than that surprise this is a great game, not much I can complain about, it takes a while to get used to the controls and directing the Pikmin but I got the hang of it eventually.

The bosses are simple, kind of an easy game, enemy wise, though I'm assuming the challenge of this game is trying to be as efficient as possible. Departing your crew and multitasking is where the challenge comes in, but these are self imposed and not mandatory as far as I know.

Being my first Pikmin I didn't worry to much about efficiency and just played casually which seemed fine. The game gives you three characters that you can split up and give commands to do separate tasks, but I didn't feel like micro managing so I just played casually.

The characters are fun and their dialogue is comedic. it's pretty short but that's only cuz I mostly focused on story. Their Is dlc included with the deluxe that adds content and run time, it's not that challenging if your not worried about your end score, personally I don't have a desire to beat my own score. Overall great game, I can see why this franchise is so beloved.

Pikmin 3 is the best Pikmin game, hands down. I mean subjectively, 2 is my favorite, but still. Pikmin 3 perfected the real-time strategy genre and expanded on the original game’s setting. And though, yes, I’m playing on the Seitch, the WiiU version still looks great, man.

I’ve never actually been the biggest fan of RTS, because I find it’s very hard to get it right. It needs good pacing and legitimately fun (and stressful in a good way) experience, but Pikmin 3 polishes it and expands on the first and second games, it’s extremely amazing how they pulled this off, considering how much plenty of games fail and how the RTS genre is heavily criticized.

The controls are great on the Switch (the lack of touchscreen isn’t that bothering) and yes, I know it was released on the WiiU, motion control gimmicks in its glory, the Switch controls are great. I’ll try the WiiU version when I have the time.

Since this is a new generation of people discovering the Pikmin games, I’m glad that they have a hint system, but I love the Piklomedia so much. It’s so cool to have this kind of Pikmin database.

There is a genuine urge to explore the world and Alph, Brittany, and Charlie have such an interesting trio dynamic and the way it effortlessly slides back into the settings of he first game is truly magical.

The Pikmin series seems so simple, but it’s so good at being simple while being something more. All of them create simple puzzles but balance it well with the time limit. The battles are so cool and it’s so satisfying to take them down.

The Pikmin management is the best in the series, and even though there are basically only 5 levels (in the main game) it’s such a good journey all throughout.

This is more of a gripe with the Switch version, but they should’ve improved on the already great graphics of the original. Speaking of the Deluxe version, Jesus Christ Nintendo, fix your Online service the coop is horrible. Though I admit, when it works, the coop is fun and magical as hell.

Olimar’s Comeback is also just a trip, man. If you want a challenge, play it on solo.

8.6/10. Would recommend to newcomers of the series.

PROS

• Awesome tilt-shift aesthetic is highly pleasing to the eye
• Cute character and monster designs
• Efficiently navigating the environments is a satisfying challenge
• Commanding your Pikmin army and delegating tasks is quite fun at times

CONS

• Restrictive day/night cycle interrupts the pacing
• Cluttered action feels too chaotic during combat
• Easy difficulty hampers the need to master the game's mechanics
• Having three playable characters adds nothing to the single-player experience
• Final level's escort mission is more obnoxious than fun
• Maybe it's just me, but I found the controls to be highly unintuitive