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.
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.