Couch Co-op Exploration with Pikmin 3 Deluxe

Disclaimer: The Fandads received an advance copy of Pikmin 3 Deluxe for review. All thoughts, opinions, and motion sickness from traveling are our own. 

With the holiday season coming up you can expect your children to start asking for the hottest games for their video game systems. While there will be a lot of games and consoles to choose from we want to help you find games that are family-friendly and fun for the entire family to play. Fandad Gil and his daughters flew to the far reaches of the galaxy to find a game that checks those boxes and met up with an old nemesis. 

Exploration Report - Day 6

We still haven't found the Captain. Our resources and morale are getting low. There's still hope but it's been a tough year. We must persevere.

Exploring the Universe

I started out on my mission alone. I received the package from my partner Victor and proceeded to begin exploring. Almost immediately I encountered a strange but fascinating lifeform, the Pikmin. 

Pikmin

I was familiar with Olimar as I had battled him many times before but I had never experienced commanding the creatures that fought at his side. Fortunately, these little guys are friendly and very eager to help. I soon learned how to use them to assist me in my search but it was getting late and I decided to take a break. The next day my daughter decided to quest on her own.

She played Pikmin for a little while and was able to meet a couple of other types of Pikmin. Normally I'd think that this was a spoiler but the Pikmin Series has been out for some time now, and like many other games, it's getting a new life on the Switch. Some people aren't happy with the idea of releasing these games or "remasters" in general, but I'm glad to have the opportunity to check out games I may have missed in the past. 

Pikmin 3 Deluxe is a lot of fun and very chill, well until it isn't, but I think it really shines with couch co-op. The ability to play co-op online with others would be a nice addition, especially in this pandemic, but it definitely isn't a deal-breaker for me. As in any game where teamwork is involved, it can be frustrating at times but overall it was a lot of fun. My daughter and I played it for a couple of hours last night and it surprisingly got intense. It also tugs a little at your heartstrings when you leave Pikmin behind. 

Of course, I was playing a more practical style, trying to get the job done efficiently. My daughter on the other hand kept looking for Pikmin that were on the field but not in our squads. It makes for a unique playing experience.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the plot, it's basically the story of a crew that gets shipwrecked on a strange planet while exploring the universe. They are separated, of course, and have to make their way back to each other. They're also low on supplies, obviously, and have to find sustenece sustinence sustenance. (which is food and drink regarded as a source of strength; nourishment and no I didn't have to look that up, why would you think that?)

You encounter Pikmin on this planet and they hold the key to your survival. Along the way, you encounter data files and other items that will assist you on your journey. Overall I think that Pikmin 3 Deluxe is an enjoyable, fun, light game to play with the family. I'm glad that I now have the opportunity to play a game I missed on the Wii U and that I now know more about the little adorable Pikmin, 

But I'm still not taking it easy on Olimar in Smash Bros. #TeamNessForLife 

Pikmin 3 Deluxe is now available at your local retailer and on the Nintendo eShop. Here's a little more information about the game. 

This deluxe version of the Pikmin 3 game includes new side-story missions featuring Olimar and Louie, the ability to play Story mode with a friend and all DLC stages from the original release. Feeling competitive? Enjoy fierce head-to-head Bingo Battles against another player!.

• Three brave explorers land on planet PNF-404 on a mission to find food for their starving home planet. After a crash landing, these explorers must work with Pikmin to reunite and complete their mission.
• Direct, toss and grow Pikmin with different abilities and strengths—winged Pikmin can fly, while blue Pikmin can breathe underwater. By strategically choosing the right Pikmin for the job at hand and changing between the three captains (or coordinating with a second player), you can work efficiently to collect fruit and grow your Pikmin squad.
• When you aren’t busy collecting fruit and saving your planet, try out Mission mode to accomplish set requirements like defeating enemies or collecting items. You can also compare your Mission mode scores with the rest of the world via online leaderboards*. Looking for some friendly competition? In Bingo Battle you must use Pikmin to retrieve items on your bingo card before your opponent does.
• With more options for cooperative play, settings that make it easy for newcomers to start their Pikmin journey, new side stories and more, these tiny Pikmin are in for their biggest adventure yet.
• Download the Nintendo eShop demo to sample Story mode, Mission mode, and even explore together with a second player! Your progress will even transfer to the full game, once purchased. As an added bonus, defeating the first boss in the demo and transferring save-data to the full version of the game will immediately unlock the “Ultra-Spicy” difficulty option for the full game.