Pikmin 3 (Wii U) Review

Surprisingly Comedic
While no surprise to fans of the original two in the series, specifically the second game, Pikmin 3 features a good level of comedic conversations between the three title characters, as well as others you meet later. This spans from Brittany’s temper and somewhat hidden selfishness, to Charlie’s love of his rubber ducky, to other moments that would be spoilers if I mentioned them and are worth waiting to see yourself. The facial expressions on the kind of generic designs are hilarious at times as well. Old messages you find scattered around PNF-404 throughout the game also have some good comedic value that makes them worth reading.

Not

Tedious at Times
As stated before, there are a large variety of different puzzles and obstacles to face in the game, but after awhile some of them start to wear thin. This is especially the case in the last stage, which is a gauntlet of most of the obstacles you faced in the game thus far. This is where the multitasking aspect comes in handy, where you can have multiple characters to switch between, but it still can get to the point of annoyance at times. The last two bosses in the game are especially tedious with a giant difficulty spike and can last a very long time, spanning more than one day if you are not fast enough.

Game is a Little Too Short
Pikmin 3 requires a lot of backtracking as you go through different locations on PNF-404 bringing fruit, enemy remains, and other items back to your Onion. This is fine, but the game itself is still short even with that. My playthrough of the game only lasted nine hours. Overall, the game could have probably used one or two more areas in the game, especially considering the White and Purple Pikmin from Pikmin 2 were not even used outside of Mission and Bingo Modes. The replayability helps to quell this problem as you can go back to collect all the missing fruit or other missed collectibles.

Time Limit Restriction
Yes, I am using this as both a positive and negative of the game. While I listed all the positives of the game mechanic above, there was nothing more annoying in the game than being in the middle of something on the far side of the map and realize you are running out of time for the day, told by the game itself with a “Hurry Up” reminder followed by a slow countdown from 10. You have to drop everything, even if you were pretty much at the very end of a puzzle or boss battle, and come back to it the following day.

VERDICT

Pikmin 3 is a very fun, albeit a little short, ride. The game is a very faithful follow-up to its predecessors while also not seeming too much like a rehash, which can often be a difficult task for developers. It still captures that magic and uniqueness that the originals exuded back on the Gamecube. The game can be a bit tedious at times and does not completely reinvent the wheel, but it is so much fun throughout. The environments are gorgeous, especially with the addition of rain on random days, which helps to improve the atmosphere and mood. If you love the first two, you will adore this game from beginning to end. Even if you have never played the originals, you should at least give this game a try, especially if you enjoy unique puzzle games. While this game may not be a true system seller for the Wii U, it’s definitely worthy of being in your game collection if you own the system.

[Editor’s Note: Pikmin 3 was reviewed on the Nintendo Wii U platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]