Pikmin 3 Review

Pikmin 3 Review:

Making an already great game even greater 101

Pikmin 3 is the third game in the amazing game trilogy "Pikmin" which has already spanned across 3 Nintendo console generations. It is, if I do say so myself (which isn't worth much... YET) one of the greatest accomplishments in the modern video game industry. Pikmin 3 sets out to and accomplishes to do something not many third entries on a series manage to pull off, and that is, improving it's heritage and making the overall quality and significance of their carried legacy superior. Not many games manage to get better and better exponentially from the get-go all the way to their third installment. So cheers to Pikmin 3 for being such a prowess!

We've recently discussed how some very promising series can sometimes make some horrible mistakes that ultimately tarnish their past accomplishments or worse, ruin their respective franchise's. So in this article I plan on explaining you guys how this game managed to not only dodge the bullet but backfire and hit the bullseye unlike many others in the past few years. So no more beating around the bush, here's what you need to know about Pikmin 3:

yes, yes, I know you're all dying to see this review now, calm down

Summary: The Pikmin games are Real Time Strategy games in which you raise, command and take care of a bunch of super cute and ultra cooperative creatures called "Pikmin". These little fellas are not only the main mechanic by which you complete all of the games in the series but they're also part of a much larger ecosystem that is extremely entertaining to explore in which you, the player, as Captain Olimar have to learn the ropes of treasure hunting and figure out a way to not only survive but prosper too! In Pikmin 3 there are a couple of differences that have a direct influence on the main mechanics of the game. Number 1: You're in a charge of a whole crew of Space Explorers this time around, Captain Olimar is no longer here! You are tasked with managing and exploring as Alph, a Space Engineer, Brittany, the crew's Botanical Researcher and Charlie, their captain! and Number 2: You're no longer on a mission to look for treasure. You're now desperately gathering food for your home planet and your crew, so learning how to effectively micro-manage your crew members with the GamePad is crucial to your survival and success. 

For any of you who are not familiar with the Pikmin games: Just because they are "RTSs" it doesn't mean the games play out like Age of Empires or Warcraft III do. Instead of gathering resources to fuel your "civilization's growth", you just raise Pikmin. These are the heart and soul of your society, they are your army, scout troops and heavy lifters. There are no buildings or "Eras" involved. This is a game about exploration, quick thinking, battles and resourcefulness.
 

 

As you can see they clearly need your help, just look at the face of  complete and utter terror the blue one in that crab's claw has

Now, Pikmin 3 is made up of a combination of factors that just flesh out a perfect recipe for video game genius. It does what every sequel should. It adds more content without changing it's franchise's true essence in the slightest and improves upon all that preceded it. It also takes full advantage and smart use of the Wii U's GamePad. So with it and a truly simple but effective way of story narration and development, it manages to tell the most compelling story about the most interesting Pikmin characters up to date.

The game is now based on the management of 3 leaders at the same time, which may sound complicated at first but it takes no longer than a couple of stages to get used to. Pikmin 3 also does a beautiful job easing you into the process. It's genius level design and a slow paced introduction of the many minor game mechanics and techniques, help you teach yourself the masterful art of divided exploration and food collection. You can use a leader at a time which can throw Pikmin and other leaders around in order to reach secluded spots or uncover another route to explore. You can use your GamePad at any time to send a specific party member along with his/her own Pikmin squad to investigate a specific spot on the map. For those of you who might be worried about the controls and preferred the WiiMote's precision from the Pikmin 2's Wii version: Do not fret, you can use the WiiMote too! And only consult your GamePad's screen in order to send out your unoccupied leaders.

you get to boss these 3 little fellas around, tell me their chubby little cheeks don't make your brain explode from the cuteness and anticipation

Enemy variety, boss battles, level design, visuals, new content and difficulty are all top notch. Not once does this game made me feel like it's stuck on a pattern or it's not constantly opening up. Every stage offers a new mechanic, new Pikmin or tool and adds a more challenging difficulty level than the previous one. Keeping the game fresh, rewarding and ultimately fun to play. The visuals of both landscapes and creatures are just excellent and I certainly cannot stress this enough. There's some of the most beautiful and realistic places in gaming for you to explore and a good number of magnificently designed enemies that can range from cute and creative to sheer creepy and cool looking.

There is a downside to this game though. It's a tad short, it does, as mentioned earlier, a terrific job constantly rewarding the player with new content and more challenging situations, but there's a downside to that. If you guarantee the player new content and just excellent progression with every single stage, your game becomes shorter. Yet this is one of the few games I've played in recent years in which I've craved for a "filler" level. You know, one of those stages that is just a redesign of a previous one or an extra stage that doesn't necessarily offer anything new or necessary for the story's progression. Simply because I had so much fun with the gameplay. On the bright side, the game really does offer a lot of alternatives and lengthier gameplay in the form of competitive play. There's missions you can take on solo or co-op to reach high scores, play boss battles again, finish the game in 100% completion in the least amount of time and a 2 player VS mode that is accessible and a whole lot of fun to dive into.

this is VS mode, it's split screen and 2 players compete in order to collect the items shown in their bingo cards to collect 4 in a row and win!

Another mishap happens to be the game's story. Even if it is in my opinion the best in the franchise, it builds up a little bit too relaxed and then takes you on an amazing roller coaster ride that doesn't last very long and this discrepancy just feels a little bit forced. Pikmin 3's plot is also an amazing one because for the first time in this series's history and in many modern video games, you are introduced to 3 characters very rapidly and they all earn your respect and love without cheap pop-culture references or super cool over-designed cut-scenes. Through sheer dialogue and emotions you care for these 3 and genuinely engage in their journey to save their planet.

There is simply not much else to say, other than mentioning the game only gets more entertaining the more you play it. I'd also like to let you guys know that it finishes beautifully, making you fully understand and effectively use it's new very well polished and introduced mechanics. Pikmin 3 not only has more Pikmins, it's also a game that just seems to have had more love put into it than the vast majority of triple A games today. 

this guy has one of the coolest boss battles ever, and there is a reason for that... try to figure it out just by looking at the picture!

Visuals: Pikmin 3 has nothing to fear from other current-gen games in terms of graphics and artistic design. Not even from some of the more graphically stylized games on more "powerful" consoles out now. And that's nothing to sneeze at. Like mentioned before, enemy and landscape design that should be taken as an example and inspiration for years to come make Pikmin 3's visuals excellent if not completely flawless. 10/10

Gameplay: Easy to learn, difficult to master and flexible controls, GENIUS level and boss battle design, the addition of great non-disruptive new mechanics that come with a brilliantly planned difficulty curve and excellent effort/reward approach on the game's progression, make Pikmin 3's gameplay excellent. If there is one downside though, is it's shortness. Unless you're willing to competitively play against other people online for highscores or have friends who can aid or challenge you in the Co-op and VS modes. 9.5/10

Story: Pikmin 3 offers the best story in a Pikmin game, period. But, that is not such a big prowess to be honest, Pikmin games are not known for their stories, but their gameplays. There is still an outstandingly well executed story here that manages to genuinely make you care for it's characters without resorting to overproduced cut-scenes or pop-culture references which is a trend nowadays. It feels disruptive at one point which damages it's overall value but it is great nonetheless. 8/10

Music: The music in Pikmin games has always been very characteristic. No other game franchise has music like it to my knowledge, yet it manages to feel familiar and unique at the same time. Tunes that immerse you in the heat and pressure of battle, extremely fitting boss battle themes and melodies that only encourage you to explore even more. Define this game's soundtrack which is great but I do believe there is some room for improvement. 8.5/10

Final Verdict:

Pikmin 3 is one of my top 3 games of 2013 if not the game of the year. The amount of fun and challenge it offers is just top notch. It's redundant to mention it's worth every single penny, with loads of content, multiplayer modes, DLCs for those who are left unsatisfied by this game's incredibly excellent shortness and competitive play for hours upon hours of self-improvement. Pikmin 3 does what almost no new games do, and that is helping the player teach his or herself and respecting their intelligence. It's also an astonishing feat it managed to improve even further on a formula that seemed close to perfection since Pikmin came out on the Gamecube back in 2001. So Pikmin 3 deserves a:

9.2/10

*I'm sorry I wasn't here to properly wish you guys a merry christmas and a happy new year, I was away with my friends and family, I hoped you all had wonderful holidays and expect 2014 has great things in store for all of us.

**For the native english speakers, I apologize for the grammar errors. I'm still getting the hang of this language, it is in my best interest to write as adequately as possible but please do not let those mistakes take away from the article's meaning and objective.

Remember to follow me on Twitter at "@pegasus_boots" and my new Instagram account "pegasusbootsgb" hope you enjoyed the read!