Welcome to our review of Fruit Beestjes, which roughly translates into Fruit Critters as my daughter, almost four years old, called them while playing this game with me. I never played the original Pikmin game, so let’s wiggle in and do this!
For those wondering – yes, I had a GameCube back in the day. It still is one of my favorite consoles to date. But I just never got around to playing Pikmin, neither on the GameCube nor on the Wii. So I missed out on a great IP – at least, my friends keep telling me. So when Pikmin 1+2 crashlanded into our inbox, I was on the job to help Olimar and the Pikmin back on their feet. I needed to; I used to main Olimar, among a few other weird characters in Super Smash Bros. Was it my destiny to help them back on their … feet?
Olimar!
The tale of Pikmin follows the brave Captain Olimar, whose intelligence doesn’t always match his courage. While exploring space in his beloved vessel, he collides with an asteroid and crashes onto a nearby planet. With his means of escape destroyed, he turns to the help of the native vegetables to rebuild his ship and leave the planet. See, they are not even fruit! It’s the same as with tomatoes. Sorry, I had to teach my daughter imaginary frui- vegetable critters.
The original Pikmin game can be pretty nerve-wracking – you only have 30 days to gather all the ship parts before Olimar’s life support runs out. Although there are 30 parts, only 25 are required to avoid the astronaut’s untimely demise. For newcomers like me, obtaining a part every day can be challenging. However, it is possible, and I collected everything in just 29! Days during my latest playthrough. Now that I have a bit of a hang of the controls, I’m sure I can shave off quite a few days – so don’t worry, you won’t meet your untimely demise on the planet of space slugs, ladybugs, and other weird fauna.
Port-Min
Pikmin 1 has been updated, with a more high-definition interface (compared to the Wii version) and offering players the choice between motion controls or the Joy-Con/Pro Controller. It’s worth noting that the functionality of the right stick has changed, as it now controls the camera instead of directing Pikmin to attack or grab in that direction. This change is acceptable to me but can be a bit of a head-scratcher for those who have played the GameCube or Wii version and accidentally sent all their Pikmin into the water. What? No, I haven’t done that while my daughter was watching. Yes, they are just swimming.
Overall the updates to Pikmin 1 are not as extensive as those seen in the Metroid Prime Remastered. Instead, it aligns more closely with Super Mario Sunshine from the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection. A clean and touched-up port for those who haven’t played the series or want nostalgia glasses before they dive headfirst into Pikmin 4.
Game-min
This is a survival game with a unique twist – it doesn’t have the typical features of modern survival games. One exciting aspect of the game is that you can grow hundreds of little carrot people, but it can be difficult to avoid feeling guilty when some of them get squashed by a Wollyhop. These poor identical little dudes are just too cute to see get hurt. Luckily I send most of them home by the end of the day, with the help of my co-pilot, of course.
The concept of Pikmin 1 is very straightforward – the only gating you encounter is when it comes to collecting Pikmin abilities. At the start, you only have red Pikmin, immune to fire and hitting harder. As you progress, you gain yellow Pikmin that can carry bombs and fly farther when thrown and blue Pikmin that can breathe underwater. Once you have all three types, the fun begins. However, there is a catch – the different stages are unlocked only after obtaining a certain number of ship parts. But don’t worry; the game lets you off the leash very early. Success depends on your ability to strategize and manage your vegetables and resources effectively. This aspect of the game is quite refreshing, even if it means that a fresh run can be completed in roughly 8 to 12 hours, which is very bite-sized these days.
Conclusion
The enduring charm of Pikmin lies in its unique premise and well-crafted design, which has made it timeless. Despite the dated graphics, they still manage to convey everything necessary, and the game remains just as enjoyable now as it was in 2001 – at least, I hope it does. Pikmin’s first iteration was so successful that its sequels could only build upon the original concept. Although Pikmin 4 promises to be a significant evolution for the series, familiarity with earlier titles is unnecessary. However, I highly recommend checking out the first Pikmin game if you haven’t already. If you are familiar with the original, note that this is a solid port with no significant additions compared to the GameCube version. Still, its improved resolution remains the best way to experience this timeless adventure of saving carrot-kind. And if you can, do so with your carrot kid; you won’t regret it.
