When I first saw the reveal of Hey!
Pikmin for the 3DS, I wasn’t exactly sure what to make of it.
The game seemed cute, but the switch to 2D gameplay underscored how this would be a markedly
different sequel.
Gone was the management of the Pikmin, replaced by traversing levels while finding Pikmin
to recruit in order to gather objects, fight enemies, and solve puzzles.
But, thanks to a trip to New York to go hands-on with the game, I now have a somewhat better
idea of how it’ll play.
My time with Hey!
Pikmin consisted of three levels, one for each of the main Pikmin: red, yellow and blue.
The first level featured the red Pikmin and kept the gameplay simple in order to give
me time to adjust to the game’s mechanics.
Olimar returns to the starring role for the game and, despite the move to 2D, you shouldn’t
think of him as typical platformer.
He cannot jump at all, but moving forward does allow him to scramble up small ledges.
Olimar’s not completely grounded though as he has a brand new jetpack to cross gaps
and reach some higher places, at least until his charge runs out.
It’s simple to control, but it didn’t seem required all that often, at least in
these three levels, as I sometimes forgot I even had the option.
But the levels I tried are from early in the game so hopefully it sees more use later on.
Otherwise, Olimar can climb up and down vines and even swim underwater, which we’ll get
to soon.
Rather than grow Pikmin, Olimar finds them in the wild, either in nests or by saving
them from the local wildlife.
And the scenes that play out before these rescues are utterly adorable.
It’s a playful side to the Pikmin you don’t often get to see in the console games, and
they really did remind me of the Pikmin shorts.
Just, you know, even shorter.
It really helped make me care about the little guys.
Gathering the Pikmin together is as simple as tapping the whistle icon on the bottom
screen and I was able to be quite accurate with my throws thanks to the touch interface.
But there was still some skill required for throws toward something on the top screen.
Tapping farther from Olimar and the angle from his position determines how far and how
high a Pikmin will be thrown.
It helped prevent me from just mindlessly tapping the screen to get results.
Beyond the obvious goal of making it through a stage, I could also explore to find golden
seeds as well as discover and collect three Treasures per level.
Unfortunately, it’s not clear what these items do for Olimar, but it created a fun
challenge of finding and actually reaching them.
And since your Pikmin can obviously die, you’ll want to keep them safe as there’s no way
to get them back.
You just have to find more.
So if you don’t play well, there are some paths that you can’t take unless you replay
the level.
I didn’t find that hard in my time with the game, but there was one instance where
I was really close to missing out on a secret path.
Now that the basics are out the way, let’s talk about the levels themselves.
Like I said, the first level featured the red Pikmin, but they weren’t able to do
anything unique to their type like cross fiery gaps.
It was very much an introduction.
But the second level focused on the yellow Pikmin and although their immunity to electricity
wasn’t displayed, the game did make use of their ability to be thrown higher and farther
which was the focus of many of the puzzles.
New enemies were also introduced and showed how I needed to keep my Pikmin safe.
They trail close behind Olimar, but I needed to mind my timing so that my troops didn’t
get caught up in an attack.
It made traversal a little bit more thoughtful.
The cave itself was also enjoyable to explore with its many false walls and extra areas
that could easily be missed.
The final level showed off the blue Pikmin and Olimar’s ability to swim.
It also provided a taste of how throwing the Pikmin is fundamentally different.
Rather than the Pikmin going until they land, they shoot out a set distance before immediately
returning to Olimar.
It’s a smart decision and changed up the feel of the game ever so slightly.
The greater mobility allowed for a level with more enemies on-screen and hazards where Olimar
had to be on the move.
As far as the presentation, the game looks pretty good.
There’s a soft feel to everything and despite the small size of the characters, it was quite
simple to keep track of where I needed to go and what my Pikmin were doing.
While I feel that I never got to try any of the more complex levels, I do wonder if the
challenge of the game will ever increase.
My fear, based on this short playtime, is that each level will focus on a single group
of Pikmin and never mix and match them for potentially more complex puzzles.
There’s a lot that can be done with each group, but the real fun of Pikmin is managing
all the types at once.
Even if it doesn’t, this feels like it could be a good introduction to the series for young
players.
I came away from my time with Hey!
Pikmin feeling optimistic about the game.
It was easy to pick up and play, and there’s real charm to be found here.
The gameplay may come across as simplistic, but it has the potential to offer up some
unique challenges.
At least that’s my hope.
If you’re looking for complexity on the level of the console games, I’m not sure
if you’ll find it here.
But if you’re open to something different, I think Hey!
Pikmin has potential.
We’ll see if this cautious optimism pays off once the game is released on July 28th.
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