Pikmin is a game about time and resource management. With its 30-day time limit and limited time each day to accomplish tasks, it originally comes off as a stressful and difficult experience. I felt myself struggling with the game's systems even 10 in-game days in. However, soon after this point, the gameplay and systems at play clicked in a surprising way. Instead of being stressful, I began to see that the enforced time limit was critical to the main feedback loop and fun of the game!

Once you can grasp the systems at work, Pikmin becomes a game of how efficiently you can spend your time completing different tasks. Your first playthrough of a level will be slower going as you get acquainted with how best to navigate the new space. The more you revisit an area to collect more ship parts, the more you can grasp all of the multi-tasking opportunities available. It becomes addicting to multi-task and compete with yourself to see how many ship parts you can take back to your home base in a given day.

The game even encourages this replayability and mastery of its systems! You can restart any day from the beginning if things go south with no penalty. And at the end of the game, you'll be scored on a variety of factors, including how long it took you collect all 30 ship parts. With the game being a few hours long, Nintendo designed Pikmin as a score-attack game where your skills can be continually improved through repeat playthroughs. But even if you don't go back for a second play through, you'll be able to feel your improvement over the course of your initial playthrough. I found this to be satisfying enough.

All in all, I really enjoyed Pikmin! It's world design and atmosphere really struck me and I am excited to delve deeper into the series.

It was interesting to come back to this game as an adult after failing to make any meaningful progress when it originally came out. As someone that doesn't play RTS games, the concepts this game introduces were difficult enough to learn now so I'll cut myself some slack from when I was in elementary school.

Favorite Tracks:

Forest of Hope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc3gs7OJ0Jc&list=PL2D158F14D98DFA72&index=7

Today's Results: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjTMmlj9nPM&list=PL2D158F14D98DFA72&index=17

This one is still my favorite. I replayed it on the switch right after finishing 4, and it has aged great. It feels a little more wild and dangerous than the recent reinventions. You have less control and suffer a lot more accidents, which keeps everything feeling exciting. I would recommend this to anyone who has found 4 or 3 to be a little too easy/on rails, or are simply looking for more Pikmin. The camera is a little less modern-feeling, but it has a really distinct feeling of "looking down at the ground" that is sustained throughout and contributes a lot to the overall vibe.

I bought the physical release of this but don't intend to play the second game.

This run was 13 days, easily a personal best for this game after my half a dozen runs over the years up until now. Finishing it in one sitting was wild but a lot more doable than I expected.

I didn't expect Pikmin 1's ending segment to make me cry, but it did. A flood of emotions came to me during the final cutscene: seeing Olimar leave safely, confidently, and triumphantly, and then seeing the pikmin having learned to fight for themselves reminded me so much of what this game actually did for me when I was younger. It reminded me, too, of how I consider this game a 'Perfect Seven', and of how important that general concept to me is. Of greatness from major imperfection, of influence from the soul of a piece of art.

There's something powerful to me about the struggle in Pikmin, that fight in the face of a very big and living world that moves with or without you, one where you have to try hard to stay true to yourself even when you believe you're weak. I failed on my original run of this game as a child, and unlike most video games the consequence is across a whole run, not simply losing a life or respawning at the nearest spawn point after a single brutal death of some kind. Pikmin requires you to start over for real and do all that you can to truly put your experience and your efforts to the test. Getting up and trying again only to succeed from your own ability in that sort of environment is truly special even in the world of video games.

When I saw just how well I had finished this game without actively practicing it, just having gotten generally sharper at strategy and personal management, it began to seep into me until the ending made it all hit me hard. Seeing the pikmin fighting on their own terms and for themselves felt like me learning the same thing; seeing the planet from afar all shaded as the credits played made things all the more powerful to reflect on. I was reminded of how influential the world and atmosphere and scale were to me, and of my story with the game. And, like I said, I teared up from it all at several points. I had to stifle actual crying, but it was a lot and I can't say I expected it even remotely.

This game is incredibly important to me, even more than I'd previously given it credit for. It's the sort of game that I'd hope just about every dedicated gamer has an example of in terms of how it might have affected them in life.

Pikmin is a series I only recently got into and I can’t believe how much they nailed the formula on the first try. It’s a game where one second you’re having a chill time solving the most efficient route to collect a ship part and the next you’re stressed out of your mind dealing with an enemy that has the potential to wipe out half of your Pikmin. It somehow works and solving how to go about each level can be super satisfying.

Although, I wish I had played this game before playing Pikmin 4. The QoL improvements in the newest instalment are very apparent after dealing with this game's clunky controls and abysmal AI. These Pikmin are so stupid. I can’t believe the amount of times these little dumbasses fell off the side of a bridge/ramp and got left behind.

But despite that, the charm and aesthetic of this game really shines through. Controlling your little army of Pikmin through a mysterious shrunken world and unravelling what secrets each of them has to offer is what I love about this series.

Pikmin!



I’ve always been interested in playing this series, and shit there’s no better time than now to get into this series, with the release of Pikmin 1 and 2 on switch, Pikmin 3 deluxe already existing, and with Pikmin 4 just a few weeks away, Pikmin mania is here and it’s time for others to join.
Pikmin 1 is a short and sweet adventure, it’s a game full of life, wonder, and Pikmin getting massacred in the wild, seriously this game may look relaxing, but it’s the exact opposite, it’s a game about time management, being stranded on a planet and your only means of defense being little carrot looking creatures that come out of an onion.
The gameplay loop of Pikmin is very satisfying, the simple act of building up your army and slowly but surely getting the pieces to Olimar’s ship is super fun all the way through.
The enemies all have great designs, they’re very cute looking until they fucking eat or crush or throw your Pikmin, then they’re terrifying, the bosses are also pretty fun, admittedly kinda easy but they look pretty cool and can actually kill a ton of Pikmin if you’re careless.
The game’s whole nature setting adds to the game very well, the areas being kinda connected through a whole forest theme makes the world feel very real and layered.


Not much else to say, it’s a fun little game that can be very stress inducing at times, especially if you’re running out of time and are not very close to the ship, but it’s a very solid introduction to this franchise


Now onto Pikmin 2

Great game. Only 6-7 hours long and an intensely focused experience. Reminds me of Katamari where the game starts so threatening/imposing and by the end the maps look minuscule. Addicting progress loop, and for how much crap this structure has gotten (30 ship pieces in 30 days to get the real ending) I actually did not find it overly difficult. The game also gives you the option to save after every day (which I’m not sure I even needed) so if you have a particularly gnarly run you can just restart the day with zero consequence. I’m not surprised they never went back to this structure (nor am I upset about it) but overall Pikmin is an extremely sharp. zero-fat action-adventure-strategy game.

Remember how Baby Mario cried if you didn’t protect him in Yoshi’s Island? That was done to encourage more intelligent play. This is even more true in Pikmin. Unless you have mastered the game, you WILL lose some of your squad, and it is never not haunting. You might blame the AI when they get stuck under a bridge or stand in the shadow of a Wollyhop, but even these moments can be circumvented with better planning and skill. I lost many hundreds of Pikmin on my first playthrough, enough to where I wanted to do a second one. Here, I was able to reduce my losses by more than half and beat my day record by an entire week. The time limit guarantees the world never revolves around you, but even the smallest changes in strategy will make a huge difference.

My brother and I used to mess around with Pikmin as kids, and I always loved the little guys, but I think I was not prepared for the level of challenge it brings when I was 8 years old - I'm not sure we got past the second world. Pikmin 3 is one of my favorite games of all time, and Pikmin 4 is not far behind, so I thought I'd head back to the roots of this franchise now that they've made their way to Switch.

Pikmin is held back only by the AI, which I am sure is the best we had available back in 2001. The fact that you can effectively control 100 soldiers on a map for an RTS game with a controller was already a miracle. Pikmin 1 is best described as a well-executed proof of concept - over time, this basic idea blossomed into a masterpiece in later titles. I was thoroughly addicted and stuck to the screen for the 8 hour adventure, looking for new strats and racing the clock to retrieve all my rocket parts. I'm so glad this game exists and existed when it did, and it holds up quite well on its own.

Pikmin 1 is brutal and tests your survival abilities in a way that has faded out of the series, and it's something I think I can live without. The racing clock is stressful, with the threat of permadeath looming over you, but I managed to escape with all 30 parts on day 28 due to careful planning and knowing when to replay the day once or twice (or eight times). I wish the Pikmin were smart enough not to constantly drown themselves, or know when to pick up items, or even know the shortest way back to camp, or understand they can't dive into pits of fire, but that's just life innit. It's interesting to see how Pikmin evolved in this game from mindless, expendable drones that you're expected to lose hundreds of to cherished friends you'll die protecting in Pikmin 4. I can't wait for Pikmin 2! Coming soon.

Pikmin é um daqueles títulos que esbanjam criatividade surgindo no mercado AAA e marcam pelo seu caráter único.

A mistura temática com o gameplay baseado em RTS nas mãos de uma veterana na arte de game design como a Nintendo é algo que alegra pelo frescor de suas ideias, especialmente em relação à direção de arte.

A duração mais curta do jogo também incentiva o replay das pessoas mais competitivas, mas provê quem curte experiências menores com uma agradável aventura bastante objetiva e cheia de personalidade.

A urgência do limite temporal atua como um estressante e incentivo para que o jogador seja o mais eficiente possível. Não há um game over ao falhar em coletar as peças da nave durante um dia, mas um resultado insatisfatório caso o tempo acabe e todas as peças não tenham sido coletadas.

Essa decisão favorece um reinício de fases onde algo deu muito errado e não permite ao jogador jogar de forma mais relaxada, sempre preocupado com o tempo final. Talvez com mais runs seguidas haja um relaxamento que permita experimentar mais com as fases, afinal, é uma das características comuns em jogos curtos.

Mas definitivamente não é algo que farei, estou aqui para conhecer propostas e executá-las, não exauri-las como se não houvesse mais nada a se jogar na vida. Esse aspecto me deixou um tanto pressionado e não curti muito isso na experiência.

Mal posso esperar pra jogar as sequências e ver como a franquia evolui seguindo a filosofia de design da Big N, especialmente sabendo de antemão que o elemento temporal estressante foi removido, talvez por não ter sido tão popular.

God help me, I did it again.

What am I supposed to tell you? If you're curious about how the game is on the Switch, it's a fine version. It's a quick, cheap remaster, and unless you have a specific interest in playing this game on a Switch, you're no better off than you would be running it on Dolphin. It lacks the Wii version's pointer controls, though, again, there is some crude motion control support. Weirdly, the widescreen presentation is far better than the new version of 2, with all assets displaying correctly. I can respect where their priorities lay.

What was interesting about doing another playthrough so soon after the first was how the game remains interesting for repeat visitors. The developers were aware they were making a short game for a console with a very limited library, and there are rare occurrences that you'll only see under certain conditions. Ignoring a landing site for several days means that grubs will eat your bridges, and predators will return, and some of the weirder enemies are reserved for that. My approach changed, too. At times, I was more ruthlessly committed to acquiring as many ship parts as I could in a day. On other days, there weren't 24 hours worth of parts to chase after, and I could spend my time farming Pikmin and taking on the weird, optional enemies. The experience drew me towards riskier decisions, but I didn't like myself for it. My willingness to see dozens of Pikmin, sacrificed by a High Score hungry commander. This wasn't the canon playthrough. I'd earned this opulence.

Pikmin is a great fit for the Switch. Finding a spare 20 minutes in your day, and coming back from sleep mode to chip away at the campaign, is really appealing. I've been umming and erring about the idea of going back to Wii U Pikmin 3, while I'm still on this Pikmin kick, but I can't pretend it's going to be nearly as casual or convenient to go back to. Along with Super Metroid and Ocarina of Time, Pikmin 1 is one of those monolithic Nintendo titles that I'd suggest any big fan of the company ought to have played, and I'm really glad that from GameCube, to Wii, to Wii U, to Switch, they've ensured that first-time players have always had the chance to play it. If it's still on your list of games you've been meaning to get around to, it's a great opportunity to sort that out.

This game was a pure delight; a clever marriage between the serenity of nature and the stress of impending doom. There's a bit of jank and some annoying 2001 AI, sure, but this plays on Switch exactly how I imagined it would. For its time this is an impressive achievement and one I regret missing out on.

Can't believe I didn't play this twenty years ago. Okay well technically I did, but it was on one of those GameCubes at McDonald's that would reset every ten minutes. Not exactly the most in-depth experience.

Switch version is very good and probably now the best way to play Pikmin 1 due to the crushing glitch seemingly being fixed finally. Unrelated to the version specifically, Pikmin 1 is still really fun even after finishing the sequels that I consider to be better than it and I’m glad the series is finally getting the spotlight it’s deserved for so long.

P.S for first time players: be absolutely sure to destroy the egg in the Distant Spring before it disappears after Day 15, there’s a nice reward that should make your playthrough a whole lot nicer

The only part of this game that doesn't perfectly hold up is how your Pikmin are just the dumbest little bitches on the forest floor and have pathfinding so bad its a miracle they survived on this planet without Olimar to look after them. They seem to go out of their way to get stuck behind things that are not in their way, they walk into fire, they fall off ledges they aren't even near, grab stuff you didn't tell them to, and try to help carry things only to randomly give up and just be left behind as an idle trail of pale fools lounging about as their friends do all the work. Several times i saved them from drowning only for them to literally go out of their way to run back into the water and finish drowning. They are always getting caught up in a nectar frenzy and hanging out under ramps and bridges cause they wandered in there and couldn't get back out. I was at my wits end dealing with these little freaks. And yet.... they are still my precious little idiot vegetable murder children, the bane of my days on this fallen earth, and I love them so much.

Shoutout to the mockingly loopy circus clown music in the final trial level for perfectly capturing the mental state i was in after dealing with the endless carrot-brained shenanigans of 100 primary colored nincompoops all day.

All of my reviews are extremely long, and I really have to exercise some restraint for this one especially.

Now that I have played Pikmin 1, I can say with confidence that is easily one of my favorite games ever made, and when I say that I mean very, very favorites. I adore it to bits. It is one of the most mechanically engaging games I have ever played, and also has a super simple but engaging narrative (that of which I think is the best out of any Pikmin game).

To start off, I will talk about the port job this game recieved. I don't really have much to say on it because it's a pretty barebones port of the game. All it really does to improve on it is spruce up the quality of UI assets (which do look a bit nicer) and add some small quality of life improvements that the Wii version already included. It probably is one of the better versions of the game, but not by much. I would normally complain more about it keeping in mind that this port is being sold at $30, but dude, it's Pikmin. This is as much as I personally ever needed for this game. Just having the original game be accessible is great.

The game itself is kind of a masterpiece in my eyes, especially considering that it is more than 20 years old. The premise of the game revolves around Captain Olimar and his first unfortunate crash on PNF-404. When he encounters the Pikmin, they willingly choose to help him collect all the ship parts he lost before he dies. Very simple on paper, but the story is so effective because of how personal it is and how high the stakes are for Olimar. The game characterizes him really well through logs that he writes at the end of each day, and you really do get endeared to him. Since you know that he will die if you fail, his fate lies on how well you perform at the game. This applies pressure onto you. It works amazingly to motivate you to to actually finish it.

The gameplay formula that this game established is one of the most unique and weird that I've ever seen to this day. Even now, there's nothing else that plays quite like Pikmin. Beyond simply establishing such a creative formula, it astounds me how much this game got right on its first attempt. I could write all day about every single design choice the designers made to create something this wonderful, but I have to draw the line somewhere, so I will try to not get to deep into the weeds.

The game is most comparable to an RTS (Real Time Strategy game), but it's unique to the extent that I don't quite want to call it that. You control Captain Olimar and the whole group of Pikmin that he leads (which can go up to 100) all at once. To avoid making the game too convoluted, you really only control the captain to move around and then use specific actions to command the Pikmin, like throwing, swarming and dismissing them. They managed to make a control scheme that could've been really hard to grasp into a very simple one that's easy to understand. In fact, they made it so simple that they ran into the risk of making the game boring. They avoided this mistake by focusing on one of the game's most important elements: time management.

The game's individual mechanics are seemingly not complex, but things change when you're under pressure. Because this game has a set day limit (which means you can just lose if you take too long), you're constantly encouraged to hurry up and manage your time appropriately. Performing individual tasks isn't always hard or super engaging, but they do become moreso when you have to juggle multiple of them at once. In fact, because you're trying to complete every task efficiently, the game's mechanics reveal just how deep they are in the process. Throwing Pikmin is a very simple action in theory, but throwing accurately towards your target can be more challenging (especially when said target is moving). If you manage to do so, you often save more time than you would after throwing poorly. Swarming is a little more complicated because it allows you to maneuver your entire squad with precision, either to ambush a creature, dodge a hazard or grab a collectible. Doing so very accurately while you're moving your Captain also saves you time. This philosophy applies to the entire game.

One argument I've heard against the time limit is that it's really forgiving, and it's true. You can beat the game in a very small number of days if you're skilled enough. I've managed to do so in 9 days, and people that have truly mastered the game to its core have done so in 6. When the maximum leeway that the game gives you is 30 days, it can seem like it gives way too much time and ends up not really mattering. However, I will make an opposing argument as to why it still works. I think it's a brilliant system.

Unlike me (someone that plays games more than he honestly should), not everyone playing this game will have an immediate understanding of how it works. Particularly with the Switch port, lots of people are playing Pikmin for the first time and have no prior experience with these games. Losing during a playthrough and having to start all over to win can be a huge blow to anyone, and especially these types of players. Because of this, I think the 30 day limit hits the perfect balance. It's very forgiving to accomodate for people that might struggle with the game, but its presence is constantly looming over you. It's lenient to the extent that it's not likely that you will lose if you play well enough, but just the fact that it's there creates anxiety and dread that prevails throughout the playthrough and goes hand in hand with the game's design. You can't stay still doing nothing in this game, so some amount of time management is heavily encouraged from you.

Additionally, this system also meshes perfectly with how replayable the game is. An average playthrough can take you anywhere from 3 to 5 hours, if less. This by itself makes it really easy to play multiple times, but it helps that the game also keeps track of your scores (the amount of ship parts you collected, days it took you to beat the game and how many Pikmin you propagated/lost). At its core, Pikmin is a score-chasing game, and it works perfectly as one when the game constantly nudges you to improve if you want to. It doesn't reward you with anything outright, but it's innately fun to lower your day count and lose less Pikmin the more skilled you become.

I have my issues with the game, sure.
- Like pretty much everyone has already said, Pikmin AI is pretty janky and the worst out of any of these games.
- Some Pikmin behaviors, like slower movement speeds when not flowered and tripping, are just annoying and only serve to waste your time.
- Level design is mostly really good, but enemy placement isn't always very well thought out.
- Blue Pikmin don't always take advantage of their main trait by taking shortcuts through water.

All of these negatives are worth mentioning, but I frankly don't really care about them. These are all tiny blemishes in the experience for me and are heavily outweighed by all the positives.

All in all, Pikmin 1 is seriously incredible. Whenever the argument of videogames as an art form shows up, Pikmin is now one of the first games I think of. It is what I believe to be a perfect example of the advantages this medium has over other ones. A story this simple wouldn't work as well if you weren't placed in the protagonist's shoes, literally. Because you want Olimar to be safe and you're in control of his fate, you're driven to play efficiently. Since you're driven to play efficiently, you're constantly seeking higher scores and improved performance. It's one of those special experiencies where nearly all of its elements were designed to mesh with each other and even improve each other. So much depth hidden behind a cartoony and seemingly childish facade. Astounding game.

I could've written even more about it, but I honestly agree with most of what Arlo said in his Big Fat Review of this game, so go watch that instead if you want more. I highly recommend it.

I thought I would enjoy this game more, as I love the atmosphere the first game provides later entries don't have. Extra challenge is also rather nice. However, the very poor A.I. destroys a lot of enjoyment I could have had, leading to a very frustrating experience where a lot of the time is spent fighting against the controls. This is one game I really hope gets a remake in the future to fix a major issue.

Not a whole lot to say. Outside of the poor A.I. is still a fun and challenging game that, for its time, is very impressive. The remaster unfortunately doesn't add much over the original, asides from making the UI look prettier.

I beat it within 12 hours of receiving my copy and this game is honestly so fun it's a game of simple pleasures to me the way walls fall or the jingle after getting a part, it's all so hooking to me I couldn't stop playing

Having both the experience of going in blind and knowing what to do really helped cause I know both sides of being a scared dumbass with Harry as a guide and an expert on the areas both provided me with a really fun and charming experience.

I think this is one of those games where I hop into a vc bored and I just decide to beat Pikmin 1 again high honor tbh I only give to Jak and Daxter 1, onto the Pikmin 2 replay.

An ingenious mashup of unique, tactical gameplay, with Nintendo's unique creative shine, packaged in the charming aesthetics of the early 2000s gaming era. The core concept of managing dozens of Pikmin across wildlife areas and effectively managing your limited time is so impressively fine-tuned for being the first in the series.

I played the third game a few years ago, which made me feel the loss of specific mechanics that added depth to the experience, especially the lack of multiple captains and more Pikmin types. The first rides a line of being too janky or unvaried, but the short length keep things in balance. This stands especially true with the ease in difficulty that 3's enhancements bring, where the first's deadline of 30 days add a constant threat of failure without feeling stressful (Even if I wish the game's deadline was shorter, as multiple critical slip-ups, especially in the Final Trial, resulted in little punishment).

The smaller scope allows for 1 to stand on it's own as a valuable and unique journey. I've never been one for replaying games, but I feel incredibly compelled to return to this eventually, knowing how many ridiculous mistakes could be easily avoided and bump up my performance drastically. Simply a joyful, uniquely Nintendo experience.

[Completed in 28/30 days. Surviving Pikmin: 62. Total Pikmin lost: 1228. Total Pikmin sprouted: 1303]