Pikmin 3

 Wii U
User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 810 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 725 out of 810
  2. Mixed: 35 out of 810
  3. Negative: 50 out of 810
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  1. thelivingendx
    Aug 8, 2013
    7
    As a big Pikmin fan, this was a much anticipated release for me. And whether it was because of the long delay in release, my love of the series, or a combination of the both, expectations were high. I will say it is one of the best wii u titles out there. Stunning levels, fun characters, and slightly challenging puzzles, all added up to a good game. Good, not great. The controls wereAs a big Pikmin fan, this was a much anticipated release for me. And whether it was because of the long delay in release, my love of the series, or a combination of the both, expectations were high. I will say it is one of the best wii u titles out there. Stunning levels, fun characters, and slightly challenging puzzles, all added up to a good game. Good, not great. The controls were a bit clumsy, especially in targeting enemies, or targeting the throwing of the Pikmin, for a title delayed for 9 months, I expected better refinement. There was much talk about being able to map out your strategy with the gamepad, but until the final level, I barely used it for anything other than sending one of the characters back to the onion. The story was fun, but not even close to as engaging as the original Pikmin, maybe that was because it only took about 10 hours, even side tracking slightly to gather fruit. I am excited to play Bingo Battle mode, as it looks fun, but I don't have someone to come over and play it, and there's no multiplayer online. I won't say that Nintendo dropped the ball on this title, but I feel like they certainly bobbled it.… Expand
  2. kevinshumate
    Oct 3, 2013
    5
    I'll start out by saying Pikmin 1 and 2 were a fun, long winded, challenging romp at gaming that explored everything the gamecube and it's controller could do. It built upon a concept of deep, challenging gameplay that tested the player to their wits ends and built upon a concept of a massive amount of content and quality.

    Pikmin 3 is a big, HD billboard that has essentially castrated    I'll start out by saying Pikmin 1 and 2 were a fun, long winded, challenging romp at gaming that explored everything the gamecube and it's controller could do. It built upon a concept of deep, challenging gameplay that tested the player to their wits ends and built upon a concept of a massive amount of content and quality.

    Pikmin 3 is a big, HD billboard that has essentially castrated the previous games difficulty level by removing key gameplay elements. The lack of marching makes the game feel shallow and unchallenging, it removes all sense if urgency when fighting a enemy as dodging is not only clumsy, but god like as it seems to save you from just about any problem.

    Worst of all, the game is far too short, easily beat it at 100 percent in under 17 hours. Something you couldn't have done in pikmin 2 in under 25-30. Worst of all, though, is the fact that the levels are super linear and pretty much each trail leads you right to whatever you're looking for.

    I feel like this is a watered down game, made easy to appeal to a crowd that didn't like the other games, and as far as I'm concerned, screw those people.

    Worst of all is the fact that most of the time and money on this game went into making it pretty, not deep. That alone makes me want to flip a table.

    Now before the butthurt superfans come in here and start telling me its art or you don't pay for content, see yourselves too the door and don't embarrass yourselves. Honestly, I've grown to expect a certain level of quality and quantity with this series and this game just DID not deliver. So I'm sorry if I have standards and you don't.

    The fact that the game has not even half the amount of enemies or bosses as pikmin 2 is discouraging. The complete removal of the piklopedia and descriptions is discouraging. It's literally like they sacraficed massive content (the thing that turned everyone into a pikmin fan) just to make the game super pretty. It seriously kills me inside coming from a guy who believes Pikmin 2 is the greatest game ever made.    … Expand
  3. PuckMan
    Aug 6, 2013
    6
    Ok so the controls in this game aren't a problem but it is starting to look like even Nintendo themselves are struggling to think of any fun or practical uses for the Wii U gamepad. With this being a RTS I opted for old Wii remote and nun-chuck controls as they basically act like a mouse. The gamepad sat in it's cradle being used only as a map (and not a very useful one). Nintendo haveOk so the controls in this game aren't a problem but it is starting to look like even Nintendo themselves are struggling to think of any fun or practical uses for the Wii U gamepad. With this being a RTS I opted for old Wii remote and nun-chuck controls as they basically act like a mouse. The gamepad sat in it's cradle being used only as a map (and not a very useful one). Nintendo have created a needlessly convoluted control scheme which turns your T.V. and gamepad into a giant DS. The problem with that is it's not compact like a handheld console and actually takes quite a bit of getting used to looking at one screen then another when your trying to get immersed in a game.

    Like I say though the controls aren't really a problem, what is a problem is the mission structure and lack of depth to the campaign mode. Levels are small, Nintendo's solution is to impose short time limits by dividing your exploration up into days. Before you've had a chance to really do anything the day ends and your forced to watch the same cut scene and read the same dialogue at the end of every day. Very soon a feeling of repetition ensues. That feeling of repetition soon ended though with the game being just 11 hours long and having no real replay-ability.

    That's just the story mode though. Thankfully Pikmin 3 also has a challenge mode that is much more engaging. Trying to beat your high score on a challenge or boss fight feels more rewarding and satisfying. Uploading your score also means you can see how well your doing compared to other players. Graphics, music and presentation are all excellent as you'd expect. Pikmin 3 is a good game, not great not essential. Even on a console with no games.    … Expand
  4. joker21player
    Aug 9, 2013
    7
    I have played Pikmin and Pikmin 2 so being a huge fan (still played pikmin 2 in 2013 with my bro) I pretty much picked up the Wii U just for this game. There are many things I enjoyed from this new installment and few disappointments since I am a huge fan but I will explain after the good. (also I beat the game and played everything before writing this review instead of playhing it forI have played Pikmin and Pikmin 2 so being a huge fan (still played pikmin 2 in 2013 with my bro) I pretty much picked up the Wii U just for this game. There are many things I enjoyed from this new installment and few disappointments since I am a huge fan but I will explain after the good. (also I beat the game and played everything before writing this review instead of playhing it for maybe a couple hours and giving it a 10 like some gamers do for some reason).

    The Good: The maps and scenery are amazingly beautiful. lots to explore and secrets all around for you to find. I can promise you will miss a few things when you beat it your first time. The game is noob friendly in the beginning which is good for the newer player. The Wii U pad is great. You can move your groups from the pad and take pictures to Miiverse and has everything you need to use.

    The story is nice since you have 3 characters involved. Also without spoiling too much, you will see some things that will make past pikmin players happy. They still keep the same formula with new puzzles in every map to keep you exploring.

    The multiplayer is awesome! very fun and competitive! The Bingo battles will give you the most replay value if you have another friend to play with. After you guys play enough untill you hate each other, just play some co-op mission mode where you and a friend work together instead which is also fun especially since they have an online leaderboard this time around. You also get to fight those bosses again with a friend this time. Back to the bingo battles, there are 12 maps and each map has variations that will choose at random on what spawns and how it looks.

    The Bad: Content is on the low end. Big time. With such improvements from the last games, it surprisingly lacked more than I thought. Compared to Pikmin 2, you get much less in the campaign and co-op. Bingo battle has no problems, its fine with many maps to choose from but I will explain where this game somehow fell on some points.

    There are only 5 bosses!!!! Although the bosses will not fail to make you loose pikmin and panic, I seriously was disappointed from this. Pikmin 2 had over 10 different bosses and sometimes used the same bosses again but the second time around would be an even harder challenge. also the story is far shorter than expected. Although I enjoyed it, it was like a 6 hour campaign. This was very, very strange to see considering pikmin and pikmin 2 are much longer and were on Gamecube disks!

    Also the mission mode lacked the most compared to pikmin 2 with I think 25 or 30 levels where you only get 5 in this one (its 5 missions, 5 enemy levels, and 5 bosses to fight). I was very saddened to see how fast you can 100% complete this game compared to Gamecube-sized predecessors. I was expecting a lot more since you can fit more than a Gamecube disk.

    This isnt a big deal but If you played Pikmin 1 or 2, then you might remember the function to make your pikmin move around you either using the c-stick (gamecube controller) or down on the D-pad (wiimote). Also can be used to make your pikmin grab something very quick without stopping the rest from following you. This for some reason has been removed and I noticed just how useful that function was now that you cant do it. They added the cool charge tactic but it was only useful for fighting enemies and using it to pick up stuff is a bother. Also they removed all but one camera controls which is a small bummer

    The Conclusion: This new title will leave older fans with some disappointments but new players will certainly love this game! I do not regret buying this game. I am on my second play-through still enjoying myself and loving the bingo battles. Although if you have never played Pikmin 2, I HIGHLY recommended you pick up that game right away as I promise you will love that one way more than the 3rd one. You should buy this game. Best game out for the Wii u right now. Again, BUY PIKMIN 2 if you have purchased Pikmin 3 already and like it.    … Expand
  5. wadeseven
    Aug 6, 2013
    7
    First time writing a review on metacritic. Altough i didn´t play the previous pikmin games, i really was interested in them but i grabbed the gamecube kinda late (not that it´s an excuse). What i keep hearing about this game is that it doesn´t bring that much new stuff into the pikmin formula, but people like me that always wanted to play a pikmin game, this game is a delight! GraphicallyFirst time writing a review on metacritic. Altough i didn´t play the previous pikmin games, i really was interested in them but i grabbed the gamecube kinda late (not that it´s an excuse). What i keep hearing about this game is that it doesn´t bring that much new stuff into the pikmin formula, but people like me that always wanted to play a pikmin game, this game is a delight! Graphically the game is amazing, perfectly using depth of field focus and other fine touches, but...the ground textures sometimes are really weak, wich is a shame, considering that everything around it is pretty well done. lens fare, particles etc all very well done. The gameplay is great, surprisingly addictive, making you want to collect everything, returning to previous lvl´s to explore every inch of the map. All control schemes are nailed to perfection, and the use of the gamepad for the map and waypoints, altough simple, it´s very useful. Overall if you have a Wii U you should play this game… Expand
  6. curzon_dax
    Oct 6, 2017
    7
    Extremely overrated game as usual since it's a Nintendo game (they tend to get extreme scores by their fans regardless). It gets a 7 at best because 1) the time limit is annoying 2) the fighting mechanics are convoluted, annoying and nonsensical and 3) you are being attacked out of nowhere in some cases without any indication of what's going on.
  7. Kazek7
    Jan 5, 2015
    7
    Pikmin 3 is by no means a bad game, It's one of the better ones out there for the Wii U. But when compared to its predecessors, its inferior in many aspects. The graphics are great, and the boss battles are tough and well made. But the main issue with this game is that there is not enough time in the day to make major progress. Because the day is so short, Things like boss battles take upPikmin 3 is by no means a bad game, It's one of the better ones out there for the Wii U. But when compared to its predecessors, its inferior in many aspects. The graphics are great, and the boss battles are tough and well made. But the main issue with this game is that there is not enough time in the day to make major progress. Because the day is so short, Things like boss battles take up an entire day. Whats more annoying, Is that it takes another day to deliver the items the boss dropped to your ship.
    Some people complain about the controls, It's really not too much of an issue for me, But I would rather be using a Gamecube controller then using the Wii U game pad.
    The levels in this game follow a linear path, and there isn't as much exploring as there was in the previous games. The caves in Pikmin 2 would sometimes take hours to clear, In fact I spent longer in Dream Den than I did playing the entire story of Pikmin 3.
    Perhaps the most disappointing part of this game is how short the game is, and the fact that there is NO replay-ability. It took me 7 hours to beat this game, and there is no end game content in it. And again, I spent more time in Dream Den and some of the other caves in Pikmin 2 then I did the entire story of Pikmin 3
    I don't HATE this game, Or think it sucks. I enjoyed Pikmin 3 while it lasted. Pikmin 3 is worth being played through once, But I would suggest buying this game if its at a discount. It's not too long and I didn't find it too challenging. The game will be much better if you haven't played any of the previous games. If you haven't played any of the previous games I strongly suggest you go out and play them. If you like this game, You will love the older ones.
    Pikmin 3 earns a Final score of 7.5/10    … Expand
  8. IxRich
    Dec 25, 2014
    7
    It's a good engaging game, although I found the controls to be a little confusing at first. I haven't played it all the way through as yet as I started to bore of it after an hour or so.
  9. Silverzapper
    Mar 9, 2016
    7
    This was overall a decent experience. This is one of the most beautiful games I've ever played. The enemy designs were great and they did a great job making the areas as good as possible. However as a Pikmin veteran I have some complaints. The biggest being the time limit. Even though in reality I would have to play like an 8 year old to actually lose I still hate the feeling that you haveThis was overall a decent experience. This is one of the most beautiful games I've ever played. The enemy designs were great and they did a great job making the areas as good as possible. However as a Pikmin veteran I have some complaints. The biggest being the time limit. Even though in reality I would have to play like an 8 year old to actually lose I still hate the feeling that you have a set time and that's it. It was this thing nagging at me for my entire playthrough. Another thing I hate is that there is no Piklopedia. If you don't know what that is it is basically the best thing in Pikmin 2. I'm not saying this is a bad game I'm just saying that it needs improvements to be a truly great game. There are other things I dislike about this game but I don't want to be typing until 3am.… Expand
  10. Trovicrump
    Oct 7, 2017
    7
    Pikmin 3, is a pikmin game that tries to capture the essence of the original 2 pikmin games on the gcn, but fails to capture the essence without understanding basic concepts and how the added to the base game. Pikmin 3 fails at a couple important aspects, those being plot, linearity, and collectables. Pikmin Is a game franchise with a heavy emphasis on collecting items, battling enemies,Pikmin 3, is a pikmin game that tries to capture the essence of the original 2 pikmin games on the gcn, but fails to capture the essence without understanding basic concepts and how the added to the base game. Pikmin 3 fails at a couple important aspects, those being plot, linearity, and collectables. Pikmin Is a game franchise with a heavy emphasis on collecting items, battling enemies, and managing resources. it is a amazing rts game filled with puzzles and challenges. However, a part of the main experience of pikmin is collecting objects. In the first game, it is the ship parts, and the second, hundreds of unique objects which tally up to a total to let your progress, the parts are a requirement to progression. this is one of the most important parts of the game, and pikmin 3 has failed at making it interesting and essential. In pikmin 3 you collect fruit, and this fruit is supposedly essential to the main plot, but all it does gameplay wise is make sure you dont fail, and run out of food to survive the game. This is a bad decision on many parts, the only addition the fruit adds is more time, fruit is not required and adds nothing other than more days to get to the linear goal, which is always solving puzzles to get to a single boss fight. this leads all of the game to be set on a linear story driven path, where nothing you do except following it progresses the game itself, which is a downside to the very nonlinear setup of the first two games. The collectables are also boring: in the first two games the collectables were interesting and unique, the ship parts had a cool look and were unique in their own way, and pikmin 2 had you collect stuff you knew, chapstick, but in pikmin 3 you collect the same type of fruit, and alot of them are repeats. this is detrimental to pikmins core design and hinders the experience. I play pikmin to explore and collect, but I am not incentivised nor required to do so to progress the plot, and the game loves to stop you to force you to do something. The game is very linear, and its short too. The biggest part of the two pikmin games was collecting and here it serves no purpose to progression other than letting you continue the linear path it has set for you. in the first two you had to collect and find stuff to continue, and that was where most of the strategy came.. but all it seems like now is the puzzles and combat, which are done well I will have to give credit. In my eyes pikmin 2 is a stronger title than this but if you want to ease into pikmin play this game first.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best Wii U Game of 2013
4
#4 Most Discussed Wii U Game of 2013
5
#5 Most Shared Wii U Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 79 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 77 out of 79
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 79
  3. Negative: 0 out of 79
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 7, 2013
    87
    Pikmin 3 combines RTS elements, direct action and light puzzles. The result is a quite endearing scifi-adventure despite some control issues and bland splitscreen multiplayer. There's also no real need to develop special tactics for bosses. [Aug 2013]
  2. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Sep 19, 2013
    80
    Pikmin 3 is a greatly balanced, challenging at the right moments, original, adorable, and above all continually entertaining real-time strategy game, making you smile instantly. It's suited for all the gamers of all ages, and for both genders. [Issue#232]
  3. Gamer.no
    Sep 16, 2013
    80
    Pikmin 3 is a cute game with plenty of soul. It takes the concept from the two previous games one step further with the way it combines tactics with roleplaying. In terms of graphics this is probably the most beautiful game the world has ever seen on a Nintendo console.
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