Critical Plays: Pikmin 3 Deluxe

There’s been a lot of music-related content here on Critical Madness. If it’s not obvious enough, music is my passion. However, once upon a time I was quite indifferent to it and something else was my main interest - videogames. Primarily Nintendo games. I’ve wanted to write a game review for a while and I’m excited to finally start doing it!

I toyed with the idea of reviewing some of my all-time favourite games (look out for these in the future!), however it’s always more relevant to review something new. Nintendo recently released a deluxe port of one of their most underrated franchises from the Wii U to the Switch - Pikmin 3. My experience with Pikmin is limited, having played a small portion of my partners old copies of the original Pikmin on the Gamecube and the Wii U Pikmin 3, as well as the demo of Pikmin 3 Deluxe. It’s exciting to not only review a new game, but a franchise I’m quite new to. Let’s get into it!

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At first glance the graphics are very pretty. Pikmin has a cute cartoon style typical of first-party Nintendo franchises yet the environments don’t look too unrealistic. There’s a beautiful balance between the vivid colours of some of the creatures and plant life and the more muted tones of some of the terrains. The fruit is a particular graphical highlight, looking vibrant and realistically tasty. The graphics are largely unchanged in comparison to the Wii U, however there are moments where they are overall a little brighter with slightly more saturated colours.

The story revolves around the trio of explorers Alph, Brittany and Captain Charlie, who travel to the planet PNF-404 in search of food to save their home planet Koppai. Their ship, the S.S. Drake crash lands and the trio are separated. Using the help of the native Pikmin, the explorers search for fruit as well as the S.S. Drake’s Cosmic Drive Key, which was lost in the crash.

The gameplay is largely traditional Pikmin, involving gathering Pikmin and throwing them at the desired targets to complete their tasks - ranging from gathering fruit and key items, defeating enemies, gathering pellets to get more Pikmin, building bridges and opening blocked routes. Alph, Brittany and Captain Charlie can work together to access difficult to reach areas and items as well as separate to complete tasks using the different Pikmin. Each type of Pikmin have their advantages against certain enemies and can be used to break different roadblocks and access certain areas and items on the map.

Using the map to plan ahead is essential in deciding how and when to divide up the explorers, allowing the most efficient gathering of items and accessing new areas within the time limit for each game day. The “Go Here” function is also essential in solo play to ensure each explorer can efficiently complete their designated tasks. The game day is also more generous than the original Pikmin, but not so much so that there’s little challenge. The 30 day limit before a game over in the first Pikmin was frustrating for an amateur player, however the fruit system is a lot more generous. This overall makes it very difficult to get a game over considering the amount of juice that each fruit produces. This is nice for new players, however it reduces the challenge significantly for more experienced players. Overall once you get the hang of it, the gameplay is pretty simple and satisfying. The puzzles and strategy can be challenging for a newcomer, however the game feels generally relaxing and fun for repeated play. It can be stressful at times, especially when you get stuck, but I’ve found that you get better the more you play - making the game more enjoyable in the long run.

One of the main differences in Pikmin 3 Deluxe over the Wii U original is the control settings. Like with many Wii U games I found the use of the Wii U pad to be awkward, especially with Pikmin. Using a Pro Controller for the Switch, I found the cursor to be less unwieldy and the lock-on system to be much more functional, simply toggling between targets with a tap of the ZR button. I played with the default options with no issues (the only problems being my poor gameplay ability), although there’s plenty of options for changing the controls to better suit yourself.

The next main difference is the addition of co-op in the main story. With there being a lack of couch co-op modes in many new games, it’s awesome to finally have a fun game to play with friends and family. My partner and I have played co-op a lot and despite the stress of mess-ups on my part, it’s been fun learning the game with their experienced guidance. The co-op mode is a great way to get new players into the game and I’ve begun my own solo playthrough after playing co-op, getting more used to the gameplay as I’ve gone along. It’s also a nice touch that you can seamlessly switch between solo and co-op mode at any time during the story and side content.

Pikmin 3 Deluxe comes with a variety of all of the DLC of the Wii U original as well as the new Side Stories featuring original protagonist Captain Olimar and his assistant Louie. The pair appear in the main story but aren’t playable, so it’s fun to have them as playable characters in the extra content. The Missions (which are also able to be played co-op) are where you can either gather items and fruit, defeat enemies or fight the story bosses, all within a time limit. There’s a mix of variations to the story maps, as well as extra maps - some standouts being the Christmas themed Fortress of Festivity and the switching travelators of Clockwork Chasm. These modes can all be played solo and co-op however there is a versus mode in Bingo Battle. In this mode you have to collect 4 monsters, items or fruit that are in a row on the onscreen bingo card. You can also sabotage your opponent using random power-ups from collected berries on the maps, or by stealing items and attacking your opponent with your Pikmin. Bingo Battle has a variety of completely different maps to the other games modes, all of which stand out with their own themes and change layout on repeated games. Bingo Battle is a fun competitive addition to what’s largely a non-competitive game.

The characters are cute and very likeable. Alph is an excitable and curious engineer, Brittany is sassy and greedy, and Captain Charlie is a strong formal leader with a rubber ducky for good luck. The dialogue and logs gets their personalities across with some funny moments inside the S.S. Drake. The music is generally light and relaxed in each level, the music complementing each environment beautifully. There’s a lot of twinkly bells, light piano, airy strings and winds blended with synths in places throughout the soundtrack overall adding to the chilled experience of exploring the levels - the ice cold synths and percussion of Distant Tundra and jazz vibes of Twilight River are highlights. However the game isn’t a breeze the whole way through and the music reflects that, opting for more tense and discordant stabbing orchestrations over frantic percussion during the boss fights. There’s a different kind of tension in the final level, Formidable Oak, with a constantly moving bassline as percussive stabs get louder, fully emphasising the pressure of solving the intense puzzles to escape the final boss chasing you before the final confrontation.

To summarise, Pikmin 3 Deluxe is a great game with addictive gameplay and lots of replayability for both new players and long term fans. The former returning as they improve gameplay, and the latter to beat their times and play the new difficulty options. It’s presented beautifully in terms of graphics and sound, with cute and charming characters that are easy to enjoy playing as through the stunning levels. The port to the Switch is ideal for Pikmin 3 as the original was largely overlooked along with many releases on the Wii U. It’s fun to play at home, both solo and co-op, and great for portable play. Overall Pikmin 3 Deluxe is thoroughly recommended, especially if you didn’t get to play it on the Wii U. With Pikmin 4 being in development already for a few years, here’s hoping Pikmin 3 Deluxe will grow the fanbase and the series can enjoy successful new heights on the Switch in the near future.

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Image from Pikmin Wiki. Video from the official Nintendo YouTube channel. Check out more from Pikmin 3 Deluxe on the Nintendo website.