The Pikmin series is one of Nintendo’s many neglected children. In seventeen years, only three parts and a weak spin-off have appeared, and there is no trace of the once promised Pikmin 4. With Pikmin 3 Deluxe, Nintendo gives the excellent third part a chance to emerge again, this time on a console that is not doomed.
In those seventeen years, little has changed in the Pikmin formula. As a stranded space traveler on an unknown planet, you command the native Pikmin and let them do all kinds of chores to make your escape possible. In droves, you’ll pull the carrot-like critters out of the ground and have them tear down walls, build bridges, fight predators and bring items to your spaceship. Your life is in the threefold little legs of the comical Pikmin, and at the same time they trust you to keep them alive.
You will not only fight against the carnivorous monsters of planet PNF-404, but also against the clock. Towards the end of the day, you must bring all Pikmin back safely to their nest, because at night the predators come looking for a tasty snack. Seeing and hearing a Pikmin left behind being eaten alive is a horror-like scene that you will not soon forget.
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Smart Pikmin
In the third part, instead of one, you get no less than three space travelers under the buttons and efficient multitasking is the motto. Will you send Alph, Brittany and Charlie their own way with their own bunch of Pikmin, or will you keep the company together to solve puzzles that are impossible on your own? Players will have to make new choices in this part, which fits perfectly with the series’ strategic gameplay. Also thanks to the addition of the stones Pikmin, which can smash crystals, and the flying Pikmin, which can fly effortlessly over water and other obstacles, Pikmin 3 managed to renew itself enough seven years ago, without affecting the original formula.
While Pikmin 3 already played great on Wii U, Pikmin 3 Deluxe has made some subtle gameplay tweaks that make it even more streamlined. Pikmin now stay more focused on their tasks and won’t immediately drop everything if you recall them by mistake, and a new lock-on system makes it easier than ever to send your men in the right direction. They are subtle adjustments that together provide more precise control and make managing your Pikmin a lot easier. The game also plays more than fine with a Pro Controller or Joy-Cons.
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The Switch version finally adds a cooperative mode, which we actually thought should have been in the original.
Wrinkled fruit
What Pikmin 3 Deluxe is unfortunately unable to innovate in is in the graphics area. Seven years ago, Pikmin 3 was a small graphic miracle on Wii U, but now the jagged edges, muddy textures and especially the low resolution are outdated. Even the detailed 3d models of the fruit you have to collect don’t make our mouth water anymore. It’s a shame in that regard that Nintendo hasn’t polished up the game, as what was once a milestone for the franchise and for the Wii U has now become the main flaw of an otherwise excellent porting. Pikmin 3 Deluxe is not an ugly game, but after all these years it simply could have been better.
Pikmin 3 Deluxe, on the other hand, also manages to recover missed opportunities from the past. The Switch version finally adds a cooperative mode, which we actually thought should have been in the original. In Pikmin 3 Deluxe you can turn on a second player at any time, which is of course perfect for the multitasking-oriented gameplay.
Both players have full autonomy over their captain and can also switch to the third character to solve puzzles. Transferring Pikmin units to the other player is possible, but not taking them away, so you and your fellow player are expected to get along well with co-parenting. With strong teamwork, clearing the story mode becomes a piece of cake, but that might also be the flaw of Pikmin 3 Deluxe.
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Sweeteners and sweeteners
The game is not particularly long. Although we had already played Pikmin 3 once on the Wii U and thus practiced, the game clock showed eleven hours when we finished the story mode of the Deluxe version 100 percent. And that was entirely in single player. If you go through the game with two players, you potentially fly through it twice as fast. Of course, you can try again afterwards on the all-new Ultra Spicy difficulty setting, which makes your and your beloved Pikmin’s life extra sour.
Fortunately, there are a few extra parts to keep you busy, such as the brand new prologue and epilogue side quests. In these separate missions you control Olimar and Louie (possibly with two players) and you have to achieve different objectives within the specified time. In one mission you collect as much fruit and treasure as possible, in the next you have to defeat all enemies with a limited number of Pikmin at your disposal. The missions have a low difficulty curve and are entertaining at best, but it’s not by definition the new Pikmin content that fans have been craving for years.
Finally, there are the Challenge missions for which some paid expansions have been released on Wii U over time. All this extra DLC is of course included in the Deluxe version and guarantees intensive, challenging and satisfying cooperative gameplay. It is in this underrated mode that Pikmin’s strategic element reaches its peak, as every move you and your co-pilot make must be perfect to complete the objectives in time. If you don’t have a second player at your disposal with whom you can argue and discuss strategies, this mode is a lot less interesting.
Pikmin 3 Deluxe is still an excellent game that sublime makes the rts genre accessible to a wider audience, in a way that only Nintendo can. As with most Wii U transfers, the relatively high price tag is a sour apple to bite through for those who have already played the original, but that doesn’t rule out the possibility that this game is completely worth the entry price for new players.
Pikmin 3 Deluxe will be released for Nintendo Switch on October 30th.
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