Pikmin is certainly one of the quirkier series to come out of Nintendo and it’s definitely an unusual approach to a real-time strategy game. The Pikmin titles have been able to build a full universe over the course of the various games.
Pikmin 3 has become a dark horse entry in the series due to its release on the Wii U, but now audiences have a chance to experience a more robust version of the title with the newly upgraded Pikmin 3 Deluxe for the Switch. It’s a great game whether someone is a veteran to the franchise or if this is their first Pikmin game, but there’s a lot to do in this game that’s not immediately apparent.
10 Play Story Mode With A Partner
Pikmin is a very enjoyable Nintendo franchise that’s been able to grow and expand over the years, but the game has largely remained an experience that’s meant to be played solo. There have been brief instances of limited multiplayer in Pikmin games, but it’s never been the priority. Pikmin 3 Deluxe attempts to change that to some degree with how it offers local co-operative play through various game modes, including the story campaign. This is perfect for players who always needed a little extra help with their Pikmin management in the past.
9 Earn Achievement Badges
Pikmin 3 Deluxe has a lot of fun extra features for those that are new to the game, but these elements may not be enough for players who have already pushed Pikmin 3 to 100% in the past. Pikmin 3 Deluxe adds 50 badges that are earned through various achievements that force players to really put everything they’ve got into the game. Collecting badges is a whole other way to experience Pikmin 3 and even though they earn the player some serious bragging rights, they also just have really creative designs.
8 Fill Out A Piklopedia
The Pikmin franchise is full of some truly unique creatures and many people enjoyed Pikmin 2’s addition of a Piklopedia that allows players to itemize every beast that they encounter as well as their specific stats. Fans were disappointed when the Piklopedia vanished in Pikmin 3, but it’s thankfully returned in this upgraded version of the game.
The Piklopedia adds a whole other area of the game to fill out and this time all five captains have unique entries on the creatures, which usually results in some amusing commentary.
7 Play Mission Mode After A Failure
Pikmin 3 Deluxe has various missions that allow players to focus on different aspects of the game. For instance, Mission Mode strips away the game’s narrative and delivers focused challenges that push Pikmin players to their limit. The biggest obstacle in Mission Mode is the looming time limit, but Pikmin 3 Deluxe offers an “After Hours” option that lets players continue to work through the mission even after they’ve lost. The records aren’t saved, but it does allow for further progression in Mission Mode and a chance to better lean the area layouts.
6 KopPad Photos Will Also Take Switch Captures
Another feature that’s present in Pikmin 3 Deluxe is the KopPad, which is helpful for both navigation and photography purposes. The original Pikmin 3 does a lot more with the KopPad since it draws its inspiration from the Wii U’s GamePad and it makes it a more justified device. In Pikmin 3 Deluxe, the KopPad can still take photographs within the game, but doing so will also perform Switch screen captures and preserve the memories outside of the game. The Switch capture version of these pictures will also remove the HUD display so it’s an even cleaner version.
5 Activate A Thorough Hint Mode
Video games are ideally supposed to be accessible for most audiences, but there are going to be some titles that are more difficult and challenging than others. Nintendo has attempted to cater to more inexperienced gamers and several of their titles have hint modes or ways to bypass challenges that gamers repeatedly fail.
Pikmin 3 Deluxe also subscribes to this notion. It has a comprehensive hint guide full of information, but it will even provide a series of arrows to show players exactly where they need to go.
4 Unlock Content With The Demo
One popular way to engage with audiences is through hidden and unlockable content that rewards gamers who are particularly dedicated or just curious. In the case of Pikmin 3 Deluxe, there’s a unique situation that involves the game’s demo that’s available. Players can actually unlock features in the full Pikmin 3 Deluxe game, like more missions and the advanced Ultra-Spicy difficulty if they defeat the Armored Mawdad in the demo. The player’s progress will also transfer over. It’s a smart way to actually incentivize people to try out the demo.
3 Contribute To Online Leaderboards
Unfortunately Pikmin 3 Deluxe doesn’t do much in terms of the franchise’s online presence and any sort of multiplayer needs to be locally played. However, the one area where fans can leave their mark on the world and marginally interact with other Pikmin players is through the game’s online leaderboards. There’s a real community that forms over who can get the highest stats in Story Mode, Mission Mode, or other areas. After all, someone’s got to be the best. It is worth noting that the Nintendo Switch Online service is needed in order to upload any rankings.
2 The Pikmin Can Sing
Pikmin 3 Deluxe is a game that requires players to manage so many different things at once that it can be easy to get caught up in the experience and overlook the smaller details that give the game such personality. Both the Pikmin leaders and the Pikmin themselves will sing songs under the right circumstances and it’s incredibly adorable. Different songs will be sung under different circumstances, but some of the best examples of this are how Alph, Charlie, and Brittany will all sing if they have no Pikmin or how 100 mismatched Pikmin will noisily sing in disharmony.
1 There Are Secret Messages To Decode
Something that’s very interesting about the Pikmin series is how Captain Olimar and his team will travel to many different planets, whether it’s for exploratory or safety reasons. Pikmin 3 Deluxe is once again set on Planet PNF-404, but it features some messages in the native Koppai language that are easy to dismiss as gibberish. In reality, characters in the Koppaite alphabet correspond to certain Latin characters, which means that these hidden messages can actually be translated and understood for those that are particularly dedicated.