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Preview  Pikmin
- By Dan Doll
Pikmin Import Impressions
This is one of the most bizarre games I've ever had the pleasure of playing. After an agonizingly long overnight shipping, Pikmin finally arrived in my mailbox.
First off, if you're a potential importer, go for it! The Japanese language is not necessary to enjoy the game. Also, if you're just learning the language, there's a helpful option to turn off kanji.
Orima is a tiny little spaceman who crash lands on an alien planet. Pretty soon after landing he encounters his first Pikmin. Pikmin look humanoid, except for a small plant feature sprouting from the head; either a leaf, a flower, or a white puff.
For reasons unknown to me, the Pikmin treat Orima like a God. They'll blindly run off of cliffs or charge into battle for him. I suppose it wouldn't be much of a game otherwise, as Orima needs the Pikmin to help him find his 30 missing ship pieces. He only has 30 days to do this before his air supply runs out.
Controlling your Pikmin is a piece of cake, thanks to a great control scheme. It uses a dual analog control system, similar to that in Luigi's Mansion. The main stick controls Orima, while the C stick controls your Pikmin. You're also given full control of the camera: zoom in and out and rotate it as much as you like. A few times I've had trouble getting the camera in the right place, but it's never been a big enough deal so as to frustrate me.
The world the Pikmin live in is wondrously detailed; filled with all sorts of bugs, animals and plants. Orima and his environment look fantastic. The texture work is particularly impressive.
The Pikmin are simple, but it's for a good reason: There can be up to 100 Pikmin on screen at once, in addition to any enemies and Orima. Despite the large number of creatures, the framerate doesn't drop a bit. I'm several hours into the game and I have yet to see any slowdown.
A Pikmin day takes about 15 real world minutes, so you need to act quickly. There's a lot to be done! The game is divided into several areas with a few pieces in each. Every day, you pick an area and look for ship parts.
This generally involves fighting enemy creatures and solving puzzles, as well as producing new Pikmin. There are a few different types of Pikmin; each type has different attributes and skills. For example, some fight better than others, but can't swim. It's a good thing they have so many different skills, as the Pikmin are the only way to overcome obstacles.
For instance, in the tutorial area, you start with only one red Pikmin. A cardboard box blocks the way; it says above the box that you need 10 Pikmin to push it out of the way.
So, you have to figure out how to get more Pikmin. This is done by killing enemy bugs and dragging the corpse back to your base. Also, scattered throughout the areas are Pikmin pellets that can be brought to base to make more Pikmin. The bigger the pellet or the corpse, the more Pikmin it takes to drag, and the more Pikmin will be created from it.
After creating 10 Pikmin, you can push the box out the way in order to get to the ship piece. This piece allows you to fly your ship to the next area. The puzzles get much more in depth than that, but I don't want to spoil anything. Rest assured, there's been more than one occasion where I wasn't quite sure how to overcome something. It's been challenging, but not frustratingly so.
So far all I've uncovered is Story Mode, but I've heard that a secret mode unlocks when you complete the game. It's a shame there's no multiplayer, but I'm not quite sure how that could've been accomplished. It's a bummer for those on a tight budget, but it looks like Pikmin is yet another must-buy Gamecube game.
I can honestly say that this is one of the most unique and exciting titles I've played in years; it's one of Miyamoto's greatest creations.
- Joe Mackie 11.01.01
- 11.1.2001 |
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Run for your lives!
Look at 'em all
Orima takes control
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Release Date:
12.06.2001
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