Pikmin, as a franchise, is arguably a mid-tier IP for Nintendo - perhaps not in terms of quality, but it is nevertheless refused the same priority and release frequency as other highly successful and profitable Nintendo brands. The Wii / DS generation passed with nothing but re-releases, before Pikmin 3 gave us a timely reminder of the series' qualities on Wii U. Now we have Hey! Pikmin, the first portable entry that's also been developed by Arzest.
As the name makes clear it's very much a spin-off, a smaller project for smaller screens. Dropping the 3D open-area approach of the main series games, in its place we have 2D stage-based design, split into eight worlds (or sectors, as they are here). It's also a relatively rare instance of both screens being used for the main image, giving a vertical portrait view of the playing field.
As a result we have a mix of touch and physical controls. Olimar walks at a serene pace, and on the bottom screen you have touch button for his whistle (to summon Pikmin) and jet-pack, which allows him to elevate and hover rather briefly. You also tap on the touchscreen to manage and throw Pikmin, leaving physical controls for simple movement. Those that hold the stylus right-handed can use the Circle Pad or D-Pad, while lefties can use the ABXY face buttons; it's certainly a manageable control-set either way, more than suitable for the tempo of the game.
Hey! Pikmin is undoubtedly accessible through these controls, suiting players of varying skill levels. While Pikmin 3 could actually be rather challenging at times due to its sizeable stages and the resource management required, the IP's formula is scaled back to suit all-comers here; the strictly 2D approach also aligns with stage-by-stage design that removes all core strategy. With a campaign split into 40+ stages, each is essentially self-contained; Olimar is dropped off with no Pikmin buddies, and he then works with small numbers (typically 20 or less) that he finds throughout the level. Rather than the series norm of puzzling your way around large spaces, here we have specifically designed stages and challenges.
The campaign does a nice job of easing players into the required patterns. Exploration is relatively minimal aside from seeking special items rich in 'Sparklium', a commodity you must gather in big numbers to repair Olimar's ship. In no time you have an optional map to help with this, but it's often simply a case of carefully checking one of two routes in each section, just occasionally discovering you've missed an item by opting to go the wrong way with no return. Finding all of the items in each stage unlocks extra small challenges to obtain more resources, and beyond that it's all about getting from A to B, hopefully keeping most of your newly discovered Pikmin alive in the process.
The game does a generally solid job of introducing and then utilising the various Pikmin types, each with their own environmental capabilities. Red Pikmin are useful for combat and resist fire, Rock Pikmin break ice, Yellow Pikmin can be thrown higher and conduct electricity, and a couple more besides. For those new to the series it's all introduced logically, and in no time players will be swapping between types in order to deal with specific enemies or dangers. The little Pikmin also follow closely for the most part, with just occasional instances where they'll fall unexpectedly or a thrown attack falls short and prompts their demise.
That's all positive, but after reaching the end credits (which took us about 9 hours of playtime) we had a nagging sense that this is an experience that fails to truly take off. It comes back to level design, primarily, which struggles to get beyond rote by-the-numbers construction. Rarely are stage puzzles particularly intelligent or witty, combat often makes the Pikmin feel simply like colourful bullets (especially underwater or with flying Pikmin), and some decent ideas get left under-developed. In part it feels like a game that's fallen for the trap of mistaking accessibility with flat design, offering little challenge or peril, issues exacerbated by the deliberately steady tempo. Gameplay isn't bad as such, and at times is genuinely entertaining, but it struggles to hit the high-points associated with main Pikmin games or indeed Nintendo's broader A-grade franchises.
It's not a game without a great deal of personality, however, with touches that will certainly delight plenty of players. The personality of the Pikmin is emphasized regularly, often through very short cutscenes that show the little creatures interacting with each other and the world around them. Sometimes these sequences are conveying a lesson, but on other occasions they're just included to be cute; either way they're charming. Real world items have quirky names, too, based upon Olimar's confused perception of their purpose, and unlocked Log entries can make for fun reading. Some of the enemy creatures raise a smile, too.
One area that is a minor disappointment, however, is Pikmin Park. The idea is that Pikmin you save in each stage stay here and work in 'zones', accumulating extra resources. It's throwaway busy-work, essentially, which unlocks gradually as you progress through the campaign; you simply assign a type of Pikmin to a zone and move on, there's little real management here.
Visually we have a mixed bag with Hey! Pikmin. Because of the dual screen viewpoint (and possibly the fact this is launching alongside the New Nintendo 2DS XL) there's no autostereoscopic 3D effect at all. While the graphics are decent for a 3DS game, they also try to copy the mix of realism and fantastical beasts seen in the home console games, but don't quite pull it off. Perhaps a stylised cartoon-ish approach would have been more stylistically impressive and suitable for the hardware; the 3DS (including New models) does also struggle to keep up occasionally, with some dips below the target 30fps. Sound has some high-points such as Pikmin and animal noises, though the music is rather forgettable.
There is also amiibo implementation, too, primarily the Super Mario range and some extras (like Splatoon) that can be scanned to trigger in-game statues, a good way to get some free Sparklium. The Pikmin-specific amiibo can also be scanned to summon more of the little creatures in stages, too, for players that are struggling. We managed to play through the entire game without using any amiibo, so they're certainly optional extras. Also of note for those sharing a system, there are three save profiles available.
All told, we finished with Hey! Pikmin with generally positive feelings, albeit in the context of what this is - a placeholder spin-off that can introduce the series to 3DS owners. It offers a pleasing sense of the IP's style, right down to oversized boss battles, while stages can take a little while to work through at a steady pace, reminding us that this is a franchise that can be downright serene at times. That said, it still feels distinctly 'B-Side' when all is said and done.
Conclusion
For fans of the series Hey! Pikmin will undoubtedly be tempting, and it also serves as a cute and accommodating introduction to the franchise for 3DS owners. Despite its strong points, though, it has that feel of a 'second-tier' Nintendo release, not helped by the limitations that 2D play places on the core concept. It's solid but a tad uninspiring, fun but unsurprising, accessible but lacking in witty design. The best Nintendo games achieve the high points with no sacrifices, but it's here that Hey! Pikmin falls slightly short.
Ultimately it's a decent game, and younger gamers in particular - or those that want a gentle introduction to Pikmin - will likely get the most pleasure and mileage out of it. For everyone else it's worth going in with sensible expectations.
Comments 123
I may pick it up on sale... Maybe.
Looks like they tried too hard to make it accessible and watered down. So what we got was pretty bland.
This is probably one of those games that would have had a better chance on the Switch, with improved graphics and maybe more difficult gameplay.
Member when IGN said Nintendo Life gave all Nintendo games a good score? Funny times.
I'll try to get this games for 10€, just for the Amiibo at least. Looks like it'll be the same as Chibi-Robo.
So... this is a Survival games basically.
This may be a pickup for me down the line when I can get it used for very cheap.
Ah, that's a shame. After playing the demo I wasn't really sold so I'm not too surprised. I'll probably still grab it, but only when I find it somewhere for very cheap and have some spare cash.
6. What a pity.
So is this Metroid's equivalent of Festeration Farce?
I am still getting it day 1 (with Prime discount).
I guess it is best to wait for a sale then. A shame, but we'll get over it. Looking forward to getting that amiibo though.
6 = Not Bad
As reminder
Played it, too easy and not fun. It's a dumbed down Pikmin. Why can't they just port the GC's Pikmin to 3DS?
Skip this and play Kirby Mass Attack or LocoRoco if you have PS4.
I gave up hope on this when it was revealed that Arzest was the developer. It was never going to turn out well.
It looks like something fun and different for a couple of decent plays. I'm not shocked though, shaken up and downscaled from the usual formula. They did an impressive job with the textures, but the gameplay and ideas look like short fun. Still might pick it up.
I like Pikmin so I might get this, but not a priority right now. Splatoon and SMT have me in their grasp.
The demo bored me to tears, so this is expected. At least Pikmin 4 is a thing.
Arzest strikes again. Bafflingly Average Games, Inc
Thats a shame.
Oh well, i'm gonna pick up Miitopia instead of this anyway.
Still hope there are some people who can enjoy this Game.
@Nintendian
They tried doing this a long time ago on the DS family, but the main issue was that you couldn't see the pikmin really well. I'd say there's a good chance that it'll show up on Switch though.
I think it depends on which way you look at it... as a Pikmin game, it obviously own't be as good as a 2D game... but I'm personally not a big fan of this sort of 2D game, so the Pikmin twist is actually an improvement upon that from my perspective.
@ThomasBW84 maybe so, but with thousands of games out there (some better rated than not bad) and a clock ticking towards the random end of our mortal coil, do we really want to invest hours and money on a game that can be summarized with a shrug and the words: not bad..
It's a(nother) weird spin-off nobody asked for. I appreciate the effort, but these things often don't work. Like that multiplayer Zelda game on the 3DS and Federation Force, or the Chibi Robo platformer. B-tier spin-off games met with lukewarm response. Part of the problem is that bearing a franchise's name comes with expectations, and when you do a complete 180 in terms of gameplay or simplify it too much, it may as well be its own IP.
Oh well, at least I know I'm not missing out on something.
" It's solid but a tad uninspiring, fun but unsurprising, accessible but lacking in witty design."
Arzest in a nutshell then.
When i play the demo i want a game that uses a lot stylus for benefit. I wondered if to buy this, but glad with my decision to buy Zelda PH and ST for 3DS instead.
@ThomasBW84 To play the Devil's advocate for a moment, if I may...
While a 6 may not be a bad score, even on a 1-10 scale, the average score tends to be much higher than 5. There's a variety of reasons, chief of which is because games people care about tend to get reviewed, and people most frequently care about games that don't suck - so we see most reviews skewed towards the upper end of the scale. For example, if 5 truly were the average review score, we should see the most reviews in the 4 to 6 range - Nintendolife handed out 107 3DS reviews in that range, and 157 in the 7-9 range. I think that's also why we see so many people flip out when a game gets an 8 instead of a 9 - they are viewing the "average" score as a 7-8, so if a game they really like didn't get a 9 or 10, they lose it.
To make a long story short - This game falls below the average review score, and when there are so many other great games, it makes it a hard sell to get someone to give their time to a game review of 6 - unless of course they are just a hardcore fan and they already know they'll love the game. I know I've thoroughly enjoyed some games that were likely rated 6-7. I'm not sure how you fix this perception problem - people will ruin whatever rating scale you choose =)
EDIT: I think I'm actually a proponent for removing review scores altogether because of these issues, but I also understand why NintendoLife (and just about everyone else) feels the need to include them. I think a 1-4 scale (Weird, I know) could also work. You would basically have
1 - Awful games, no one should buy
2 - Bad to mediocre at best, most people should avoid
3 - Good games - most people will enjoy
4 - Outstanding games - everyone should buy
@Tsurii Yeah I actually really enjoyed FF. It wasn't like Metroid, but it was a good game, especially if you had people to play with.
@Octane There will be tens of thousands of people who have never played a Pikmin game before for whom their first contact with the franchise is Hey Pikmin. Some of those will love it and that provides the franchise with stronger roots for the future.
Unless a spin off is objectively bad, muddles the marketing message of a higher profile game (like NSMB2 with NSMBU) or actively delays the release of a mainline game I don't see what the problem is. It can only make the franchise stronger as a whole.
Plus there are some examples of spin offs successfully introducing gameplay mechanics and ideas that are ultimately run with in the main series. Like MGS Peace Walker.
Personally, I enjoyed my time with the demo, and thought it was a charming and relaxing. (Unfortunately, my favorite part was killing my Pikmin... 😝)
@Nintendian I agree; Kirby Mass Attack is one of my favorite DS games, and executes the concepts in Hey! Pikmin a lot better.
@roadrunner343 I have an answer: RNG scores normally distributed around 5. Sure it might mean that Mario Odyssey ends up getting a 2 or a 3 but everyone would know why.
Seems fair. I was actually impressed by the graphics especially given the dual screen approach. The backgrounds and some of the effects are quite detailed, while the core stage textures/design and models vary IMO but generally range from decent to good.
Framerate definitely is a bit jittery at times on my N3DS.
And yeah a lot of the games that would fall below the average of 5 don't even get reviews from the vats majority of sites or even at all.
@ThomasBW84 don't you know? Anything under 9 is shovelware trash.
@StuTwo Ha! I've since edited my post to include a couple other ideas. I'm thinking yours won't catch on =P
Was expecting/hoping for a 7 or 8. Slightly disappointing, but will probably still give it a crack.
Ouch! I'm going to pass on this one. Nintendolife reviews are kind to nintendo most of the time. If they are saying this is a 6/10, it really must be a 3/10.
Ain't nobody got time for that! Pass.
I would be tempted to give this game a 4. Where I would put the 4 at the end of the game's name and release it on Switch oh and make it effing amazing.
6/10....so the raw review without the NL 1st party bell curve would be 3.5/10?
@roadrunner343 Metacritic. Metacritic is probably the only reason scores still exist at all. If your outlet wants exposure and wants to be "relevant" it needs to be on Metacritic. If it wants to be on Metacritic it needs scoring. The 1/4 system drags games down, because Metacritic then understands it as 0%, 33%, 66%, 100%. So any game that doesn't get a 4/4 is a 66%. Who wants to be the outlet that gave BotW a 66%? So everything needs to get a 4. Metacritic is a plague that has made review scores even less meaningful than they should have been. I agree otherwise, numeric scores should not exist at this point. The text of the review is far more interesting for getting an actual feel of the good and bad.
@roadrunner343 Several now defunct publications such as GamePro used to have a 0.5-5.0 scale, augmented with a face showing level of interest. So a 2.5 (5/10) or less would be frowning, with successive drops getting more disgusted and thumbs down. A 3 out of 5 (6/10) would be mild interest with a slightly disinterested expression, which later changed to having one hand cupping the chin with the elbow rested (implying a struggle to maintain interest). A 3.5 (7/10) would be the same with a thumbs up added. Anything above that was increasingly ecstatic as scores improved.
So yeah, I think for a long time, 8/10 or above (which is "Great" or better) has been conflated with "Good" while 7/10 has been conflated with "Okay" or "Average", since it's one step above the psychological perception of "Mediocre" or "Meh" and two steps above "Bored" or "Dissatisfactory." "Not Bad" also tends to psychologically imply "Not Good, Either."
I would consider 6/10 to be below average standards for a company of Nintendo's pedigree...
@roadrunner343 Yeah, it's never easy whatever you do in terms of scoring scales etc. In any case, all reviews hopefully inform through the text too, and in the end everyone needs to make their own decisions anyway
@NEStalgia Yup, like I said, I understand the current "need" for scores. I also understand that a 1-4 scale would jack up Metacritic - but I'm not sure that should matter. Metacritic is useful, but if it is holding back/limiting/distorting/in any other way jacking up reviews, I say screw it. A 1-4 scale would certainly result in far more 4's, but that's sort of the point.
I've made the argument in a few other posts, but when people freak out about a game getting an 8 instead of a 9, or a 9 instead of 10... what difference does it make, really? All those scores indicate it's an outstanding game, and the difference between a point or two can easily come down to personal opinion. Not suggesting 1-4 scale is the perfect solution (Or even a good one) but it's the first thing that came to mind, and I think it could possibly be a good solution. That, or go the RPS route, and ditch scores entirely.
@PlywoodStick If we include half points, we're back to the 10 point scale with the same issues it brings today. Though, perhaps the associated graphics would make people more comfortable liking a game rated 6/7?
@ThomasBW84 Agreed, as a site under the scrutiny of thousands of people, you're screwed no matter what you choose =) I do wish people would put less weight on the number, and more weight on what was actually written and why, so they can make a better decision on their own, like you said. If you understand why a reviewer scored something the way they did, it's much easier to understand if your personal opinion would be higher or lower, and make a purchase decision based on that.
#ArloWasRight
@SLIGEACH_EIRE or Zelda's Equivalent to Tri-Force Heroes, but sounds like it's not quite Amiibo Festival *cringes
The amiibo is super cute! Mine arrived yesterday, and I've got to say, probably my favourite little plastic critter yet
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Not quite. Federation Force reviewed better.
I can't help but wonder if a slightly lower price point for the game would have soothed some of the disappointment.
@roadrunner343 I'm not sure Metacritic is really useful at all. It's a cause for scores to be meaningless, and as a result Metacritic's own score is meaningless. Yet tons of people rely on it to give them a one-click solution about buying a game. The film industry has the same problem with Rotten Tomatoes. Producers and directors have been famously furious at the system for a while. But the average media consumer just keeps using those sites. Siskel & Ebert did the thumbs up/thumbs down thing and it worked wonderfully. It captured their personal opinion without trying to peg it to "which ones did you like better than the other ones? Give me a number to rank them!" I think that's what's REALLY wrong about where review scores have gone. It's no longer about actually providing a final word on how well or poorly the game was received by you, but instead it's become an attempt to rank and index every game in order of total value/quality. That can't and wont ever work. The 1-4 system is just that a review rating, not a cataloguing. Of course, 1-4 has another problem, why play a 3 if you could just play all the 4s? Recommend: Yes/No is really the only meaningful way to do it. Which Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert figured out in the 70's and somehow we're still struggling to figure it out in this industry. Metacritic can then live with having only 100% and 0% and is in effect forced back into being a "yes/no" themselves.
I predict the amiibo will sell better than the actual game.
@NEStalgia I agree with your criticisms of the 1-4 scale (Or any scale, for that matter) and the problem would certainly still exist. The goal would be to minimize the issue, not completely eradicate it. The problem is, people in general want a way to decide what to play - If there are 300+ recommended games on the 3DS, how do I pick which ones to play, especially as I am so limited on time. Personally, I rarely even consider games under a 7. But from 7-10, sure, I probably prioritize 10's, especially if the entire industry is raving about a game, but otherwise I try to prioritize them based on the accompanying text.
In a 1-4 system, I think I would basically write off all 1's and 2's, and only consider 3's and 4's... and that point, that's a split right down the middle, so perhaps the argument of a recommended/avoid rating is truly the best, which is basically how RPS does it. I could easily get behind that more so than a 1-5 or 1-10 scale. I just see people complaining about so many recommended titles, that they don't know how to prioritize. Because... you know... people as a whole are a bunch of dummies =)
@ThomasBW84 Honestly, I think your Scoring Policy explains the scores quite well, and makes the numbers make good sense for what they represent.
Given this is a 6/10, it's "Not Bad," but for those who take 5 seconds to read, that means: "This game is not good enough to rush out and buy without doing your homework. Whilst you should approach with a degree of caution you might still really enjoy this game."
I can't imagine how this could be interpreted as "bad" by anyone other than those who assume it's an objective 1-10 scale devoid of all other context, and thus a 6 = "bad." Or thinks like IGN where anything below a 7/10 must be literally broken.
So, for anyone who refuses to read more than a number instead of looking at the text of the review and what the dang number actually means:
This score is a recommendation, but with reservations. If you like Pikmin, you'll probably enjoy this on some level (depending on what you like about Pikmin). It's not higher because, for a general audience, there are reasons to be concerned.
I.... don't see what's so hard to understand about that. And I don't want to see that kind of caveat in every review ever, but clearly some people are too lazy/thick to get it.
Eh, I expected this, but to be honest, this is probably one game that Arzest managed to make that's actually decent (their work on the Yoshi games are...well, let's not talk about them), at least going off by the demo. I probably won't pick it up over $10, though.
Now, Miitopia...THAT'S the game I'm waiting for!
I enjoyed the demo of this and have the game pre-ordered from Very, looking forward to getting it, Pikmin is one of my fave series but i'm going into this knowing its a spin-off and not expecting it to beat the mainline games but i think i will enjoy it regardless, definitely like to make my own mind up on games so whilst i enjoy reading reviews they very rarely influence my buying decisions.
Would have been nice if they incorporated the 3 captain mechanic of pikmin 3. A little more depth.
And NintendoLife said unto the Lord; "Lord, people keep saying our reviews are overly-generous to Nintendo games." And so, in his infinite kindness, the Lord answered their prayers and created Arzest.
@roadrunner343 That sadly summarizes it all! The main thing is people don't want to figure out what to buy, they want someone else to figure out what they should buy. Instead of using the critic's description to figure out if it's something they'd have an interest in, they just want a digitized number to tell them instantly as though it's an empirical rating. yes/no, you, I, and Thomas may all agree it's a 'yes'. But where it comes to numbers your 7 might be my 9.5 and might be Thomas' 6. Oh how I wish the industry worked that way!
@SLIGEACH_EIRE No one could paraphrase it better thumbs up
@NEStalgia Yeah... I guess where we disagree slightly (And I'm disagreeing with myself, to an extent) is I do still find value in a numerical rating of some sort. For example, I like knowing that Alex thought Splatoon deserved a 10, but I take it in context of the accompanying text to get a better understanding of how much he liked certain things. That helps me get a better idea of how the game would fit me (Probably an 8ish). Though, based off of the comments and the issues Metacritic causes (Even if I find it somewhat useful at times) I think perhaps a scoreless or a yes/no review system may be for the greater good.
EDIT: I guess the only real issue I see with recommended/not recommended as the only option, is the recent trend of review bombing on Steam. Maybe that's not even a "problem" per se, but it definitely worrisome that one wrong move can take a game from 95% recommended to 95% negative overnight. Still, having yes/no only does result in a more useful aggregate score. You've convinced me. I'm on board with the yes/no only system, with a couple small reservations, and part of me would miss numbers... now, how do we go about convincing the rest of the world =D
@ThomasBW84
True, but not bad doesn't = good, either...
Still buying it, though.
I get a Donkey Kong Country SNES vibe from this...it's very low down on my wish list because of so much Switch goodness coming out, but one day I will defo give it a go.
As a massive Pikmin fan I'll still be picking this up on Friday, though I'm a tad disappointed reading the review that it might be a bit underwhelming. I understand a score of 6 means it's not a bad game but my money and time are precious to me and I usually don't waste them with any game that's less than "very good".
@Marxally No we don't remember that, because it never happened.
Although I do believe that if this exact game existed on Switch instead of 3DS, it'd score a point higher easily for that fact alone.
Not all that surprising. The previews set an expectation that the game would underwhelm and thus review confirms it. I hope Nintendo recognizes that players want a true sequel soon.
@NEStalgia
If companies want to circumvent critics they need to provide playable demos, full stop. I'm not going to pay $40-$60 to test drive a game. The expense is much too high and it's why consumers listen to critics in the first place.
http://i.makeagif.com/media/7-26-2017/IGRqYO.mp4
I will still get this eventually. Maybe for Christmas. As frustrating as I sometimes find Pikmin 1-3, a gentler title may be to my liking.
@gatorboi352 If it released on Switch it would have HD visuals which may or may not warrant an extra point depending on the perspective of who's doing the reviewing...that might be fair.
@AirElephant I don't think companies need to circumvent critics (I hope not, I used to be one! ), I just think reviews need to provide meaningful evaluation of a game, and meaningful evaluation comes from actually evaluating, not providing a numeric indexing for a game. It's not about companies wanting reviews or not, it's about getting a meaningful rating to players. The problem with the aggregates is 1-100 doesn't really provide anything meaningful. It tries to pinpoint an index of value or quality between apples and oranges usually. Buyers tend to apply meaning to it when there is little. The simpler systems of 1-4 or yes/no are a lot more meaningful by painting with a broader brush (and letting the review text do the heavy lifting of details.) But with Metacritic, that creates a new problem. A 3 is a 66, so if you don't think the game warrants a mere 66 on Metacritic, dragging a score down, you need to give it a 4, so "everything is awesome!" becomes the result. I'd love to see the industry just reject scores universally. REVIEWS are meaningful. These numeric indices really aren't.
No argument on demos though. A good demo can really sell a good game. Of course if your game is a 6 hour movie like most of the AAA content....a demo isn't helpful I suppose, and half of them would have a 30GB demo download for a 1 hour play test.
Oh well it wasn't on my 'to get' list anyway. The upcoming Metroid will be my last 3DS game purchase,shame it wasn't a dual release on the Switch also TBH. Really Nintendo need to shift their focus to the Switch and get their 3DS third parties to do the same. The 3DS has had a great run and has a fantastic library,but now the attention needs to go to the better console. There can't be anyone left to get a 3DS that wouldn't have done by now
Why do all games that support the Daisy amiibo get poor reviews!?!?! Bah!
I would play this if it were a $14.99 title for the iPad. On the 3DS, there are just many better options out there.
Not everyone wants a Switch so asking Nintendo to move on the "better console" makes me mad.....the 3DS is my one and only way to play games and is more affordable than a Switch and easier to find too. Plus Nintendo said they are supporting it through 2018. Get over it already.
I plan on getting this game because it's more my cup of tea but I will be waiting until next month to get it.
I'm getting it at some point. I was not going to get it at launch anyway. Splatoon 2 is enough for now.
Can we stop using subtitles that make the game sound much worse than it is?
Oh well, onto Pikmin 4's development then.....
Nintendo's been falling into a lot of flat, ugly art styles--this, Mario & Luigi, and Yoshi's New Island come to mind. What are they going for here?
It's not a Switch game so no wonder it didn't get 10/10.
This is disappointing, but not unexpected. My 3DS is getting dustier.
Sounds like it's exactly as I expected it to be. A forgettable spin off from a beloved franchise. As a big PIkmin fan I will be getting this day 1. I knew it was going to be a dumbed down 2D version of the games and I'm okay with that. Of course I wish it were better but as such it's acceptable enough while I (im)patiently wait for Pikmin 4.
The demo was ok. Not enough to make me buy it. Think I'll agree with this score. I think a side scrolling Pikmin on 3DS during the Switch's strong launch year might lead to the untradable clearance section at Gamestop. It'll sit nicely beside Chibi Robo and Codname STEAM, and thats when I'll get it.
In other words: Not worth a 49.99 CAD purchase. I have to admit it wasn't that appealing from the get-go. Would still buy it on sale for $20. I can feel Nintendo's attention moving on with Switch and yet they will still charge like it's a Triple-A title from 2014.
@memoryman3 Ur so funny! LOL
I love the Pikmin series, and I'm fine with spin off games. Some of my favorite games are spin off titles of larger series (Final Fantasy Tactics, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon), but this just looks like crap. If someone was tossing ideas around for a Pikmin spinoff, I'd much rather see something like what was shown off in Nintendoland for Wii U, rather than a dime-a-dozen 2D action game.
I cancelled my preorder today. I dont want to invest in a mediocre game even though I like pikmin, that might send the wrong signal to nintendo. In fact I cancelled my whole order which comprised of splatoon 2 and ever oasis. I think I need to start prioritize game purchases and wait for price drops of certain games. Next purchase will comprise of splatoon 2, metroid 2, superstar saga, kingdom battle (if its any good) and mario odyssey
@NEStalgia For me, ratings are just a rough guideline, e.g. If it's a 6 or better, I take a closer look and I ignore the rest. But even then there is a lot of stuff to miss because it could fall in the so bad it's good category.
I have really enjoyed a lot of supposedly mediocre stuff (Ghost in the Shell, Tron:Legacy or for games Recore) and didn't like some 10/10 stuff (GTA 4, The Dark Knight). Some of it I even hated (Bioshock Infinite).
In retrospect, I shouldn't have expected anything amazing. I'll still get it, but I'll have to keep my expectations in check after this (and this review seems generous, in all honesty), and I'll probably wait for a deal somewhere, if possible.
Hmm. I think I will cancel my pre order and pick this up at a later date. Not really using the 3ds right now anyway.
I guess I'll pick this up around Christmas. It should be around $15 or less by then.
I want this game.
@Fooligan
thats the idea. nintendo games usually dont fall in price unless they are pretty mediocre. So buying it day one would be stupid
This is obviously geared towards children to get them hooked on the franchise, no worries here. My kids will like it and then will love Pikmin 4 instead of feeling overwhelmed like in Pikmin 3
I'm so confused... I've played the Wii u pikman. But I'm guessing a 2d Pikmin is basically just stay Advanced version of lemmings?
My issue isn't that I find a 6/10 bad. It's that the low difficulty coupled with less than 10 hours of gameplay isn't really worth $32 (after Amazon discount for me) when my money is limited and there's better options. I think I'll wait to see if this game ever gets cheap, otherwise guess this is the first Piin game I skip...
Well I guess at least the amiibo is cute and worth getting for my collection .😊
@ThomasBW84 life's too short to waste on "not bad".
Hopefully this is the last of Nintendo's failed run of ill advised, cheap, unrequested experimentations on their fan's most loved franchises.
Experiment with Balloon Fight or Ice Climbers. Or invent a new franchise. But don't mutilate the crown jewels without at least gauging the actual demand first.
@ShadJV It's a waste of time and money. We should all boycott this. Help send a message.
The demo was so boring, I couldn't even finish it. This is unsurprising.
However, I could still see people enjoying it if they don't mind the pace and ease of the game. A 6 isn't such a bad score.
Reminds me of chibi-robo zip slash for some reason
I will just wait for Pikmin 4 to release on Nintendo Switch instead. I only really want to play Pikmin when it is in a full 3D enviroment.
I've only played Pikmin 3, so I'll just go back to play the first two.
To this day the best Pikmin experience is the Pikmin 3 title screen (with that lovely music). The games themselves are a bit rubbish imo
@Moon I always had trouble with downloading the demo of this and those short movies for some reason. Tough to prioritize this over chibi robo apparently, and that is like $5-6 on ebay, though it feels weird to do random levels, but the gameplay and dialogue is more exciting.
The first paragraph told me everything i needed to know to avoid this game by mentioning Arzest. Arzest/Artoon has never made a game that wasn't a mediocre at best blandfest.
The long and short of it is that's it's a game that mistakes accessibility with bland level design. It's a short game with competent gameplay that gets let down by a lack of creativity and interesting challenge. It's an Arzest game/10
Like others I have a problem with 6 out of 10 games. It's not that they are trash, it's that a mediocre game that costs the same as a a good to great game is not worth buying at the moment. I'll probably buy Hey Pikmin when it drops below $20 but it's games like this and chibi robo ziplash that make me wish that Nintendo would realize that not every game is worth a full retail price
6/10... The exact score I thought it would get
@Marxally Can you post a link to where IGN said that? I'd like to read it.
Bring on Pikmin 4!
This is exactly what I, and most others, were expecting. It's not bad... but it's not exactly that good, either. Wasn't planning on picking this up and still not.
Now, Nintendo... GIVE ME PIKMIN 4 OR GIVE ME DEATH!
Seems like another flop in a tiresome EOL for 3DS. I hope Mario & Luigi and Metroid Samus Returns have a better score. I might be getting Hey Pikmin at some point in the future, but definitely not now, definitely not for full price.
@Ichiban day cycles are the worst thing about it. It kills any potential replay value once you're done with the final boss, and not having separate save files under the same NNID makes it worse.
I had this bought for $6 shipped on Prime day but pro only cancelled after the demo. It just wasn't what the main series games are: exploration heavy with engrossing and beautiful scenery with almost photorealistic and delightful fruit
Anyway... it sucks that it wasn't a more grand-scale game but I have no doubt it's still fun. Unfortunately I need to pick and choose what games I devote time to now and am really trying to finish my backlog. Cheers.
@roadrunner343 GamePro reviews were written by a single person to weigh at least 4 metrics, each using the individual 0.5-5.0 scale: Graphics, Gameplay, Sound, and that difficult to define "Fun Factor" (which they claimed could act as an overall feeling score of sorts, and was often elaborated upon in their reviews). So their results were really more like a single person 40 point scale. (By comparison, Famitsu uses a multi-person 40 point scale, while Nintendo Power had their own variation of the multi-person scale.) It's rare to find internet publications that go in so much depth scaling each aspect like the print publications once did... It's not that the 10 point scale is absolute- rather, the alternatives which have been created over time have been all but forgotten.
Pikmin has never caught my attention before and certainly doesnt with those ugly jaggy dated 3ds graphics. Please drop the 3ds like its hot now! The only games left to look forward to are metroid and mario and luigi superstar saga.
@NEStalgia i miss 90's gaming mag scores where they rated each aspect of a game from story, graphics, game play, multiplayer, replayability, price and then gave a total percentage. Was much better because everyone could agree on bad aspects and good aspects in the numbers instead of reading a wall of text review with a single number. I tend to only rwad reviews these days if the game gets an 8 9 or 10. And thats a bad thing, but im not wqsting my time reading a text wall to find out if the gameplay is fun anyway.
@Kid_Sickarus agreed. Not bad is a waste of my time. Too many games and so little recreation time.
A shame.
Hope Nintendo stop giving good franchises to bad developers.
@PlywoodStick Those were the days. I do really miss Nintendo Power's multi-person reviews.The Internet ruins everything! Well... except my career, my education, and my side-business... but other than that, the Internet ruins everything.
@Octane
The original multiplayer Zelda on the 3DS, Anniversary Edition of Four Swords was amazing though, easily my Top 3 Zelda games.
As expected. Might still pick it up though, even if the demo was a bit boring.
About what I expected. It will fall into the "I'll get to it if I have nothing else to play" which is rarely ever. No worries.
This is the kind of game that i like..... laid back, something that can be played in bursts. I'm pretty easy to please tho.
I was interested in the game until I read the score. Would rather spend my money on something better I'm afraid Nintendo.
I've played quite a bit of this game already. It's a relaxing experience, and for me, much needed simplicity following Pikmin 3, which I felt overcomplicated Pikmin. It's not challenging, but it does have me think enough to keep me invested. I really like that they went back to logs like they had with Pikmin 2. I prefer the depth to be there in the backstory as opposed to adding more into the gameplay as Pikmin 3 did.
When compared to the likes of better rated platformers from Nintendo, such as the NSMB sequels, I would definitely say I've enjoyed Hey! Pikmin much more and find its level design to be much more inspired in comparison. Saying that, it's a 8 or 9 for me. Compared to the Pikmin series, I definitely enjoy the game more than Pikmin 3 and it's about even with the original. Pikmin 2 remains the best Pikmin game in my opinion and I don't see Hey! Pikmin taking the throne. A lot of the reason why I like Hey! Pikmin has to do with the return of a backstory focus that Pikmin 2 had with its logs for enemies and treasures.
Thomas, I didn't want to know there were 8 sectors... #spoileralert
Just finished the game. 6 seems a little harsh.
Having now played through the game I would have to say that I would definitely have given it a higher score than 6/10.
I thoroughly enjoyed it; the humour really does shine through. Sure, it's a more sedate affair than the console Pikmin games, but it definitely looks and feels like a Pikmin game and is not without challenge. It's a pretty relaxing and fun experience.
And honestly, I really don't see how any developer could have done much more with a Pikmin game on a handheld; emulating the original is definitely not possible on the 3DS.
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