When Pikmin attack!
It’s still a test of wits looking after all your creatures though, especially with the different athletic abilities of the pikmin. Any stragglers can still get caught behind walls and in various nooks and crannies. Only noticeable by their absence, meaning you’ll have to back-track and find the estranged little fellows. Although it occasionally feels like this is a flaw in the game’s construction, when they get trapped under a tree root or some such, it does all contribute to the larger challenge and means you’ve always got to keep an eye on your followers.
Sumo Pikmin 'having a rest'
Another change for number 2 is the introduction of two new flavours of pikmin. First up, you’ll meet the purple sumo-style pikmin. With the strength of ten pikmin and a bit of extra flab-padding, these fellas quickly take on an important role in the herd; taking on creatures several hundred times their size.
White Pikmin 'tweaking out'
We also get devilish looking white pikmin, with red eyes bulging out from their herbaceous faces. Contrasting with the purple ones, these are nippy little creatures with a natural immunity to poison. And, if some foolish native creature chomps down on a white critter, it will get poisoned and die. Ha! Aside from their venomous personae, their large red eyes also help them see beneath the surface of the ground: spotting treasures that might otherwise go unnoticed.
The combat (if you can call it that) involves plenty of hurling of Pikmin as well. This has been made more user-friendly, allowing the player to quickly switch between the colour of pikmin that needs to be thrown. There’s nothing more frustrating than gathering an elite squad of relatively rare white pikmin, only to inadvertently chuck them all in the drink – where only blue pikmin could survive. And this minor moderation again contributes to a greater sense of control over what’s happening in the field.
