Just in time for Pikmin 4, the original two games arrive on Switch…
Reintroduce yourself to the plantlike Pikmin and strategic gameplay that this charming series is rooted in. From finding a way home to collecting treasure, Olimar (plus Louie in the Pikmin 2 game) must partner with a parade of Pikmin to survive the harshest of conditions. Both games support optional motion controls for more options when guiding your floral friends.
The original Pikmin games are some of my favourites for the GameCube. I spent so many hours carefully planning how to reach ship parts in the first or treasure in the second only to have my poor Pikmin either drown, burn or get crushed. Yet, still I persevered and hold them up as great games that I remember fondly. I was surprised when Pikmin 3 made the leap from Wii U to Switch, but not the other games…now that has been rectified and just a few weeks before Pikmin 4 as well. But how do these versions hold up?
The Pikmin games did get a re-release of sorts on the Wii with motion controls that some liked and some not as much. I’m glad to say that Pikmin 1 and 2 do offer it, but as an optional add-on if you wish to do so. The games have been upgraded to HD and run at a smoother framerate than their original counterparts and the games handle slightly better as well. Pikmin 1 is a short game at just a few hours if you know what you are doing, but Pikmin 2 is a much bigger game with tons of treasure to find and no 30-day time restrictions of the first game.
It doesn’t really matter which order you play them in, but even though Pikmin 1 is short, it does introduce you to the mechanics of the game such as what each Pikmin does and what it’s resistant or weak to. It had been quite a while since I played a Pikmin game so going back to the original was just what I needed in order to carry on with its sequel, which also adds new types of Pikmin and Louie to give you the chance to have two different armies of Pikmin.
There isn’t any new content to speak of in these HD versions, but considering the amount of content already here, I can’t complain. The visuals still retain their GameCube looks, but that’s part of the charm. The soundtrack is calming throughout, except in the boss stages where it becomes tense and I didn’t come across any bugs/glitches throughout.
The Verdict
Pikmin 1 + 2 is just what I needed to get hyped for Pikmin 4. It takes me back to what made me fall in love with the series, while giving it a nice HD home on Switch. I can’t recommend getting these enough.