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Pikmin 3

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Pikmin 3
European box art
Developer(s)Nintendo EAD Group No. 4
Monolith Soft
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Shigefumi Hino
Yuki Kando
Producer(s)Hiroyuki Kimura
Designer(s)Keisuke Nishimori
Atsushi Miyagi
Takafumi Kiuchi
Takuro Shimizu
Writer(s)Kunio Watanabe
Makoto Wada
Composer(s)Asuka Hayazaki
Atsuko Asashi
Hajime Wakai
SeriesPikmin
Platform(s)Wii U
Release
  • JP: July 13, 2013
  • EU: July 26, 2013
  • AU: July 27, 2013
  • NA: August 4, 2013[a]
Genre(s)Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer

Pikmin 3 (ピクミン3, Pikumin Surī) is a real-time strategy video game developed by Nintendo for the Wii U video game console. It is the direct sequel to the 2004 Nintendo GameCube game Pikmin 2 and is the third game in the Pikmin series. The game was first released on July 13, 2013 in Japan and in all other regions during the following month.

Gameplay

Pikmin 3 expands on the gameplay of the previous Pikmin titles, in which the player commands a horde of up to 100 plant-like creatures called Pikmin and uses their unique abilities to explore in-game worlds and uncover treasures within them. Pikmin can be directed to accomplish various tasks, such as building bridges, destroying barriers, and defeating enemies. The Pikmin themselves come in various colours that signify their special abilities or immunities to hazards. For example, red Pikmin are immune to fire and blue Pikmin can enter water without drowning.

While red, yellow and blue Pikmin return from previous Pikmin games, Pikmin 3 introduces two new Pikmin types: rock Pikmin, which are used to smash through tougher barriers and glass, and pink-winged Pikmin which can attack airborne enemies, carry items through the air,[1] and lift gates.

The player controls up to three different leaders of the Pikmin, compared to its predecessor Pikmin 2 in which only two leaders were available. Players can instantly switch between these groups in order to accomplish tasks more quickly or solve certain puzzles.

Pikmin 3 offers three control schemes: the Wii U GamePad, Wii U Pro Controller or Wii Remote (Plus) with the Nunchuk accessory. In all cases the Wii U GamePad gives the player an overhead map of the game environment, visible on its touch screen. The GamePad is used to access the similar-looking "KopPad" in the game, which is used to view the map and other statistics, and for communication with the other squad members. The game can also be played in Off-TV Play mode, either using the GamePad controls or by aiming the Wii Remote at the GamePad.

The game features split-screen, competitive, two-player multiplayer in a mode called "Bingo Battle" in which each player has a 4 by 4 grid of items to collect, and they compete to get four-in-a-row on their board.[2][3]

Plot

The inhabitants of the planet Koppai are suffering from a shortage of food. Three inhabitants from the planet, Alph, Brittany and Charlie, are sent to explore a planet which they name "PNF-404", although they crash-land and are separated. After Alph and Brittany reunite, they find that it has an abundance of fruit, rich in the nutrient "Piktamin U", and set out to track down Captain Charlie, and more fruit. Because the fruit is much larger than expected, they cannot retrieve it themselves. They find and grow Pikmin to help them harvest the fruit, both for their own survival and to return the seeds to their home world to prevent their people from dying of starvation.[4]

Throughout the game they pursue Captain Olimar, the protagonist of the previous games, and his partner Louie, who have taken their cosmic drive key, an item the three Koppaites need to get home. They first encounter Louie, believing him to be Captain Olimar and save him from one of the planet's monstrous inhabitants. After Louie escapes with their food supplies, Alph, Brittany and Charlie track him down and rescue him once more. They then discover Captain Olimar has been kidnapped and imprisoned by a gold-coloured amorphous creature, and after picking up his life-signals in another area of the planet launch a rescue mission.

After they destroy the creature and retrieve Olimar the two crews travel back to their respective planets, leaving the Pikmin behind to flourish on PNF-404. In one of the game's three endings it is implied that the Koppaites crash may not have been an accident.

Development

Shigeru Miyamoto first hinted about the possibilities of a new Pikmin game in a July 2007 interview with IGN, saying "I certainly don't think we've seen the last of Pikmin. I definitely would like to do something with them, and I think the Wii interface in particular is very well suited to that franchise."[5] A later CNET.com interview in April 2008 reported that "For now, Miyamoto looks ahead to other projects for the Wii, mentioning his desire to continue the Pikmin series."[6]

A new Pikmin game was eventually confirmed at E3 2008 during Nintendo's developer roundtable, in which Miyamoto stated that his team were working on a new entry in the series.[7][8] However, details concerning gameplay and development were left unmentioned.[9] At Miyamoto's roundtable discussion at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2011, Miyamoto stated that Pikmin 3 development was moved to Wii U, the Wii successor.[10] He felt that the HD graphics for the next system and its special screen-based controller would work better for it.

On June 5, 2012, Pikmin 3 was shown at Nintendo's press conference at E3. It demonstrated some of the new gameplay aspects including the new rock Pikmin and the GamePad controls.[11] It was said that it would be released around the same time as the Wii U,[12] but its release was later delayed until mid-2013. When questioned about the presence or absence of the purple and white Pikmin types featured in the second game, Miyamoto stated that "They're in there somewhere, just hidden...". A video released from Nintendo Direct confirmed that they would in fact be in the game, but only in the game's Mission Mode and Bingo Battle.[13]

In a Polygon interview, Miyamoto stated that he plans to have a series of animated Pikmin shorts released on the Nintendo 3DS prior to Pikmin 3's launch.[14]

Release

Pikmin 3 was first released in Japan on July 13, 2013.[15] The game was released in Europe, Australia, and North America on July 26, July 27, and August 4 respectively.[16][17][18]

Reception

The game received positive reviews; most reviewers praised its well thought-out levels, high-quality graphics and gameplay. Famitsu scored the game 37/40.[28] The Sunday Times gave it 5 out of 5 stars.[29] IGN scored the game 8.8/10, praising its design but also stating that it was too short.[30] ITF Gaming gave it a 9/10 for its lush, well-crafted environments.[31]

Pikmin 3 was the best selling game of the week in Japan during its launch week, selling around 92,000 copies in two days, and helping to move 22,000 Wii U systems.[32] According to NPD figures, Pikmin 3 sold around 175,000 units in its debut month, entering the all-formats chart at number 10.

Notes

  1. ^ Pre-ordered digital release available August 3, 2013

References

  1. ^ "E3 2012: Flying Pink Pikmin Join Pikmin 3". IGN.
  2. ^ "There Can Be Only One In This Pikmin 3 Multiplayer Battle".
  3. ^ "Pikmin 3 Hype Reel".
  4. ^ "Nintendo Direct - 5.17.13". Nintendo. Satoru Iwata: Next, I'd like to discuss more on Pikmin 3 for Wii U. In this game, instead of Olimar, who was the main character in the previous Pikmin titles, there are three new characters. Their names are Alph, Brittany, and the Captain Charlie. They are from planet Koppai, which is facing its doomsday due to a lack of food. They set out on their adventure in search of food that can be returned to Koppai. Due to an accident while traveling, they crash-land and encounter mysterious creatures called Pikmin. With their help, the three travelers start exploring. Their mission is to collect fruit that can be their new food resource while exploring the planet with the goal of bringing the seeds back to their home.
  5. ^ Casamassina, Matt (July 12, 2007). "E3 2007: Miyamoto: We Haven't Seen the Last of Pikmin". IGN. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  6. ^ Bakalar, Jeff (April 18, 2008). "Up close with Shigeru Miyamoto and 'Wii Fit'". CNET.com. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  7. ^ Orland, Kyle (July 16, 2008). "Liveblog from Nintendo's 2008 E3 Developer Roundtable". Joystiq. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  8. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (July 16, 2008). "E3 2008: Miyamoto conducts Wii Music, confirms Pikmin". Gamespot. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  9. ^ Bozon, Mark (July 16, 2008). "E3 2008: Miyamoto Confirms Pikmin". IGN. Retrieved June 3, 2009.
  10. ^ "Pikmin Coming to Wii U". Nintendo World Report. June 7, 2011.
  11. ^ Little, Riley (June 7, 2012). "New Flying Pink Pikmin Spotted". Game Rant.
  12. ^ Claiborn, Samuel (June 5, 2012). "E3 2012: Pikmin 3 Doesn't Need Your Fancy New Controller". ign.com. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  13. ^ Thomas, Lucas M. (December 5, 2012). "Dissecting the Latest From Pikmin 3". Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  14. ^ Crecente, Brian (March 11, 2013). "Nintendo tests the waters for new cartoon series based on Pikmin". Good Game. Polygon. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  15. ^ "ピクミン3".
  16. ^ "Get the latest on upcoming and future titles with Nintendo Direct @E3!". Los Angeles: Nintendo UK. June 11, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  17. ^ "New Adventures in the Super Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Luigi, Pokémon and Pikmin Franchises All Coming This Year for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS". Nintendo Australia. June 12, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  18. ^ Malina, Tom (April 17, 2013). "Pikmin 3 Out in August, New Pikmin Species Shown". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  19. ^ "Pikmin 3 for Wii U". GameRankings. July 22, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  20. ^ "Pikmin 3 Reviews". Metacritic. July 22, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  21. ^ "Edge Pikmin 3 review". Edge. July 22, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  22. ^ "Eurogamer Pikmin 3 review". Eurogamer. July 22, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  23. ^ "Pikmin 3 gets first score in Famitsu". Nintendo Everything. July 22, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  24. ^ "Gamesrader Pikmin 3 review". GamesRadar. July 22, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  25. ^ "IGN Pikmin 3 review". IGN. July 22, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  26. ^ Kubba, Sinan (July 31, 2013). "Pikmin 3 review: To boldly go". Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  27. ^ "Offical Nintendo Magazine Pikmin 3 review". Official Nintendo Magazine. July 22, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  28. ^ "Famitsu Reviews Pikmin 3". My Nintendo News. July 9, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  29. ^ David Phelan (July 14, 2013). "Pikmin 3". The Sunday Times. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  30. ^ Keza MacDonald 22 Jul 2013 (July 22, 2013). "Pikmin 3 Review - IGN". Uk.ign.com. Retrieved August 5, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. ^ Darryl Linington (July 30, 2013). "Pikmin 3 Review". ITF Gaming. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  32. ^ By Ishaan . July 17, 2013 . 1:00pm (July 17, 2013). "This Week In Sales: Pikmin 3 And Luigi Lift Wii U Sales". Siliconera. Retrieved August 5, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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