Pikmin 3 (Wii U) Review

 (Originally posted on June, 2014)

                                   

(Wii U, 2013)

Being an often obsessive fan of the first two Pikmin games, the decade-in-the-making Pikmin 3 ensured I would pick up the ailing Wii U at some point. Finally biting at Nintendo’s $200 refurb sale, this was of course the first game I had to get!

Pikmin 1, which arrived soon after the Gamecube’s launch, established the series’ core theme: Commanding your army to battle enemies and solving puzzles, all while balancing time and resources. 2004’s Pikmin 2 focused more on combat, exploration and the many treasures waiting to be unearthed. This time, Pikmin 3 is all about refinement and seamlessly tying everything together for a feeling of big adventure. As I made my way through the main campaign, I was often so engrossed by the world that I became lost in it, forgetting that this was just a game.

The adventure is full of twists and turns. Initially feeling like a completely new story, it later manages to perfectly tie in with the past games. A new race known as the Koppai are on a quest to bring food and seeds back to their home planet, which has been exhausted of its own resources. The general mood is sometimes scary but always light-hearted and kid-friendly, so I was a bit disappointed that the mature topic of managing natural resources wasn’t given much attention or commentary, like how Pikmin 2 attempted to make sense of life as an overworked employee or the original which constantly questioned Olimar’s relationship with the Pikmin themselves.

The combat and mechanics have once again been sped up, refined and tightened. Pikmin can now be assigned to very efficiently rush an enemy, momentarily bringing the atmosphere of a Japanese civil war with the banging of drums and trumpeting of a conch shell. You can now bring all Pikmin types out from a single, particularly psychedelic “onion”. Out of several optional control settings, the game was played with the Wii U gamepad, which provided a handy map that when swiped, automatically pauses the game. The deep, randomly generated dungeons of the prequel are absent, but the lands are bigger and more complex than ever. Initially very intimidating, they’re soon a joy to become accustomed to. Bosses finally stand out as epic battles that leave the player feeling stronger for conquering the challenge. The first boss is masterfully crafted in that it must be fought WHILE solving puzzles and navigating the mysterious environment, a theme which is revisited in the final battle

Another major improvement I’ve noticed is how every simple action is more satisfying than ever. When properly using a particular type of Pikmin, their powers shine. The ferocity of the Red Pikmin is even more pronounced. Completing an electrical circuit with the Yellow Pikmin makes you feel like a genius (for no particular reason). Instead of merely surviving in the water, Blue Pikmin take command of their element, swarming enemies like a group of piranhas (Or perhaps Zoras from Legend of Zelda). When smashing crystals and glass walls with the Rock Pikmin, I feel like I’m getting away with breaking something in real life. There’s a sense of bliss in seeing your winged Pink Pikmin hover just slightly above ground as they transport your latest find back to the ship. Even the act of assigning your Pikmin to assemble a bridge is unusually satisfying.

The story mode caters to a general audience and doesn’t require a huge degree of multitasking between the three captains to complete the game with plenty of juice (days) to spare. However, the challenge mode is where it’s essential to master that skill. With so much (fair) challenge and room for creativity and planning, I actually intend to keep replaying the dozens of missions provided until I reach the highest grade on each one. I haven’t yet purchased the downloadable extra levels, but only because I’m still so busy! Once that’s done, consider me sold on the DLC.

More remarkable than the technical merits of the visuals is how much effort was put into creating an immersive and unforgettable world. Beautifully crafted with even more strange plants, creatures and settings, this is one of those games that is undeniably a labor of love and creativity, at a time when one can suggest that Nintendo will phone in certain other games. The odd, playful soundtrack fits the game perfectly. Like the previous entries, it’s not particularly memorable once the power is off, but melds with the game world; increasing tension, wonder and stimulating one’s imagination as to what might be lurking nearby.

Pikmin 3 is another excellent evolution to the series and a prime example on how to craft a sequel; it feels like an entirely different experience while retaining the same spirit. My only complaint is that as usual, some of the dialogue can be an eye and ear beating. The game was my personal ‘killer app’ that made me purchase a Wii U and did not leave me disappointed. I just hope the next voyage won’t once again take light years to arrive.

Pikmin 3: A Second Look

(Originally posted on August, 2018)

(2013, Wii U)

Being the main reason for my 2014 Wii U purchase, Pikmin 3 was given a most thorough play. The troubled crew of three wasn’t merely rescued, but I also saw to it that the strange planet’s entire assortment of fruit was collected before departure. A couple of the highly addictive (if often maddening) mission mode levels even saw a platinum ranking before I was pulled into everything else the ill-fated but enticing Nintendo system had to offer. Having replayed the prior Pikmin games multiple times, I couldn’t quite wait until the inevitable but as of yet unannounced Switch port before plugging the Wii U back in for another highly perilous harvest. Confident the DLC stages will be included in a future remaster, the mission mode and its attached temptation to purchase more levels was avoided. Instead, the focus was exclusively on re-experiencing the juicy main campaign.

Still quite fond of Pikmin 3, not too much has changed since my last review of it, other than the graphics understandably losing a bit of their ability to impress. As nothing has yet arrived in the form of a true sequel in the past five years, Pikmin 3 effectively retains its distinctive ‘big adventure’ focus that sets it apart from Pikmin 1’s time management and Pikmin 2’s exploration and combat. With the occasional ear-beating from your talkative trio of captains and a tendency to be tied up in a mission, the prior games’ frequent uneasy themes of beauty found within isolation, threats lurking beneath deceptive tranquility and dangerous lack of order among untamed nature are often brushed away by the faster pace and constant narration. Still, the waters are disturbed for a worthy cause, as the story is told with the same excitement of a well-constructed family movie. An entire planet’s life or death hunger problem has been entrusted into a small crew of humanoid Koppaites. Along the way, you’ll learn of and alter the fate of the profit-focused Hocotatian freight runners from the first two games.

Whether or not you favor the cinematic pivot of Pikmin 3, there’s no doubt that the controls and core gameplay have been made tighter and more satisfying than ever. The Pikmin’s more pronounced sense of utility and ferocity make each moment feel the most visceral yet. Your handy new charge attack can be used to sic groups of Blue Pikmin on underwater enemies like vicious piranhas. The Yellow Pikmin miraculously complete electrical circuits, thrilling players as if they were Edison on his 10,001st lightbulb attempt. Winged Pikmin transport items like little helicopters, flying with a feeling of carefree omnipotence over all the baddies and logistical issues others must face. The Rock Pikmin loudly smashing the glass they’ve been thrown upon rivals the satisfaction of the always-feisty Reds pulverizing a clay wall into dust. Delegating is made much easier by directing a Captain (Pikmin in tow) to automatically set off towards any part of the map you’ve visited, most conveniently displayed on the Wii U pad. Just be sure to scout ahead and verify no enemies that posing a danger to your Pikmin have respawned. While never at a loss of urgency to get things done, the abundance of fruit will sustain your crew for months. The danger of starving is never too much of an issue, unless a troublemaker from the past suddenly nabs it all and makes a run for it...

Another notable advantage over the earlier two games is how the remarkably improved boss fights are integrated into what’s an otherwise slow paced and methodical game. Swifter, larger and more varied than ever, it’s now much more a joy to go after the beasts’ weaknesses and learn the patterns of the high stakes battles. The same goes for the puzzles to be found within the stages themselves and how the group or individually controller three captain system must be utilized.

The graphics are still quite capable of impressing. All the grotesque sliminess, brilliant fire, mood altering weather and expressiveness of the enemies still win out over the slightly more noticeable aliasing and geometry making up the landscape. At night time, your trips into outer space are especially well illustrated by the HD graphics, from the infinite stars down to the detail within your humble spaceship. While I miss the multilayered dungeons of its predecessor, Pikmin 3’s five main stages are far more ambitious and intricate than before:

Garden of Hope – In the most care-free of stages, harkening back to childhood days of exploring a backyard, the game’s largest boss awaits. The disgusting and formidable mass of foliage is capable of leaving a vegan craving meat by the time they’ve done away with the threat of its dangerous tongue and bewildering hooves. The stage theme has a delicate and playful style with its accordion and chirping birds, projecting just the faintest sense of unease but still soothing throughout.

Tropical Wilds – My favorite music track in the game starts out with much trepidation and emptiness, but gradually the space is filled with cheerful steel drums, probing flutes/wooden percussion and the laughing caw of some unseen bird abomination. Presumably located near a beach but still rather tranquil and tucked away, something resembling a giant geoduck (except even more disgusting) awaits your crew.

Distant Tundra – A frozen little corner of the planet that’s far more menacing and desolate than the brighter, snowier land in your previous adventure. Winter on this planet is almost done, as there’s plenty of visible rock and plant life struggling to emerge from the stubborn darkness and lull. All the stage lacks is a long dead and dried out Christmas tree to drive the point home.

Twilight River – This is the most action packed, clever and ambitious of stages. The energy of the powerful water you’ll transverse by lily pad and constant worry over enemies swarming above or hiding around sharp corner stimulates one’s imagination, even as the feast of fall colors never leaves one’s eyes unoccupied. Normally hard to get right, the risky trio of accordions, strings and horns are played with excellent taste, all brought together by deliberate acoustic guitars and playful chimes.

Formidable Oak – Holding captive someone most important, a giant termite mound dominates miles of desert. The last level masterfully brings together almost all the skills you’ve learned. The lengthy mound passage is full of obstacles to be dismantled. The boss itself provides the most engaging, fast paced and varied challenge of the entire series. Any hint of playfulness in the music is abandoned for creepy ambience and alarming blares of being pursued. After finally making your way through the dark caves, a high stakes yet heroic RPG-like theme (still dominated by the series’ odd instrumentation) spurs you on to victory.

As summed up in the previous review years back, the sense of adventure and pacing is where Pikmin 3 shines, even at the expense of distracting from the brilliant contradictory moods that enchant shipwrecked visitors towards doom. I definitely miss the dungeons and dense bestiary and collectables found in 2, but the mission mode still has a ton of yet unexplored content to satisfy any yearning for more strategic, detail focused gameplay. You won’t be satisfied giving up on any of the dozens of bonus levels until you’ve completely mastered it; a feat which may require hours of trail and error. As the main motivation in purchasing the Wii U, years later the game still pleases greatly, long after the initial system adopter excitement has worn away. Already one of the Wii U must-haves, Pikmin 3 would be well worth purchasing on the Switch for the promise of some cleaned up graphics and previous DLC included. If such a purchase would at all speed up Pikmin 4’s arrival, I’d gladly pay to save Planet Koppai yet another time.