For every aspect of this game I love, there's a moment-to-moment annoyance that keeps me from feeling totally into it. I can imagine a sequel or, forgive me for saying, a remake to this game really cleaning up some of the worst aspects while retaining what works, though I've heard they did not manage that.

The core gameplay loop is such a wonderful concept. It may seem a weird comparison, but each core area scratched that same itch for me as early Resident Evil, where areas serve as a sort of puzzle box to slowly be unlocked and overcome, as your figurative control of the region expands. The lack of an obvious objective and feeling of open world allows for a fun experience of exploration and piecemeal progress within a relatively contained area that I just adore. That being said, the time limit seems to work at cross purposes with this, and reloading unproductive days is something of a must.

Controlling a huge group of weak grunts is a really great mechanic, and watching your little army of 30, 40, 50 guys carrying a big thing is satisfying in a way I could've never anticipated. In the same way, watching them horde together to exact bloody vengeance against the inferior lifeform known as the bulborb makes me cheer with violent glee.

The aesthetic of the game is also delightful. I love all the little weirdo monster designs, the pikmin themselves being simple, but instantly iconic. The game also makes sure to include enough splashes of color to offset the dull greens, browns, and grays of the wilderness environment.

Unfortunately, there's a couple problems here, a big one being that the pikmin are stupid. Like, really, really stupid. They lack any sort of basic survival instinct. If you order an army across a bridge and they're too wide to fit, the ones on the outside will simply death march into the water, rather than shuffle behind. Pikmin will walk straight into water, fire, enemy attacks, with no regard for their lives. What they do care about, though, more than anything, is sap. On later levels, trying to lead an army across the level becomes a tedious nightmare, as guys will constantly peel off to start scrounging anywhere and everywhere for the stuff, even if it's useless to them. Fidgeting with pikmin wasting their time on something unimportant becomes the biggest annoyance you have to deal with.

In addition, there is no means to select specific pikmin or control them in any way other than as a horde, meaning if you want a specific color for something, that better be the only one you have with you. Olimar is capable of throwing one near him, but which pikmin near him he decides to throw is apparently between him and whatever god they worship on Hocotate. Bringing yellow pikmin carrying bombs into the equation is something that must be done with extreme care, lest you accidently trigger a massacre because someone decided to drop one off five inches away from you.

Another thing worth noting is how frustrating some of these enemies are to deal with when done through a battalion of morons. The swooping snitchbug (I googled that name) is a nightmare to hit with your tosses, and those frogs can just casually wipe out a whole pikmin community if you're not fast enough on the evacuations.

The fact that I was mostly absorbed into a game that legitimately boils down to walking around and a couple of pretty superficial puzzles is an achievement that should not be underappreciated, but the game's shortcomings, most of which I assume boil down to age, create these constant, niggling problems that really drag down the experience.

Edit / Addendum: The more I sit on this game, the more my frustrations tend to feel less significant. This is absolutely not a perfect game, but its high points really do create such a strong atmosphere and basic game experience. I was probably too harsh before. Gone from a 6 to an 8.