Original Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo
Release: October 30, 2020
Original release: 2013 on Wii U
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
Genre: Fruit Juggler Sim / Strategical Grief & Regret Adventure
Multiplayer: Local campaign co-op & versus modes for 2 players
Online: No, only has online leaderboards for certain modes
Demo: Yes, saved progress carries over to the full game and unlocks Ultra Spicy difficulty
Download Size: 6.7GB
eShop pages: EU | AU | NZ | US | CA | JP
Pikmin 3 is a multi-tasking game in which you switch between three playable characters that commandeer your army of Pikmin. The five Pikmin-types available in the main story mode (two additional types are available in mission mode) all have distinct characteristics that affect your gameplay. The three captains, in turn, do not have any unique abilities.
Red = resistant to fire
Yellow = resistant to electricity, can be thrown higher
Blue = can swim
Rock = can destroy glass, can't cling to enemies
Winged = can fly
Your home planet is out of food resources and you've been sent to scout other planets for new sources of sustenance. You'll try to collect as many fruit as you can each day. Once the sun sets, you have to return to your ship and everything left behind will remain where it is (any Pikmin you don't bring back with you will be eaten by the critters roaming around at night).
Whether you're fine with chewing through Pikmin like there's no tomorrow or you cherish every little one of the little clowns is up to you. But you''ll have to live with those haunting sounds of death in your dreams and you'll be reminded of every Pikmin soul lost on the stats screen of every level and at the end of the game. Can you complete a no-death playthrough?
The main campaign of Alph, Brittany, and Charlie's adventure to collecting amazing looking HD-Ready fruit to ensure the survival of their home planet.
Side Stories
Olimar and Louie's prologue and epilogue is found here.
Bingo Battle
A 1v1 battle mode where the you have to complete a row of objects on your bingo card to win. Collect everything on there to beat your opponent. Do not play this against Bill Trinen.
Mission Mode
A challenge mode (this is where you find the pizza level!!!) all about optimizing your strategic planning to get the highest score in the fastest time. Comes with online leaderboards.
Olimar (Pikmin 1) and Louie (Pikmin 2) return as playable characters in their own side stories that function as a prologue and epilogue to the main game. These levels are presented like challenge missions.
Campaign Co-op
A much requested feature for the original release, the Switch release finally supports local two-player co-op.
Piklopedia
Absent from the original release, Pikmin 3 Deluxe finally has entries for all the things to read up on.
Achievements
If you like checking things off lists.
Quality of Life Improvements
Improved lock-on, improved charge move, much much wider Whistle Circle, an optional hint system, new difficulty modes, a convenient "call-back" feature for stragglers at risk of being left behind
No, visually the game is the same as the Wii U original in terms of resolution, framerate, and effects (specifically: 30fps @ 720p docked, 540p handheld). There are minor differences that are hard to notice. Some small geometry detail has been altered/remodeled slightly.
Does this have all the content?
Yes, all the paid-DLC missions from the Wii U version are already included here. Plus the new content.
Is there online Bingo Battle/co-op now?
No, everything is local-only. There are online leaderboards though.
Touch controls?
Sadly, the brilliant stylus control mode that was patched into the Wii U original is nowhere to be found here. Nor any touch control alternative.
Motion/pointer controls?
In replicating the Wii Remote controls from the original game, Pikmin 3 Deluxe uses the gyro sensor in the Joy-Con and Pro Controllers to move the cursor in the game.
Why is Normal so easy?
Because "Normal" difficulty is actually just the easy mode. The original Wii U difficulty is called "Hard" in the Deluxe version.
Normal (actually "Easy"): days last 18 minutes, enemy HP is halved from the original Wii U game. New to this version.
Hard (actually "Normal"): days last 13 minutes. This how the Wii U original was.
Ultra-Spicy (actually "Hard"): days are shorter than 13 minutes, see below for more. New to this version.
How spicy is Ultra-Spicy difficulty?
Ultra-Spicy is the new hard mode unlocked after either beating the game on "hard" (=the OG Wii U difficulty) or completing the demo and carrying that save file over into the full game.
You're limited to 60 Pikmin (out at the same time), there are fewer nectar spawns, enemy critters have more HP, fruit juice yield is halved, and time passes more quickly. There might be more changes. Check the Ultra-Spicey livestream from GameXplain:
Whatever happened to those Pikmin movies they released on Wii U and 3DS?
You can now just officially watch them on Nintendo's YouTube channel (linking their entire Pikmin 3DX playlist):
Is it any good?
It's excellent. Still. Have a look at the review thread.
Last edited:
