Hey! Pikmin
A 2D side-scrolling Pikmin spin-off for the Nintendo 3DS.
Hey! Pikmin is a 2017 platform video game developed by Arzest and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is a spin-off of the Pikmin series and the first installment in the franchise on a handheld console. The game was released worldwide in July 2017, coinciding with the launch of the New Nintendo 2DS XL.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Arzest
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Director
- Tomohide Hayashi
- Producer
- Naoto Ohshima, Takashi Tezuka
- Designer
- Kenta Usui
- Artist
- Masamichi Harada, Noboru Shirasu
- Programmer
- Yuki Hatakeyama
- Composer
- Masato Kouda, Kento Hasegawa
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Captain Olimar crash-lands on an unknown planet after his ship, the S.S. Dolphin II, hits an asteroid. To repair the ship, he must collect 30,000 units of sparklium. He encounters Red Pikmin and uses them to carry sparklium-rich treasures and acorn-like seeds. These treasures are common household objects such as glasses or toothpaste. As Olimar explores, he finds Yellow, Blue, Rock, and Winged Pikmin. After gathering 30,000 sparklium, he learns he must retrieve the Sparklium Converter, an essential component. The converter was accidentally eaten by a Leech Hydroe, which becomes the Berserk Leech Hydroe, a giant plant-like monster. Olimar defeats it, returns it to normal, and obtains the converter before returning to his home planet Hocotate.
Development
Hey! Pikmin was developed by Arzest and produced by Takashi Tezuka and Naoto Ohshima, Arzest's founder. On November 6, 2014, Shigeru Miyamoto stated during a Q&A for his Pikmin short films that campaigns after software releases would lay groundwork for future Pikmin iterations and that they wanted it to motivate consumers to purchase a Wii U. On January 6, 2015, Miyamoto confirmed that the Pikmin franchise would receive more games, saying he had many ideas but nothing was decided. On September 7, 2015, Miyamoto told Eurogamer that the next Pikmin game was in development and very close to completion, calling it Pikmin 4. During E3 2016, he stated that the game was on a list of priorities and they were starting to see it on that list.
Reception
Hey! Pikmin received mixed or average reviews according to Metacritic. OpenCritic assessed fair approval, with 38% of critics recommending it. Famitsu gave it a total score of 33 out of 40. Critics criticized the simple puzzles and lack of depth; Game Informer described puzzles as extremely simple and the blend of strategy and action as floundering between relaxing and boring. The amiibo functionality was praised; Polygon's Allegra Frank called it the most charming amiibo functionality seen in a long time. In Japan, the game sold over 65,000 units in its first week. As of January 2021, it had sold 157,000 units in Japan, making it the worst-selling Pikmin title in the region.
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