In its effort to add back sorely-missed content into the somewhat lacking original, Pikmin 3 Deluxe ends up missing the mark on exactly what made the original so compelling. A cumbersome new control system and a butchered Bingo Battle cannot be compensated for by the addition of a (itself somewhat lacking) Piklopedia, and a few bonus mission mode-style stage remixes.

If you can get the original on Wii U, I believe that to be the supreme experience overall. In general, though, Pikmin 3 is still Pikmin 3, and will satisfy long time fans enough, and will certainly satisfy newcomers. If you ask me, Pikmin 3 is still the game to start the series with, and Deluxe does little to shift that position.

Pikmin 3 Deluxe is pretty easily my favorite of the "Pikmin" series so far.

While I think the first Pikmin still has the best atmosphere and is probably still the best overall experience, Pikmin 3 Deluxe just scratches the itches I have for this series so well while also making so many mechanical improvements that just make the experience all the more appealing.

Being able to swap between Pikmin without having to hold the A button anymore is a godsend. And being able to lock onto targets takes away some of the biggest frustrations from the older games. I felt like I was actually getting pretty good at this game compared to the others just because of how much more intuitive the controls felt. They helped make collecting fruit and finding my way back home all the more fun.

Though for as much as I enjoy this game, I do have two criticisms of it.

One is that the game is just way too easy. Having just come out of Pikmin 2 which was just a ridiculous experience, Pikmin 3 Deluxe was a cakewalk. And while I do enjoy a nice easy experience, I think the game could have done more to make that experience just a tiny bit more involved.

And my other criticism is that the final area and final boss are just not that good. I think the final area was built around the idea of you using the Wii U gamepad screen to control one character while you run around the area with the others, and for whatever reason, they didn't really do anything to update this idea to fit in with the Switch's control scheme. And as for the final boss, well, he's just kind of a joke. Once you get him, all you have to do is throw Rock Pikmin at him and he'll just eventually die. It was pretty disappointing compared to the bosses of the last two games.

However, even with those problems in mind, I still really enjoyed Pikmin 3 Deluxe. This was pretty much everything I could want from a Pikmin game, even if it does have a handful of issues. Now it's time to see what Pikmin 4 is like...

I don't know why this game just doesn't hit as it should for me. Pikmin games are so beautiful and I have such fond memories watching Pikmin playthrough's growing up, but this game was a tad boring for me. While gathering the treasure in a time restraint and the delegation aspect of the game is very fun, the combat is honestly not great.

Music goes absolutely nuclear tho. That final Louie level was a blast, but not as good as the Water Wratih in Pikmin 2. Character's are so weak in comparison to Pikmin 1 and 2. I will say I thought it was so fucking satisfying the way they made juice.

After feeling burnt out at the end of Pikmin 2, I needed a break from the series. Pikmin 3 does the opposite, and I am left craving more after exhausting all content available.

The quality of life improvements made in this entry make controlling pikmin not an anxiety inducing frenzy, like when you accidently launch all your pikmin in the water instead of just your blue pikmin. Moments like this were common in the first two games with the limited abilities to swap between different pikmin colours. Finding a space wide open enough to separate all your pikmin and then delicately blowing your whistling on the one colour you wanted became too tedious for me and I would find myself just brute forcing areas at the expense of killing off considerable amounts of pikmin.

The new lock-on feature and swapping Pikmin types make management a breeze, and my careless casualties were minimized in my play through to only taking place when I spammed the new charge function.

The main campaign is a joy to play through but errs on the easy side. A time limit is placed on you to find food before you run out, but you build up a ration supply so quickly that this doesn't become much of an issue after the first handful of days. The ability to accurately select Pikmin on the fly makes most fights a simple, but still satisfying task to accomplish. Levels feel more like a Zelda dungeon that you have to untie like a knot, slowly revealing new paths and shortcuts as you use your pikmin to complete puzzles. There is less of an emphasis on combat and more about managing your pikmin between 3 leaders. The most satisfying parts are when this is executed well, but it does take some tedium to setup your task forces as you the quickest way I found to divvy up groups was by flinging pikmin one by one.

The biggest surprise was seeing the credits roll as quickly as they did. The campaign caps out at around 10-15 hours which seems average for a Pikmin game, but the game did not do a great job of informing me I was approaching the final area, and so I had no idea I was facing the final boss until afterwards. There is a lack of central objective in Pikmin 3 that the other games did a better job of conveying. First you must find fruit and your partners to survive, and then the narrative shifts to finding Olimar and Louie. I guess the new crew came to the planet for food to bring back to their home world, but there isn't a clear idea of how much food you need.

If I had bought this back in 2013, I would feel a bit underwhelmed with the content, but thankfully the Deluxe edition packs in some more. The Olimar missions are a breath of fresh air and test your pikmin management skills. Only starting with a handful and needing to build up an army to take on each levels objectives within the short time limit they offer. I managed to clear each one on the first try, usually with a platinum medal, but I still walked away feeling accomplished. It seems like they hit the sweet spot of challenge and accomplisments with the shortened time limit and limited pikmin resources.

I don't need a break after this game, give me Pikmin 4.

For awhile there, it felt like we were cursed to never beat this game--always getting disinterested right before the Formidable Oak, or worse. Then we actually beat it one fabled night.

We love it! It's no Pikmin 2 to us, but it's a very delightful time. We love the dynamics of the Koppaiates, and Winged Pikmin are the cutest little game breakers ever. And Deluxe's additions aren't honestly that bad, either. We'd argue it might be the easiest Pikmin game overall (except for MAYBE 4???), so if you're looking for an entry point, here's your in.

Also Bingo Battle is the best competitive mode they've ever made for a Pikmin.

Beautiful environments that are teething with detail and are brought to life with a sincere passion for the beautiful world we live in. It's a game that feels like Studio Ghibli had their hands all over this project because I'm frothing at the mouth at the prospect of just looking at this game. Pikmin 3 has such a pristine art direction that I will always adore. I love it, but I feel its shortcomings are a result of uninteresting Dandori. The elements taken from Pikmin 2 are the least interesting to me, because I prefer that urgency from Pikmin 1. The level design is just barely interesting enough to be engaging without fully blossoming into something that evokes a more complex train of thought, instead, allowing for the bare minimum to be acceptable. Pikmin 4 does not have this issue for me, because there are so many great sub-levels, puzzles, and challenges that prod me to try my hardest, but I'm only trying my hardest in this game because I am Dandori Master. Still though, it's such a pleasant experience from start to end, that it only earns the spot as the worst Pikmin game. That's better than most games out there. Better than whatever game you like :P

I see the appeal for this game, I really do. I imagine some people find the game relaxing or find joy in exploring the lovely world and testing their strategies.

But for me, this game is just tedious. Walking around at a snails pace from area to area. Combat consisting of pressing A on an enemy and just waiting as the health bar ticks down. Discovering you don’t have enough of the right pikmin for a boss or puzzle and having to leave and farm, walking around gathering specific pikmin one by one.

This game is absolutely brimming with charm, and if slower games are more your style it’s worth a go. But i really wanted a lot more from this, and at a faster pace too.

Pikmin 3 is the game I wished pikmin 2 to be. the game emphasises the real time strategy elements present in the first games design, but iterates on the formula making a players skill level determine the time limit. Even for a beginner the time limit should not be much of a issue as the game is generous as the fruit to increase your time limit is plentiful. Pikmin 3 is the easiest of the 3 games as not only does it ease up on the time limit it is also a far easier game than its predecessor's, with hard mode being a breeze for a player of the other entries(There is an additonal difficulty mode unlocked after beating the game that I look forward to playing on my next playthrough). The game still appeals to hardcore players through the returning focus on completing the game in as little days as possible, as well as introducing new mechanics to widen the skill celling in comparison to the original. Multiple captains return from 2 but with most of the game spent in non time based caves and no time limit at all multi-tasking was not emphaised or not really possible in that game. The philosophy is the complete opposite in 3 as it encourages players to split up the captains into multiple squads to complete multiple tasks at once. The go here mechanic is also a brilliant addition allowing you to send captains to areas filled in on the map adding key layers to the players strategic options. Resource management becomes key as you need to know how to split your limited pikmin between each of the captains to complete tasks as efficiently as possible. There are also cases where you need multiple captains together so you can throw them to higher areas adding a risk that you may reach a dead end if you split your resources to thin wasting time. This sort of design encourages replayability as prior knowledge of the games area allows you to increase your efficiency, which I love. The game's campaign is also a good length for this design as its a bit longer than the first but far shorter than the second.
Outside of the campaign Pikmin 3 has plenty of content to satisfy players that aren't into replaying the game multiple times. Mission mode challenges players to collect treasure or kill all enemies under a time limit. This mode really emphasises the importance of multitasking as going for the pesky platinum medals require expert management of the missions limited resources. Bingo battle is an incredibly fun competitve multiplayer mode tasking players to complete a row on there bingo card before the other player to win. It's a real shame there is no online option as it would allow more people to experience it.
New to the deluxe version is side stories where you play as Olimar and Louie in mini campaigns. In essence they are a campaign of missions like mission mode but are far easier with only one or two of them being anything new. Probably the weakest part of the package but they are short and inoffensive.
Overall Pikmin 3 is almost the perfect pikmin game in my opinion. It returns to the originals design philosophy, while adding all the gameplay improvments from 2 and adding more on top of it. I just wish it was a little harder

Easily my favorite of the original trilogy. The mechanics, being updated for a modern age of gaming, feeling so smooth and fun to control. Everything about the gameplay feels so fun with the lock on and charge additions being extremely useful, although it does make the game much easier, so playing on a harder difficulty is recommended in my opinion. The level design is a huge step up from Pikmin 2, feeling less empty and, in contrast, has a plethora of unique natural obstacles to get through, with the formidable oak perhaps being my favorite level in the franchise thus far from a level design perspective. The story, while not having the same tone as Pikmin 1, is still very entertaining and the 3 protagonists are characterized very well. Along with this, the graphics are beautiful and music is wonderful. The side content and missions are a delightful add on that really make this feel like a Deluxe package of Pikmin 3. I could not recommend this game enough to anyone interested in Pikmin.