President Satoru Iwata was at it again today, introducing a trio of new Nintendo Direct video presentations that brought individualized news on upcoming games to Japan, North America and Europe. But while the majority of each video’s content was crafted uniquely for each specific region, one bit of footage remained the same throughout all three – the new, two-minute long look at Pikmin 3.
It’s the first new footage we’ve seen of the upcoming Wii U sequel since last summer’s E3, and it’s apparent that the game has made huge strides in just these past six months. The environments are breathtaking, showcasing the HD power of Nintendo’s new high-definition console.
Of course, with two full minutes of new footage, it wasn’t all just pretty scenery to ooh and aah over. So we’re going to dissect this piece of Nintendo Direct, slicing apart the new look at Pikmin 3 and pulling out whatever new details and observations we can. Ready to go? Let’s gas up the Dolphin, leave the freight behind and blast off once again for the planet of the Pikmin.
The first impression that strikes when viewing the new Pikmin 3 footage isn’t how lush the environment looks, or the fact that Rock Pikmin are tagging along in the group on screen, or even that Captain Olimar’s son has taken command as the new lead character – no, the first impression is how terribly bad at Pikmin games the person playing for this recording must be. He or she simply ambles the small band of plant soldiers straight through a trio of hungry Dwarf Bulborbs, stupidly sacrificing several of them for no good reason. It proves to be only the first of many upsetting instances of needless Pikmin death in this clip, though, so those of you with a real heart for these characters may actually get uncomfortable.
Back on the gameplay details, though – we see Olimar Junior stroll past a strawberry (fruit is the new primary pick-up item in this sequel); a fractured barrier (which should be breakable by launching any Pikmin at it and letting them beat it down over time); and a crystal wall (only breakable by the new Rock Pikmin.) We then see the group encounter the first new enemy in the footage, a kind of translucent floating jellyfish who proceeds to smother another small contingent of Junior’s squad with its squishy, sticky body.
Again, this player is terrible. Or else they were ordered to be so, intentionally sacrificing Pikmin so that the footage would be able to display the new enemies’ new methods of attack. Whatever the case, ouch.
In the next segment, mercifully, no innocent Pikmin are sent to the slaughter. We simply see the new female playable character leading another small band of Pikmin through an outdoor corridor, slipping past a couple of sleeping Bulborbs and generally just showing off the environment. The Bulborbs’ bodies are a good place to focus your eyes to be able to appreciate the new graphical fidelity as it’s applied to enemies – their actually seem to have depth and definition now, rather than just being textured across their backs.
The butterflies that alight and flex their wings on top of the Bulborbs are a nice subtle touch, too.
Next, unfortunately, we’re back to the carnage as the player encounters and then ineffectually battles an imposing new enemy – a foe that can only be referred to as Pikmin’s version of the Giant Enemy Crab. This seemingly impenetrable crustacean effortlessly blocks Junior’s tosses of Pikmin warriors with its one huge claw, gobbles up a group of the little guys and then belches forth a BubbleBeam worthy of the Pokemon anime – but the chaos isn’t done. Each bubble that floats out into the battlefield then encases another Pikmin and carries it away, stranding it by separating it from the greater group.
The senseless player then presses the attack well beyond the point of reasonable retreat, and karma comes back to bite him as another bubble captures Junior himself and floats him away from the battle as well. No doubt the crab then consumed the rest of the now-leaderless Pikmin battalion. Way to go, nameless player.
The two bright spots in this scene of more senseless death? The crab himself is proven to be a worthy foe that I can’t wait to battle myself – and the bubble effect is yet another example of the beauty of the game’s graphics in action.
The footage’s fourth scene shifts the setting to a subterranean space lit by glowing mushrooms. (Players of Nintendo Land’s Pikmin Adventure should recall those.) Our band of little heroes is once again set upon by an imposing enemy, this time a hungry Spotty Bulbear, whose body is obscured by the oppressive darkness. He easily gobbles up more Pikmin – no surprise, given the low quality of play we’ve seen demonstrated thus far – but while snack time is happening for our foe, we at least get to catch a glimpse at the new cylinder-shaped area of effect for the captain’s Pikmin-summoning whistle.
Why would it extend up into the air like that, when it’s always been restricted to the ground before? The answer’s simply, of course – to accommodate Pikmin 3’s new pink, flying Pikmin. They’re not in this footage, but the whistle’s range visibly shooting up above the ground is even more evidence that our merry bunch of plant people will be adding new members that hover up above the ground instead of always resting on it (or in it).
Later, a pair of Fiery Blowhogs appear to ignite the same beleaguered group of Pikmin. Confirming that, yes, Pikmin still burn. (Even the Rock Pikmin, who some might have imagined as being immune to fire thanks to their bodies of stone. But, no.)
Our adventure into the depths of the cave continue into another darkened area, initially empty at first glance – until a new bioluminescent beast reveals itself in the blackness! This huge, hovering, night-bright moth materializes as if from nowhere to menace our already crippled corps, and it’s a brilliant reveal to behold as its entire body illuminates itself one piece at a time.
The player does only a mild job of dodging and running away, of course, leaving nearly the entire Pikmin posse to be caught up in the moth’s attack – a whirling, twisting tornado-like suction that spins the little guys up into his waiting maw. It’s hard to hear their plaintive cries as they pass away, but, thankfully, these are the final fatalities in the footage.
The final sequence of the new Pikmin 3 footage brings us to a lazy little pond, where two captains float on a lilypad along another group of Pikmin – including Whites and Purples! Nintendo had said previously that these two varieties first introduced in Pikmin 2 would return, but we actually hadn’t seen them in Pikmin 3 until this scene. Good to have visual confirmation of their encore appearances.
The main action in this moment, though, is a demonstration of a new mechanic for the series – one captain character picking up and tossing another. Junior grabs hold of the female playable character and hurls her to the top of a tree stump, and the player then switches control over to make her the captain being controlled. It’s a simple example of what will likely be a complicated mechanic by the end of this adventure, as Pikmin 3 is promising a total of four different playable heroes, each able to direct their own squads independently in the game world.
How will we keep track of that many? Will the other three be safe as we focus on just one? It’ll be intriguing to see how Nintendo brings balance to this area of the game design.
Finally, the lilypad-riding and captain-tossing scene ends with the female captain unearthing a group of Blue Pikmin and directing them to grab some cherries, which they then dutifully carry back to a home-location transport pod in the same way treasures were gathered in Pikmin 2 and ship components were collected in Pikmin 1. It’s straightforward footage to close things out, at first glance – but pay attention to what’s happening in the distance and the edges of the display. See those Yellow Pikmin busying themselves way back in the background? Are they being directed by a third playable captain back there, or have they been issued orders that have them working autonomously on their assigned task?
And look to the left edge of the screen just as the footage is ending. Could those be the new Pink Pikmin? They’re not yet plucked out of the ground, so it’s hard to tell for sure. But, to my eyes at least, it doesn’t seem like that grouping could be anything else. Darn you, Nintendo! You terrible tease!
And so concludes our dissection of the newest gameplay footage of Pikmin 3. Did you see something we didn’t? A detail we missed? Or do you think our analysis is off on some points? Let us know your thoughts through the comments box below.
And then stay tuned to IGN for more on Pikmin 3 through the coming months – because, as a parting shot, today’s Nintendo Direct pretty much confirmed that we’ll be getting more looks at this new Wii U sequel in future Direct videos before the game launches in Spring next year.
Lucas M. Thomas would never have lost so many Pikmin in battle – whoever played while this footage was recorded must have been intentionally trying to fail. You can follow Lucas on Twitter, @lucasmthomas.
Source : ign[dot]com
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