Pikmin 3 is a real-time strategy video game developed by Nintendo for the Wii U video game console. It is the direct sequel to the 2004 Nintendo GameCube game Pikmin 2 and is the third game in the Pikmin series. It is an odd choice for a Wii U savior. Strip away the cute, little plant-like aliens and you’re left with a highly technical real-time strategy game that ditches epic-scale warfare in favor of exploration and environmental puzzle-solving.
In the Pikmin 3 game, players take command of three explorers and a legion of adorable Pikmin in a fight for survival. By employing the unique abilities of these tiny Pikmin creatures, players will solve puzzles, battle dangerous predators and recover food needed to save the explorers’ depleted home planet.
The Pikmin are an alien race of little colored globules, creatures that are half-plant, half-animal, and full-cute. In their new Wii U adventure – which the locals refer to as "Pikmin 3" – they're joined by three new playable characters, alien explorers from the planet Koppai who crash-land on the Pikmin homeworld.
Pikmin 3 expands on the gameplay of the previous Pikmin titles, in which the player commands a horde of up to 100 plant-like creatures called Pikmin and uses their unique abilities to explore in-game worlds and uncover treasures within them. Pikmin can be directed to accomplish various tasks, such as building bridges, destroying barriers, and defeating enemies.
The gameplay is structured into approximately 15-minute days, where between sunrise and sunset you utilize pikmin to explore the sometimes harsh world and gather supplies. At the end of each day, you must all make it back to your spaceship to get you and the pikmin safely off the planet's surface, which becomes too hostile to survive at night.
Unfortunately for Nintendo, the controller that Pikmin 3 works so well with isn’t the Wii U’s. It’s the old Wii Remote. If anything, the Wii U’s GamePad controller, with its massive built-in touch screen, was the thing standing between me and having fun with Pikmin 3.
Much of Pikmin 3's puzzles not only involve utilizing different types of pikmin, but also using your team members independently. With three functioning player characters in your squad, you can separate your group to perform different tasks. You can use one character to toss another into an inaccessible area, or split them up to perform tasks that take a bit of time.
Features of Pikmin 3 game:
- Use the Wii U GamePad controller as an in-game camera to capture the alien-safari environment from a pint-sized perspective. Snap and caption photos, then share them via Miiverse.
- Divide and conquer! Split your Pikmin squads among the three explorers to maximize your strategy.
- Discover the charming personalities of the plant-like Pikmin creatures as they come to life in multiple shapes and sizes. Five different Pikmin types, including new Rock Pikmin and Winged Pikmin, each offer unique abilities. Rock Pikmin are sturdy creatures who can be tossed at solid objects to break them down. Winged Pikmin have the ability to fly and can carry objects in the air.
- Show off your skills in a variety of modes or challenge a friend in the wild and frenetic multiplayer battle mode. (Additional accessories are required for multiplayer mode and are sold separately.)
- On the whole, Pikmin 3 is a challenging strategy game with a charming exterior. The small touches in gameplay are why people will always love Nintendo, and its cuteness should not discourage serious gamers from picking it up.
- The intuitive controls of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers make it easy to lead your explorers and pinpoint the location where you want to throw Pikmin.
- The game can also be played off the television using only the Wii U GamePad.
- Massive levels that reward exploration
- Gorgeous visuals make the most of the Wii U hardware
- Actually utilizes the Wii U GamePad well
- Neither control method is ideal
- Occasional fixed camera moments lead to frustrations and many Pikmin deaths
- The story mode was a little too short
