I won't scatter your sorrow to the heartless sea. I will always be with you. Plant your roots in me. I won't see you end as ashes. You're all diamonds. A shining light to our brothers in arms, even in death.
We are Diamond Dogs.
We are Diamond Dogs.
I’m SHOCKED and AMAZED that nearly everything that made Pikmin 3 so good was already implemented in the first game! I was really expecting a game that was janky and hard to work with, but no! It has aged phenomenally well!
That’s not to say it’s easy, good grief, it’s nightmarishly hard! I can’t imagine playing this game as a kid because I NEVER would have beaten it within the 30 day time limit. Hell, I almost didn’t this time! (And don’t get me started on that final boss that took me well over an hour to beat and ate all of my Pikmin) I loved the challenge though, this was a tremendously fun game! That makes two in a row now! Pikmin 2 is next!
That’s not to say it’s easy, good grief, it’s nightmarishly hard! I can’t imagine playing this game as a kid because I NEVER would have beaten it within the 30 day time limit. Hell, I almost didn’t this time! (And don’t get me started on that final boss that took me well over an hour to beat and ate all of my Pikmin) I loved the challenge though, this was a tremendously fun game! That makes two in a row now! Pikmin 2 is next!
The only Pikmin game I've played before this was 3 on the Wiiu and I remember also having a lot of fun with it. It was interesting to see where it all originated from. This switch version is just a generic port, I don't think there's any difference from the Gamecube version but nonetheless it holds up well. The graphics are outdated but it doesn't look bad I like the old aesthetic and the controls seem modern, no issue with them.
Although the Pikmin don't speak I felt bad whenever one would die and would try to save them as best I can when they were in danger. The game like 3, is super creative, I can't imagine thinking of a game where you crash land and in order to get back your ship parts, you use an army of little flower people you throw who bring the corpses of dead enemies to their onion bulb ship in order to multiply. The Japanese have done it once again. The game also doesn't hold your hand at all which I like. There were bosses like the final one or the frog enemies who would wipe out a third of your Pikmin in one attack, I can't imagine doing a run where I lose zero Pikmin but I know it can be done. Normally I am not a fan of in game timers but the 30 day one and day cycle is very generous, I believe I found all 30 parts in 17 days. One small flaw is that the puzzles involving Pikmin were quite simple, there wasn't much strategy needed for any of them which is something I hope to see more of when I play the second and fourth one.
After this experience I look forward to playing them.
Although the Pikmin don't speak I felt bad whenever one would die and would try to save them as best I can when they were in danger. The game like 3, is super creative, I can't imagine thinking of a game where you crash land and in order to get back your ship parts, you use an army of little flower people you throw who bring the corpses of dead enemies to their onion bulb ship in order to multiply. The Japanese have done it once again. The game also doesn't hold your hand at all which I like. There were bosses like the final one or the frog enemies who would wipe out a third of your Pikmin in one attack, I can't imagine doing a run where I lose zero Pikmin but I know it can be done. Normally I am not a fan of in game timers but the 30 day one and day cycle is very generous, I believe I found all 30 parts in 17 days. One small flaw is that the puzzles involving Pikmin were quite simple, there wasn't much strategy needed for any of them which is something I hope to see more of when I play the second and fourth one.
After this experience I look forward to playing them.
Un peu trop Japonais pour mes yeux de gros blancos Européen désolé
I bought a copy off ebay as a kid for around $10, didn't get it. Years later as a cultured gamer I've come around and appreciate how unique and great this series is. The first entry has limited time and getting things done effectively is very satisfying. I'd reset days knowing I could do better. The OST is nostalgic just through Smash Brawl and other greats in the game itself.
Eu e os outros 4 fãs de Pikmin no Brasil amamos esse jogo e o Dolphin.
love these little guys
GOAT
Amazing!
Pikmin 1 is like the first season of a really good show, it's short, simple and a little rough around the edges, but other than that it's still a good time.
Very good game. Honestly super glad I tried out Pikmin this year since my copy has been rotting on my shelf for years. I never found myself getting past like the 2nd level as I was stuck and had my pikmin always dying. Thankfully, I beat it, and it's a pretty short and definitely sweet game. You could probably beat it in one sitting if you know all the part locations and the puzzles and such... Alright then, on with the review-time! Story first. It's very simple, Captain Olimar is flying somwhere for a vacation and then he gets hit by an asteroid and crashes down to an unknown planet. He crash lands, making 30 of his ship parts go missing all over, and he can only survive on the planet for 30 days, since oxygen is posinous for him. So yeah, you have a time limit basically. And plus, only 25 parts are required to get a decent ending in this game (yes there arem ultiple endings) Olimar arrives at the Impact Site at the start of the game and you meet these pikmin! Small plant like creatures that look like carrots to Olimar. You can throw them, make them push down walls, fight enemies, and stuff. There are three kinds all with unique abilities. Red being immune to fire and have high attack power, blue being immune to water (as every other is not), and yellow being able to pick up bombs and be thrown very high. The pikmin live in designated onions, each for their own color, which are like their spaceships i guess. At the start of each day, you can deposit how many you'd like from each onion, which adds even more planning into what you want to do in that day. You first start off with red pikmin, but you quickly unlock yellows, then blues. So yeah all of these make for some interesting strategies, youd say? okay but we have my first issue... The yellow pikmin abilities seem a little shoe horned in... The rest of the pikmin get super neat and unique abilities that actually make you wanna choose this specific pikmin for battle or something.
But yellow pikmin, my first playthrough I chose to have not that many since they're only used for like 5 puzzles and 2 battles, which is quite dissapointing in general. You only need like 20 for the entire game, so don't farm that many yellows. This is a real time strategy game or whatever... so fighting enemies could be pretty simple, just rush pikmin into them, or throw it on them to deal damage. It's super duper satisfying with that bongo sound thing playing every time you deal a good hit, and even then some enemies are tough to figure out their patterns for. Wollywogs are very infamous for being a struggle for most players since they can kill like an entire army of pikmin with one stomp! However,... i really like this though as not every enemy is not gonna have the same strategy to deal most damage on them, and plus ive gotten good at defeating wollywogs so yeah whatever. You might want to strategically throw them, rush into them at the back, or use only a specific pikmin. And all of the enemies have pretty cool designs too, which adds even more charm to this game. Alright, time for the levels... and overall theyre decent. Like I said earlier, this game is pretty short, and there are a total of only 5 levels. Might as well go through them all. Impact Site, its the beginning area and its pretty good. Although a little later in the game, you can come back here and farm so many pikmin which makes it definitely worth going back to. Forest of Hope... I love this area. The music is super great, theres so many ship parts here, and its a pretty nice and peaceful area to traverse through. Also, you unlock the yellow pikmin here. Forest Navel, this area is pretty dark so I recommend using the map which helps out a ton. It's where you get the blue pikmin too. I like this area a lot since theres a neat boss battle involving some strategy and planning, and a cool puzzle which gets you two ship parts on the side of the map. Distant Spring, holy shit this area is huge. Blue pikmin definitely are needed for this area, since most of it is water. Lots of people say this area is hard, and I guess it is. I recommend just beating as many enemies as you can the first time you get here, it just helps a lot. Also, the music here is pretty damn relaxing, go listen to it. And finally (hehe), the Final Trial!!! Oh my god, the entire level is one good puzzle involving literally all of your pikmin. And then, of course, the final boss battle. We will get to that a little later. So overall, the levels are good, but it leaves a lot to be desired tbh. I know I said good things about it, but the amount of levels could've been increased. I mean, this game is short. Plus, the variety in
levels isn't that spectacular. Basically, you're in a grass level, a forest/grass level, a cave, a grass level, and another grass level. Yeah... could've been way more interesting. Assuming the planet you're on is Earth, they could've included like a volcano or something.. that wouldve been sick! Im pretty sure this is fixed to a degree in Pikmin 2, and I'll play that pretty soon so eh. Alright, lets talk final boss time. SPOILER TERRITORY BTW, if you care!!! Remember when I said yellow pikmin are useful for only a few battles? Well, this is one them. Meet Emperor Bulbax (wish i could show an image) Bomb rocks are highly recommended for making this boss much easier. You can throw them when it opens it mouth, and that will stun it for a bit and then you can go nuts at bashing it with the red pikmin. Pretty good boss tbh, couldve used like a second phase or something idk, just to spice things up. After you defeat it, you get the final ship part, which is the piggy bank (i think). And damn, does it feel ever so satisfying, making your pikmin army carry that prized treasure to the almost complete ship. Btw, i think this boss is optional since this part is also optional so you dont have to do the final trial really lol. Anyways, for the good ending, you finally get all 30 of the parts. And head back home, or something. I think the pikmin learn how to defeat enemies on their own shown in the cutscene where they attack a bulborb.
And yeah, Olimar goes back to Hocotate and stays safe. HOORAY!!! In the 25 part ending, i think its the same ending, but Im not sure if the pikmin say goodbye or not. Honestly i dont remember sorry. But it is slightly worse i guess. You probably should go for all 30 parts instead of 25 if you ever play this game, it's not really that bigger of a task. And plus, you can get upwards to 2 parts a day easy, (3 if youre good). And then the bad ending. The ending you get if you don't get nearly 25 ship parts and the 30 day time limit ends! Well, you're stuck on the planet and you die from the oxygen. And as I said with the other endings, I don't remember this one fully, but the pikmin carry your corpse to one of their onions, and turn you into a olimar... human pikmin. Kinda brings up a bunch of questions but whatever. THE END! Oh and you get shown a beautiful credits along with a good theme too, and an awesome creature montage. So that was my long ass fuck pikmin review. Kinda was all over the place, and I don't think I covered nearly everything, but its fine. Overall, this game is great. I just love the charm of it all. It could've used a bit more content, but its the first game in a beloved series, and it has an amazing concept. I really want to play the next 2 pikmin games this year as I hear theyre better in a lot of ways, and thats definitely exciting! Anyways, thanks for reading my thoughts, and perhaps ill write more reviews like this. Bye!
If yo uwant my full thoughts, wtach my video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IxeKi_IF-j
But yellow pikmin, my first playthrough I chose to have not that many since they're only used for like 5 puzzles and 2 battles, which is quite dissapointing in general. You only need like 20 for the entire game, so don't farm that many yellows. This is a real time strategy game or whatever... so fighting enemies could be pretty simple, just rush pikmin into them, or throw it on them to deal damage. It's super duper satisfying with that bongo sound thing playing every time you deal a good hit, and even then some enemies are tough to figure out their patterns for. Wollywogs are very infamous for being a struggle for most players since they can kill like an entire army of pikmin with one stomp! However,... i really like this though as not every enemy is not gonna have the same strategy to deal most damage on them, and plus ive gotten good at defeating wollywogs so yeah whatever. You might want to strategically throw them, rush into them at the back, or use only a specific pikmin. And all of the enemies have pretty cool designs too, which adds even more charm to this game. Alright, time for the levels... and overall theyre decent. Like I said earlier, this game is pretty short, and there are a total of only 5 levels. Might as well go through them all. Impact Site, its the beginning area and its pretty good. Although a little later in the game, you can come back here and farm so many pikmin which makes it definitely worth going back to. Forest of Hope... I love this area. The music is super great, theres so many ship parts here, and its a pretty nice and peaceful area to traverse through. Also, you unlock the yellow pikmin here. Forest Navel, this area is pretty dark so I recommend using the map which helps out a ton. It's where you get the blue pikmin too. I like this area a lot since theres a neat boss battle involving some strategy and planning, and a cool puzzle which gets you two ship parts on the side of the map. Distant Spring, holy shit this area is huge. Blue pikmin definitely are needed for this area, since most of it is water. Lots of people say this area is hard, and I guess it is. I recommend just beating as many enemies as you can the first time you get here, it just helps a lot. Also, the music here is pretty damn relaxing, go listen to it. And finally (hehe), the Final Trial!!! Oh my god, the entire level is one good puzzle involving literally all of your pikmin. And then, of course, the final boss battle. We will get to that a little later. So overall, the levels are good, but it leaves a lot to be desired tbh. I know I said good things about it, but the amount of levels could've been increased. I mean, this game is short. Plus, the variety in
levels isn't that spectacular. Basically, you're in a grass level, a forest/grass level, a cave, a grass level, and another grass level. Yeah... could've been way more interesting. Assuming the planet you're on is Earth, they could've included like a volcano or something.. that wouldve been sick! Im pretty sure this is fixed to a degree in Pikmin 2, and I'll play that pretty soon so eh. Alright, lets talk final boss time. SPOILER TERRITORY BTW, if you care!!! Remember when I said yellow pikmin are useful for only a few battles? Well, this is one them. Meet Emperor Bulbax (wish i could show an image) Bomb rocks are highly recommended for making this boss much easier. You can throw them when it opens it mouth, and that will stun it for a bit and then you can go nuts at bashing it with the red pikmin. Pretty good boss tbh, couldve used like a second phase or something idk, just to spice things up. After you defeat it, you get the final ship part, which is the piggy bank (i think). And damn, does it feel ever so satisfying, making your pikmin army carry that prized treasure to the almost complete ship. Btw, i think this boss is optional since this part is also optional so you dont have to do the final trial really lol. Anyways, for the good ending, you finally get all 30 of the parts. And head back home, or something. I think the pikmin learn how to defeat enemies on their own shown in the cutscene where they attack a bulborb.
And yeah, Olimar goes back to Hocotate and stays safe. HOORAY!!! In the 25 part ending, i think its the same ending, but Im not sure if the pikmin say goodbye or not. Honestly i dont remember sorry. But it is slightly worse i guess. You probably should go for all 30 parts instead of 25 if you ever play this game, it's not really that bigger of a task. And plus, you can get upwards to 2 parts a day easy, (3 if youre good). And then the bad ending. The ending you get if you don't get nearly 25 ship parts and the 30 day time limit ends! Well, you're stuck on the planet and you die from the oxygen. And as I said with the other endings, I don't remember this one fully, but the pikmin carry your corpse to one of their onions, and turn you into a olimar... human pikmin. Kinda brings up a bunch of questions but whatever. THE END! Oh and you get shown a beautiful credits along with a good theme too, and an awesome creature montage. So that was my long ass fuck pikmin review. Kinda was all over the place, and I don't think I covered nearly everything, but its fine. Overall, this game is great. I just love the charm of it all. It could've used a bit more content, but its the first game in a beloved series, and it has an amazing concept. I really want to play the next 2 pikmin games this year as I hear theyre better in a lot of ways, and thats definitely exciting! Anyways, thanks for reading my thoughts, and perhaps ill write more reviews like this. Bye!
If yo uwant my full thoughts, wtach my video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IxeKi_IF-j
i ritually play this game every couple of months because it's comfortably short and very engaging to me. despite being widely regarded as somewhat of an RTS, Pikmin 1 is very simple, and can be enjoyed as a relaxing experience while still grabbing my attention from beginning to end.
unfortunately, the game is docked half a star because the pikmin are dumb as hell. they keep attacking grass and picking up random objects when im trying to fight things. and then they die.
unfortunately, the game is docked half a star because the pikmin are dumb as hell. they keep attacking grass and picking up random objects when im trying to fight things. and then they die.
Captain Olimar crash-lands on an unknown planet and discovers the Pikmin, with whose help he must repair his S.S Dolphin. This game is fun, a good real time strategy game. The only flaws: the slightly awkward controls, the time window to repair the Dolphin is 30 days, which for a novice player is a bit short. However, recommended game if you are a fan of real-time strategy games!
I really enjoyed this, it was pretty short but the runtime really feels worth it and you're constantly have things to try to go for, I beat the game on the final day but I could see the appeal of trying to speedrun it to get it in as few days as possible. looking forward to the other games in the series!
Just sat down and cleaned this game in one sitting for the second time since idk July, yeah game good
The Pikmin series is like a downward slope to me. The very first game is such a unique thing, and no other game afterwards tries to recapture the feeling in either the story or explorable world. Pikmin 1 is a desolate lonely game that keeps you on edge for the entirety of its runtime. There were times where I rushed through the first half of this game just so I could have time to relax and explore the Distant Spring. By doing that I was rewarded with an optional boss encounter. The creatures are great. The music is great. The gameplay is simple but endlessly replayable. No other game does it better.
a truly relaxing experience; chill atmosphere and cute little pikmins all over the place to help you get your ship working again :D
Pikmin is a truly delightful experience that blends real-time strategy with charming puzzle elements. You take command of Captain Olimar, a stranded astronaut who must work with tiny plant-like creatures called Pikmin to reclaim his ship's parts within a time limit. Growing, commanding, and utilizing the different Pikmin types is incredibly satisfying, and the lush environments teeming with curious creatures create a feeling of wonder and lighthearted exploration. While its short length might be a drawback to some, Pikmin is a unique and captivating game that leaves a lasting impression.
i never made it to the end as a kid. past that, i don't think i even collected more than one treasure in the second zone. i mean i was in a perpetual cycle of days 1-3, heartbroken at the sight/sound of one of my little friends dying and losing their soul to the atmosphere. it was just so much easier to play pokemon/mario where i didn't feel guilty when my videogame friends died. as an adult, the first pikmin game was a fun and quick game that was a perfect slice of game for me. the moment i started to feel like i had gathered everything that this game wanted to tell, it was just about over.
as a child, any boss that wasn't a bulborb was monstrous. but i LOVED discovering each new boss and seeing how kooky they were. i also felt so smart when I figured out how to solve a puzzle/get a bunch done in a day/beat a weird looking boss! siding with all the pikmin lovers that the ost and charm are here. haven't played other games in the series yet but super excited to jump in!
as a child, any boss that wasn't a bulborb was monstrous. but i LOVED discovering each new boss and seeing how kooky they were. i also felt so smart when I figured out how to solve a puzzle/get a bunch done in a day/beat a weird looking boss! siding with all the pikmin lovers that the ost and charm are here. haven't played other games in the series yet but super excited to jump in!
Tight, focused first entry in the series. The 30 day time limit creates a bit of pressure that later games lack (for better and worse), although once you've played the game a few times, it's not especially constraining. Mostly an easy game except the final boss, who is a pretty crazy difficulty spike, especially since the Pikmin don't always do what you want them to do. The AI on the Pikmin definitely holds the game back, since they'll make some baffling choices at times.
One of the best Nintendo Games of this century
Simply one of the best games for the GameCube. Still really enjoyable and with the Switch port even now a very pretty game.
I feel like if I played this game a second time I might like it more. Maybe I gotta get better to like this game more. That's not to say I don't like it - I do! This was fun and very cute. But there's mechanics that I might have needed to spend more time with to get. You gotta work with Pikmin to like it, it's a very odd entry into a relatively niche genre (RTS) which makes it a bit deceptively unapproachable in spite of it's inviting Nintendo aesthetics.
Just beat it it was cool
Short but extremely fun and nostalgic
Such an enjoyable little game. Without the glitches, of which there are too many to ignore, the game is just adorable. The nature of the game's limited time means that repeat playthroughs are especially satisfying as you watch your days taken fall, as well as your Pikmin lost.
all of my pikmin fucking died
yes
Pikmin: Stepping Stone Towards Better To Come
Pikmin began as a series created by Mario creator, Shigeru Miyamoto. The foundation of Pikmin can be found in a GameCube-era tech demo called Super Mario 128, it showed the performance of the GameCube, being able to animate 128 copies of Mario at once, and this concept of multiple characters running at once moved over to what we know today as Pikmin. Pikmin is probably one of the more unique Nintendo series out there. There's your normal Mario's, Zelda's and Metroid's, as well Fire Emblem and Xenoblade for the weebs, but Pikmin as a series is kinda the middle child of Nintendo IPs. It's not as popular as Mario or Zelda, but it's not as niche as Fire Emblem or Xenoblade over here in the west. I initially knew Pikmin only as the series Olimar from Super Smash Bros was from, said 9-year-old me.
I remember trying out Pikmin before, I believe I played either Pikmin 1 or 2 on my old Wii before, I don't know which one exactly, but I never completed it, and I didn't like the controls. I was only a kid at the time, so it was only natural for me to be dogshit at games that weren't Mario or Pokemon. I decided to pick up Pikmin 1 + 2 on the Switch because this was the most accessible version available to me as a newcomer to the series. (I'm writing my review here because backloggd's system when it comes to ports/remasters is dogshit) I am able to play the Wii version of Pikmin 1 & 2, but I've heard about the mixed reception of the motion controls, and with a game like Pikmin, I didn't hate myself enough to subject myself to motion controls, so I got the Switch version. I'll be writing about Pikmin 1 here and Pikmin 2 later, for now, all I have to say about Pikmin 1 is that Pikmin 1 was such a nice change of pace from all the games I've played this year so far.
It was sorta calming to play this game, the soundtrack was composed by Hajime Wakai and adds so much to crafting the atmosphere when you explore this planet as Olimar. Olimar is a Hocotatian (I checked the Pikmin wiki to make sure before I made a fool of myself and say Olimar was human. Pikmin lore goes deep) who crashes his ship onto the planet where the Pikmin inhabit. Since Oilmar's ship is out of work, he befriends the Pikmin and uses them to collect the missing pieces of his ship on the planet to make sure he has all the pieces, or else in 30 days, the oxygen in his space helmet will run out, and he will die. You have limited time each day you play Pikmin, each day matters, and it's best to use each day to its best by either getting a missing piece of the ship or harvesting some more Pikmin. In Pikmin 1, there are only 3 types of Pikmin, Red Pikmin, Blue Pikmin, and Yellow Pikmin.
Red Pikmin are the first ones you get in the game and can withstand flames and anything similar to heat, Blue Pikmin can be brought underwater while the other ones melt to death, and Yellow Pikmin can withstand electricity. Compared to Pikmin 2, and the later games, this is quite basic, but as the first game in the series, it works and works perfectly for newcomers. This is the perfect entry point for me, I was able to understand the 3 basic Pikmin types perfectly, and going into Pikmin 2 after this game felt like a smooth transition. Pikmin isn't a game you play for a story, it's all about gameplay, and the gameplay is so satisfying. Compared to Pikmin 2, it's quite basic since this was the first game, but I still had a fun time with it. It was fun to explore the little planet with the Pikmin and explore to find treasure.
I found myself caring for the Pikmin I had around me, I felt like a guardian protecting its little ones, and whenever I lost one of them to an enemy, I made sure me and my children got sweet revenge by killing it and harvet its body to create more Pikmin. Surprisingly kinda dark for a Nintendo game. (insert Spongebob roller coaster meme here) To be honest, I don't have a lot to say here, because most of my praises are for Pikmin 2, but what I will say is that one of my issues with Pikmin 1, was that I felt that the Pikmin could just ignore you sometimes. Sometimes I threw a Pikmin at an enemy just for the Pikmin to walk around blind like they Stevie Wonder, but also another issue was that compared to Pikmin 2, there's not a lot of replay value. Of course, you can try to speed-run it, but everything after Pikmin 1 just does a better job. Overall, Pikmin 1 was a nice change of pace from what else I was playing this year. I believe this was the first RTS I ever played, and I loved it.
Stats:
8th Game I've Completed In 2024
Played on Nintendo Switch
Hours into Game: 10 hours
Score: 8/10 (4/5)
Last Statement: Red Pikmin best pikmin
Pikmin began as a series created by Mario creator, Shigeru Miyamoto. The foundation of Pikmin can be found in a GameCube-era tech demo called Super Mario 128, it showed the performance of the GameCube, being able to animate 128 copies of Mario at once, and this concept of multiple characters running at once moved over to what we know today as Pikmin. Pikmin is probably one of the more unique Nintendo series out there. There's your normal Mario's, Zelda's and Metroid's, as well Fire Emblem and Xenoblade for the weebs, but Pikmin as a series is kinda the middle child of Nintendo IPs. It's not as popular as Mario or Zelda, but it's not as niche as Fire Emblem or Xenoblade over here in the west. I initially knew Pikmin only as the series Olimar from Super Smash Bros was from, said 9-year-old me.
I remember trying out Pikmin before, I believe I played either Pikmin 1 or 2 on my old Wii before, I don't know which one exactly, but I never completed it, and I didn't like the controls. I was only a kid at the time, so it was only natural for me to be dogshit at games that weren't Mario or Pokemon. I decided to pick up Pikmin 1 + 2 on the Switch because this was the most accessible version available to me as a newcomer to the series. (I'm writing my review here because backloggd's system when it comes to ports/remasters is dogshit) I am able to play the Wii version of Pikmin 1 & 2, but I've heard about the mixed reception of the motion controls, and with a game like Pikmin, I didn't hate myself enough to subject myself to motion controls, so I got the Switch version. I'll be writing about Pikmin 1 here and Pikmin 2 later, for now, all I have to say about Pikmin 1 is that Pikmin 1 was such a nice change of pace from all the games I've played this year so far.
It was sorta calming to play this game, the soundtrack was composed by Hajime Wakai and adds so much to crafting the atmosphere when you explore this planet as Olimar. Olimar is a Hocotatian (I checked the Pikmin wiki to make sure before I made a fool of myself and say Olimar was human. Pikmin lore goes deep) who crashes his ship onto the planet where the Pikmin inhabit. Since Oilmar's ship is out of work, he befriends the Pikmin and uses them to collect the missing pieces of his ship on the planet to make sure he has all the pieces, or else in 30 days, the oxygen in his space helmet will run out, and he will die. You have limited time each day you play Pikmin, each day matters, and it's best to use each day to its best by either getting a missing piece of the ship or harvesting some more Pikmin. In Pikmin 1, there are only 3 types of Pikmin, Red Pikmin, Blue Pikmin, and Yellow Pikmin.
Red Pikmin are the first ones you get in the game and can withstand flames and anything similar to heat, Blue Pikmin can be brought underwater while the other ones melt to death, and Yellow Pikmin can withstand electricity. Compared to Pikmin 2, and the later games, this is quite basic, but as the first game in the series, it works and works perfectly for newcomers. This is the perfect entry point for me, I was able to understand the 3 basic Pikmin types perfectly, and going into Pikmin 2 after this game felt like a smooth transition. Pikmin isn't a game you play for a story, it's all about gameplay, and the gameplay is so satisfying. Compared to Pikmin 2, it's quite basic since this was the first game, but I still had a fun time with it. It was fun to explore the little planet with the Pikmin and explore to find treasure.
I found myself caring for the Pikmin I had around me, I felt like a guardian protecting its little ones, and whenever I lost one of them to an enemy, I made sure me and my children got sweet revenge by killing it and harvet its body to create more Pikmin. Surprisingly kinda dark for a Nintendo game. (insert Spongebob roller coaster meme here) To be honest, I don't have a lot to say here, because most of my praises are for Pikmin 2, but what I will say is that one of my issues with Pikmin 1, was that I felt that the Pikmin could just ignore you sometimes. Sometimes I threw a Pikmin at an enemy just for the Pikmin to walk around blind like they Stevie Wonder, but also another issue was that compared to Pikmin 2, there's not a lot of replay value. Of course, you can try to speed-run it, but everything after Pikmin 1 just does a better job. Overall, Pikmin 1 was a nice change of pace from what else I was playing this year. I believe this was the first RTS I ever played, and I loved it.
Stats:
8th Game I've Completed In 2024
Played on Nintendo Switch
Hours into Game: 10 hours
Score: 8/10 (4/5)
Last Statement: Red Pikmin best pikmin
A fantastic challenge, more games should have time limits. Will definitely replay this one and try out the others in the future.