Pikmin 3

Pikmin 3 Deluxe

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Pikmin 3 Deluxe
US boxart of Pikmin 3 Deluxe.
North American game cover.
Japanese name ピクミン3 デラックス?
Rating ESRB rating: E 10+ PEGI rating: 3
Console Nintendo Switch
Developer Eighting, Nintendo EPD
Publisher Nintendo
Genre Real-time strategy
Players 1 or 2 players (Story Mode, Mission Mode, and Side Stories)
2 players (Bingo Battle)
Release date
Japan October 30th, 2020
North America October 30th, 2020
Europe October 30th, 2020
Australia October 30th, 2020
South Korea October 30th, 2020
Related games
Predecessor Pikmin 2
Re-release of Pikmin 3

This article or section is about an upcoming or recently released game.
The content here is subject to change as more information is discovered.
All information added here must be verifiable and not speculative.

This article or section needs to be cleaned up, either its format or general style.
Notes: Details about how a given subject changed should go in that subject's article, and this article should link to that one for more information.

Pikmin 3 Deluxe is an enhanced port of Pikmin 3 for the Nintendo Switch. It was released worldwide in 2020, and features a large number of changes to the original game and several new additions, including the Piklopedia, the Side Stories game mode, and multiplayer gameplay in Story Mode.

Changes from Pikmin 3

The following differences between Pikmin 3 and the Deluxe version have been found:

Gameplay

Radar

A promotional image for Pikmin 3 Deluxe, showing the player fighting a Bulborb. The dirt wall in the background has 3 white stripes. From https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/08/pikmin_3_deluxe_19_glorious_screenshots_box_art_file_size_and_more_details
A screenshot showing the mini radar.

Some aspects about the radar have changed.

  • The radar can be zoomed in and out, and at the top, the current Story Mode objective will be shown.
  • The entire area is visible from the start, though parts that haven't been visited yet are transparent.
  • There is no way to view the area from a top-down view, since that was limited to the television screen with Off-TV Play off.
  • There is no way to unpause the gameplay while keeping the radar in-view.
  • In Bingo Battle, either player can open up the radar on their side of the screen; doing this does not pause the game. This radar cannot be controlled, and shows the whole stage at once.
  • In Story Mode, there is a mini radar on-screen. The style of the mini radar differs from the standard radar in that it uses solid colors instead of textures – terrain is dark blue, water is a lighter blue, out of bounds locations are black, and walls are cyan. Leaders and the S.S. Drake also have stylized icons with minimalist drawings, instead of smaller versions of their portraits.

KopPad camera

The KopPad's camera app has changed.

  • It now has different focus levels, instead of allowing the player to tap the GamePad to indicate what part they want in focus. An "auto focus" mode also exists, that simply focuses on whatever is at the center of the scene.
  • Taking a photo will save it to the Switch's inbuilt photo album, without the camera HUD.
  • It is now impossible to make the camera rotate via roll, and rotation via horizontal panning is limited.
  • Selecting the camera app in the KopPad will show the player a screen prompting them to press the A Button on the Switch in order to enter the camera mode, instead of entering the mode outright. Quitting out of the mode will return the player to that same prompt.
  • Oddly, the decorative meters do not move, except if the player moves the Pro Controller, or moves the left Joy-Con, regardless of gyro control settings. To note is that the right Joy-Con is the one responsible for controlling the cursor when gyro controls are enabled.

Controls

A screenshot from a promotional video on Pikmin 3 Deluxe, showing the player knocking down a Pellet Posy on the way to the area past the cinder block. 2 nectar eggs are visible, the only change in object placement observed at this point in the time before the game's release. From https://youtu.be/hSujRBzq9QE?t=39
Locking onto a Pellet Posy.
A screenshot from a promotional video for Pikmin 3 Deluxe, showing the new interface for switching leaders. From https://youtu.be/hSujRBzq9QE?t=9
The interface for switching leaders.
The gyro settings in the pause menu of Pikmin 3 Deluxe, with the "On" setting selected to see the other options (the first option is set to "Off" by default).
The gyro control settings in the pause menu.

Extensive control changes have occurred due to the different controllers of the Nintendo Switch.

  • The lock-on system has been substantially changed. Instead of locking the camera, it locks the cursor instead. Objects can be locked-on to if they have an indicator above them, which can happen even if the cursor is not close, or the player is locked-on to something else. The HUD no longer changes, but carrying numbers do appear. More lock-on objects and locations also exist, such as screws screwed onto the floor indicating where leaders must be thrown. Holding down the throw button will also make the leader throw continuously automatically, if locked-on.
  • The charge mechanic has also been substantially changed. It can now be performed at any time with the press of a dedicated button, usually the X Button on the Switch, instead of requiring the player to be locked-on first. Only the current standby Pikmin type will charge ahead, though the others can follow suit if the button is pressed repeatedly. Pikmin will charge in the direction of the cursor, or towards the locked-on object. If ordered to an object that can be carried, only enough Pikmin to begin carrying it will go, or if it's moving, only enough to fill all carrying slots.
  • Some controls have been moved into a mini menu, accessible by holding the Y Button on the Switch. There are always four options present, and players pick one by tilting the Left Stick on the Switch (dual Joy-Con) to the corresponding direction. This menu is how the player can swap to a different leader, use a spray, dismiss, use a Bingo Battle roulette wheel power, or group up when playing in co-op mode. In Story Mode, the leaders available in this menu are sorted by priority left to right – Alph will always take the left spot, Captain Charlie will always take the right one, and Brittany will always be in the remaining spot. This menu is the only way to dismiss, and it dismisses all Pikmin types but the current one. When there is only one type of Pikmin, the option dismisses that type too.
  • There are multiple pointer control modes, set in the pause menu:
    • With stick-only controls, moving the Left Stick on the Switch (dual Joy-Con) lightly controls the cursor, and moving fully controls both the leader and cursor. By tilting the stick lightly, the cursor can go past its standard range; when it does, it turns cyan. Pikmin can be thrown farther than normal this way, but only roughly until the midway point between the maximum standard range and the maximum "light tilt" range. The whistle always comes from where the cursor is. Moving the stick fully if the cursor was past the standard range will return it to standard range. In this mode, rotating the camera will keep the cursor in place. Unlike Pikmin 3, the cursor is based on the area's geometry. For instance, if the player is overlooking a cliff and has the cursor on the edge, holding up will make the cursor move forward in the area and dip down the edge, despite the fact that doing this moved the cursor down on the screen.
    • With stick and gyro controls, the Left Stick on the Switch (dual Joy-Con) controls the leader when fully held, but also controls the cursor regardless of how much it is tilted. Tilting the controller will also move the cursor. In reality, there is an imaginary "anchor" that is controlled by the Left Stick on the Switch (dual Joy-Con), and tilting the controller allows the cursor to offset around this point, up to a fixed radius around the point. For unknown reasons, in certain scenarios the cursor will behave erratically – if the gyro offset is at a given angle, and the anchor moves to that same side compared to the leader, the offset will cause the cursor to very quickly jump to the leader.[1] the ZL Button on the Switch and the ZR Button on the Switch both reset the cursor's position and gyro offset. With this mode, locking-on will place the cursor on the target, but it can then be offset by tilting the controller. In this mode, rotating the camera will keep the cursor in place, but any gyro offset will change to match the camera's orientation, albeit with erratic results as the camera rotates.[2] If the cursor is moved with the stick, it follows the same area-movement rules as the stick-only control scheme, but moving with the gyro controls moves the cursor on the screen, like with gyro-only controls.
    • With gyro-only controls, the Left Stick on the Switch (dual Joy-Con) only controls the leader, and only when fully held. Instead, tilting the controller moves the cursor around the screen. It can move to any position on-screen, and cannot go past it. Pressing the R Button on the Switch in this mode changes it to centering the cursor instead of changing the standby Pikmin to the next one; the L Button on the Switch now changes to the next standby Pikmin. In this mode, rotating the camera will keep the cursor in the same screen location.
  • The player can change the standby Pikmin type both to the previous one and to the next one. The HUD is also changed to reflect this: the three Pikmin standby type bubbles now have a focus on the central one as opposed to the leftmost one. Like in Pikmin 3, the cursor moves about relative to the screen and not the area. For instance, if the player is overlooking a cliff and has the cursor on the edge, tilting up will result in it pointing very far away in the area.

Menus

The pause menu in Pikmin 3 Deluxe.
The expanded pause menu.
The title screen in Pikmin 3 Deluxe as it appears when the game is first started, with the Side Stories mode locked and the Recommended sign over Story mode.
The expanded main menu.

Various menu changes have occurred.

  • Most menus in the game have a black box in the lower right corner explaining basic menu controls not accessed through buttons.
  • Menus no longer have buttons for returning to the previous menu; this is instead done with the B Button on the Switch.
  • It is now impossible to control menus with a gyro-controlled cursor pointer. There are also no touchscreen controls.
  • Some menus have changed more significantly:
    • The pause menu has been changed enormously, featuring up to 9 buttons. It can be accessed from most places in the game, and contains new features like an options section, a section with basic information, and the player's badges.
      • Trying to end a day from the pause menu when there are Pikmin in danger of being left behind will now state in the warning how many Pikmin will perish.
    • The main menu shows the logo for Pikmin 3 Deluxe rather than Pikmin 3, and to open the main part of the menu, the player must press two shoulder buttons on the controller together instead of pressing a face button. There is a new button for the Side Stories, and a box explaining the currently-highlighted mode.
    • The Mission Mode menu shows the name of a stage and its time limit before selecting that stage to view its detailed information. There is also an explanation of the abilities of different Pikmin types.
    • Pressing the A Button on the Switch in the Onion menu will highlight the next Pikmin type, or the OK button, instead of confirming the changes outright. Pressing the B Button on the Switch will go to the previous type, instead of cancelling right away.

Other

  • When the player switches to a leader, all nearby idle Pikmin within a radius will be called over.
  • The whistle expands quicker, can reach farther, and can cover a much larger area.
  • If Pikmin that are performing a task get whistled, they will stop in place momentarily, and then resume their task. To call them, they must be whistled for a long period of time, or whistled twice in a row.
  • Enemies have been re-balanced, depending on difficulty.[3]
  • When a leader collects a data file, they almost never jump and spin in place before reading the data file.
  • When an inactive leader plucks Pikmin by their own accord, they will now do so at the same speed as active leaders, instead of using the long animation for every single pluck.
  • Many data files have been moved around, and the Secret Files have been replaced with volume 2 of Olimar's Log.
  • Some glitches have been corrected, and others have been introduced. For details, please read the glitches article.
  • When a leader is knocked down by an electrical source, they will get up by themselves very shortly after, and twirling the stick no longer speeds them up.

New content

Co-op Story Mode

Promotional screenshot of Pikmin 3 Deluxe. 2-player gameplay in Story Mode. Source: nintendo.com
Co-op gameplay in Story Mode.

Players can play through story mode cooperatively.

  • The screen is split vertically, with the first player on the left, and the second on the right. If one of the players activates a cutscene, that player's view will fill up the screen. The split returns to normal when the cutscene is over.
  • If the two players are close, one can use the the Y Button on the Switch menu to get the other player's leader into their group, which will make the trailing leader forced to remain within a certain distance of the main one, although they can still be controlled and play freely. During this state, the leading player's view takes up the whole screen. Throwing the trailing leader or dismissing will return to normal co-op mode. This feature does not exist in Mission Mode.
  • When there is only one leader available due to story reasons, the second player will control a copy of that same leader. On each player's screen, the other leader will appear as a solid-color transparent version of the character. In this way, it is impossible for one leader to group with or throw the other.
    • Both players' leaders are also immune to damage in this state, to avoid complications with one of them falling. Player 1 can continue to take damage if the game is set back to being played solo.
  • If all leaders but one fall, the player controlling the remaining leader will be in charge of the rest of the day and the split-screen is removed.
  • Either player can open the radar, the hints screen, or the Onion menu, which will pause gameplay for both, and take up the whole screen. Only that player can control the menu. Some menus will have the widget highlighters colored after the player's leader. If the leaders are grouped together, then the secondary leader cannot open the Onion menu.

Side Stories

The natural bridge over the dried-up river in Channel Gone Dry.
Collecting treasure in Channel Gone Dry.

There are new Side Stories to play through.

  • The first side story is set before and during the main story and is called "Olimar's Assignment", while the second is set after the main story and is called "Olimar's Comeback". They star Captain Olimar and Louie, who are both playable. Like the main story, these can be played in single-player or cooperatively with two players.
    • Olimar's Assignment consists of 4 missions, each one taking place in an area from Story Mode with a time limit. Each of them has the goal of collecting a high number of Pokos to save Hocotate Freight from another debt. These missions re-use the Secret File videos from the original game.
    • Olimar's Comeback consists of 10 missions, each one also taking place in an area from Story Mode with a time limit. These have various objectives, including defeating enemies, collecting treasure, carrying ship parts to the SPERO, growing Pikmin, or reuniting the 2 leaders. Olimar writes notes before and after each of the missions.
  • The mini radar is not available during these missions.
  • Both the Onion and the SPERO are present in most levels; the Onion allows the player to grow more Pikmin, while the SPERO takes in recovered fruit and items.

Piklopedia

A screenshot from the Piklopedia in Pikmin 3 Deluxe on the page for the Peckish Aristocrab showing Brittany's notes.
The Peckish Aristocrab's page in the Piklopedia.

The Piklopedia, originating from Pikmin 2, has been added. It can be found as an application in the KopPad.

  • Each entry contains a comment by each of the five leaders, a small looping video clip of the creature, a general list of habitats, and the amount killed throughout the adventure.
    • Alph's comments are based on the structural features of the enemy, Brittany's comments are based on the enemy's appearance, Charlie's comments are about fighting the enemy, Louie's comments are about cooking the enemy, and Olimar's comments are about the enemy's biology.
  • There are a total of 55 entries.
  • The menu contains all viewable entries for the player to choose from, and also indicates how many creatures have been analyzed, as well as the total. However, this total can appear as a question mark.

Music

There is new music:

  • A theme for after hours in Mission Mode.
  • A theme for the Side Stories selection screen.
  • A theme for the video logs in Olimar's Assignment.
  • A theme for days 1-2 in Olimar's Assignment.
  • A theme for days 3-4 in Olimar's Assignment.
  • A theme for days 1-3 in Olimar's Comeback.
  • A theme for days 4-6 in Olimar's Comeback.
  • A theme for days 7-8 in Olimar's Comeback.
  • A theme for days 9-10 in Olimar's Comeback.
  • A cue for miniboss battles in Olimar's Assignment.[4]

Other

A hint in Pikmin 3 Deluxe. This is the default one shown if no other hints apply to the player's current situation. After closing the menu, arrows will appear on the ground.
An in-game hint.
  • There are multiple difficulty modes to choose from. The difficulties are Normal, Hard, and Ultra-Spicy, and these change various aspects of the game, such as the length of days, the health of enemies, and the placement of nectar eggs.
  • All the downloadable content from Pikmin 3 is included in the base game.
  • Players can collect badges by meeting certain conditions.
  • Several help and assistance features exist, such as in-game hints[5] and control options.
    • When the hint button is pressed, a screenshot and some text will explain to the player what to do at the current point of the story. There can be multiple pages of hints, which can be cycled through. After the hints are closed, arrows will appear on the ground to guide the player to the next destination.
  • A new "after hours" mode is added to Mission Mode.
  • Story Mode has three saved game slots to choose from, and the saved game selection menu has returned as a result.
  • The S.S. Drake can be interacted with to command all Pikmin in the field to travel back to the Onion.
  • Alph now has 2 more pieces of monolog if the player checks-in on day 2:
    • Just three days worth of food left on the ship now, at most... Time is running out. We must find Brittany soon...
    • Brittany... I'm coming to help you now!

Aesthetics

The 4 designs of electric gates in Pikmin 3 Deluxe, edited together into 1 image.
The four designs of electric gates.
  • The introduction cutscene displays Pikmin 3 Deluxe instead of Pikmin 3.
  • The day counter is gone from the HUD, and the juice counter takes its place.
  • Two on-screen prompts exist, informing the player that the - Button on the Switch toggles the KopPad, and, if hints are enabled, "up" on the Directional Buttons on the Switch (dual Joy-Con) activates hints. If a new hint is available, the button will sparkle and glow, and receive a pulsating exclamation mark icon.
  • If a leader is in another leader's group, their health icon on the HUD will now be darkened.
  • Lighting and shading have been changed, with sharper shadows and clearer water.
  • Locking onto an object adds a blue overlay, similar to prerelease versions of Pikmin 3.
  • Locking on no longer shows the name of what is locked onto, probably in favor of the Piklopedia. Although this leaves several objects such as Spotcaps, Kingcaps, and crystal nodules unnamed.
  • The camera is generally further away from the active leader, showing more of the environment.
  • When going through a room transition (such as between the outside area and a cave), the camera will generally be static, rather than initially being in front of the leaders and quickly moving behind them.
  • The Puffy Blowhog's wind particles are much more dense.
  • Different gates in an area have different appearances, so players can distinguish between them. There are 8 designs for dirt walls, 4 designs for electric gates, 3 designs for crystal walls, and 3 designs for reinforced walls.
  • When there are two players playing, the HUD icon for player one's leader will have the text "P1" near it, and the icon for player 2's will have "P2".
  • The cave that houses the Rock Onion in Garden of Hope has improved audio reverb.[4]
  • Several more features make the controller rumble, and do so using the HD Rumble capabilities.
  • Text in dialog boxes in cutscenes is aligned to the center of the box instead of the left.
  • The font for numbers in the Onion menu is not monospaced, so as the numbers change, they jitter left and right.
  • Louie's whistle now resembles his whistle from Pikmin 2, instead of using the same sound that all other leaders use. In addition, his name call sound is no longer the one from Pikmin 2, but is instead a more generic grunt that vaguely resembles his name.
  • The loading screen displays the current objective (such as "Where's Brittany?") in the center of the screen instead of the area name. The saved game selection menu displays this current objective as well.

Area differences

A map of the Twilight River from an announcement screenshot of Pikmin 3 Deluxe, showing highlights on piles of fragments. Image from https://topics.nintendo.co.jp/article/cf7a50af-03e5-4b49-bff4-0db5fbc3b3cc
This map from a hint shows more grass in the Twilight River, as well as giving the player tips on the locations of fragments.
General
  • Data files in boss arenas are generally out in the open, rather than inside mushrooms, holes or in places that require more than one leader to access.
  • Many data files have been moved. Some examples found are that "Charging!" is found under the fragment pile by the first Dwarf Bulborb, "Dwarf Bulborb" is placed before the aforementioned enemy, none are found in the water in the Garden of Hope's first area, and "Go Here!" is placed right by where the player finds Brittany.
    • In addition, Go Here! can now be used right after Brittany is freed, meaning the data file for it is not needed.
Tropical Wilds
  • The pathway surrounding the landing site plateau is mostly grassy with some sandy paths, instead of completely sandy.
  • The vines around the S.S. Drake are higher.
  • The path southeast of the landing site across the lake is made of dirt instead of sand, and is thinner on the plateau.
  • The cave connected to the landing site has brighter lighting, but appears darker on the radar.
  • The ground color in Alph's crash site is whiter.
  • The texture of the base of the pond Alph first lands in is simpler.
  • There are added screws in the ground in several places: 2 on the stump in the lake, 1 on each side of the light brown bridge near the landing site (that stop working once the bridge is completed), and 1 on the ledge near the light brown bridge.
Garden of Hope
  • There is more grass on the ground around the landing site.
  • An additional brick is in the ground next to the Onion.
  • There is more grass in the area with the Bulborb southeast of the landing site.
  • There is stone on the ground instead of grass in the the sloped path southeast of the Bulborb area.
  • There is stone on the ground instead of dirt in the area southeast of that path.
  • There is more grass on the ledge with the first Sunseed Berry the player sees.
  • There is more grass in the area near the circle Brittany is found in.
  • Two 1-Pellet Posies and a 5-Pellet Posy can be found near the circle Brittany is found in.
  • There is more grass in the area with the Skutterchucks east of the landing site.
  • A dirt mound near a cinder block in the cave northeast of the landing site is removed.
  • There is stone on the ground instead of grass in the area with the Fiery Blowhogs north of the landing site.
  • There is stone on the ground instead of grass in the area across the lake from the Fiery Blowhog area.
  • There is stone on the ground instead of dirt in the path leading to the Armored Mawdad arena.
  • There are less brown mushrooms in the Armored Mawdad arena.
  • There is grass on the ground instead of dirt in the area with the Yellow Wollywogs northwest of the landing site.
  • There is grass on the ground instead of dirt in the area with the seesaw blocks west of the landing site, before the electric gate.
  • The Yellow Spectralids near the large seesaw block puzzle has been replaced by a White Spectralids, and moved a bit farther from the entrance to the room.
  • There is dark wet dirt on the ground instead of grass and light dirt in the entire second (southeast) half of the area, except for underwater areas or the bit of land next to the clipboard.
  • The path through the wall Louie destroys is made of a different kind of dirt and stands out more.
  • All Wogpoles have been removed.
  • There are many more nectar eggs in the Normal difficulty, and a few more in the Hard difficulty:
    • A few can be found by the cinder block that blocks the path to the Blue Onion.
    • A few can be found hidden around the rock to the right of the first crystal wall approaching Brittany.
    • A few can sometimes be found right beside the crystal wall trapping Brittany.
    • A few can sometimes be found right beside the bridge leading back to base near the Scutterchucks.
    • A few can be sometimes found near the Fiery Blowhogs.
    • A few can be found just before the dirt wall blocking off the Armored Mawdad arena. These eggs vary in quantity, seemingly at random.
  • There are added screws in the ground in several places: 1 on a brick near where Brittany is first found, 1 on the throwing point marked with an "X" north of the landing site, and 1 on the rocky bit of land next to the flukeweed containing the Lesser Mock Bottom.
Distant Tundra
  • Around the landing site, snow is removed in the shape of a path that leads from the Onion to the throwing point on the lake.
  • Snow is added to the area with the Bearded Amprat west of the landing site.
  • Snow is added to the corridor behind the electric gate south of the landing site.
  • Snow is added around the base of the small ice slide east of the landing site.
  • Snow is added to the plateau next to the paper bag southeast of the landing site.
  • Snow thickness is increased in the corridor with the Joustmites southeast of the landing site.
  • Snow thickness is increased in the plateau with the Bearded Amprats south of the landing site.
  • An icy trail connects the exit of the cave where the Yellow Onion is found to the throwing point on the lake.
  • Snow is removed from the area near the exit of the Yellow Onion cave.
  • Snow is moved around in the area with the Swooping Snitchbug west of the cave exit.
  • Snow is removed or reduced in the area around the Burgeoning Spiderwort east of the cave exit.
  • There are fewer Spotcaps in Charlie's landing site.
  • There are added screws in the ground in several places: 1 on each side of the throwing point on the lake, 1 in the Yellow Onion cave on a ledge, and 1 in the Vehemoth Phosbat room on a ledge.
Twilight River
  • Leaves are removed from the tops of rocks at the landing site.
  • There are more leaves on the elevated path east of the landing site.
  • There are more leaves around the ramp west of the landing site.
  • There is more grass in the area with the Puffy Blowhog northwest of the landing site.
  • There is more grass in the corridor north of the landing site across the river.
  • There is less grass in the alcove with the fragment pile northeast of the landing site across the river.
  • There are more leaves in the area south of the landing site where the Winged Onion is found, and some of these leaves are 3-dimensional.
  • A leaf is removed from the top of a rock near the Dusk Pustules.
  • The grass is more vivid on the plateau with the crystal.
  • There is an added screw in the ground on the high ledge near the Yellow Wollywogs northeast of the landing site.
Formidable Oak
  • There is an added screw in the ground in the dark part of the cave next to the single Bloominous Stemple.

Other

  • In the US version of Pikmin 3, the check-in conversation on the day Alph and Brittany unlock the Distant Tundra has them discuss the data file they got, and one of the lines is said by Brittany but uses Alph's neutral icon in the message box. This has been fixed in Pikmin 3 Deluxe, both in the US version, and in the European version, that uses the US version's text.

Controls

See: Pikmin 3 Deluxe controls

Lists

Soundtrack

See: Music in Pikmin 3

Mistakes

See: Mistake

Glitches

See: Glitches in Pikmin 3

Unused content

See: Unused content in Pikmin 3

Other information

  • Game size: 6.5 GB.
  • Supported play modes: TV (1 or 2 players), tabletop (1 or 2 players), and handheld (1 player).[6]
  • Supported controllers: two Joy-Cons, one sideways Joy-Con (only in multiplayer modes), and Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.
  • Supports cloud save data.
  • A Nintendo Switch Online subscription is necessary in order to submit high scores in Story Mode, Mission Mode, and the Side Stories.[6]

Demo

The title screen for the Pikmin 3 Deluxe demo, before pressing  and .
The title screen initially.
The title screen for the Pikmin 3 Deluxe demo, after pressing  and .
The title screen after pressing the L Button on the Switch+the R Button on the Switch.
The ending screen for the Pikmin 3 Deluxe demo, shown when the player reaches the end of the demo.
The screen shown when the demo finishes.

On October 8th, 2020, a demo for the game was released. In it, players can play part of Story Mode, as well the Collect treasure! version of Tropical Forest. Either mode can be played with one or two players, and badges can be unlocked like normal. When the player reaches the limit of the current game mode, they are shown a notification telling them of the end of the demo, and then taken to a screen advertising the final game, with a button to return to the title screen, and another to access the eShop. This happens when any of the following happens:

  • The Armored Mawdad is defeated and the day ends.
  • The player attempts to enter the area on the day after the Armored Mawdad's defeat.
  • The player attempts to enter the area on day 6.
  • The player leaves the mission from the pause menu.
  • The mission is finished and the results screen is closed.

The title screen naturally includes the word "Demo" under the logo, and has an extra button, "Nintendo eShop", that when pressed, prompts the player to open the eShop's page for Pikmin 3 Deluxe, or to cancel. The button for Story Mode has a small "Recommended" banner next to it. The Side Stories and Bingo Battle buttons exist, but choosing them will simply inform the player of their availability in the full version. Likewise, the Battle enemies! and Defeat bosses! options exist in the Mission Mode menu, but are equally inaccessible.

Any progress made in the demo can carry over to the final game. Defeating the Armored Mawdad in this demo gives the player some bonuses: missions 6 through 10 of both Collect Treasure! and Battle Enemies!, as well as the ultra-spicy difficulty will be unlocked right away.

Some glitches can be performed exclusively in this demo:

  • It is possible to go out of bounds in Charlie's tutorial, either in the demo or in the final game. However, in the demo, the player can use this to explore areas and features that were not intended to be reached in the demo, including killing the Vehemoth Phosbat, and getting its Piklopedia entry. By manipulating the game's feature unlocking system, it is even possible to access the Tropical Wilds.[7]
  • It is possible for the cursor to become stuck.

History

Pikmin 3 Deluxe was first announced in a tweet by Nintendo of America on August 5th, 2020.[8] The announcement came with a promotional trailer,[9] and a relaunch of the official website with limited information.[10] The Japanese announcement came in the form of a news article on the Nintendo website.[5] The game was also listed on the Nintendo eShop on this date, and could be pre-ordered.

On the day of the announcement, the product page in Nintendo of America's website listed that the supported features were save data cloud and online play, in that order. Throughout the following days, this listing would get changed periodically. Around August 9th, the order was reversed, and around August 14th, online play was removed. On August 19th, it was noticed that the online play blurb had returned, but on August 22nd, it was nowhere to be seen again. Afterwards, on the 27th or 28th of October, the blurb had returned once more.[11][12].

On August 28th, 2020, the official Japanese website was launched, with subpages on backstory, basic gameplay, Pikmin types, combat, and structure.[13] These pages had several images and short videos that showed some changed mechanics. The new website also came with a trailer, which showcased the different types of Pikmin and their abilities.[14] The website at this point had 3 header and footer links with a 'coming soon' message, with titles that implied that they were about the new difficulty modes, the Side Stories and Piklopedia, and the additional game modes of Mission Mode and Bingo Battle.

Throughout September, nothing was announced directly about the game, but Nintendo's European Twitter accounts continued to promote the game with images[15] and short videos.[16] The only new thing presented by these videos was a piece of music.[17][18] The previously Japanese-only trailer was released in English on October 2nd, 2020.[19]

On October 6th, 2020, the official English website was updated with new pages on story and gameplay. A Nintendo Treehouse event featuring Pikmin 3 Deluxe and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity was announced at the same time.[20] The event, which happened the next day, featured 2 presenters playing through day 2 of Story Mode in the Garden of Hope, day 4 of the Olimar's Assignment side story (the first gameplay shown of this mode), and a game of Bingo Battle.[4] Also revealed were the difficulty modes, how 2-player gameplay worked, the pause menu and control options, and various other differences. A demo of the game was announced at the end of the presentation, and was released about 7 hours later.

Following this, the game began to be more heavily promoted. A trailer for the demo was released on October 8th,[21] and a gameplay demo of a Side Story level was released the next day.[22] The Japanese website was also updated on October 8th with its remaining 3 pages about difficulty options, the content new to Pikmin 3 Deluxe, and the alternative game modes. 4 television commercials in Japanese were produced, and these were released on YouTube on October 11th.[23]

The game was released worldwide on October 30th, 2020. It released at different times of day in different regions. It received positive reviews from reviewers, getting a score of 85 on the review aggregator site Metacritic.[24] It was praised for its controls, multiplayer, and additional content, but criticized for its easy difficulty and overall similarity to the Wii U version.

On November 24th, 2020, the game received its first update, which fixed 2 bugs which involved fruits and badges being listed as not collected.[25] This update also applied to the demo.

Gallery

Artwork

See more: Pikmin 3#Promotional artwork.

Game covers

Screenshots

Trivia

  • Pikmin 3 Deluxe is the first Pikmin game to be available in Chinese.

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
Flag of Japan Japanese ピクミン3 デラックス?
Pikumin 3 Derakkusu
Pikmin 3 Deluxe
Flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Chinese
(traditional)
皮克敏3 豪華版 Pikmin 3 Deluxe
Flag of China Chinese
(simplified)
皮克敏3 豪华版 Pikmin 3 Deluxe
Flag of France French Pikmin 3 Deluxe -
Flag of Germany German Pikmin 3 Deluxe -
Flag of Italy Italian Pikmin 3 Deluxe -
Flag of South Korea Korean 피크민 3 디럭스
pikeumin 3 dileogseu
Pikmin 3
Flag of Spain Spanish Pikmin 3 Deluxe -

Pikmin 3 Deluxe Demo

Language Name Meaning
Flag of Japan Japanese ピクミン3 デラックス 体験版?
Pikumin 3 Derakkusu Taikenhan
Pikmin 3 Deluxe test version
Flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Chinese
(traditional)
皮克敏3 豪華版 體驗版 Pikmin 3 Deluxe Demo
Flag of China Chinese
(simplified)
皮克敏3 豪华版 体验版 Pikmin 3 Deluxe Demo
Flag of France French Pikmin 3 Deluxe Démo -
Flag of Germany German Pikmin 3 Deluxe Demo -
Flag of Italy Italian Pikmin 3 Deluxe Demo -
Flag of South Korea Korean 피크민 3 디럭스 체험판
pikeumin 3 dileogseu cheheompan
Pikmin 3 Deluxe test version
Flag of Spain Spanish Pikmin 3 Deluxe Demo -

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ Twitter video on Twitter, published on October 17th, 2020, retrieved on December 1st, 2020
  2. ^ Twitter video on Twitter, published on October 17th, 2020, retrieved on December 1st, 2020
  3. ^ Pikmin 3 Deluxe on Nintendo UK's product listing, retrieved on August 5th, 2020
  4. ^ a b c YouTube video of a presentation of the game on Nintendo Treehouse: Live, published on October 7th, 2020, retrieved on October 7th, 2020
  5. ^ a b 『ピクミン3』がデラックスになってNintendo Switchに登場。新要素を収録し、10月30日発売決定。 on Nintendo of Japan, retrieved on August 5th, 2020
  6. ^ a b ピクミン3 デラックス:商品情報 on Nintendo of Japan, retrieved on August 28th, 2020
  7. ^ YouTube video explaining how to access the Tropical Wilds in the demo, published on October 20th, 2020, retrieved on October 26th, 2020
  8. ^ Nintendo of America on Twitter, published on August 5th, 2020, retrieved on August 5th, 2020
  9. ^ YouTube video of the announcement trailer, published on August 5th, 2020, retrieved on August 5th, 2020
  10. ^ Archive of the Pikmin 3 Deluxe official website, August 5th, 2020 on Nintendo, published on August 5th, 2020, retrieved on August 5th, 2020
  11. ^ Pikmin 3 Deluxe listing page on Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Twitter post on Twitter, published on August 20th, 2020, retrieved on August 22nd, 2020
  13. ^ Official Japanese website on Nintendo of Japan, published on August 28th, 2020, retrieved on August 30th, 2020
  14. ^ YouTube video a Japanese promotional video, published on August 28th, 2020, retrieved on August 28th, 2020
  15. ^ Nintendo Nederland on Twitter, published on September 27th, 2020, retrieved on October 2nd, 2020
  16. ^ Nintendo Portugal on Twitter, published on September 20th, 2020, retrieved on October 2nd, 2020
  17. ^ Nintendo of Europe on Twitter, published on September 24th, 2020, retrieved on October 2nd, 2020
  18. ^ Nintendo of Europe on Twitter, published on September 29th, 2020, retrieved on October 2nd, 2020
  19. ^ YouTube video an English translation of a Japanese promotional video, published on October 2nd, retrieved on October 2nd
  20. ^ Nintendo of America on Twitter, published on October 6th, retrieved on October 6th, 2020
  21. ^ YouTube video the Pikmin 3 Deluxe Demo trailer, published on October 8th, 2020, retrieved on October 10th
  22. ^ YouTube video Nintendo Minute playing in Side Story co-op, published on October 9th, 2020, retrieved on October 10th
  23. ^ YouTube video ピクミン3 デラックス TVCM1, published on October 11th, 2020, retrieved on October 11th
  24. ^ Pikmin 3 Deluxe for Switch Reviews - Metacritic on Metacritic, retrieved on November 18th, 2020
  25. ^ How to update Pikmin 3 Deluxe on Nintendo Support, retrieved on November 26th, 2020