Pikmin 3: Proof That HD And Colour Can Co-exist? - Preview
by Daniel Share-Strom , posted on 08 June 2012 / 4,206 Views
What’s happened in the gaming industry since 2004? The rise of HD. Two entire console generations. Xbox Live. A shift in focus from processing power to new ways of playing games. The App Store. Mario and Sonic making friends with each other. And twelve separate Call of Duties.
What’s one thing we haven’t seen in the last eight years? A new Pikmin.
A new entry in Nintendo’s quirky real-time strategy series was mentioned a few E3s ago by Nintendo’s esteemed general manager of software development, Shigeru Miyamoto, though only when he was put under duress. This past Tuesday, a considerably less-stressed Miyamoto-san walked on-stage at the Nokia Theatre for Nintendo’s yearly press conference, whimsically carting about ‘real’ versions of the diminuitive little flowery critters, and gleefully announced Pikmin 3 as a launch window title for the Wii U.
Of course, being a fan of all things strange and wonderful, it goes without saying that I had to check it out. For my demo at Nintendo’s booth, I selected a game mode in which I was tasked with using the Pikmin to collect as much fruit as possible within a few minutes.
What is most immediately apparent upon starting the game is just how gorgeous it looks. The HD capabilities of Wii U allow for leaves to look like leaves, a hundred zero-jaggy pikmin to bumble about with the curious gait of a new puppy, and giant ladybug-like enemies to really dominate the screen with their overbearing primary-color design. All this was made more impressive by the rep’s assertion that the game was running at 60fps.
Once the spectacle of the graphics passed, I remembered there was a game underneath, too. A gameplay recap, for the uninitiated: in this series, you control a thumbtack-sized space captain as he explores exotic planets in search of supplies. Aiding in his quest are the Pikmin, little plantlike creatures that follow him around and obey his every command. By throwing them around the right way, you can attack enemies, build objects, destroy walls, and carry stuff back to their ships (called Onions). Little has changed in this regard in Pikmin 3, save for the fact that (for reasons that are secret for now) you are not in control of series stalwart Captain Olimar, or even his buddy Louie. Instead, you’re an as-yet-unnamed new guy.
Brandishing my Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk, I instantly felt right at home with the controls and general gameplay. Two buttons, a little pointing, and the Nunchuk’s analog stick are all that are needed to perform a wide variety of actions. Pointing at a group of Pikmin and tapping the ‘B’ trigger calls them to your side, while pointing somewhere and hitting ‘A’ lets you chuck them at various things in the environment, which, again, causes them to interact.
The specific challenge I was presented with placed me in a garden-like area dotted with cherries, strawberries, and other tasty goodies. Depending on the size, each item requires the strength of a certain number of Pikmin in order to carry it back to the ship. The starting area was simple, with no enemies and lots of free food. As I moved through the level, I easily stomped through small versions of the ladybug-style enemies called Bulborbs, who turned into additional fruit once defeated. At one point, I ran into a small frog-like creature that kept running away from us. Flipping him over produced pollen that the Pikmin could drink in order to power up. The challenges got tougher as I moved on, as I had to break down walls to find food stashes and contend with flying, gelatinous enemies intent on squishing my little buddies (I didn’t let them).
Eventually, I came across a new Pikmin type—the Rock Pikmin. These little guys have an advantage over the standard red variety in that they hit enemies a lot harder and can be used to break down rock walls. With them in tow, I returned to a previous area and smashed a barrier housing a treasure trove of golden fruit. What I didn’t see at first, however, was the gigantic Bulborb sleeping just inside. He woke up quickly, and was not amused. A pitiful, blind-sided counterattack on my part resulted in about 30% casualties before I was forced to cut my losses and retreat. My squad decimated, they picked up what little fruit remained dotted along the path to the ship, and I prepared to peacefully wait out the ninety remaining seconds of my time with the game in relative safety.
“Wait,” I thought, “screw that!”
After beaming up those resources, I scavenged the area for any undiscovered Pikmin and led them on a rampage to avenge their honorable fallen comrades. Inside 30 seconds, we jumped that great big bugger while he slept, earning a completely one-sided victory and causing him to turn into a gigantic strawberry that took most of my remaining squad to lift. Rejoice!
…except for the fact that I had 27 seconds left and we were on the other side of the map. Heart racing, I began clearing a path for the Pikmin, who were understandably moving slowly, and used my last five or so units to defend against the smaller anklebiters that remained. 20 seconds! Get back across the bridge. 16 seconds! Ambushed by a Bulborb from around a corner –lost one more troop before killing it and scooping it up. 12 seconds! Home stretch—just a great big stretch of terrain between us and our goal now! Five seconds—through the passageway! Three—not gonna make it! Two—almost there! One—shwoop!
And with that, the strawberry was beamed into the Onion, and my score just about doubled. Phew!
Now, you’re probably wondering how the new GamePad controller factors into all this. For one of Nintendo’s flagship Wii U titles, the tablet certainly serves a tertiary role here. It displays a constant map, which you can scroll around with a finger swipe. Doing this also moves the camera to that location on the TV screen, so you can get a detailed lay of the land and locate extra Pikmin. It can also be used as a standard controller should you wish to play without the motion controls.
It probably goes without saying, but I walked away impressed with what I played of Pikmin 3. It was beautiful, and its gameplay evoked the classic GameCube titles while injecting the formula with more convenient methods of control. Like that first plant pal that Captain Olimar plucked from the ground after a crash-landing over a decade ago, you should definitely consider picking this up when you enter the new world of Wii U.
