Pikmin is the Nintendo licence that everybody knows (mostly because of Smash I think) but very few people have actually played it. And I'm like everybody, if a friend had not lent me his cartridge, I don't think I would ever have played Pikmin 3.
But I am thankfull he did, because Pikmin is fun and intersting!
Pikmin 3 is a RTS, and it's the first game of the genre I have ever played I think. I may have played some games that could be categorised as RTS on the DS but I'm not very sure...
When I think of RTS, I always associate the genre with complicated gameplay, precise ressource management and very steep learning curves. But I'm happy to say that I was wrong!
At first I felt a bit lost, because I am not used to this type of game, but the controls are very intuitive and it quickly became very natural to move and command the Pikmins. There is basically 2 actions you can do, call Pikmins to you or throw Pikmins on something. Every other command in the game does something that is similar but a little more efficient depending on the situation. This means that the game is very easy to take in hand!
Same goes with the "go there" command. Since there are 3 playable characters, you can have one go to one spot while you do something else with another one. This lets you be a lot more efficient and I struggled a lot less when I started using it!
The game tries to give you a sense of urgency by using a hunger system. Every day that passes consumes one food ressource, and to get more food you need to bring back fruits to your ship. It felt like a real danger at the very begining of the game, because you only have enough ressources to survive for 3 days, but it quickly became a non-threat as I learned to be more efficient, and I quickly gathered more than 30 days of food (I finished the game in 17 ingame days).
The story mode is very chill and fun, puzzles are well balanced. Fights in general are a bit more messy, but the more Pikmin you have and the less trouble you'll have to kill enemies. Bosses on the other hand are good puzzle fights, each one of them requiring you to use the correct pikmins to deal damage to them.
I love how the brutality and cruauty of the player actions is completely ignored in the game. Sending these cute Pikmins to their death is so much fun and it feels right! It's like controlling an ant colony, individuals don't exists, only the group is important. If you have to sacifice a few to reach your objectives, then go ahead! It's no problem, you can always create new ones anyway haha!
While I enjoyed the story, what really hooked me to the game were the 2 side stories with Olimar. In opposition with the story mode, you start with no Pikmins and you will have to play with the ressources you find. You get an objective and a time limit to reach the highest score possible. I found it very engaging and beat every level on the platinum rank, because the levels are really well constructed. It's like figuring out the optimal way to solve a puzzle and it feels really good! Plus the platinum rank is generally pretty generous and allows for mistakes to happen!
So once again I had a blast playing a new video game from a genre I'm not familiar with. If you are like me and only know Pikmin from Smash, you should check out the game, it's a lot of fun! And fruits. Juicy fruits. Very juicy fruits...
But I am thankfull he did, because Pikmin is fun and intersting!
Pikmin 3 is a RTS, and it's the first game of the genre I have ever played I think. I may have played some games that could be categorised as RTS on the DS but I'm not very sure...
When I think of RTS, I always associate the genre with complicated gameplay, precise ressource management and very steep learning curves. But I'm happy to say that I was wrong!
At first I felt a bit lost, because I am not used to this type of game, but the controls are very intuitive and it quickly became very natural to move and command the Pikmins. There is basically 2 actions you can do, call Pikmins to you or throw Pikmins on something. Every other command in the game does something that is similar but a little more efficient depending on the situation. This means that the game is very easy to take in hand!
Same goes with the "go there" command. Since there are 3 playable characters, you can have one go to one spot while you do something else with another one. This lets you be a lot more efficient and I struggled a lot less when I started using it!
The game tries to give you a sense of urgency by using a hunger system. Every day that passes consumes one food ressource, and to get more food you need to bring back fruits to your ship. It felt like a real danger at the very begining of the game, because you only have enough ressources to survive for 3 days, but it quickly became a non-threat as I learned to be more efficient, and I quickly gathered more than 30 days of food (I finished the game in 17 ingame days).
The story mode is very chill and fun, puzzles are well balanced. Fights in general are a bit more messy, but the more Pikmin you have and the less trouble you'll have to kill enemies. Bosses on the other hand are good puzzle fights, each one of them requiring you to use the correct pikmins to deal damage to them.
I love how the brutality and cruauty of the player actions is completely ignored in the game. Sending these cute Pikmins to their death is so much fun and it feels right! It's like controlling an ant colony, individuals don't exists, only the group is important. If you have to sacifice a few to reach your objectives, then go ahead! It's no problem, you can always create new ones anyway haha!
While I enjoyed the story, what really hooked me to the game were the 2 side stories with Olimar. In opposition with the story mode, you start with no Pikmins and you will have to play with the ressources you find. You get an objective and a time limit to reach the highest score possible. I found it very engaging and beat every level on the platinum rank, because the levels are really well constructed. It's like figuring out the optimal way to solve a puzzle and it feels really good! Plus the platinum rank is generally pretty generous and allows for mistakes to happen!
So once again I had a blast playing a new video game from a genre I'm not familiar with. If you are like me and only know Pikmin from Smash, you should check out the game, it's a lot of fun! And fruits. Juicy fruits. Very juicy fruits...
3 Comments
@Tatassticot Thanks for the very detailed reply!
I think you're right about the misconception people have with RTS, because the only things I know about them are from incomprehensible youtube videos where too much stuff happens all the time :')
I take your recommendations, I will definitely end up playing AoE3 at some point in my life, I just don't know when haha! Also, I am reassured to hear that these games have accessible campaigns, I don't know why but I always thought it was impossible to learn to play any RTS without spending hours loosing :') But this is something more true in 4Xs games if I believe what you said!
And about the DS game, I'm not sure of what it is, because I played a lot of demos on this console. And I currently can't check my game history because my 3DS is still broken at the moment (I have ordered a new speaker ribbon cable, this time it should be the right one). So I will try to remember, and I'll post an update if I find the name of the game :)
I think you're right about the misconception people have with RTS, because the only things I know about them are from incomprehensible youtube videos where too much stuff happens all the time :')
I take your recommendations, I will definitely end up playing AoE3 at some point in my life, I just don't know when haha! Also, I am reassured to hear that these games have accessible campaigns, I don't know why but I always thought it was impossible to learn to play any RTS without spending hours loosing :') But this is something more true in 4Xs games if I believe what you said!
And about the DS game, I'm not sure of what it is, because I played a lot of demos on this console. And I currently can't check my game history because my 3DS is still broken at the moment (I have ordered a new speaker ribbon cable, this time it should be the right one). So I will try to remember, and I'll post an update if I find the name of the game :)
Indeed RTS' competitive scene are as impressive as absolutly incomprehensible for non-initiated spectators, as are pretty much any esport scene are. As for myself, that's not what I find interessting in RTS. What is thrilling when I playan RTS game is the continuous feeling of being overwhelmed by events happening simultaneously and somehow you manage to adapt and find a way to reach victory. This is IMHO a kind of stress quite similar to what we can find in survival horrors. I know you've played The Evil Withn, consider it's the same type of sequences following each other, in which you have two bullets to deal with three enemies. That's stressful and exhausting, but that's why it's so interessting!
I am glad you'll take a look at AOE3 at some point as I know it isn't attractive at all at the first glance, but I also know how much fun it can be as soon as we get into the game.
Arf, I've forgotten that your 3DS was down! My apologies. I press f for respect.
I am glad you'll take a look at AOE3 at some point as I know it isn't attractive at all at the first glance, but I also know how much fun it can be as soon as we get into the game.
Arf, I've forgotten that your 3DS was down! My apologies. I press f for respect.
Tatassticot
1 month ago
Very glad you liked the game!
I did not know you were such a sadistic player! My eyes were teared each time I forgot a little pikmin on its own and it eventually gets devoured. You're a monster!
To argue a bit on RTS, I get why you find this genre... Let's say "hairy" ;)
I agree it neither is the most appealing genre nor it the most easy to take in hands, but I nonetheless encourage you to discover it. Most of the time, RTS feature campaigns which are accessible to pretty much any player. These campaigns are conceived as tutorials: sometimes they even feature difficulty settings.
If you feel like discovering the genre, I suggest you play Age of Empires 3, which is in my opinion the pinacle of the genre. Focus on the campaigns and everything will be alright. Features, units, buildings, objectives will be added to the formula one after the other. You'll be able to discover and understand the game's basis before it reaches its full potential, which is a wonderful flow of decision making based on observation and precise timing. I insist: RTS are total. You should never be idle playing and RTS, nor you should be bored. If you are, there's something wrong with the game! It certainly isn't a RTS after all (as stated below)
If you like AOE3, I suggest you take a look at Command and Conquer, which features faster paced skirmishes based on more contextualised interactions between units. It also features very funky cutscene with a bad bold guy. Believe me, it's worth watching.
In addition, I think the image you have of people smashing their keyboards and IPM duels reaching 500 IPM isn't a fair image of the vast majority of RTS gameplay. RTS are playbale with only a mouse for PvE and medium PvP level. I must also point out RTS is a missknow genre, regulary mixed up with other genres. Here's a quick list of these genre RTS is mixed with in some people minds:
- RTS: Is based on Real Time action. That means you are always doing something playing an RTS. Esport is why you think it's hard to access.
- Tactical: Is turned based. Regularly, it's mixed with RPG. Valkyria Chronicles, Xcom, Fire Emblem, Joan of Arc are tacticals
- Management games: Feature civilian management. Depending on the scale of the game, it goes from the sims to Simcity. I guess new subgenres like heavy management games (satisfactory, factorio, jurassic world evolution...) can be considered management games
- 4X: eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate. Turn based management game featuring both civilian and military aspects of a society. Most of the time, it is based on a giant timeline. Civilization, Stellaris, Cruasder Kings, Anno, Total War are 4X. These are very hard game to get started with and they need a lot of your time (which RTS virtualy doesn't).
I hope it helps. I hope it's clearer on your mind.
I am curious: what are the game you hesitate to call RTS you have played on your 3DS?