We are less than a month away from the launch of the anticipated Pikmin 4, and to make the wait less tedious, Nintendo surprised us with the re-release of the first 2 titles in the franchise for Switch. It should be noted that they are not simple ports, but they were given a cat’s hand so that they are fully in HD. If by themselves they are games that time treated very well, now they look better.
The Switch is home to the best classic Nintendo titles, but it needed to integrate more GameCube gems. The first was Super Mario Sunshineas part of the criticized collection of Super Mario 3D All-Starsfollowed by the remaster of Metroid Prime, which looks like a remake thanks to the incredible visual improvement, and now it’s the turn of 2 of the most underrated games on the console. Which it was the result?
modernized package
The most attractive thing about this release is that it is 2✕1. It is important to mention it and even thank it because, despite the fact that we love the remaster of Metroid Prime, only includes one game and the other 2 that make up the trilogy were ignored (until now). In this bundle we can play the first titles of the franchise that, although they came out on the GameCube, are the versions that were adapted to the Wii.
This means that you can play with Motion Control, either with the Joy Con or with a pro controller pointed at the TV. In case you remove this option, you can deactivate it and live the original Game Cube experience. Yes indeed, Pikmin It works really well with the motion controls because it’s easier to aim where you want to throw the little creatures.
As we mentioned, all the titles of Pikmin They have looked spectacular even though they came out a long time ago, but if we compare them with today’s standards, they fall behind. Thinking about that, Nintendo gave them a HD bath and now they look impressive for games that came out in 2001 and 2004, respectively. Of course, there are textures, like those of the grass and some rocks that you see from 20 years ago, but the Pikmin, Olimar, Louie, the enemies and the cinematics are great.
Another detail that stands out is the improvement of the intelligence of the Pikmin. Although some stay behind or get stuck on a pillar or wall, it is much less frequent than in the original versions. In fact, in the second game it is much more evident, especially at points like crossing bridges or narrow corridors.
In that sense, we believe that Pikmin 1 and 2 HD are between Super Mario Sunshine and Metroid Prime, in terms of remastering. A little more was done than the mustachioed title, but it wasn’t worked enough to be considered almost a remake either. For this reason, it seems to us that the cost of the package ($50USD for the 2 or $30USD each) is high, but they are deliveries that are worth it.
What is a Pikmin?
Now let’s talk about the games. In the first Pikmin, Captain Olimar crashes on a planet that looks like a version of Earth where humans disappeared. When the protagonist wakes up from his accident, he realizes that his ship is in a terrible state and he must recover at least 25 pieces within 30 days to return home, since oxygen is toxic.
While exploring, he discovers a kind of “onion” where a red Pikmin emerges that follows him around and obeys his commands, so it can help move and carry items, as well as kill beasts. These creatures can multiply if we bring the corpses of their enemies or some pills that can be obtained from flowers to their base. As we progress, we discover that there are 2 other classes of Pikmin: the yellow ones, which fly higher when thrown and can carry explosive rocks; and the blue ones, which are resistant to water. The reds also have their thing: they are resistant to fire.
When this installment came out, many criticized the 30-day system because it creates stress and limits player exploration, but we think it’s very well implemented. Each day lasts approximately 15 minutes, and the pieces of the ship are very well distributed, so finding one a day is more than enough. Sometimes more can be achieved, and the goal of helping Olimar in that time is more than achievable, even for novice players.
The title is short: it can be played in about 7 hours or even less, if you’re an expert, but the intention of the developers is that we play it several times, both to see the different endings and to beat our mark. For example, statistics and results are constantly shown so that we internally think: “I can do better”, so they motivate us to improve and replay without stopping.
What every sequel must have
Now let’s go to Pikmin 2, which is the perfect example of what a sequel should be like. When Olimar returns to his planet, he discovers that his company is $10,000 in debt and will have to close. The Captain tells the president of the company that on the planet where he was, there are many treasures that can be used to pay what they owe, so the boss sends him with Louie, another employee, to achieve the mutiny.
In the gameplay they were able to add new worlds and a new Pikmin and voila, but they went much further. They introduced purple and white Pikmin; the former are heavier and can carry all the objects more easily, in addition to the fact that their fall hurts the enemies more; whites are resistant to poison and actually poison monsters that eat them. Also, yellows are now resistant to electricity.
One would think that these new Pikmin also have their pretty little onion, like the ones from the first game, but no. We can only multiply them with transforming flowers that are underground. That’s right, in Pikmin 2 there are caves with various levels and treasures, which is where most of the items that help pay off the debt are, so we spend a lot of time.
Some people have never connected with this cave system, but it’s great because it really expands what can be done in the game. It has many advantages, such as the fact that time stops, so we can take as long as we want to go through it. This is very helpful because it allows us to be more productive and explore without so much limitation, and we can even go to 2 or 3 caves in the same day.
Another advantage is that the white and purple Pikmin are there, and thanks to the transforming flowers, we can multiply them. These classes of companions are very helpful both outdoors and underground, so it is extremely important to take care of them, because farming them is much more complicated.
Before entering these levels, we are told the class of Pikmin needed to progress. Sometimes we’ll only use the ones that resist fire or water, but most of the time we’ll require all of them because the world design is incredibly creative and varied. On one floor, the yellows are vital, but on the next it’s the whites, and then they’re all equally relevant, so if strategy was already important, now it’s even more so.
The first caves are easy, but they get more difficult, and we can get out with half of our Pikmin or even less. Although we can get hundreds of these little companions, losing even one always hurts immensely because it is easy to bond with them thanks to the fact that they are tender and helpful (easy to exploit). We still hear the cry of those who died for us.
The disadvantage of the underground world is that the onions do not enter, so every time we search the corpse of an enemy in our ship we receive money instead of Pikmins. All this means that we must be extremely careful, because to multiply companions we need to go outside.
We have to clarify that Pikmin 2 The 30-day limit has been removed, and we can take as long as we want to explore every corner and go for all the treasures. In fact, once we pay off the debt, we can return for the missing items, so the replayability is greater, and we are also invited to exceed our marks.
Verdict
pikmin 1 and 2 they stood out on a console that didn’t sell much, but had an amazing, high-quality library. None of these installments have aged noticeably, but their new mask fits them perfectly. We wish they would have given them the full treatment, but they meet the goal of modernizing and looking much better. Also, thanks to its launch on Switch, now all the games in the franchise are available on the hybrid, which is a plus.
That their main improvement is the visual, and that they have been given a small hand in the AI and the controls leaves a bit to be desired and causes us to question their price a bit, but after playing them and experiencing all the improvements compared to the original versions, it is clear to us that the 2 re-releases are worth it. Highly recommended for those who know these adventures by heart and who will play them for the first time.
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