This reasonably upscaled port of Pikmin 1 is a perfect video game.
I had played the original for like three hours in college and I guess I didn't get it.
This time around, everything worked perfectly for me. What I loved:
The tone:
Olimar is in mortal danger but he navigates the world with a childlike curiosity and optimistic sense of humor. Reminded me of a kind of Roald Dahl or other good dark children's lit setting where hope is present in despair.
The time limit:
From the outset you know you have thirty days to get your parts. This adds such a fascinating urgency to everything and forces you to really consider how to spend your time. Should I just stock up on Pikmin today? I need to get at least two parts today. If I just build bridges today I should be OK. This limit keeps everything you do exciting.
The Gameplay -
The way the game slowly teaches you how to use the Pikmin is perfect. The levels are masterfully designed to naturally hint how to build, get over obstacles, and defeat bosses. There are a few tricky puzzles you need to figure out to find some parts but I felt they were all hinted at appropriately. The controls are definitely not perfect and the Pikmin don't follow and listen quite as well as you might hope, but it worked well enough to execute my vision most of the time.
I love how the game keeps the exposition extremely light for a sixth generation title. There is little narrative or cutscene and we get a little journal entry reflection from Olimar each day. Also I love how the game is divided up into days. Each day is timed perfectly to accomplish several tasks and leave you wanting to do more.
I loved everything about this game. Got the good ending after 27 days. Vastly surpassed my expectations and I'm excited to play the sequels.
I had played the original for like three hours in college and I guess I didn't get it.
This time around, everything worked perfectly for me. What I loved:
The tone:
Olimar is in mortal danger but he navigates the world with a childlike curiosity and optimistic sense of humor. Reminded me of a kind of Roald Dahl or other good dark children's lit setting where hope is present in despair.
The time limit:
From the outset you know you have thirty days to get your parts. This adds such a fascinating urgency to everything and forces you to really consider how to spend your time. Should I just stock up on Pikmin today? I need to get at least two parts today. If I just build bridges today I should be OK. This limit keeps everything you do exciting.
The Gameplay -
The way the game slowly teaches you how to use the Pikmin is perfect. The levels are masterfully designed to naturally hint how to build, get over obstacles, and defeat bosses. There are a few tricky puzzles you need to figure out to find some parts but I felt they were all hinted at appropriately. The controls are definitely not perfect and the Pikmin don't follow and listen quite as well as you might hope, but it worked well enough to execute my vision most of the time.
I love how the game keeps the exposition extremely light for a sixth generation title. There is little narrative or cutscene and we get a little journal entry reflection from Olimar each day. Also I love how the game is divided up into days. Each day is timed perfectly to accomplish several tasks and leave you wanting to do more.
I loved everything about this game. Got the good ending after 27 days. Vastly surpassed my expectations and I'm excited to play the sequels.