Review
Release Date: 12.04.2001
Platform:
GameCubeDeveloper:
Nintendo Co., Ltd.Publisher:
Nintendo of America, Inc.Reviewed by
Christian Kontul on 4.27.2003
| Review Rating: 9/10 | User Rating: 8.34/10 |
Very few games defy description, but Nintendo's Pikmin is among them. Part real-time strategy, part puzzle game, and part life-simulation, Pikmin is a unique amalgamation of preexisting ideas that challenges the concept of a "genre."
Strangely enough, it's this quaintness that may have inspired the general apathy that greeted Pikmin soon before and during its release. Certainly, a large amount of people were unhappy to learn that Shigeru Miyamoto's first project on the GameCube wouldn't be a new game in the Mario series, but one starring a cuddly looking spaceman the size of drumlord's genitalia (read: approximately one inch). On top of that, early impressions didn't exactly present a vivid picture as to how the game would play; in fact, oftentimes is looked like the writer wasn't entirely sure himself.
Despite the game's unusual nature, Pikmin is classic Nintendo goodness through and through, and Captain Olimar more than fills the void created by the plumber's absence early in the 'Cube's cycle.
Even though Pikmin is difficult to classify, the underlying concept is rather basic. Captain Olimar, an interstellar navigator, is a bit of a workaholic. So, he decides to take some time off and go on a nice, relaxing vacation through space. Unfortunately, a rogue asteroid has other plans, and the resulting collision between the rock and the Dolphin, Olimar's spaceship, has the good captain plummeting towards an uncharted planet.
Olimar regains consciousness sometime after impact, only to learn that his ship is in pieces. Over 30 different parts have been thrown to various regions, and Olimar only has 30 days of life support (the planet has a high percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere, and that element is poisonous to his people) to travel the land and gather them up. There's only one problem; Olimar is the epitome of weaksauce. Not only is he incapable of defending himself from indigenous predators, Captain Olimar is too puny to carry the parts back to his ship; James T. Kirk he isn't. Conveniently, while exploring the area around his ship, Olimar stumbles upon a race of friendly plant like creatures he names Pikmin. Surprisingly, it seems like the Pikmin can understand him.
As Olimar, it's up to the player to raise an army of Pikmin and, while using their unique abilities, to fight vicious creatures and explore the mysteries of the planet in the hopes of returning home.
The reason it's so hard for people to aptly describe Pikmin through words is there's normally several things going on at the same time. Multi-tasking is the name of the day, and it's one of the things that makes the game so great.
But before we jump into that, let's cover a few simple mechanics.
There are three races of Pikmin, each with different skills that are going to be needed to finish the game completely. Red Pikmin are the strongest; essentially, they're the species's worker ants. They make good soldiers, and are impervious to fire. Blue Pikmin are the only ones capable of swimming. Yellow Pikmin can wield bomb rocks, explosive pieces of gravel that are strown throughout levels. Bomb rocks can be used to destroy obstacles or fight enemies.
All three groups are not available right from the start, as Olimar discovers the Red race early in the game and then, as he progresses, the protagonist uncovers "Onions" that contain the ability to produce the other two. Onions are, actually, large, bulb-like plants that eject Pikmin when they are supplied with the right materials; by carrying defeated monsters or colored tabs of varying size back to "base," it's possible to produce more of the little plant creatures. Distributing enemies and "pellets" among the three different shaded Onions is essential to establishing a good balance of Pikmin. It's possible for Olimar to have up to 100 of the little guys following him at all times, and controlling them is truly a delight. Undoutedly one of the finest aspects of the game, it's easy to see that Miyamoto had a hand in the development of Pikmin just by spending some time with the controller.
At first, there's no question that the player might feel overwhelmed with all the tasks the controls present, but everything becomes second nature within 15 minutes. The directional analog controls Captain Olimar, while the C-Stick is used to move the Pikmin in a certain direction within a defined radius around the main character. Olimar can pick up the creatures with the A button and throw them, and depending on how hard and long the button is pushed, the distance increases. By directing or launching Pikmin towards certain targets, they may begin working on a task like breaking down a wall or attacking an enemy; it's possible to call back all little guys by simply moving an onscreen cursor over them and hitting the B button. The X button separates Pikmin into groups based on colors, so if you want to take only red Pikmin to attack an enemy or blue Pikmin to cross a pond, you can do so without weeding through every individual in the pack and tossing them in different directions. Finally, the R, L, and Z triggers control the camera.
Special mention, also, has to be made for the camera, which follows all the action around Olimar perfectly. Options to rotate the perspective and zoom in make certain that the player won't ever have to wrestle with the view, even in dark or narrow spaces.
And there are plenty of nooks and crannies to investigate, as Pikmin features six stages of varying size and difficulty. While the planet itself isn't exactly a cohesive world, each level is incredibly atmospheric, with great accompanying music and creatures that have "adapted" to life in each environment. The most impressive aspect of each section, however, is how it's constructed; each stage in Pikmin is a superlative example of open-ended design, with various different objects to acquire and puzzles to solve.
That's where the multi-tasking comes in. Imagine, if you will, having a group of Pikmin knocking down a wall that's blocking the way to a new piece for the Dolphin, while another is carrying a part across a pond, and another little set is carrying some pellets to the Onions for more creatures, as a small pack of yellows is grabbing some bomb rocks to help destroy a boss that's behind the barrier described above. Several scenarios might have different groups of Pikmin working together to complete a single task, and there's so many ways to go about things in various orders, it seems like there are an endless number of possibilites.
There are a few restrictions, and they're all worth noting.
The biggest, of course, is the aforementioned time limit, which restricts Olimar's time on the planet to 30 days. These aren't real-time days, though, but shortened ones that pass in about 15 minutes. Olimar lands each morning and goes about his work, and, as night rolls around, he and his Pikmin have to retire to the Dolphin the Onions before dangerous nocturnal predators start lurking. If any Pikmin are not back "home" by nightfall, they're killed. Planning how to go about getting as much done in a single day is a ton of fun, but you can't help but wish that there was a free play mode that just allowed the player to experiment and enjoy each environment at his leisure. On the other hand, the game wouldn't have the same sense of urgency that it does, and, for that reason, it's a good thing.
Also, Pikmin is rather short but it packs a lot of replay. Captain Olimar only needs to collect 18 of his 30 missing ship pieces to leave, but there are some that're vital to his survival in deepspace. If the player decides to leave, then ends up not having one or two crucial devices, the main character is never gonna see his family again. Chances are, most gamers aren't going to be able to collect every piece the first time through, so a second and maybe even third playthrough should be necessary to figure everything out. There are a few endings to see based on in-game performance, and some of them should have you laughing out loud or pumping your fist in the air. When you finally finish the game in less than the alotted time limit with every single part, there's a great sense of accomplishment waiting for you.
If you still aren't sold on Pikmin yet, perhaps knowing that the visuals are fantastic will push you over the fence. Shigeru Miyamoto came up with the idea for this game while working in his garden one day, and, appropriately, several of the textures used have come directly from his backyard. The environments are lucious and convincing, with beautiful looking plants and water to die for. All the character models are great, with humorous animations and appealing designs. Pikmin isn't throwing around too many polygons, but it still manages to create an engrossing visual experience.
The game also benefits from a great soundtrack, composed by Hajime Wakai, who previously worked on Star Fox 64. Each level's theme is appropriately ambient and moody, while comedic situations are accompanied by light-hearted tunes. Additionally, music changes depending on the events onscreen; the soundtrack will adopt a more dangerous, frenetic sound when approaching or battling a monster. Perhaps more impressive are Pikmin's sound effects, which are very well sampled and reflect the surface Olimar and his troops are walking on; sand sounds different than stone sounds different than dirt, etc. The cries of the various beasts are also spot-on. These might seem like small things, but when you take them into consideration as part of a larger picture, they really add a lot to the product.
The only real problem with Pikmin is that, eventually, it has to end. Nintendo added a challenge mode that allows the gamer to attempt various missions in each level, but it still leaves a lust for more; more great levels with more thought-provoking puzzles, more parts to acquire, and more races of Pikmin to utilize. Regardless of the game's short length, though, it's one of the tightest, most unique pieces of software to come along in years.
Pikmin is the perfect example of Nintendo's current theory; the GameCube is a gaming console designed for the creation of new concepts. If every company could produce a game like this every two or three years, we, as gamers, would be truly blessed.
