Why Are No Two Pikmin Games Alike?
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- Опубліковано 31 лип 2024
- Pikmin is a series of contradictions. Nintendo’s underrated real-time strategy video game series has remained fundamentally the same since the first game released on the Gamecube in 2001. Despite that, every game in the series has a distinct feel not found in the other games? Let’s take a deep dive into how Pikmin’s small tweaks can lead to big changes.
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Games Discussed: Pikmin, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3, Pikmin 3 Deluxe, Pikmin 4
Consoles: Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Switch
Games Referenced: Hey Pikmin, Pikmin Bloom, Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart
Studio: Nintendo
Key Developers: Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka, Shigefumi Hino, Masamichi Abe, Hajime Wakai, Kazumi Totaka, Hiroyuki Kimura, Yuji Kando, Tetsushi Tsunoda
Genre: Real-Time Strategy, Open World, Exploration, Dungeon Crawler, Management Simulation, Adventure
Major Characters: Captain Olimar, Louie, Alph, Brittany, Charlie, Rescue Corps, Oatchi, Red Pikmin, Yellow Pikmin, Blue Pikmin, Purple Pikmin, White Pikmin, Rock Pikmin, Winged Pikmin, Ice Pikmin
Topics Discussed: Game mechanics, deep dive, iceberg, analysis, video game analysis, video game review, retro game, retro video game, management, time, time management, flashback, memory, nostalgia, caves, boss battle, boss battle strategy, walkthrough, multitasking, leadership, leader, how to, nature, dog, rescue dog, animals, plants, simulation, difficulty options, video essay, essay, video game essay, classics, onion, onions, bluborb, Nintendo IP, celebration, fire, electricity, water, ost, soundtrack, video game music, completion, completionist, collectibles, 100% full playthrough, commentary, retrospective - Ігри
I remember renting the original Pikmin on the Gamecube when I was a kid and enjoying it but never beating it. The only game I have beaten so far is Pikmin 3. This video did inspire me to pik Pikmin 4 back up after putting it down while other games got in the way. Thanks for the interesting analysis on the history of the franchise.
Thanks for watching; I'm glad this video was able to spread the Pikmin love! Pikmin 4 is totally worth seeing through to the end (although it did release during a packed year, didn't it?)
Pikmin 2 is great because i love how hard it is and how i have beasted it
Fun fact: pikmin 2 actually can change the weight of upgrade treasures if you loose too many pikmin! i imagine they didnt want to be too hard on the players by letting them have their victory despite having only like 7 pikmin left
That's fascinating! I had no idea about that aspect; it's really clever.
Not the Titan Dweevl's treasures 😭
@@sithlordmikeypI think that’s because the only treasures that scale are treasures you get that provide an ability. Louie would scale down if you had 4 or less Pikmin, but not the rest of the dropped treasures because they can’t “end the game” like Louie can.
i had a 2nd obstacle in Pikmin 1, a IRL time limit. My parents only allowed me to play 30 minutes a day, thus i was never able to beat the game as a kid, still loved it.
i feel old... 10 years between pikmin 3 and 4? wow....
another great video, keep up the amazing work!
same here, this made it really hard for my brother and I to finish games and led to lots of bargaining! lol
Revisiting 20+ year-old games is weird because a lot of them are shorter than I remember them being - in no small part due to IRL time limits like that!
Thanks for watching and for your kind words!
That word your looking for is Dandori, the art of time Management
I think it's really cool how upfront Pikmin 4 is with its Dandori theme. The other games have it for sure but 4 just straight up tells you what Dandori means and that you have to get good at it.
It's a bit of a clumsy loanword. Management RTS is accurate, but maybe for in-game uses they could have used "optimisation" or "planning".
I hope the next game has two characters named Daniel and Dorry.
Dandori is cringe and using the word is cringe
You saying this is cringe, saying cringe is cringe, go do some Dandori on your social skills
something that I'm surprised didn't come up in the Pikmin 4 section is the Pikmin type cap, and Flarlic. In every other game, you can have as many types in your squad as you want, but in 4, you can only have three types on the field at once, barring finding more in a cave. It adds to that feeling of each type being important and making you choose your types carefully. On top of that, Pikmin 4 is the first in the series to not start you with a cap of 100, instead capping you at 20 and making you raise it by getting Flarlic. This also makes each Pikmin feel more important, as you have to balance the limited types with the limited quantity of total Pikmin to handle every challenge you might face
Great observation! In my eyes, it is a great example of how to make a things more fun and interesting by limiting the player in little ways
personally i think the three type limit is a downside and doesn't have bring any additional strategy. the way the game is designed changed to accommodate less; there's rarely ever a scenario where you'll run into a hazard you can't clear by just having the auto-selected pikmin types. the few instances where this does happen, you're given plenty of time to convert members of your squad to the other types. even if the auto selection was removed, the game still has this problem. the player is never rewarded for bringing pikmin outside of the recommended trio with them. i think the limit could be more interesting if the game routinely used more than three hazard types per area/cave & there was the ability to raise the limit of types (perhaps as a late game reward). this would reward the player for the types they chose (perhaps one day you take yellows to destroy a bunch of electric gates, and then the next day you bring another type to clear another hazard elsewhere in the map for example) and encourage getting as much done as possible with the types you chose to avoid having to make repeated trips to the onion to swap types.
I do wish they had like a rainbow flarlic in the game that would increase the Pikmin type limit throughout the game. Maybe have them more focused in the later areas. Because late game the three type limit just started feeling unnecessary and limiting on fun team combinations.
@@CrazyWeridoRH ooh, that's a really good idea
Personally I always found Pikmin 3's three captains very unnecessary for most of the game. It felt like just 1-upping 2's two captains.
And while managing two of them can really get you more done during the day, I found myself only using two in the third game as well, while one of them stays idle.
As you have farmed so many juice from a certain point that you don't have to care, you don't even feel the pressure to squeeze every second out of each day by using all three Captains at once.
Pikmin 3 is a little strange in that regard. It really feels like they want you to maximize the most out of your time but there's not much incentive to do so since it's pretty lenient.
Part of me wonders if it's like that to fit Nintendo's pattern of making games that are easy enough for a kid to beat while encouraging optional challenges that add difficulty (in this case, finishing the game in as few days as possible).
@@i_am_a_dotthis is such a bad take god
pikmin games have always been about "casual speedrunning", except 2 i guess. you are supposed to replay them and try to beat them in less days, hell most of them even have scoreboards.
pikmin 3 is "easy" but its also designed around having high potential for speedrunning it and getting your times lower, and captains are 100% essential for that
@@internetguy7319 That's a fair point. I typically look at games from a "first playthrough" perspective. In Pikmin 3's case, just getting through it without knowing all the tricks and secrets is pretty straightforward.
But I totally agree that the ceiling is hella high when it comes to speedrunning!
wow dude i just got recommended this video by youtube and I was blown away at how impressive the editing and this video as a whole was. keep up the amazing work
Thanks for checking it out! More videos are on the way...
I totally agree the quality it’s amazing
This was a really high quality analysis of these games without being overly long. I hadn’t thought about each game changing which resource is most limited in the way you articulated it. Keep up the great work!
I read the thumbnail as “big chungus” it’s so over for me LMAO
A tip for pikmin 2’s cave on GameCube is if you want to destroy any enemy that has eaten at least 1 pikmin, press START + R + Z
Pikmin 4 is great with all the new mechanics and the amount of content but the whole home base/lab/oatchi skill unlock system was tedious. The first 3 games were just "pick a map, do the tasks" but the management/conversations with rescues between days just really killed the vibe for me. They also had a tough time balancing the power of Oatchi and the Ice Pikmin in most non-boss fights. The real killer though was removing/changing the multiplayer. Battles are cool and all but Pikmin 3 really shined as a coop game in Story Mode and 2P missions.
But hey, at least we got Pikmin 4 and overall it was fun so I guess we'll take what Pikmin we can get!
Ace Attorney and now Pikmin? You're winning my heart here
:D another banger video! this really makes me want to try out a pikmin game - resource management is something I love a lot, and 3 & 4 seem like they'd scratch an itch!
Thanks for watching! All four are a great time but 3 or 4 would be a strong place to start (though I might give the edge to 4)
I was Recommended this channel by UA-cam, and I've got to say that you put impressive levels of editing and care into your work. If This is a testament to your Talent, then you have nowhere to go but up. You've made a fantastic video, keep up the amazing work! Excited to see more from you!
Really loved this video! You did a great job highlighting the differences in gameplay between each of the entries in the series.
This is an amazing retrospective video keep it up!
bro is popping off so hard 🥲
These new visual elements you have with the paper scraps are super good
I adore your take on the series!! also, it made me realize that because my first pikmin game was 3, it made me play pikmin 4 and 2 differently because I split up my captains as often as I could lol
only 350 views? This video is majorly underrated.
Luckily it has a lot more than that now
Really loving your videos, a great vibe, and super informative. Can't wait to binge em as I cook dinner today
Wow! Incredible video great job explaining all this! I've always loved the Pikmin series it's one of my favorites!
I've never been a fan of games with a time limit. My first attempt of the Persona series was P3P and the moment I realized that there was a finite amount of time to get stuff done. I basically quit. I would eventually play Persona 4 on PS2, using a walkthrough someone made on gamefaqs that avoided spoilers and just gave me like a list of things to do on that day. Basically giving me a schedule to work with so I can play through the game and enjoy it. Thankfully, with Persona, the time limit isn't a ticking clock, progress is only made when you do an action. If a game has a ticking clock, I'm not above using a trainer, cheat engine, or code breaker codes to pause the thing.
this is extremely good for being your third video! keep it up
As a kid and now a man who absolutely HAAATES time limits, I still absolutely LOVE Pikmin and have beat them all except 4.
2 was my favorite.
Up to 1.4k subs already? Knew it wouldn't take long. At this rate you'll hit 100k in no time at all.
Glad to have you along for the ride! (Fingers crossed!)
oooh your editing and visuals are so yummy pls keep going
This is such a great video! I love the approach to describing what each game manages as a way if telling how they're different. I worry about newcomers getting massive spoilers though 😅
The little changes really do make big differences! Thank you for another great video!
P.S. What is everyone's favorite pikmin type? It's hard to decide but...Rock is so cute!!
I have a soft spot for Purple, even though they kind of break Pikmin 2 a bit. Though, the Rock are the most adorable rocks around...
Honestly, I think I like Blue Pikmin the most. Ever since I saw their Lifeguard feature I've always thought that was so touching that their type is the only type which can save other pikmin on their own.
6:59 actually one time i beat a boss with only one pikmin still alive and the treasure weighed 1 pikmin so i could carry it back (it was an Emperess bulblax)
Great video!! I've played all except Pikmin 2 but you really nailed it with this analysis
Thanks for checking out the video! Pikmin 2 used to be my favorite one until 4 came along. It's a great time, even if those last few caves are brutal.
@@i_am_a_dot the reputation those caves have has scared me off for years 😅
@8BitAlchemy “it’s not that bad” -me who’s only played the beginning
Hey always good to see PIKMIN content I have a request if I may. Could you do a deep dive into Olimar's character if you're interested in doing one I've always been fascinated with him and wanna see what your perspective is.
Amazing video! Nice way of looking at it, hadn’t thought about this! 🤩
I remember being intimidated by Pikimin 3's time limit as a kid as my first Pikmin game, but after playing Pikmin 1 and 2 and returning back to 3, I was actually disappointed by that game's lack of challenge in the main story! It's kinda funny how that works out now.
This is the type of content i would expect from someone with like 250k+ subs; good work!
Everytime i see a vid going thru the series, im reminded why i love pikmin so much. The 4 games give such a unique and different take on the challenges of dandori, and each subtly push the player to master its systems in a way i see very few other games accomplish. ( tho ok maybe 4 isnt so subtle about it XD)
Thanks for the great video!!
Ah, yes make mistakes like the time rocks fell from the ceiling, so I took the precaution to scout ahead without my pikmin and rocks fell only when my pikmin passed under them
Good video and also I love pikmin so much!!
Excellent narrative, that was well written and executed. One of my all time favorite games too.
i would like to add that the map design had distinct changes as well
p1 had hard walls
p2 introduced caves
p3 had large open areas
p4 base moving allowing wider areas and introduced ledges to jump on (imo is soo amazing and necessary with oachi)
also they handle puzzles in a distinct way
p1 had just random puzzles layed out
p2 introduced some dual captain puzzle mechanics
p3 introduced triple puzzle mechanics
p4 (imo) correctly placed puzzles in caves where players have all the time in the world to solve
I did the same thing you did with pikmin 1 as a kid, but with pikmin 3. I was also relatively young when playing it, and after watching Zackscott play it, I had no interest in finishing the “horrifying” final area. I then finished it a year ago and felt so dumb.
Nice video!
I always explained Pikmin like if you're commanding an army of plant ants? I mean, they can only carry things and beat predators in large groups, like ants
I feel like the points you make for pikmin 4 can be valid, but are a little bit more complicated when looking at what oatchi can do, which is almost everything. Locked behind upgrades sure, but he can solve some management issues easily. The main two points i'd make there would be his charge, which is very strong and allows you to just brute force enemies. And the second being that you can just get on him with all of your pikmin to cross parts filled with water. I agree that every pikmin game feels quite different though, a very correct observation.
Here’s the tl;dw.
Pikmin: Time management. You’re given a strict time limit and must get the parts within the given time. Not exactly the hardest thing ever, but it can be challenging to Nintendo’s typical demographic of children.
Pikmin the Second: Population management. There is no time limit, but your troops WILL die, to one extent or another, so you definitely have to get a lot of Pikmin under your belt. And no matter what you do, the game keeps throwing things at you.
Pikmin the Third: Somewhat a black sheep of the four, being more so about efficiency than purely management.
Pikmin the Fourth: Management of Pikmin races. In this one, you don’t find most of the Pikmin’s onions right away, there typically being a sizable gap between where you get them first and when you get their onion.
See y’all in 20 millennia when Pikmin the Fifth comes out.
The clock of 1 alweys intimidate me, so my first was 2. Many years later I tried 1 and it was that bad, but mostly cuz I could "save scum" and restart the day when thing go wrong (which was almost everyday to me).
I didn't know the maps layout, enemies that live there or obstacles I would find, so the first day on each are was just figuring out what to expect and come with a plan for the next day.
I still really bad at Pikmin, but want to try 3 and 4 someday.
9/10 valuable insights, didn't mention Glowmin
The timer in pikmin 1 didnt bother me as a kid, Wollyhops though...
1:20-1:31 I had to pause then, that delivery made me choke up laughing. brill
I liked how pikmin 4 removed every single aspect of depth and challenge that the other games had other than doing things quick. Also the multiplayer is embarrassing bad compared to 3 deluxe and arguably 2.
I want some of whatever you are smoking.
I mean *technically* Pikmin 1 (GCN), Pikmin 1 (Wii), and Pikmin 1 (NS) are alike
I swear i saw this channel months ago but theres no video proof of it ahhaha nice pikmin video thanks =)
I first got introduced to the first game during my time at a play place while my parents ate at a casino…some kid was playing it on like a computer and I was instantly interested they allowed me to watch and now I own the games Pikmin four and Pikmin 3 deluxe
Which Pikmin game you like best from this perspective, may play into which resource is the most fun to manage 🤔
I LOVE 3’s squad focus; the ability to chunk the day up and divide and conquer is super satisfying to me, but 4’s is also a really unique issue; especially with the multiple onions for yellow and blue! It changes how you prioritize.
Evergreen vid
I love all 4 games, but pikmin 4 is just odd, it would be 10/10 without the dogs though. I wish Olimar’s travels section used the original map too, but jewtendo had to rerelease the original.
i got a pikmin bloom ad on this! 🎉
I thinl that the word to describe pikmin would be collecting not management
This is cool, it sounds fun. -S.F. Nightingale
i love pikmin and this video!
I agree with a lot of what you said but your discussion on pikmin 4 was a bit of a stretch
The one word to describe pikmin is collect
I stopped Pikmin after 3, just wasn't fond of the direction it's been taking.
If anything, I think each game being so different is a very bad thing. Pikmin reinvents itself through over-correction:
>People hated 1's time limit (even I did as a kid)? Now there isn't one (kid!me loved that)... but there also isn't much of a point to most obstacles, then: the tasks found in Pikmin 1 were designed to take time (which you don't have plenty of) to encourage multi-tasking. The lack of a time limit in caves (and overall) in 2 turns destructible walls and carrying things into a waste of the player's time. You can play the game *wrong* and do them all one at a time... and the game is okay with that.
>Purples in 2 were overpowered? Now they're gone in 3, outside of side modes where they were severely nerfed.
2 put extra emphasis on combat (because time management was moot), but 1's controls weren't good enough for that? Now 3 lets you dodge-roll, aim freely, etc.
>Because 2 was so different, they have created Pikmin fans who missed its changes that were abandoned in 3, such as the caves? Woah, look, 4 has caves too, now!!
... and I imagine its own set of new issues as well.
I prefered Pikmin when it was just some poor middle-aged guy trying his best to survive and see his wife and kids again. You were at the bottom of the food chain in an alien world. You had to be methodical.
Now you're surrounded by familiar faces and a friendly dog, and you're a badass able to attack something while actively running away from it (since the reticle isn't locked to being in front of you).
I can't help but feel they lost something as the games went by. -beyond my interest, I mean- x)
Heck, instead of trying to address Save Scumming, which has always taken ALL of the tension away, they now fully embrace it.
being able to aim freely while moving has been a thing since the Wii versions of Pikmin 1 and 2 (the best versions)
@@therealvolcano
My complaint remains the same: it's still just solving "problems" that really didn't need to be solved, altering the game feel in the process.
I understand that I'm in the minority, though, unfortunately.
@@VonFirflirch shitty aiming and controls were a problem to be solved
(only Pikmin 4 didnt get that memo)
@@therealvolcano
1 & 2 on GC controlled perfectly fine for what they'd ask of the player, my stance won't change there.
I've seen a review on 4 that did make it seem like a pain in the ass at times. I'm glad I stopped at 3, if even fans of the newer controls aren't too hot on its new features x)
@@VonFirflirch perfectly fine is a joke
those things sucked
I've been studying Pikmin controls for over a year now, I know what makes them sucky even if they were the original controls
I get your point with Pikmin 4, but I think it's the worst one by far. I guess it's true that losing Pikmin can be devastating because of the restrictions placed on you, but the game was so easy that I never lost Pikmin anyway. The dungeons, which were a massive challenge in Pikmin 2, felt like nothing in 4. And outside of Dandori challenges there's no time limit, so the game felt like it stripped all of the challenge and suspense out of the series.
This was my exact thoughts on 4, the lack of challenge strips away any incentive to play strategically. Dandori missions are pretty fun tho 🫠
Does Pikmin 3 have purple and white Pikmin?
wait purples do more damage???
Pikmin 2 is def the best but pikmin 4 is a very close second. As cool as oatchi was, he felt op being able to smash into shit 😂
Algorithm comment
Feed the algorithmic beast
The algorithm is actually a lot like a Breadbug. Scavenger, thick-skinned, likes to be annoying but never really harmful... yeah.
(Scratching his balls and sniffing his finger three times)