Pikmin Review

The first outing of the comically disaster prone, endearingly loyal family man Olimar isn't the lighthearted adventure it appears, but something amongst Nintendo's darker titles. Your only chance to make it back home is by stewarding the native Pikmin in a relationship that's arguably more exploitative than symbiotic. Happily minding their own business in subterranean safety below their 'onion' motherships until uprooted, now the Pikmin shall work across five stages, swarming fantastical creatures and gathering your lost rocket parts within 30, 13-minute days. Reds quickly unravel bridges and knock down calcified gates with their harder hitting headbutts. High flying yellows implode stone walls with hazardous explosives. Gilled blues are adapted to the waters. In exchange for the almost inevitable sacrifices, you'll at least assist in their propagation as they haul back creepily bobbing enemy corpses and pellets resembling jujyfruits to regenerate.

The controversial time limit causes more apprehension than stress in actual practice, as you're encouraged to restart the day upon sudden catastrophe or revelation of a more efficient plan. Even after obtaining the best ending, there's an immediate urge to tackle the campaign all over again with your budding skills and flowering familiarity with the planet's item and enemy layouts. An additional challenge mode has you seeking the highest possible Pikmin count in remixed stages. Until one figures out the absolute optimal order amongst thousands of variables like a Chess Grandmaster, Pikmin scratches a persistent itch that's immensely satisfying, yet never completely relieved.

Largely unchanged 2001 graphics are still pleasant thanks to the immersive moods of forests ripe for exploration, hostile yet cozy caverns and alien springs that are simultaneously serene and panic inducing. The expressive bulborbs, grumpy blowhogs, ridiculous breadbugs and other ingenious enemies make such an impression that they've become permanent fixtures of the series. As a mere HD release with relatively minor graphical upgrades, the warmer, more cohesive image found on an old tube display is lost. But, playing it widescreen and portable amongst the plants and creatures in your backyard or park is a worthy tradeoff. The 90 minute adaptive soundtrack by the highly prolific Hajime Wakai is playful, mischievous, and guaranteed to take deep root within your auditory cortex.

Even if slightly clunky and barebones, Pikmin is still an engaging race against time with a particular solitude missing in the sequels...as it's only you, Olimar and three Pikmin types mastering an uncharted world. Without the wealth of additional ideas introduced in the sequels, 1 is the purest distillation of what the whole series is about; both in core gameplay mechanics and as an exercise in wielding power over others. Accidently losing some Pikmin and wrestling between doing the 'right thing' by restarting the day, or plowing ahead for the sake of your personal convenience presents a poignant quandary that's relevant far beyond games. Experience both the beauty and indifferent cruelty of nature, layered in an onion of Nintendo charm and enough replayability to excuse its brevity. The original Pikmin remains a sturdy launch pad.