Obviously, the main difference between this and its predecessor and immediate successor is the caves. I think the caves are conceptually sound, but there's a few issues that had me leaning in favour of Pikmin 1 & 3 over this:
- The ratio is way off, with caves taking up a vast majority of the playtime.
- The lack of a timer in most caves means tedious, safe strategies are incentivised - some of the most dangerous enemies are actually pretty useless against your captains' fists, provided you have a minute to spare (which you do). The one cave that DOES have a time mechanic is by far the most engaging.
- The feeling of dread as you descend diminishes once you realise Pikmin don't need to be in your control in order to descend down a hole (they'll all just teleport to you). Leaving the cave via geyser thus doesn't erase much progress, as getting back to where you were will only take a couple of minutes' hole-hunting with your captains.
On the plus side, the enemy variety in this game is crazy, and the caves provide space for them which may otherwise have not been there. Pikmin 2 also features boatloads of character, leaning into satirical, often dark humour that builds on the tension created by the first game's conflicting tones. Pikmin is just a conceptual masterpiece, and that's always going to go a long way despite any individual game's flaws.
I liked this a lot, but of the two Pikmin styles I'm definitely more into the style of 1/3 than what I played here in 2. From what I understand, Pikmin 4 is another in the style of 2, so while I am sceptical I'm also keen on seeing this style improved upon.
- The ratio is way off, with caves taking up a vast majority of the playtime.
- The lack of a timer in most caves means tedious, safe strategies are incentivised - some of the most dangerous enemies are actually pretty useless against your captains' fists, provided you have a minute to spare (which you do). The one cave that DOES have a time mechanic is by far the most engaging.
- The feeling of dread as you descend diminishes once you realise Pikmin don't need to be in your control in order to descend down a hole (they'll all just teleport to you). Leaving the cave via geyser thus doesn't erase much progress, as getting back to where you were will only take a couple of minutes' hole-hunting with your captains.
On the plus side, the enemy variety in this game is crazy, and the caves provide space for them which may otherwise have not been there. Pikmin 2 also features boatloads of character, leaning into satirical, often dark humour that builds on the tension created by the first game's conflicting tones. Pikmin is just a conceptual masterpiece, and that's always going to go a long way despite any individual game's flaws.
I liked this a lot, but of the two Pikmin styles I'm definitely more into the style of 1/3 than what I played here in 2. From what I understand, Pikmin 4 is another in the style of 2, so while I am sceptical I'm also keen on seeing this style improved upon.