Tight, focused first entry in the series. The 30 day time limit creates a bit of pressure that later games lack (for better and worse), although once you've played the game a few times, it's not especially constraining. Mostly an easy game except the final boss, who is a pretty crazy difficulty spike, especially since the Pikmin don't always do what you want them to do. The AI on the Pikmin definitely holds the game back, since they'll make some baffling choices at times.