Pikmin 3 Deluxe

Pikmin 3 Deluxe is a real-time strategy and puzzle video game developed and published by Nintendo. It is an enhanced version of the Wii U version for the Nintendo Switch, released on October 30, 2020. Eighting handled the porting, planning, development, and coordination of new elements. The game includes a new prologue and epilogue featuring Captain Olimar and Louie, multiple difficulty modes, cooperative play in the story mode, the reintroduction of the Piklopedia from Pikmin 2, and all DLC from the Wii U version included. A stand-alone sequel, Hey! Pikmin was released in 2017 for Nintendo 3DS, while a direct sequel, Pikmin 4, was released on July 21, 2023 on the Nintendo Switch.

In the year 20XX, the inhabitants of the planet Koppai are suffering from famine as a result of a “booming population, booming appetites, and a basic lack of planning”. Having scouted multiple planets with their SPEROS ships to find ones with resources, one returns positive after scouting the Pikmin planet, which they call PNF-404. It has an abundance of cultivable food, and so three Koppaite captains are sent to explore the planet and retrieve the food sources that will save their planet: the engineer Alph, the botanist Brittany, and the captain Charlie. However, upon landing on the planet, their ship, the S.S. Drake, malfunctions and crash-lands, separating the three.

Charlie falls to the Distant Tundra and meets the Yellow Pikmin, but is eaten by the Vehemoth Phosbat. Alph awakens in the Tropical Wilds and meets the Red Pikmin, who help him recover their ship. Alph learns that the “cosmic drive key”, which is required to warp back to Koppai, has disappeared following the crash. The player controls a captain which commands a horde of up to 100 plant-like creatures called Pikmin, and uses their unique abilities to explore the world, combat enemies, solve puzzles, and amass treasures. Pikmin can be directed to accomplish various tasks, such as building bridges, destroying barriers, collecting spoils, and defeating enemies.

They come in various colors and different physical features that signify their special abilities and immunities to hazards. For example, Red Pikmin are immune to fire and are stronger than other Pikmin, Yellow Pikmin are immune to electricity and can be thrown farther, and Blue Pikmin are immune to water. Pikmin 3 retains the Red, Yellow, and Blue Pikmin, and also introduces two Pikmin types: the grey-colored Rock Pikmin, which can destroy tough barriers and are immune to being crushed by heavy objects; and the pink-colored Winged Pikmin, which can attack airborne enemies and travel through the air and over water. 

The game also retains the White Pikmin, which poisons enemies when eaten, and the Purple Pikmin, which have the strength of ten Pikmin, both which are from Pikmin 2, but are only available in the side modes of this game. The player controls up to three captains and switches between them to accomplish tasks and solve puzzles. Aside from the single-player story campaign, the game features a split-screen two-player multiplayer mode called Bingo Battle, in which each player has a 4-by-4 grid of items to collect, and must compete to get four-in-a-row on their board. 

Mission Mode is a single-player or cooperative multiplayer experience where the players are presented with a task based on Pikmin fundamentals, which must be completed in a limited amount of time. There are three trials present within Mission Mode: Collect Treasure, where the players must collect all the fruit and enemies on the map using a set amount of Pikmin before time runs out; Battle Enemies, where the players must kill all the enemies on the map as quickly as possible; and Defeat Bosses, which allows the players to rematch the bosses from the story mode.