It's been a long wait, but it's finally happened! Pikmin 3 has finally been announced for the Wii U!
Platform: Wii U
Genre: Mass-Action Strategy
Players: 1
Rating: RP
Release: Launch Window
Pikmin 3 is the long awaited sequel to the Gamecube titles Pikmin and
Pikmin 2 in which you commanded strange little creatures to help you
survive on an alien planet and collect treasure. Each Pikmin has their
own unique abilities which the players had to master if they wanted to
be able to make it through the game. While Red Pikmins could survive
intense heat, Blue Pikmin could swim, Yellow Pikmin were lighter so they
could be thrown farther, Purple Pikmin were heavy and could carry 10
times more weight, and White Pikmin could survive poison; in Pikmin 3 a
brand new Pikmin enters the line up. The Rock Pikmin.
Although Rock Pikmin are heavy like the Purple, their main ability is
the ability to break objects. Just like you would expect, when players
throw Rock Pikmin at other objects they can actually destroy them.
Although it hasn't been stated what other uses the Rock Pikmin will
have, it has been shown that they can be used to break down walls, and
even to break armor off of armored bosses.
Besides the Rock Pikmin, Pikmin 3 also features quite a few other new
features. Like in Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3 will feature a type of character
swap system which allows you to command more than one character each
with their own group of Pikmin; however this feature has greatly been
expanded from Pikmin 2. Now instead of being able to control two
different characters, players will now be able to command four! By using
the Wii U controller, players will be able to track all four groups of
Pikmin in real time, as well as freely switch in between them. Although
you can still play with the nunchuk and Wii remote for a "classic" style
of gameplay, this new map feature will allow you to easily manage your
units like in most standard real time strategy games, and it makes
switching between groups fast and easy.
Nintendo has also announced that Pikmin 3 will in fact included a
challenge mode, which was last seen in Pikmin 2, as well as a replay
feature which allows you to review each of your runs, and figure out a
new strategy for the next time you enter that said area.
Besides the core gameplay changes, Pikmin 3 also features enhanced
graphics. In Pikmin 3 each Pikmin has been updated to have more
realistic "ant-like" movements which really adds to the realism of the
game. As Pikmin walk along their bodies move like a little bug, they
struggle to carry heavy objects, they each will carry objects in
different ways, they'll drag objects along to build a bridge, and move
through the world in their own unique ways. Thanks to the Wii U's
advance hardware, each Pikmin can now stand on their own as a
individual, and not be a marching band.
The world in general has been updated to be much more realistic.
Walls now crumble when being destroyed, plants move with the wind, water
will ripple as each creature/Pikmin moves through it, and objects will
act more natural. Leafs are leafs, rocks are rocks, and food is food.
The only way you can get something "more natural" this, is if you go
outside and look at your back yard with a magnifying glass. Don't expect
to see anything too exciting though!
In the end, Pikmin 3 looks great! The world feels alive and natural,
the four character system is nice, the new Rock Pikmin is a very much
welcomed addition, and the new fast and easy controls really help out
the gameplay! From aiming with the Wii Remote, to quickly switching
between characters, everything is fast and easy!
Well it's been a long wait, but it's finally almost over! So please stay tuned for updates!