Adorable, wonderful, and with a story mindless enough not to need to care about it, I think this is more or less the Pikmin game I was hoping for after being so disappointed by 2. I think after playing this game I've come to terms with the idea that I'll never get a game like Pikmin 1 again, at least not within its own franchise. I can say that while still hoping that this series will keep up its gameplay-focused and decently well designed style. While I thought this game didn't have good collectibles at all (I didn't feel motivated to go after 100% fruit, really), getting what you need feels good and fluid. I'm ever thankful that they scrapped the awful dungeons from 2, opting for much more personally designed maps that I thought were a joy to explore. The game is very pretty, keeping with the traditions of the past ones. I didn't find the soundtrack nearly as memorable as 1 or 2's, but it was never worse than inoffensive and always served the world well.

I think the biggest problems with the game are how awkward the controls can feel for a Pikmin veteran as well as how utterly anticlimactic it is. It's practically a given because of how the game's structured that the final area and boss would feel sudden and meaningless. This was all true, although I'll certainly have to commend the game for making the pre-final-boss chase really cool with how it gives you a variety of options in a quick-paced setting. I wish the days were longer in the final area so that a player can realistically get to the boss in a day on harder modes, but that's not too big a deal.

To make a medium review shorter, I wasn't at all disappointed with Pikmin 3. I don't think the series will ever reach the height of the first game again, but it doesn't have to when 3 ended up being a solid game in its own right. If the series keeps up the quality of this game, I have high hopes for it. I just have to hope Nintendo actually has plans for Pikmin. Actual plans, not 2D platformers or Wii U ports.