Pikmin 1 - Game Review

Channel:

Veteran Game

Subscribers:

825

Published on June 25, 2023 9:05:22 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGA4IZlVmOM

Game:

Pikmin (2001)

Category:

Review

Duration: 3:28

6 views

0

Pikmin 1 - Game Review

Hey there, gaming veterans! Welcome back to our channel. Today, we're turning the clock back to 2001, to the golden era of Gamecube, when Nintendo unleashed the magic of Pikmin upon us, all on the same day as Super Smash Bros. Melee. Can you believe that?

Ah, the memories. Struggling to find the last piece of the Dolphin, debating the existence of purple Pikmin on forums... those were some good times. Now, with the much-anticipated release of Pikmin 4, Nintendo has given us a fresh taste of the past with an HD update of the first two games on Switch.

Pikmin takes you on a journey with Captain Olimar, who has crash-landed on a mysterious planet. Olimar, who is as brave as he is absent-minded, enlists the help of the native root vegetables, the Pikmin, to gather his scattered spaceship parts and make his escape.

The original Pikmin game is a race against time. You've got 30 days to collect the parts before Olimar's life support fails. For newcomers, maintaining a one-part-per-day pace can feel quite challenging. But, on my recent playthrough, I was able to assemble the ship in just 18 days.

This version of Pikmin 1 is mostly a straight port from the Wii version, just with higher resolution. The interface now displays in HD, and you can choose between motion controls or joypad. They also tweaked the right stick's function. Initially used for directing your Pikmin, it now controls the camera, which took some getting used to.

But don't expect the same love and care that was given to Metroid Prime Remastered. Pikmin 1's remaster is more akin to Super Mario Sunshine's from the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection. However, Nintendo thankfully did away with the time constraints for the remasters, letting you enjoy the game at your own pace.

Pikmin holds a special place in my heart. It's a survival game stripped of the usual modern survival game features. You can grow hundreds of these adorable little carrot folks, and still, when a Wollyhop squashes a few, it's hard not to feel a pang of guilt for the identical little dudes.

The first Pikmin game is straightforward. You collect different types of Pikmin with unique abilities - red ones resist fire and hit hard, yellow ones can carry bombs and fly farther when thrown, and blue ones can breathe underwater. Once you have them all, you're pretty much set to conquer the world at your own pace. And it's refreshing.

Despite its age, Pikmin's unique premise and tight design have ensured it's as enjoyable today as it was in 2001. The graphics, though dated, serve their purpose, and the game's concept is so well-executed that its sequels could only iterate on it.

The upcoming Pikmin 4 looks like it's going to be the biggest evolution the series has seen, but you won't need any prior experience with the earlier titles to jump in. That said, I wholeheartedly recommend checking out Pikmin 1 if you haven't already. It's a solid port that doesn't add anything new but with its bumped-up resolution, it's easily the best way to experience this timeless struggle for carrot-kind's survival.

That's all for today's review, folks. Remember to keep checking back for more gaming insights. Until next time, game on, veterans!