Pikmin 3 Deluxe

Genre: Real-Time Strategy / Action-RPG

Players: 1-2 Co-Op / Competitive (Local Split-Screen), Online Leaderboards

.

Review:

The Pikmin series, for those unfamiliar, is Nintendo’s own unique spin on the Real-Time Strategy genre, with players controlling a puny space explorer (or explorers) who commands a horde of plant/ant creatures to fight buglike enemies, collect various items (including “artifacts” that are clearly various nick knacks left behind by a suspiciously normal-sized human society), and explore the strange world of the game. The third entry in the series was originally released on Wii U in 2013 and ported to the Switch in 2020 in a “Deluxe” version that includes all of the original game’s DLC, plus a slew of new features.

Graphically, Pikmin 3 Deluxe looks very good, having players working their way through 3D environments depicting a giant garden, with up to 100 of their little Pikmin followers in tow, with the environments being fairly detailed, featuring decent lighting and without any hits to the framerates that I noticed, even in 2-player split-screen mode. There are a few rough textures here and there, and a lot of noticeable aliasing, and this is ultimately a 7 year-old game, but despite this the game still looks very good.

As for the gameplay, Pikmin 3 does a great job introducing players to its unique approach to RTS games, which involves directing your Pikmin army by moving around and swapping between three characters to command them, chuck them at ledges and enemies, and explore new territory. Players will be doing a lot of exploration and puzzle-solving, and making the best use they can of their limited resources – the Pikmin themselves, as well as the limited time you have available to you, with a finite number of in-game days that players must extend by constantly exploring further and finding fruit to extend your food supply. It’s a formula that works well, and the focus on exploration and puzzle-solving is refreshing for a genre usually focused on empire development and combat (although there is combat here too, though it plays out closer to a battle you’d find in an Action-Adventure than a clashing of hordes you’d get in a traditional Real-Time Strategy).

For the features new to this version of the game, probably the most notable is the addition of full split-screen co-op for the game’s main campaign in addition to its mission mode and “bingo battle” competitive mode. I admit I was a bit skeptical about this originally, but I quickly found it to be one of the most delightful highlights of this game. Simply put, Pikmin 3 is a blast to play through, and the game implements multiplayer very well and in a way that makes perfect sense – it doesn’t make the game too easy, because players are still limited in the number of Pikmin they can control all together, and must balance out who controls what so the other player isn’t left without enough creatures to command. This gives the game a new layer of coordination and strategy and it makes it an absolute joy to split up to cover more ground, accomplish different tasks, or join forces to take on a particularly troublesome task or enemy.

That’s not all that’s added here. Because of the change to the new platform, Pikmin 3 gets a host of new control options, with the default being traditional controls (that work fine), as well as multiple motion control options – one that has you adjusting the pointer with both motion controls and the left control stick (awkward), and one that has you using the right Joy-Con or Pro Controller as a pointer and pressing R whenever you want to recalibrate (this control option worked surprisingly well, actually). Sadly, the game doesn’t make use of the Nintendo Switch’s touchscreen, which would have been another fantastic control option, but as-is I’d say that even without it the control options here are some of the best and most extensive the series has ever been.

This game also adds numerous small quality-of-life tweaks to the gameplay, three selectable difficulty modes to cater to players of different experience levels, the return of Pikmin 2’s “Piklopedia” encyclopedia content, a “badge” achievement system, and new side-missions that let players control Olimar and Louie from the first two Pikmin games.

All of these features help to offset the one major negative about this game – its price. Simply put, Nintendo Switch players are being asked to pay $60 for a seven year-old game, and one that can still be purchased for $20 on the Wii U. Is the port to a console that’s not dead, one that can go portable, and the extra features worth a whole $40 more? Wellllll… maybe? I have to say, while this port doesn’t add a game’s worth of new content, it is very, very much not a lazy port, and the new co-op play this version adds is not only a great addition, I would go as far as to argue that it’s the highlight of the game.

In the end, I’d say that if you’re someone who played the original version of Pikmin 3 and don’t have any desire to relive it with a friend, you may not find it to be worth your while to plunk down $60 for this release. However, if you never played the Wii U version of the game, or are looking for a great co-op experience on the Nintendo Switch, Pikmin 3 Deluxe is absolutely fantastic, and if you’ve never played the Pikmin games at all, you should definitely give them a try even if you’re not a fan of Real-time Strategy games, as Nintendo’s approach to the genre is wholly unique. In any case, Pikmin 3 Deluxe is a superb addition to the Nintendo Switch library and one well worth owning.

tl;dr – Pikmin 3 Deluxe is an outstanding and unique spin on the Real-Time Strategy genre that puts the focus on exploration and puzzle-solving rather than strategic combat, and this version of the game adds a slew of new features, including multiple good control options, and more extensive co-op play that I would argue is the absolute highlight of the game. Unless you played the original version of this game on Wii U and have zero interest in the new co-op play, consider this a game that you absolutely should not miss.

Grade: A

.

This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2020 Game Awards:

Winner:

Game of the Year: Bronze Award (Third Place) – I wavered back and forth over whether to give this award to a game that first came out seven years ago, but when I thought back over the best new videogame experiences I had on the Nintendo Switch in 2020, warm thoughts of this game’s new campaign co-op mode kept coming up for me. Putting aside the fact that this game will be completely new to those who never got a Wii U, the ability to share this lovely experience with a friend takes this game to a whole new level, and makes it not only a huge improvement over an already-fantastic game, but one of the best games on the Nintendo Switch overall.

Best Strategy Game – Ordinarily, I wouldn’t feel right giving this award to a game that first came out seven years ago. However, I felt that the improvements made to this version of the game are significant enough that it absolutely deserves to be highlighted here. The improved controls and added content are both excellent, but what really puts this version over the top is its new campaign co-op play, which is an absolute joy and takes an already great game and makes it one that’s easier to share with a friend.

Best Port/Remake – The Nintendo Switch received some excellent ports this year, including some that filled in some really important holes in the Nintendo Switch library, some that were way better than they had any right to be, and some that even improved on the original game, but Pikmin 3 Deluxe combines all of these features in one. Firstly, it gives those who missed out on the Wii U one more reason not to be bothered by that. It’s a rare example of a Real-Time Strategy game (sorta’) on the Nintendo Switch. It did a surprisingly excellent job making motion controls work on the Nintendo Switch. And it added a whole slew of new features, including a new campaign co-op that has become what I feel is the absolute highlight of the game. Considering that Nintendo could have easily done a quick and lazy port of this game, the care that was put into ensuring that this was the absolute definitive version of this game is much appreciated.

Runner-Up: Best Multiplayer

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}