Pikmin is honestly one of my favorite game series of all time, and I'm starting to wonder why exactly. I suppose it's the best kind of mix of tactical fighting and time management that gets my goat in a hole, but Pikmin 3 knows what its about. Pikmin 3 is essentially what should have been Pikmin 2 as a whole. It's not exactly because I dislike Pikmin 2, although I certainly am not a big fan dungeon crawlers, but Pikmin 3 captures the spirit of the original Pikmin. Pikmin 3 just kind gets everything right when it comes to what Pikmin needed more of, and for the most part it's just more exploration and bigger areas, but it also gives a little more than just that. Instead of facing a bunch of different daddy long leg variations you face a more widely range of enemies and a much more diverse group of bosses. The variety of enemies really help you focus on strengthening your knowledge of how to utilize your Pikmin more efficiently, but it certainly takes a lot more than just Pikmin to really fully embrace Pikmin 3. The real and true sport of what makes Pikmin 3 so much more like the first is the ability to manage your time and effort more effectively thanks to the gamepad. While it certainly is very trying at times, when you get the hang of using the gamepad to manage your troops effectively, Pikmin 3 really opens up. The gamepad just makes it so such daunting tasks are far less daunting, and rather more about constant planning. This new way of time management, effectively called the “ Go here” mode, makes collecting different fruits , defeating bosses, and removing obstacles so much more easier to manage. And it's really outstanding that one little function Nintendo added effectively changed the way to play Pikmin so immensely that it really is just some great design. The only actual challenge to it is setting it upon yourself on figuring out how to actually use it effectively enough, but all the tools are there for you to use, it just takes time.
Thankfully though you aren't limited to just the story to use your skills of time management and pikmin expertise thanks to the return of mission mode. Mission mode effectively being a timed mode for collecting fruits, defeating bosses, and/or enemies in case you don't want to actually play through Pikmin 3's story mode again or you simply want to stack up against other players online. As for the story mode though, it's a great way to actually get into the Pikmin series as it starts off with a cast of new characters, but still as something for fans of the previous games. The story itself is rather compelling compared to most Nintendo games thankfully, but it's still rather bare bones when you get down to it. Aside from the fact the new team is there to actually save their planet from starvation; Pikmin 3's story is very much like the first when you get down to it. Eventually you can get all the fruits, but you still need to fix your ship in order to finish the game. The story also has a few plot points that are left fairly mysterious even if you get everything in the game, but its more so used to give imagination to players rather than just a mixed and disjointed story. Unfortunately the game this time around doesn't have a Pikminpedia to help express characters perspectives or define them in any real way. The music and visuals in this game are incredibly stunning though. The mixture of realistic background and bright pikmin seemed like it wouldn't work to me, but when actually playing the game, it feels right at home with the series.
As for what was particularly bad about this game, well the controls are just so awkward and confusing at first. They just throw so much information out there and the button layout is just perplexing at times when using the gamepad compared to a gamecube controller. Eventually I figured out how to use it properly and it worked quite well, but there is a harsh, do or die, learning curve for controls.
Final Thoughts:
Aside from the harsh learning curve, the gamepad is what really makes Pikmin 3 a successor to its predecessors. Along with looking really pretty, and having a fairly engaging story, Pikmin 3 gives a lot to help make newer and older fans of Pikmin feel welcomed. While it's a shame that certain extras don't appear again, overall Pikmin 3 is bigger and better than any other Pikmin game before it, and helps give a reason why the Wii U gamepad can be an essential piece to making games better.