It’s a good time to be a Pikmin fan. Not only has the long-awaited Pikmin 4 smashed it, but Nintendo have also gone that extra mile for the much loved series and given the first two games the HD treatment. Pikmin 1 + 2 come as a bundle for £39.99 or you can pick up each separately for £24.99.
And with the arrival of these two classic GameCube titles to the Switch, this makes Pikmin is one of the few series where you can play all the mainline instalments on one platform.
Light-Handed Ports
Pikmin 1 + 2 has been given a light HD treatment. There isn’t much in the way of improvements to fidelity, but this probably does more to highlight just how good the source material is.
Pikmin 1 first landed way back in 2001 and was a very unique title. Pikmin 1 was Nintendo’s first real crack at the real-time strategy genre.
Read More: Pikmin 4 review – Fun-Speckled Switch Seller
The game introduces Captain Olimar to the world as he had crash-landed on an uncharted planet with one goal. That is to rebuild his spaceship with a little help from tiny creatures, who dwell on the planet called Pikmin.
The game moves the traditional real-time strategy focus from having to build bases and armies and instead embraces exploration and collection with a healthy dash of combat as well.
Pure Pikmin Joy
Which when combined with Nintendo’s signature style and charm, Pikmin 1 is something special. And some 12 years on, there is still a lot of magic in seeing the familiar in the most unfamiliar of ways.
That first game is the purest the Pikmin formula will ever get. You are tasked with finding thirty different parts to repair your ship from around the planet. And you only having enough fuel to keep your life support system alive and kicking for 30 days.
However, you are not alone, as you could call on the help of three different Pikmin. Each has their own abilities you can use to overcome challenges and puzzles you’ll face.
Bigger, Better Pikmin
Pikmin 2 took the foundations of the first game and built on them in every way. The 2004 sequel truly refines the formula. Pikmin 2 adds and removes elements to strengthen the game overall.
The fearless Captain Olimar is back and returns to the strange planet he just escaped from, though this time he’s hunting for precious treasures. Which you need to pay off the extreme debt of 10,100 pokos, owed by your employer Hocotate Freight after a co-worker loses a shipment of golden Pikpik carrots to a “space rabbit”.
The second game adds in new Pikmin types as well; mainly the white and purple, as well as having to tackle dungeons in the form of multi-layered caves. In a lot of ways the second game just rounds off the edges of the gameplay.
Which makes it much more enjoyable, as gone is the 30-day time limit of the first game and some other refinements enrich this as well.
Mass Control
Pikmin 1 + 2 offers a few control options. The pair of games have the updated systems that were added when they were ported to the Wii. If you don’t want to use motion controls, there is a similar system to the one used in Pikimin 3 Deluxe as well.
Both games have truly stood the test of time, partly due to their addictive gameplay. The biggest issue with the bundle is the the quality of the actual HD porting. Some of the textures are smeared and blurry while some other assets are razor sharp.
And beyond that inconsistent visual bump and some quality of life tweaks, Pikmin 1 + 2 are conservative ports. Long-time fans may be disappointed with the shallow overhaul. Especially when you look at the love with which Metroid Prime Remastered was updated.
Aside from that lack of innovation and improvement, Pikmin 1 + 2 is a package still as full of charm and wonder as it was two decades ago. The series offers one of the weirdest spins on the real-time strategy genre, and the two games here are two of the most endearing of the genre as well.