Poor Wii U

I'm floored that Pikmin 3 is gaining some traction on Switch, but I'd be lyin??g if I didn't wish that same success on the Wii U.

Look, I'll never stop pouring out beverages of assorted varieties for the Wii U (same for the Vita). It was a great system that?? was absolutely slept on, in part due to Nin??tendo's odd name for it and their lackluster marketing campaign. It's not one person's fault! Alas, the Wii U was home to a ton of modern classics, but Nintendo isn't letting all that development effort go to waste.

Pikmin 3's sales in Japan are proof of that. As evidenced by sales acquired from Game Data Library, Pikmin 3 Deluxe (Switch) is now the best-selling retail game of the franchise in Japan. "Including the Wii U original," Game Data Library surmises, Pikmin 3 is now on track to become a millio??n seller if you account for the 513,000 physical sales in Japan, as well as added digital sales.

For a series that doesn't get a whole lot of love even at Nintendo, that's quite a feat. It's refreshing to see it pop up in games like Smash Bros. over the years; refusing to be forgotten.

2021 Updated Sales Data [Famitsu via Game Data Library]

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Promoted from our Community Blogs

_{[There's no other Nintendo series quite like Pikmin, and this blog from Sam van der Meer illustrates that point well with an admittedly very late-game example plucked from Pikmin 3. It's our hope that Pikmin 3 Deluxe – a seven-year-later Switch remaster of the Wii U original – can help rekindle the elusive-as-ever Pikmin 4. Other underappreciated Nintendo series were able to reach wild new heights on Switch, and Pikmin should be next in line. It's finally time, Miyamoto. -Jordan]}

Pikmin is very near and very dear to me. It was, basically, the first video game I remember getting, saddled with my Christmas Day GameCube (whose delivery was in it??self a theatrical, magical, holly jolly charade pulled by my parents and our former tenants in the house). It’s a rea?l dollop of molasses-grade nostalgia for me, and venturing forth into Pikmin 3 Deluxe, I?? was maybe slightly concerned that my memories of the series were what sustained its lofty prestige in my mind. I’d played about two-thirds, three-quarters of Pikmin 3 back on Wii U, but? never ?beat the thing, and outside of my very recent Hey! Pikmin tribunal, I hadn’t played the series since.

Pikmin 3 is a masterpiece. The ways in which Nintendo prompts the player to multit??ask, controlling three Koppaite explorers with a particularly-relatable obsession and passion for fruit, are incredibly interesting and thoughtful, and absolutely satisfying; ?directing one troupe of pikmin to buil??d a bridge and sending another to move in the direction of a sweet treat while you focus on battling some Garden of Earthly Delights-lookin’ monstrosity is an exercise i?n time management prompted ??by Pikmin 3’s ever-ticking clock.

The strengths of? the franchise, multitasking, time-management, and clever use of the titular mobs are combined time and? time again in Pikmin 3’s level design, and are front and center ?used to test the play?er’s mettle in the game’s final encounter. The Plasm Wraith.

At this point our protagonists have found Pikmin OG Captain Olimar—keeper of a crucial MacGuffin needed to blast off homeward—in the clutches of an oozing, shiny, tot??ally effin’ remorseless consumer of flesh beast. 

(Quick? aside, when doin’ some Googlin’ for this I saw that there’s all sorts of spooky lore implications of the Wraith, which I find kind of hilarious but also amazing because Nintendo,?? even at its most seemingly-innocuous, is crafting worlds with the full vision of brilliant artists. Please god give me a Pikmin 4.)

Basically, the final boss of Pikmin 3, adhering to the fragmentation of the gameplay into timed days, demands that you carry the unconscious-Olimar to your ship, navigating the internal labyri??nth of a gnarled oak stump, while fleeing the Blob-like (Steve McQueen, not X-Men) Wraith.

So, first, the introduction of the “save Olimar” mechanic adds a layer for the player to wrap their noggin around; Brittany, the fairest of the three Koppaites, is designated the “lead,” meaning that the pikmin carrying Olimar will follow her… which means she’s the line ??carrying the bait that invokes the wrath of the Wraith. So with one of your three explorers now expressly targeted by the big bad, a new layer of strategy is folded in; use Brittany and her Olimar-saddled pikmin as a distraction, luring the Wraith while you work to clear your path with the other two explorers? Control Brittany’s bunch to pull the Wraith in a particular direction, away from the rest of the party as they build a bridge or smash a wall?&nb?sp;

Which is also to say, the labyrinth of Pikmin 3’s Formidable Oak is a gauntlet meant to test the ab?ilities of pretty much all of your pikmin varieties. Crystals need the heft of rock pikmin to shatter, while the occasional elemental enemy will demand their respectively-colored little trooper to dispatch. Keep in mind, you’re strategizing an efficient and minimally-damaging run here, doing so while keeping an eye on the ceaseless Wraith as it oozes towards Oli??mar. Pikmin 3’s final ??encounter takes the multitasking you’ve been doing all along ?and makes things even deadlier, the ticking clock accentuated by the encroaching cosmic horror that craves Olimar for its… weird, indecipherable schemes.

(Another aside: There is a Correct way to play a Pikmin game, and that is absolutely trying to minimize the losses of your little cadets. I played Pikmin 3’s finale over the course of three or so days, trying time and time again to triumph with… minimal losses. Min??e wasn’t a no-death run, but my point in this too-long aside is that Pikmin should be played with the idea that you’ll restart days should you accrue a high body count. It’s just the moral thing to do, ?and the challenge imbued by compassion for your pikmin is a part of what makes the games so good.) 

The first part of the Pla?sm Wraith encounter shows how Nintendo realizes the strength of the Pikmin games isn’t necessarily their combat, which, if you’re efficient, should mostly boil down to well-placed insta-kills or quick swarms of pikmin. Outside of the game’s actual boss fights, that is. The Plasm Wraith encounter is like a timed, deadly obstacle cou?rse, and makes the core loops of what makes Pikmin… bossier. 

It’s the sort of game design?? and philosophy that sort of takes me a step back and just marvel at the ??imagination. Splatoon is one of the most brilliant games of the past?? decade, I think, because of the way it reprioritizes the primary object (KILL) of competitive shooters to instead focus on territory control, and the mechanics used to achieve that. The simplification o?f objective in the open world game, distilled in Breath of the Wild to the single task of eliminating Ganon; absolutely anything else you do? in? that game’s vast wilderness is an exercise in true player freedom, making the world… open. There’s a reason Nintendo is heralded by its legions, after all, and Pikmin 3 makes a case just as strong as some o??f its more-w?idely acknowledged triumphs.

Returning to our golden goose Plasm Wraith, once Olimar’s been collected from the murk of the maze, the Wraith morphs from blobby ooze to a bipedal, mur???derous walker. The Metal Gear of Pikmin enemies,? if you will. Being a more-or-less straight combat encounter, here things are slightly less innovative or brilliant in design, though none??theless test your pikmin-hurling mettle.

The Wraith can only be damaged in chunks, with pools of its golden goo puddling as it spits and stabs at you. Launch your forces at t??he separated puddles to eventually trim the fat on the Wraith, and send it packing. The encounter features attacks that have effective counters for each pikmin type (except, specifically, the winged ones, which are a great addition; I do still miss my purple and white ones though…), but it’s pretty nonchalant compared to the desperate dash you just faced escaping the Oak.

I’m beginning to feel a teensy bit skeptical regarding the fate of the alleged fourth Pikmin (we don’t really need to talk about? or acknowledge Hey! Pikmin beyond the fact that it is significantly bet??ter than?? Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash and, probably, Metroid Prime: Federation Force). With the series a beloved creation of o??ur m?an Shigeru Miyamoto, no doubt there’s an extra dusting of Nintendo-sanctioned elbow grease and a keener eye for detail being applied to any future Pikmin titles (except, with the existence of Hey! Pikmin maybe that’s ??not true at all…), but the good-but-not-excellent sales of Pikmin 3 Deluxe might further impede a proper new outing fo??r our favorite mini-murder simulator.

In a few words, I have some pe??rsonal thoughts and de??sires for a fourth game:

First and foremost, keep things weird. Pikmin 3 has a strong rogue??s' gallery of creature??s to disassemble and churn into usable pikmin, but, like, remember this thing from Pikmin 2?

Jesus Christ, what even is that? 3 introduced a slew of great new bosses, but it somehow feels less alien and dangerous, overall, than its predecessor. This in part due to the expanded dialogue and chara?cter roster, it seems, which avoids becoming too cutesy or childish while still being fun and accessible.

The three-character dynamic of Pikmin 3 is also absolutely phenomenal, and I’d hope returns in any future g?ames; the multiple play??er characters allows for the maps to really open up and dare the player to juggle tasks, exacerbating the fun of Pikmin. I wonder if it would be worth exploring making the player characters a bit more efficient or interesting for a sequel; you’re limited to essentially fling ??pikmin, which should always be the core of the games, but what if there were tools you could ??use? Send one of your characters equipped with, I don’t know, a space jackhammer to clear a path, or some light arms to deal with minor enemies. I see a profitable Remington crossover if Ni??ntend?o is willing to play ball.

But until a Pikmin 4 materializes (or ??doesn’t&hel??lip;) we’ve got Pikmin 3 Deluxe to pore over. I finished my p??laythrough about a week ago and am already sort of itching to jump back in, this time with (fewer) casualties, and an eye for anything I might have missed. Because Pikmin 3 is sub?lime and worth our respect. Do it ??for Miyamoto and his garden.

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Small tweaks for an already big adventure

There's no way Pikmin 3 came out over seven years ago.

Wait, I'll just check...nah, I don't believe it, it must be a typo. Wait, we reviewed it! That info box looks pretty legit. Maybe it did.

Either way, it's hard to believe it's been that long, as Pikmin 3 has remained a staple of my dusted-off Wii U since. I still head back into the little pint-sized world to blow off some steam from time to time, and the Bingo Battle mode has been a perpetual font of fun for my w?ife and I.

The Deluxe version on Switch makes things a little easier on us if we want to boot it all back up again, even if it's not a hu?ge u??pgrade.

Pikmin 3 Deluxe (Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: October 30, 2020
MSRP: $59.99

The meat of Pikmin 3 still lies with its?? story mode, which sends three intrepid adventurers crash-landing on a treacherous planet while trying to save their civilization. How do you do that? By commanding armies of cute little creatures, of course.

This raw formula was divined back in 2001 and it still hasn't gotten old yet. Pikmin 3 took things a step further by introducing new creatures into the mix, which further break down the nuances of combat and exploration with extra abilities that present new tactical decisions. Knowing which Pikmin is the best creature for the job is the key to survival in multiplayer — or besting the top times in the game's?? mission mode.

The gist is that you're commanding a small army of creatures to do your bidding; collecting items, breaking through barriers, and defending yourself against hostile (and not-so-hostile) denizens of ?the planet. Specific Pikmin can be swapped to deal with certain situations: like Blue Pikmin for wate??r-based puzzles, Yellow Pikmin for long-range reconnaissance and electric hazards, and so on.

It sounds simplistic, but it absolutely works. Although the campaign is a bit hand-holdy at first (you can mostly skip the remedial text at least), it does shift to a point where there are choices to be made and optional paths to explore; all while being governed by a time system that asks you to return your Pikmin to home base before the creatures?? of the night attack them.

This time around in the Deluxe edition, you're gettin?g co-op for the campaign as well as side stories: which unlock as you progress through the story and are very in line, quality-wise, with the core game. Don't get too excited though: both storylines (one opens up after a few story missions, the other unlocks after the game is finished) mostly serve as remixed missions of sorts with little narra??tive tension or elucidation. They're fun, but about as fun as the other onboard missions are.

So those are the main additions. Other tweaks include a new "Ultra-Spicy" difficulty setting, more streamlined lock-on capabilities, an in-game achievement system (badges), and a "Piklopedia" that documents various bits of the game as you discover them. Prior DLC (some extra standalone missions) is also included. Beyond the other changes, just capping your Pikmin to 60 (from 100) in Ultra-Spicy could be the excuse people need to play Pikmin 3 again — especially if they have a co-op partner.

But these tweaks might not be enough for people to trash their Wii U copy and pick up a shiny new Switch cart. The side story missions are in line with the rest of the campaign and fun to play in co-op, but for solo players??, you're pretty much getting the same game with very similar visuals (the "Deluxe" moniker mainly refers to content, rather than any extra graphical sheen). As someone wh??o spent ages toiling away with the core game and the fabulous Bingo Battle mode though, I don't mind.

Bingo Battle really is such a huge part of why I enjoy Pikmin 3 so much to this day. Pitting players against each other in a PVP format, your job is to complete a bingo card of random items that are strewn about various arenas. Collectin?g a strawberry, for instance, will "tick" one item off the card, forcing you to collect four more in a line to win. There's so much nuance to this seemingly simple format, it's insane.

Players can head over to enemy territory immediately to "block" the other team from getting key items while you're looking back and forth at your card and the game to keep tabs on things you want to bring back for the future. Power-ups can drastically change t??he tide of each battle, with the option to dodge them or hold on to them for the perfect moment. There are also advanced strategies like knowing exactly how many Pikmin are required to lug an item back, which can make the difference between a split-second win or loss. Then there's the gargantuan task of micro-managing different Pikmin while you take on the PVE component of the game, often at its most brutal.

For seven years my wife and I have been playing Bingo Battle and we haven't gotten tired of it. That's staying power. One huge benefit of the Wii U edition: the GamePad is missing from this Deluxe version, for obvious reasons. There was a certain?? joy to playing "split-screen" games with a partner and having your own tablet while they commanded the entire TV. I sorely miss it, but it's not ??coming back. Time to move forward. 

Pikmin 3 Deluxe is another re-release that isn't going to blow some people away, but provides another me?ans with which to play a potentially forgotten Wii U classic?. For me, it still holds up, and then some.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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If these get a million views each, surely then Nintendo will show us Pikmin 4, right?

The recent Nintendo Treehouse Live deep dive into the upcoming Pikmin 3 Deluxe really s?old me on picking up the title for Switch even if I still have it for Wii U with most of the DLC. The local co-op, advanced control options, and playable side stories are more than enough reason for me to jump back into it. I l adore the original on the Wii U enough to drop some cash on the three short animated films Nintendo produced to promote its release.

As we told you a few days ago, Nintendo is delisting those videos from the eShop. Thankfully, unlike items that get delisted from other Nintendo digital distribution platforms, these are m??ore readily available now that they're finding a second life on YouTube.

"The Night Juicer"

"Treasure in a Bottle"

"Occupational Hazards"

I'd love to see more of this kind of stuff out of Nintendo. Also, I'd really like those brilliant Kid Icarus: Uprising shorts to get the same treatment. Or, even better, to have them included o??n a Switch port of that 3DS gem.

Pikmin 3 Deluxe launches for ??Nintendo Switch on October ??30, 2020.

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I'm glad you asked, Billy

Nintendo has released a cute new trailer for its upcoming Switch release Pikmin 3 Deluxe, offering series?? newcomers a crash course in identifyin?g the strange, plant-like, do-gooders.

The short overview spotlights the adorable little rascals as they follow the perpetually surprised Alph on his escapades throughout PNF-404. As explained in the video, Pikmin are a colourful species that are plucked from the undergrowth by our heroes before being directed to perform a number of tasks - from gathering sources?? and removing barricades,? to building bridges and even cultivating more of their kind.

Avai?lable in a kaleidoscope of different colours, (five... five colours), each colour designates a Pikmin's special attributes - such as the ability to fly or destroy obstacles - as well as its immunity to environmental hazards such as fire, water, and electricity. By building a small army of varied Pikmin, players can traverse further into each world, defeating? enemies, overcoming puzzles, and gathering treasures hidden within the environment.

Ju??st don't stay out too long after dark, or things tend to get a bit m??essy... and sad.

Pikmin 3 Deluxe is a brand new edition of the classic 2013 Wii U title. This remastered edition will feature new content including a new prologue/epilogue, co-op multiplayer support, a new Piklopedia, and the addition of classic Pikmin characters Olimar and Louie.

Pikmin 3 Deluxe launches October 30 on Nintendo Switch.

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Dozens will rejoice

Nintendo did frustrating Nintendo Things last month when it delisted the Wii U version of Pikmin 3 alongside the announcement of the new Pikmin 3 Deluxe for Switch. That's just kind of how Nintendo rolls, though. The same thing happened with Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze when it was due to get a Switch re-release.

Now, because there are no rules and nothing makes sense, Pikmin 3 is back on the Wii U eShop. It's one of the $20 Nintendo Selects just like it was before. Everything is back to normal, save for the 30 days w?hen you couldn't actually buy a d??igital version of it for an old console.

Kind of a weird development considering how games in similar situations (like the aforesaid Tropical Freeze) were never relisted. Good news for the very small number of people this affects -- seriously, I'm sure there will be more comments on this article than Pikmin 3 Wii U sales today -- as they again have the opportunity to buy the game seven years later. It's better news for anyone scratching their hea?d at nonsensical anti-consumer business moves.

Pikmin 3 [Wii U eShop]

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The Switch version will be a great entry point to the series

Nintendo of Japan released a new gameplay overview video for Pikmin 3 Deluxe this week, and while it's not the most substantial update for folks who have played the original version on Wii U (another exclusive bites the dust), if for no other reason, you should watch ?it to see some super cute illustrations.

I wasn't so sure I'd want to pay sixty bucks for Pikmin 3 again with the Deluxe version on Nintendo Switch, but the closer we get to its October 30 lau?nch, the more this double-dip feels inevitable.

Even if the price stings, the inclusion of two-player co-op in the main story mode and not having to unpack my Wii U to revisit this game means I'll probably get it on Switch – and knowing how much I love Pikmin and how much N?intendo hates putting its games on sale, I'll p??robably show up day one.

I can'?t be helped. I'm that m?uch of a sucker for split-screen co-op games.

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Another one bites the dust

Nintendo giveth and Nintendo taketh away. This morning's announcement of Pikmin 3 Deluxe Edition on Switch came alongs??ide an unceremonious axing of the last-gen version of the game.

Pikmin 3 has been delisted from the Wii U eShop ahead of its October 30 launch on Switch. As Nintendo Everything reports, there's no way to buy Pikmin 3 digitally directly from Nintendo right now. Nintendo did the same thing ahead of the Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze re-release.

Of course, anyone with a physical copy of Pikmin 3 on Wii U can still play it. The same go??es for anyone who previously bought it digitally through the eShop. There just aren't any new sales anymore as Nintendo pivots from a $20 last-gen version to a $60 current-gen version.

The continued existence of a cheaper Pikmin 3 on Wii U would probably have an absolutely negligible effect on sales of the upcoming Deluxe edition. But, this isn't exactly a new business practice for Nintendo so it doesn't really take anyone by surprise. For now, your only Wii U option is to buy something physical; fortunately, it's still ??selling for a reas??onable price on the secondhand market.

Pikmin 3 removed from the Wii U eShop [Nintendo Everything]

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The summer of insanity

Welp, here's another major surprise annou??ncement from Nintendo out of the blue!

By way of a quick email with zero fanfare, we've learned that Pikmin 3&??nbsp;will be hitting the Switch in "Deluxe" form. It's actually out on October 30 priced at $59.99, and will launch on Switch with "new content, more options for co-op play and a range of settings that make it easier for newcomers to jump in."

The biggest thing ??is the ability to "play the whole story" in co-op mode with a friend, as well as the addition of new side story missions that are also co-op enabled. Oh, and all previous DLC will be included, too, as well as new mechanics like lock-on targeting, extra diffic?ulty options and optional hints. Yes to everything.

No joke, my wife and I still play Pikmin 3's co-op? bingo mode to this day. I'm beyond excited for this p??ort.

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