****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
After alkost a decade, the game that was "almost finished" in 2014 is now among us. And luckily for everyone, is a good game!This entry in the Pikmin franchise brings some core changes to the gameplay and feel of the traditional games. The camera perspective is behind the main character, making it feel more like a traditional 3rd person adventure, even though you have the freedom to move it and change the angle. Another festure is the addition of Oatchi a dog-like creature that aids us in the adventure like a second user you can switch to, a mega strong pikmin, or a mount that lets you move faster and jump throughout the map.With no obligatory and precise motion controls like Pikmin 1 and 2 had for Wii, and without the added features and ease of use of the Wii U gamepad for Pikmin 3, Nintendo had to re invent the control scheme for Pikmin with standard controls. In a way, it was a challenge to go back to gamecube era Pikmin and re-think how could they modernize the franchise without striping all their main characteristics and making it a mess to play. How could they bring new and old audiences together in a product that feels both modern and true to the franchise? Well this comes as a control scheme change and how you aim, having now to use two analog sticks one to move snd one to aim with an auto-aim feature that snaps to near-by targets. You can break away of this and aim with more freedom, but this new feature comes handy for the new perspective, controls and dynamic aspect of this game.The level structure now brings open ended areas with a lot to uncover, and returning from Pikmin 2, many caves with mini adventures, puzzles to solve and bosses to fight.This is probably the longest Pikmin game, with an end game that is almost like a new game entirely. Multiple npcs, upgrades and side missions to complete, make this game the most complete and feature fledged game in the franchise to date.The new additions like the ice pikmin (allow you to freeze enemies and ponds), and the only-at-night glowing green pikmin are amazing and offer enough variety to the gameplay, the green ones even bringing an entire new game mode with them: night incursions.That's right, this time and for the first time ever you can play during night time. It is an entire new mode that works like a tower defense game, where you have to protect some sort of nests that produce a substance to heal characters. You'll have a window of time to protect these nests against waves of enemies. And the only available pikmin are the green ones. A great break from the traditional levels, and a fun distraction although a little repetitive.Story wise, the game does a great job maintaining the suspense, bringing new and old characters to the table, while even attempting to re tell some of the classic storylines of the franchise.In terms of presentation, this game was made using Unreal Engine, and this brijgs a slight change in style especially for lighting compared to previous games. It really is a nice looking game, and the light and materials look amazing for a tablet with 2015 tech inside. Music and audio are great, with really nice compositions and melodies that are instantly recognizable. Sound cues that help you navigate and understand whats happening around and near you.In conclusion, this is the best entey in the franchise in terms of sheer content and quality. There's never been another Pikmin game this fleshed out and with so much intention to make it a game for everyone. Visuals, music, sound, story and gameplay come together in a complete package that feels modern, and offers over 20 hs of gamplay, or more if you want 100% completion.A must have for pikmin fans, nintendo lovers, and every gamer that is looking for a charming and fun strategic adventure.
