The current year develops for the Japanese company Nintendo very well. After the incredibly successful launch of new Nintendo game console Switch, one after another for her began to come out of the hit game with millions of sales. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, ARMS, Deluxe Mario Kart 8, Splatoon 2 – this list will definitely continue in the near future. But with the success of Switch, many players began to worry do not forget about your handheld Nintendo 3DS? As it turned out – no. The owners of the handheld console will regularly receive new AAA games, one of which being Hey! Pikmin. This unusual platformer will go on sale July 28 at the same time with the new model of the portable console New Nintendo 2DS XL.
The first game of the Pikmin series was released in 2001 for Nintendo GameCube. The idea to create an unusual real-time strategy came to the head game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, who gave the life of a plumber Mario, the gorilla Donkey Kong and Link from The Legend of Zelda. According to the story, the tiny space traveler captain OLIMAR crashes and finds himself on a foreign planet inhabited by funny creatures Picinae. Pikmin friendly volunteer to help OLIMAR to return home. Together they overcome various obstacles, fight predators, and looking for the parts to fix the broken spaceship.
Based on the game mechanics of the series based on the interaction between captain OLIMAR controlled by the player, with numerous Picinae. These beings are by nature extremely disorganized. So they have someone to lead. OLIMAR is able to whistle loudly whistle, thereby calling his minions to him. At the right moment he can throw Pikmin at an enemy, to those literally trampled him with her tiny feet, or to throw them where he cannot get. There are different colors of Pikmin, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. The combination of the abilities of the Pikmin, as well as the ability to apply them brings a tangible strategic touch. Because the player is always in command of its many units.
The Game Hey! Pikmin is not a direct continuation of the trilogy (the last number the game was released in 2013 for Nintendo Wii U console). It’s a very interesting spin-off that offers a look at the franchise from a new angle. Developed the game staff Japanese Studio Arzest, previously noted, is wonderful, in my opinion, a platformer Yoshi’s New Island for the same handheld console Nintendo 3DS. From the genre of real time strategy was abandoned in favor of the aspect of the game more widely available to the public a platform component. Of full 3D the game went to 2.5 D, when the three-dimensional scenery and characters exist and interact on two-dimensional rules. In fact, this Pikmin I like it even more.
The Plot Hey! Pikmin echoes the original game in 2001. Spaceship captain OLIMAR returning home from a long journey, encounters with an asteroid and crashes on an unknown planet. Planet similar to Earth, so we see the traces of human activity and various well-familiar objects and mechanisms. There’s a shovel stuck in the ground, and then forgotten someone garden hose lying around. Let me remind you that captain OLIMAR is a tiny representative of an alien race, so anyone familiar to us with you the subject from his point of view looks like something an incredibly huge and monumental. During the game, I involuntarily remembered the wonderful film “the Extraordinary adventures of carica and Wali” and “Honey, I shrunk the kids”.
The main objective of the game is to collect shining nuts called “sparklies”. It turned out that they are quite suitable as fuel for a spaceship captain OLIMAR, so it is necessary to collect 30 000 nuts so he can return home. Sparklies scattered across the eight realms, each of which has five major and several bonus levels. Each world is made in a certain topic. The player is deep underground, in the underwater Kingdom, then in the winter forest. Each level is designed with great attention to detail and contains a huge amount of secrets to discover which you can only the most attentive player.
As in other games in the series, Pikmin you will meet different colors. Red have a high physical strength and resistance to fire. They will easily enter the blazing fire or move from place to place with heavy objects. Yellow Pikmin are not afraid of electrical discharges and can serve as a wonderful “live wiring” to activate different mechanisms. In addition, they are the lightest among all of their relatives, which allows OLIMAR to throw them into the most inaccessible places. In a game where the emphasis is on collecting different items, this feature yellow Pikmin is something I really need.
Blue Pikmin were the only one able to swim and breathe underwater (captain OLIMAR does not remove his suit, so he water also not terrible). If Pikmin of other colors will fall into the water – they are waiting for the unenviable fate of the drowned. Never forget this. Black stone Pikmin will come in handy in moments when you need to smash anything in its path, whether it’s a giant ice crystal or an enemy in an armored shell. The fifth kind is the winged Pikmin are pink in colour, which insure captain OLIMAR when falling from a great height, and on some levels allow you to feel yourself the real aeronaut.
The Game Hey! Pikmin is unique not only an abrupt change of genre, but also because it actively engages both screens of the console Nintendo 3DS. In fact, you see one big vertical screen divided into upper and lower part. The interaction of the captain with OLIMAR Picinae happens when using the stylus and lower touch screen. You choose in the bottom left corner of the screen icon with the right color Pikmin, and then just poke the stylus in the direction you want them to throw. In the bottom right of the screen there is an icon of the whistle for gathering scattered Pikmin and button džetpaka. Jetpack on the back Alimara allows him some time to soar above the earth and travel to previously inaccessible place. But keep in mind that if your Pikmin can fly, they will wait for you in the place where you left them. For a long time to leave them, I do not recommend, as they can easily fall prey prowling in the vicinity of predators.
In addition Sparkline in the course of his travels captain OLIMAR will find amazing treasures. As treasures are objects of human life, which the curious stranger seem to be something incredible. A jar of canned tuna OLIMAR takes a sealed tin aquarium, mobile-cot — saying beach chair, and scissors for forked sword. Some treasure literally takes the player into the past. Cartridges from the classic 8-bit games, audio tapes, old toys – all this creates the unique atmosphere. For every found treasure OLIMAR gets a certain amount of precious nuts. Sparklin need the main character not only in order to leave the alien planet and return to family, but to improve some characteristics of your suit. Gradually it will get all new features like a radar for treasure hunting or a larger fuel tank to jetpack.
As I told you above, in addition to the usual levels in every game world there are bonus. Two types of levels available to all players. In one of them you catch falling from the sky Sparklies and the other solve a puzzle, the prize for which an additional Pikmin for your personal army. There is a third form of bonus levels, but to look at them I could not, as they are open only to holders of official collectible Amiibo series Pikmin. I have, unfortunately, no such figures in the collection was not. Somewhat frustrating when you see that bonus level here it is, just within arm’s reach, but the access you have to him there. The rest of your Amiibo, not related to this series, allow you to earn extra Sparklies.
In between playthroughs of levels I recommend that you step back and look at the so-called “Park of Pikmin”. This kind of “game”. Something like “farm frenzy”, which lives its own life and brings you additional Sparklies just casually, even when your gaming console is in standby mode. All you saved Pikmin after the end of the levels be in this place. The Park is divided into several zones, which are Pikmin rush to explore. Blue dive into lakes and puddles, trying to extract any values from the bottom, the red to dig in the burning piles of leaves, and black is trying to break the giant rocks and see what is hidden under them. Pikmin working hard, and you only appoint working groups for a particular object in the hope that eventually work will be rewarded discovered deposits of Sparkline or even a rare treasure.
From time to time, the game will please you completely unexpected from the point of view of game mechanics levels, for example, descending on a makeshift sled from the snowy mountains. But most of all in Hey! I liked Pikmin bosses. They seems to be not very difficult, but fighting them really interesting. Each requires an individual approach. Once for the entire game I encountered with a level that I couldn’t pass. I researched it thoroughly, but did not understand how to get out of it. Several times I have restarted it and started to explore from the beginning. At some point I even thought that my review of doomed, but this second game is just suggested that I skip a level and go straight to the next. It was a feeling that the developers were anticipating a similar impasse and put into the game the ability to skip particularly difficult levels. I still did not understand: it was my error or just a bug of the game? But bugs in the game is definitely there. I ran a couple of times exactly. I’d like to hope that other players will have better luck than me.
Visually the game looks very nice, even with the low resolution of both screens of the Nintendo 3DS, which is already just starting to cut eyes. Especially if you compare the image with the magnificence that gives Nintendo console Switch. But nothing can be done. The 3DS came out six years ago. Another unpleasant discovery for me was a noticeable drop in fps when the accumulation on the screen of a large number of animated characters and objects. But here, in fairness, it should be noted that the game I passed on the Nintendo 3DS. On the new model New Nintendo 3DS, most likely, problems with framrate will not. There iron is significantly more powerful. In my case, the frame rate sometimes dropped to quite uncomfortable 5-10 fps that spoils the impression from the wonderful in General games. Most likely, that is why the developers decided to abandon the stereoscopic image in favor of 2D. The console with the old iron just couldn’t afford three-dimensional image. Maybe the developers just thought that it is wrong to do surround only the top screen, considering that the main action takes place exactly at the bottom.
Pros:
- The series debuted in the new genre of platformer.
- The main character and Pikmin is just incredibly charming.
- The level design matches perfectly with dual display.
- Moderately complex but fascinating puzzle.
- Convenient control using the stylus and touchscreen.
- A huge number of possible hiding places and secrets.
- The process of searching for treasure long captured.
- Interesting bosses, each with a unique twist.
Cons:
- The game does not support stereoscopic 3D.
- The lack of localization into Russian language.
- The drop in framerate on older consoles.
- Rare, but a good one bugs.
Even given the fact that in the end all we have is a spin-off of the game Hey! Pikmin is a wonderful gift for fans of the original series and just an exciting platform that allows you to brighten up the agonizing wait for the release of Pikmin 4. Owners of more modern consoles New Nintendo 3DS and going on the days New Nintendo 2DS XL will get from the game, while owners of older models will find themselves under considerable discomfort associated with outdated hardware. However, if you do not mind the drop in frame rate, the game is able to deliver you a lot of joy. After all, these charming characters like captain OLIMAR and Pikmin restless, simply can not but rejoice. Put game 7 out of 10.
A review of the game Hey! Pikmin
Sergey Grey