Pikmin 1 + 2 Bundle

Genre: Compilation / Real-Time Strategy / Action-RPG

Players: 1-2 Competitive / Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

Pikmin 1 + Pikmin 2 Bundle, released on Nintendo Switch in 2023, is a Compilation of the two named games, released separately alongside the bundle. Both games are a blending of Real-Time Strategy and Action-RPG with a focus on exploration and puzzle-solving that puts players in the role of tiny space explorers commanding an army of adorable plant/ant creatures (the titular pikmin) to overcome obstacles and fight giant bugs.

I have separately reviewed both of these games. Here is what I thought of both of the games in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Score
Pikmin 1	Real-Time Strategy / Action-RPG	1	B
tl;dr Pikmin 1 is a port of the first game in the Pikmin series, games loosely within the Real-Time Strategy genre that put the focus on exploration and puzzle-solving rather than strategic combat. This port has some very minor improvements that make this the definitive version of the game, but overall this is a bare-bones port of the worst game in the mainline series. It’s still well worth playing, but you’re probably better off playing this game’s sequels instead.
Pikmin 2	Real-Time Strategy / Action-RPG	1-2 Competitive / Co-Op (Local)	B+
tl;dr Pikmin 2 is a port of the second game in the Pikmin series, games loosely within the Real-Time Strategy genre that put the focus on exploration and puzzle-solving rather than strategic combat. This port has some very minor improvements that make this the definitive version of the game, but overall this is a bare-bones port. However, the core game is still excellent even by today’s standards, and well worth playing if you can overlook the dated visuals and bloated price tag.

In short, I think these are both great games, though Pikmin 1 is clearly inferior to all three of its numbered sequels. Both games benefit from a higher resolution and improved control options, but not a lot else, and the lack of more than the bare minimum effort to improve the graphics really leaves these games looking dated. These are ports, not remakes or even full remasters.

Given the lack of effort that has gone into these ports, their separate price tags of $30 each are pretty disappointing in their own right, but when combined in this bundle, the $50 price tag means you’ll only be saving $10, leaving this package still feeling really overpriced. Remember, at some point you could get these games for $20 each on both the GameCube in the Player’s Choice re-releases, as well as the Wii U Virtual Console releases of the Wii versions of the game, so paying more than that for these games twenty years after their original release seems really gross given the minimal effort put into these versions.

Still, these are two excellent games, and even the slight enhancements that they’ve received here makes these the definitive versions of them, if only just slightly. And if you want to play these classics on a current-generation platform, this is the only way to do so. It’s just a shame that this pair of releases would come in a package that series fans would have to feel like they’ll grudgingly buy, instead of being a joyous moment like the amazing release of Metroid Prime Remastered earlier this year.

tl;dr – Pikmin 1 + 2 Bundle is a compilation of ports of the first and second games in the Pikmin series, games loosely within the Real-Time Strategy genre that put the focus on exploration and puzzle-solving rather than strategic combat. These ports have some very minor improvements that make this the definitive version of these games, but overall they’re both bare-bones ports. And while this package’s $50 price tag does save you $10 over the price of buying both games separately, it still feels overpriced considering how little effort was made to modernize these games. Make no mistake, the first two Pikmin games are still wonderful, but they deserved a better modern release than this, or at least a cheaper one.

Grade: B

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