Hey! Pikmin

Hey! Pikmin is a radical shift for Nintendo’s quirky RTS series. It changes or eschews many of the series’ longtime mechanics in favor of a 2D platformer-adventure. Longtime fans might be disappointed, but Hey! Pikmin has the same charm and quality that garnered the original games a cult following—just in a more accessible, bite-sized form factor this time.

Hey! Pikmin isn’t a long game but throughout it’ll capture your heart just as regularly as Olimar captures Pikmin.

Hey! Pikmin is a solid spin-off from the existing Pikmin franchise. While it doesn’t feature the tactical style gameplay of past Pikmin games, it also doesn’t feel like Pikmin was shoehorned into some random genre either.

Hey! Pikmin was surprisingly more fun than I expected it to be, although I can't really say what I expected. It plays at a quicker pace than it might let on, and keeps a lot of the mainstays of how Pikmin plays on consoles but without sacrificing the fun of a 2D game. I also like how the story is directed less toward Captain Olimar trying to get off the planet and more toward cute cutscenes that show how playful and silly the Pikmin are. This is a great diversion and I'm glad Nintendo is still experimenting with franchises, but after spending my brief time with Hey! Pikmin, I'm more ready than ever to see a Pikmin 4.

By and large, Hey! Pikmin is a wonderful twist on the franchise with a lot to enjoy. Stay open-minded, and you'll be pleasantly surprised. [Issue #29, p. 73]

Hey Pikmin is a new and sidescrolling title for the Nintendo 3DS. Although the gameplay is fun, it's not that hard. The challenges are there when you make them yourself as a player. The Pikmin are cuter than ever and it's an easy title to pick up.

Hey! Pikmin is a small and pretty simple game, but it is a beautiful experience that every fan of this series should enjoy.

If you are seeking a challenge, look elsewhere, but for anyone after a fun and simple jaunt into a classic that lives up to its predecessors, this game is the perfect fit.

Quotation forthcoming.

Hey! Pikmin is an incredibly fun platformer that’s easy to pick up and doesn’t take a ton of hours to finish like many games that have come out this year. While I was able to get through the game in a couple of days, reaching 100% completion on each level will take some time and serious dedication.

It proves to be a fun and inventive puzzle platformer that feels completely original within the franchise. The only complaint that can be levelled towards it is that it doesn't run well at all on older models of 3DS.

It’s flawed but it sure is fun. A better framerate and higher difficulty would be great, especially since I feel like the different Pikmin abilities still had a lot of untapped potential. This installment ends up being a nice new creation that fits into the franchise in a different way than older Pikmin games. At its core, though, Hey! Pikmin is a fun game, and in the end, that's all that really matters.

Hey! Pikmin is a different, funny, clever and heartwarming Pikmin game.

A good pastime with which to spend a few hours, perhaps under the umbrella.

Hey! Pikmin is a fun 3DS game, one of Nintendo’s better handheld platformers recently, but still not up to the quality and polish we’d expect from console Pikmin titles. Pikmin fans might be a bit disappointed by this one, but anyone willing to give it a shot will find a surprisingly deep and fun little adventure to while away the hours.

Hey! Pikmin is a decent game, a pleasant mix between platform and puzzle games. It offers a pretty different experience than the main saga, and it's light years behind the astounding Wii U version. Probably a disappointment for hardcore fans of the series, but entertaining nonetheless.

When the short-sized, colorful creatures travel from a home console to a portable one, unexpected things can happen! It is a game that vastly differentiates from its predecessors, but still manages to keep the essence of the franchise intact! An overall fun addition on the go.

Hey! PIKMIN lacks the deep of its predecessors, but it's still a very interesting game, considering the effort of adapting some of the mechanics from previous Pikmin games.

With a slight concept change Hey! Pikmin almost feels like a Metroid light or a jump&run. But with creative environmental puzzles and a focus on the right choice of Pikmin, this mobile interpretation of Captain Olimars travels still carries the spirit of its ‘big’ siblings.

A new Pikmin for a new generation of players that hasn't had the chance to try these adorable vegetables. It may not be the prettiest nor most varied Pikmin game out there, but it still retains the series' fun.

Despite being a spin-off, Hey! Pikmin fulfills expectations offering a number of platforms and puzzles enough in an adventure where humor is the most remarkable. However, it could be up to or fairly close to the other installments of the saga if it offered more innovation or the difficulty was not perceived as easy.

An enjoyable game that, however, lacks the ambition of other Nintendo titles in portable format. Fun and varied, although its slight difficulty affects the whole experience.

Level and puzzle design are neither challenging nor particularly creative.

Hey! Pikmin is a great game to add to your library. It’s a solid addition to the series and it freshens up the formula with the perspective shift, but having said that, don’t expect a game that’s on par with the previous console games. A Pikmin fix is always good though, so enjoy!

Hey! Pikmin is a laidback 2D puzzle platformer that includes a large amount of content and replay value. However, its easy-as-pie difficulty level will make any seasoned gamer get bored quicker than Captain Olimar can crash his ship.

Hey! Pikmin lacks the smarts and the sheer visual appeal of the main series, but it's a warmly appealing diversion for fans and younger newcomers.

Small and imperfectly formed. [Issue#190, p.81]

The ease of which you can get into Hey! Pikmin is both a blessing and a curse - it doesn’t do a lot to distinguish itself as a title, which is fine, but that also doesn’t make it particularly memorable.

Hey! Pikmin is very clever when it comes to level design and introducing new Pikmin, but offers too little challenge. Even the boss fights are easy, which is a pity for a game that looks and feels this terrific.

Hey! Pikmin is a quirky attempt at a beloved franchise with many minor annoyances. Throwing your Pikmin is fast and fun, but the different types are hardly used to their advantages and there isn’t a good incentive to collect every treasure.

This spin-off delivers an enjoyable experience, different from the main series, and definitely not so brilliant. It is interesting, and will keep you buy if you like puzzles and exploration.

Hey! Pikmin is a divisive game: although it lacks the depth of the main series, it offers a pleasant, stress-free experience. Fans of the franchise will probably be disappointed, but newcomers and kids might find it interesting enough to check on the next true Pikmin.

Hey! Pikmin is a little too simplistic for its own good, especially early on, but Arzest does a fantastic job of distilling what makes this series so special into bite-sized chunks. The transition cutscenes that play out like physical comedy shorts and the adorable little noises really sell it.

Hey! Pikmin did exactly what it needed to do, without extending itself any further. It gave me a series of interesting places, a series of clever puzzles, a series of cute vignettes and soft storybook scenery. The worst thing to say about Hey! Pikmin is, simultaneously, a recommendation — it’s perfectly pleasant, well-rounded, and didn’t leave me dying for more.

Hey! Pikmin is a colourful spin off that doesn't stand up nor to the quality of the main titles of the series neither with the best 2D platformers on 3DS. Still, it's a solid choice for platform lovers and the younger audience.

Hey! PIKMIN is not an exact conversion of Pikmin to the 3DS but there's nothing wrong with that. Quite the contrary, as this sidescrolling adventure with its own characteristics turns out to be a solid tribute to the main series with its fun and involving adventure and the always heartwarming sense of humour and delightful Pikmin creatures.

Like a herbarium, Hey! Pikmin is a conscientious, wonderful, tactile, yet flat transposition of the series' singular gameplay, mostly preserved along the way. While some depth, even life was lost in the process, this lateral perspective lets Captain Olimar explore the vertical dimension of this feral world rather quietly and cleverly, carrying its delicate ecological message to new heights as well.

A charming but ultimately underwhelming experience. [Sept 2017, p.80]

There’s not a lot of meat to Hey! Pikmin, which is disappointing when compared to the required skill and replayability of the console Pikmin games. It’s good for a playthrough, but this is a voyage I can’t see myself taking again.

Though it touches on some interesting ideas, Hey! Pikmin never ventures outside of the comfort and safety of a standard Nintendo handheld platformer. Still, its relaxing, low-stakes gameplay may prove enjoyable for many, particularly those looking for a respite in an otherwise fast-paced genre.

Hey! Pikmin forces the series into something it’s not, resulting in a barebones platformer with Pikmin on the cover.

Pikmin fans hoping for the next evolution in the franchise will have to wait for another attempt, as Hey! Pikmin is an enjoyable, but vastly simple experience that doesn’t live up to its namesake.

Hey! Pikmin feels like a distraction, a time filler until the next 'proper' Pikmin arrives on Nintendo Switch – whenever that may be. While often delightful and frequently pleasant, its simple charms can't make up for extreme simplicity and a turgid pace. One best suited for Pikmin purists, if such a breed exists.

This is a soothing lullaby of a game: a leisurely bit of counter-programming that, contrary to forecasts, doesn't disgrace the series' good name. [Issue#310, p.120]

It may not be a true portable Pikmin game, but it’s a fun and charming little platformer that lasts just as long as it needs to without feeling too repetitive.

The Pikmin are as cute as ever, but this RTS does not really fit in 2D like this. Hey! Pikmin simply does not challenge the brain, which makes this spin-off just an easy to play platformer instead of something bigger.

Pikmin could work in 2D, but Hey Pikmin isn’t the game to make it happen. Nintendo’s low-impact blend of strategy and action flounders between relaxing and boring. I sometimes felt compelled to replay Hey Pikmin’s levels to find the treasures I’d missed the first time around, but I never found what I was hoping to: a richer strategy experience.

Overall, Hey Pikmin retains a lot of what makes this series great. The terrific character and art design, fun flinging action, and lovable Pikmin and wildlife all work well on the small screen. However, anyone expecting the surprisingly unforgiving nature of the main series will be shocked at how simple this is in comparison. That might not be a terrible black mark on Hey Pikmin, but it’s a little disappointing.

Ultimately I found Hey! Pikmin boring and tedious to play. While younger audiences might find the game enjoyable, had I not been reviewing the game I would have dropped it after an hour or so.

There's a decent foundation here; and if Nintendo should decide to make a sequel, there's plenty to build from. But as bold experiments go, Hey! Pikmin is merely okay. And like the tiny aliens that serve as its namesake, it's apt to fade into the background.

Hey! Pikmin takes the series’ foundations, strips them right back and offers up an experience in which a younger audience will delight. Enjoyable stuff.

Despite its strong points, though, it has that feel of a 'second-tier' Nintendo release, not helped by the limitations that 2D play places on the core concept. It's solid but a tad uninspiring, fun but unsurprising, accessible but lacking in witty design.

If you’re looking for a traditional Pikmin experience this is not the game for you. Hey! Pikmin is a very sedate, gentle walk through the diminutive shoes of Captain Olimar and his Pikmin pals. It’s comparable to the level of challenge found in a Kirby game, which is to say you have to go out of your way to have your skills tested. For what it is, Hey! Pikmin is a cute, whimsical platformer that gets a lot right and a lot wrong, resulting in a middling experience overall.

Hey! Pikmin isn’t a bad game, it just feels a bit uninspiring. The level design is boring, the visuals look outdated and the game lacks variation. It’s easy to pick up for everyone and can be fun in shorter sessions, but overall Hey! Pikmin is a disappointment.

A 2D portable Pikmin was probably never a good idea, and this uninspiring effort does little to prove otherwise.

Much like Chibi Robo! Zip Lash was a bit of a flop in converting a primarily 3D franchise into 2D, Hey! Pikmin makes errors of its own. While the antics of the Pikmin seen in the levels are adorable and the game is visually pleasing, I just couldn’t get over the way the Pikmin behaved when I was playing. It’s otherwise a rather bland and forgettable adventure that Pikmin fans can quite easily skip.