Hey! Pikmin Review
Pikmin is one of the weirdest Nintendo series, but it’s one of my favorites. However, the series just received its first spinoff in Hey! Pikmin. It doesn’t stray to far from the formula, except that the game is 2D in contrast to the standard 3D style. So, does the sidescroller succeed, or is the game to flat to be fun?
Story (SPOILERS)
Captain Olimar is on another trip through the cosmos, when suddenly his ship’s warp malfunctioned, and the engine took a hit, causing him to crash land on a planet the, luckily, it’s inhabited by Pikmin. Sadly, the fuel for the ship, Sparklium, has gone missing. Olimar needs to collect 30,000 Sparklium to get back home. Yep, the story is simple, and unlike the main series games, there’s no time constraint on finding Sparklium, which works for the portable nature of the 3DS. I mean, it’s Pikmin, not Shakespeare.
Gameplay
So, how does removing a dimension affect the gameplay? Not as much as you would think. In the main series, there are a few levels that you visit multiple times, but that is completely thrown out the window in Hey! Pikmin. The structure of Hey! Pikmin has you going through different worlds with a few levels and a boss at the end. I feel like this is the smartest approach to keep the formula intact, while also maintaining the pick up and play style of the 3DS.
So, in these levels you explore it, and are never given any Pikmin to start with, excluding the boss levels. However, they will be found soon, and they make up the gameplay. Olimar can basically just fly for a bit and use a whistle to gather the Pikmin. Each type of Pikmin has their own abilities, more on that later, which can help them for different puzzles and combat situations. Other than that, you move Olimar with the circle pad and throw Pikmin by touching the touch screen.
In addition to the new 2D gameplay, there’s also the Pikmin Park. You send the Pikmin from the end of levels to the park, and they can get Sparklium while Olimar is away on missions. Some areas can only be explored by certain Pikmin, and not by others.
Speaking of Pikmin, all Pikmin that were in Pikmin 3 return for Hey! Pikmin. First off are the Reds, which are immune to fire. Then there’s the Yellows, which are immune to electricity and can be thrown higher than others. Next is the Blues, who can breathe underwater. One of the two original Pikmin from Pikmin 3 is the Rock Pikmin, which can break crystals. And last, but definitely not least, Winged Pikmin. They can reach high up places, and help you fly over small chasms. Don’t worry, the Pikmin are still incredibly stupid. They’ll get stuck on walls, and if they’re separated for too long, they’ll randomly die.
Graphics
I mean, it’s Pikmin. What am I gonna say except that the graphics are amazing. Sure, it is on the less powerful 3DS, but everything still pops and feels alive, the mix of action on the foreground and detail in the background create a unique experience. One issue I do have with the game is that there is occasional lag, but I am using the original model 3DS, which could be the cause of the problem.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it succeeds in every way it needed to. It’s fun, easy, and most importantly, accessible. Hey! Pikmin didn’t break ground for the series, and I doubt we’ll see another game like it soon, if at all, but it got the series name out there. For those who don’t have a clue on what a Pikmin is, this helped show them. This was also a smart business move, to get the Pikmin name out there before Pikmin 4’s official release, hopefully in 2018. Hey! Pikmin still doesn’t make it to the top of my Pikmin game list, it’s a fun and easy game that I’ll continue to play for a while. Also I really like the Pikmin Garden. It’s oddly soothing to see them working continuously.
7.5/10
