This review contains spoilers
This was the first Pikmin game I played after Pikmin 4. Honestly, this would be scored lower if it weren't for the bonus missions with Olimar and Louie. They're a lot of fun and similar to the Dandori challenges in Pikmin 4. Plus, Louie is my favorite character, and I loved the interactions between him and Olimar.
I loved the characters in Pikmin 4, but didn't really connect with the Koppaites. It's really mostly because of how they treat Louie. When they rescue him, he wakes up on their ship and thinks he's been kidnapped, so he takes their food and runs away. Then, they capture him and tie him up.
Olimar's notes said somewhere that Louie needs to eat three times as much as a regular person, and they're only feeding him 1/4 of a jar of fruit juice every day. They could have brought back creatures for him to eat since he's the only one on board who will eat meat, but no. >:( I just felt so bad for him. Brittany especially got on my nerves. She made fun of Louie for being semi-verbal.
It also just...doesn't make sense that they eat so little of their food. They could really each be having a jar of fruit juice every day. I finished the game with enough to play through the whole thing again 3 or 4 times over without collecting any more fruit. They just need the seeds to save their planet, not all the juice.
...Anyway, the gameplay. It's a nice balance between challenging and relaxing, but I really think switching between three characters doesn't work. There are parts where it makes sense to split off into two teams, but the only places where you need three are specific puzzles. It's also annoying when you run into a puzzle that requires three people and you're not all together.
This is a fun entry in the series and the second most accessible to newcomers. but had I played this first and not Pikmin 4, it would not have made me fall in love with the franchise.
I loved the characters in Pikmin 4, but didn't really connect with the Koppaites. It's really mostly because of how they treat Louie. When they rescue him, he wakes up on their ship and thinks he's been kidnapped, so he takes their food and runs away. Then, they capture him and tie him up.
Olimar's notes said somewhere that Louie needs to eat three times as much as a regular person, and they're only feeding him 1/4 of a jar of fruit juice every day. They could have brought back creatures for him to eat since he's the only one on board who will eat meat, but no. >:( I just felt so bad for him. Brittany especially got on my nerves. She made fun of Louie for being semi-verbal.
It also just...doesn't make sense that they eat so little of their food. They could really each be having a jar of fruit juice every day. I finished the game with enough to play through the whole thing again 3 or 4 times over without collecting any more fruit. They just need the seeds to save their planet, not all the juice.
...Anyway, the gameplay. It's a nice balance between challenging and relaxing, but I really think switching between three characters doesn't work. There are parts where it makes sense to split off into two teams, but the only places where you need three are specific puzzles. It's also annoying when you run into a puzzle that requires three people and you're not all together.
This is a fun entry in the series and the second most accessible to newcomers. but had I played this first and not Pikmin 4, it would not have made me fall in love with the franchise.