Pikmin 3took the basic ideas of its predecessors and expanded upon them by reimagining game-defining constraints to be less arduous and using the basic gameplay elements to create more thought-provoking puzzles.Pikmin 4looked back at its first two games, returning to its basic roots to focus more on quality-of-life changes and implementing refined design elements.
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Pikmin 3 and 4 had a lengthy wait time with nearly ten years between them. But not long before Pikmin 4’s launch, Pikmin 3 was ported to the Switch as a newly enhanced edition with inclusions such as story co-op and new game modes. Now that both games are on the same console, how does Pikmin 4 stack up against the enhanced Pikmin 3?
6Story - Pikmin 3
Pikmin 3’s basic story is much darker in tone than Pikmin 4, focusing on a tale of survival where three explorers have been sent out from a starving planet in search of edible matter, only to crash-land on the suspiciously Earth-like PNF-404—a planet abundant in fruit to take back home.
Pikmin 4, meanwhile, seems to be a soft reboot that has the player character arriving on PNF-404 to rescue a rescue team that crash-landed while attempting to rescue series main-stay Olimar, who also crashed his ship on the planet. Along the way, you find an abundance of castaways who also need rescuing on this crash-magnet of a planet.
Pikmin 4’s premise isn’t the most creative with its focus on an absurd number of castaways in need of rescuing. While the narrative does add a wrinkle of intrigue with some of the castaways becoming plagued by a mysterious illness that has them growing leaves all over their bodies, it never quite deviates from its lackluster rescue mission.
Pikmin 3’s basic premise, on the other hand, is enough alone to get you invested in the characters’ survival while also adding elements of mystery that involve a certain previous explorer leaving behind notes and clues to their existence. It’s a more character-driven narrative that builds on the games that came before it, which makes it, by far, the superior Pikmin game in regard to story.
5Challenge - Pikmin 3
If you’re looking for a challenge, Pikmin 3 Deluxe is going to be the clear winner here. The Pikmin series as a whole has gotten easier with each iteration, moving from stress-induced time limits to virtually no pressure or limitations at all by the time Pikmin 4 arrives. Pikmin 4 makes so many quality-of-life changes with the introduction of the lovable space pup Oatchi that the game feels like an exploratory vacation compared to the previous games’ focus on stressful survival situations.
Pikmin 3, while easier and more forgiving than its predecessors, still retains a gentle time pressure with a hunger mechanic that tasks you with finding and recovering pieces of fruit to fuel a slowly depleting food supply. And with the Deluxe edition’s new “Ultra-Spicy” difficulty which makes the length of days shorter, you may really start to feel a sense of dread as you watch your sustenance slowly drain. So if you love feeling a masochistic sense of uneasy dread and discomfort, then you’ll surely get more satisfaction out of Pikmin 3 Deluxe.
4Level Design
Level design is where Pikmin 3 truly shines. Each level in Pikmin 3 is its own biome with distinct environments and a sophisticated layout not too dissimilar to a metroidvania. You’ll find paths blocked with soft puzzle challenges that require you to juggle all three characters, manipulate external objects in a timely manner, and consider the proper Pikmin you need to move forward. As you create shortcuts, paths eventually converge into a mass area, allowing you to move objects more efficiently as the days go on.
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In Pikmin 4, you’ll find many of these design philosophies to be absent. The separate areas in Pikmin 4 aren’t quite as distinct from each other as they are in Pikmin 3, and they’re much more open with designs more reminiscent of the older games in the series. Most puzzles and challenges you’ll find in Pikmin 4 are limited to caves that are separated from the world at large.
You have direct control over Oatchi as a playable character, but he’s rarely required to proceed through environments. Shortcuts exist in Pikmin 4, but don’t require any sophisticated path finding or tricky object manipulation to unlock, and I’d be hard-pressed to say they make for any huge time-saving revelations. Pikmin 4 just can’t, in any way, compete with Pikmin 3 in complex level design. Also, Pikmin 4 has a level that is just somebody’s house and its apocalyptic implication is weird and uncomfortable.
3Co-op And PVP - Draw
Story mode co-op is a new feature to the Deluxe edition of Pikmin 3, and it isobjectively betterthan how Pikmin 4 approaches co-op. In Pikmin 3 Deluxe, you and a partner can both play and control a leading character, allowing you to both have an impactful gameplay experience.
Pikmin 4’s co-op is relegated to what could be called ‘little brother mode.’ You play the game while Player 2 (likely your four-year-old spawn or sibling) plays with rocks. You might expect to each control a character and traverse the world together, but no. Player 1 controls the game while Player 2 points a cursor at the screen to throw immaterial pebbles.
On the flip side, both games have enjoyable PVP modes. Pikmin 3 has its “Bingo Battles,” where each player has a Bingo card to fill out by collecting treasures. And Pikmin 4 has “Dandori Battles,” where each player races to collect the most treasure or produce the most Pikmin. They’re equally fun experiences.
2Gameplay - Pikmin 3
Pikmin 3 has a fun dodge mechanic that makes you feel like you’re playing the world’s most adorable Dark Souls. That alone should tell you which is the better game here, but if you need more convincing, know that Pikmin 3’s game mechanics provide a stronger feeling of momentum and progression.
The search for fruit has you pressing ever forward as you race against (a very slow) clock, and the more complex pathways within levels provide a sense of progression each day as you push forward, unlocking shortcuts. Levels often end in large boss battles that require strategic thinking as you learn attack patterns. They’re not incredibly difficult, but they do provide a satisfying sense of accomplishment and are necessary to move forward.
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In contrast, Pikmin 4’s more open design means you aren’t required to defeat many bosses to progress in the story; bosses are largely relegated to caves, and they’re rarely much of a challenge, often going down through brute force alone. The only sense of progression in Pikmin 4 is through finding treasure and castaways, which aren’t the most compelling without any real urgency.
Pikmin 4 introduces new night expeditions where you fight back waves of enemies while protecting the abodes of glow Pikmin, but even at their most challenging, these expeditions are a walk in the park and feelmore like a nuisancethan anything worthwhile.
1Winner - Pikmin 3
Pikmin 3 Deluxe is heavily favored in almost every regard. But thisdoesn’t mean Pikmin 4 is without its virtues! In fact, Pikmin 3 and 4 have very different intended experiences in mind. Not everybody gels with thedifficulty and stressthat has defined past Pikmin games, and so Pikmin 4 has sought to provide a more relaxed experience for those who so desire. Its open design philosophy may not be as sophisticated as what Pikmin 3 brings to the table, but it does allow for a more exploratory experience.
If you want a challenging, more sophisticated game that exerts pressure and stimulates the brain, Pikmin 3 Deluxe is by far and away the better game. But if you’re looking for a more relaxing, chill experience with a heavier focus on exploration, Pikmin 4 will be a much more enjoyable time for you.
