I was given the opportunity to play Pikmin 3 at PAX over the weekend and I was quite impressed. This was my first experience of playing a Pikmin game, not including Pikmin Adventure on Nintendo Land, and I am certain it will not be my last.
To explain to all those out there who are not familiar with the game, it is set in a fictional universe based on the future where the ever rising number of inhabitants are exhausting the food supply of several planets. It is up to three explorers, or captains, to discover a planet with enough food to transport back to their home planet to save the day. The basic gameplay mechanics are to explore the world around you and gather fruit and different objects to send back to your space ship before night falls (around 20 minutes of play time). To do this, you enlist the help of Pikmin which are small aliens who are willing to do your bidding in collecting fruit and attacking enemies. There are various types of Pikmin with different abilities which encourage different strategies when exploring the world.
The controls include using the Wii U GamePad, which features a very helpful map of the entire level, or the Wii remote and Nunchuck. You move with the Nunchuck and point and click with the Wii remote at the different objects and enemies to send you Pikmin to attack or collect. These controls feel very intuitive and are very easy to pick up and play.
I played both the Single Player and the Co-op Demo. There was a 5 minute time restriction, and in the split screen co-op multiplayer your task was to collect as much fruit as possible within the time. The game is designed for you to work together, and it really was quite fun to explore the world and make sure that you have enough Pikmin at any time to collect the fruit.
The graphics in the game are beautiful and the worlds are truly immersive. I would highly recommend all Wii U owners to go out and give this game a shot. I had heard about Pikmin before but now after playing I truly understand why it is such a great game and will definitely pick this up.
Pikmin 3 launches in Australia this Thursday 25th July 2013 on Wii U.