"Run, little Pikmin, Run! Run for your lives!"

Introduction

I've owned Pikmin since 2005 but never bothered to play it until this year (2011). It never seemed very appealing to me because I never understood exactly what you are supposed to do in the game. Some years later, while hacking through my backlog of games, I decided to give Pikmin a try. I was amazed by the premise and sense of urgency this game has and overall it offers a very unusual yet fun gaming experience.

Gameplay - 8/10

The premise of this game is very simple. Playing as Captain Olimar, an astronaut who has crash landed on a foreign planet, you must collect 30 parts of his ship to repair it. You have a time limit of 30 days, with each day equating to about 15 minutes. This is the key aspect of the game that makes it very unique. It forces you to play with a sense of urgency and strategize how you want to proceed collecting the parts. You utilize creatures called Pikmin to run around and collect the parts. They are used to clear obstacles and defeat monsters as well. Any fan of strategy games will greatly enjoy commanding the Pikmin to do certain tasks and clear hazards. There is a bit of a learning curve with this aspect of the game but Captain Olimar does a good job offering a tutorial to the player. You must be good at multitasking to complete this game. If not, it will be incredibly challenging.

Sometimes the Pikmin will not listen to Olimar the way that they should. The game mentions toward the end that some Pikmin purposely will not listen to you because they are dim-witted, but it does create a needless challenge at times. Blowing your whistle to summon Pikmin is also a hassle because sometimes the game does not respond the way it is supposed to. This takes up time when time is not something you have a lot of in this game.

Another problem is combat. Again, at times the Pikmin will not respond to the controls the way that they should and wind up getting killed very quickly. This is especially a problem in the last two areas of the game. The concept and execution are very well done, but the unresponsive controls can be a problem.

Interface- 9/10

Navigating menus in Pikmin is relatively easy. The ship's log data screen has a handy map and tells you how many Pikmin you have with you and how many in storage. The only gripe I have is that the small tutorials that Olimar gives you are not accessible in the ship's log unless he told you them at the end of the day. This can be an annoyance for players who do not have access to an instruction manual.

Story- 10/10

The presentation of the story is wonderful. Olimar narrates his plight through journal entries and his own musings to himself. He never speaks with the monsters or Pikmin because they are alien life forms. Olimar's text is really well written. It is full of clever and heartfelt passages that do a great job conveying his desperation and desire to escape his planet. This is perhaps the strongest point of the game.

Graphics - 8/10

The graphics are lush and are full of life. Each area has a tremendous amount of detail put into the environment and are easy to navigate around. I was especially impressed with the small touches the developers made with attention to water and grass. I would state that the game should have done more to differentiate between the different areas a bit more; they almost all look the same. Furthermore, the game is guilty of pallet-swapping several enemies, reducing the potential variety of the enemies.

Sound/Music - 10/10

Warning: the music in this game is incredibly catchy. The daily update screen music has very catchy music that will be stuck in your head for days. Each area has distinctive music that sets it apart from the others (perhaps to compensate for the lack of visual differences). The sound effects are also very cute and do a lot to add to the atmosphere of Pikmin.


Play Time/Replayability - 9/10

My first playthrough of this game took 28 game days, or about 7 hours to complete. The joy of trying to beat the game again in a fewer amount of days adds greatly to the replayability. It also helps that you do not need to collect all 30 ship parts to beat the game. Some players are able to beat the game in 9 days, which would require a tremendous amount of planning and strategy. I knocked this down one point because I would not look forward to facing the final boss of the game after the amount of anger and frustration that goes with battling him. Otherwise, the game would be an absolute joy to play through again.


Final Recommendation

Pikmin is a unique strategy game with an innovative premise. The time limit makes this game challenging and offers a tough experience that you do not see often in today's gaming world. I highly recommend this game for the one-of-a-kind experience it offers.

Final Score: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/04/12

Game Release: Pikmin (US, 12/02/01)