Review: Pikmin

Note: This review was for the Gamecube version, not Wii.

One of the more unique ideas to come from Shigeru Miyamoto, Pikmin has you in control of Captain Olimar; who has crash-landed on far-future Earth, who needs to rebuild his damaged ship with creatures he calls Pikmin. Pikmin are small plant-animals that are plucked from the ground by Olimar. They come in three varieties: Red; standard Pikmin with good attack, Yellow; light Pikmin that can be thrown high and set explosives, and Blue; the heaviest Pikmin and the only kind that survives in water.

Using these creatures well is of utmost importance to Olimar, as he only has thirty days to collect all of his scattered ship parts. There are three areas to explore: The Impact Site, The Forest of Hope, and The Forest Navel, with a fourth area available after all the ship parts have been discovered in the first three.

Pikmin are versatile in their ability to help Olimar. They can be thrown, used to destroy barriers, vanquish enemies, build bridges, carry ship parts, and tote fallen enemies back to their nests to be transformed into more Pikmin. When left in the ground the leaf on a Pikmin's head will turn into a bud, a flower, and back into a leaf if left for too long. Flowers and buds are faster and more powerful than leaves. Only 100 can be in the level at one time, this includes any wildPikmin and those buried in the ground.

At the end of the day any Pikmin left behind will be eaten by nocturnal predators, so it is important to get them back to their ships before nightfall. This brings me to some of the negatives about the game. Since you are timed many players will not enjoy being rushed through the game. Also there are some enemies and elemental hazards that can be extremely frustrating. Strategy is a must if you hope to collect all of the missing ship parts.

The positives are plenty though. Since Olimar is only 3 inches tall, Earth is gargantuan to him. Dandelions are like sky-scrapers, trees are massive vertical obstacles, and trash such as rusted tin cans are 20 foot wide tunnels. The level design is well implemented, forcing you to be creative with your Pikmin's abilities and the terrain. The music has a sort of nature feel to it, fitting in well with the organic environments. The graphics are more on the animated side, rather than life-like but their fit the game's story well.

Ratings for the game's central points.

Gameplay mechanics: 8.0/10, I liked it but it won't please everyone.
Level design: 9.0/10, Superbly done with a few annoying areas.
Music: 8.5/10, Nicely done and went well with the environments.
Overall 8.5/10 Haven't played the new version but it probably would be worth the money.