Image: Nintendo LifeCaptain's log, stardate 202504.21. Following our last Catch-up Crew mission to Shadow Moses Island, the crew has enjoyed extended shore leave having (re)acquainted ourselves with Metal Gear Solid. Our new assignment takes us to the M-class world of PNF-404. However, ship instruments indicate that we haven't left Sector 001. I've asked senior staff to join me in Stellar Cartography to ascertain our precise position, but in the meantime, the crew has been preparing for the away mission. In case you missed the briefing, Pikmin launched on the GameCube in 2001/2, received a minor New Play Control! refit on Wii in 2008/9, and an HD overhaul on Switch in 2023 where it was formally renamed Pikmin 1 to clarify its position as primary antecedent in the celebrated lineage.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube809kWatch on YouTube Here's today's away team: Capt. Gavin Lane - veteran, cherry Pik Cmdr. Alana Hagues - veteran, choice Pik Cmdr. Jim Norman - veteran, easy Pik Ens. Ollie Reynolds - recruit, Pik up the pace Images: Nintendo Life / Nintendo GAVIN: Good afternoon, everyone. Today, we’re here having returned from our mission to PNF-404. First up, let’s get an idea of our personal histories with the inhabitants. Did anybody experience Pikmin back in 2001/2002? ALANA: I did, sir. I was but a wee little leafling, and I can’t quite believe it’s been that long. But I remember being charmed on my first visit, despite the terrifying crash-landing. I’ve frequented PNF-404 a few times over the years. JIM: I didn’t meet the criteria for the first Hocotatian space expedition, being four years old and all, though I snuck a peek a couple of years later — maybe around ‘04/’05, if memory serves. I’ve since revisited this planet many times, and have embarked on this specific space adventure once a year for the past five rotations, maybe? GAVIN: For you, Ollie, I believe this was your first encounter not just with the game, but the series? OLLIE: Yep! What a sad state of affairs. I remember getting the GameCube on day one, but then Pikmin just never appealed to me. I was into Super Smash Bros. Melee, Luigi’s Mansion, and then later Zelda: The Wind Waker and Metroid Prime… Having to manage all these weird little critters just seemed like a chore. How wrong I was! I’m really quite cross with myself, and cross with everyone who didn’t force me to try it earlier. Tut tut. GAVIN: No need to be so hard on yourself, Reynolds - we’ve all got our blind spots and that’s why we’re here. I’m very pleased to hear that it’s struck a chord with you after all these years! Going back a little to the ‘chore’ impression you had, was the game anything like you expected? OLLIE: Not at all. Well… That’s a lie. Yes and no. It’s definitely a sort of puzzle/RTS thing, but while those particular genres would normally turn me off immediately, Nintendo really did something remarkable with Pikmin and made the moment-to-moment gameplay feel incredibly fun. I usually hate time-based concepts, too — Majora’s Mask sits quite low on my personal Zelda ranking for this very reason — but playing Pikmin, I just kept thinking “oh, just one more day” again and again… It’s so addictive! Images: Nintendo Life / Nintendo GAVIN: Once you know what you’re doing, it’s not as stressful as that ever-present sun bar suggests. Alana, Jim - how did you find returning to it this time? And which console did you all play it on? ALANA: I dug out the ol’ GameCube, sir. I’ve played it on Wii before, too, but the GameCube controller is so right… Anyway, revisiting these adorable little critters is always a delight. The first time I played, the timer certainly stressed me out a little, but as you said, you get used to it and learn how to optimise and multitask. These Pikmin are very, very smart. And very cute. I love how descriptive Olimar gets about his daily structure and the ship parts, too. My favourite part of the game isn’t quite the little plant creatures – it’s how much it loves stuff. And I’m charmed every time. every time I play, I appreciate it more and more for how tight it is. JIM: I picked up the Switch version when that dropped two years back, and that has been my main source of Pikmin fun ever since. I played on the GameCube and Wii back in the day, but I was all about the convenience for this return trip. This game is such a warm hug for me. I’ve played enough times now that I know the daily timer is actually quite forgiving once you hit your flow state, and the charm of it all never fails to get me. In fact, every time I play, I appreciate it more and more for how tight it is. There’s never a moment wasted. GAVIN: Although later entries expand on the concept in fantastic ways (and do away with the timer), there’s something about the simple, contained nature of P1 that I love. I dug out the WaveBird for my replay. How did those SD textures hold up in high definition? The quasi-realistic nature of the environments was quite a departure for Nintendo at the time. JIM: Oh, they’re just fine. It’s slightly weird going back to the OGs in a post-Pikmin 4 world (a title that I still hold up as one of the best-looking on Switch), but the weird little sprite designs and fantastic score keep it firmly in the good books. Image: Nintendo Life / Nintendo GAVIN: Agreed - perhaps the first thing that struck me on firing the game up was that mellow, homely music. Fantastic stuff. Okay, please don’t take this the wrong way, Ollie, but I’d like for you to describe your feeling when a Pikmin officer first foundered in water. my second playthrough has resulted in far fewer casualties OLLIE: Oh, it’s absolutely horrendous. There’s a moment of sheer panic that I can’t quite describe; it’s overwhelming. It’s the same when they get gobbled up by a Bulborb, or squashed by a Yellow Wollyhop. Eventually, you just come to accept that you’re probably going to lose some along the way, but I must say, my second playthrough has resulted in far fewer casualties. GAVIN: In our line of work, it’s to be expected, but losing a comrade in the line of duty never gets easier. How did you cope this time around Alana and Jim? There are captains who endeavour to lose zero Pikmin under their command - have you ever been able to achieve that? JIM: I used to be that very captain. I don’t know what changed in me for my most recent tours — perhaps the horrors of the world became too much — but that’s not the attitude I hold today. I do still operate under a strict ‘no man gets left behind’ policy, mind you. Falling in the line of duty is unfortunate, but I’m not about to let any stragglers remain on the planet’s surface once the beasties come out to play. That’s a quick restart if I slip up. Images: Nintendo Life / Nintendo ALANA: I’ve never managed it, but I certainly lose far fewer Pikmin now than I did the first time through PNF-404. And like Norman, I make sure all my Pikmin are safe before leaving the ground. Over 20 years later, I still cannot stomach the little squeak Pikmin make when they’re being eaten or squashed. I think the Burrowing Snagrets are terrifying. I wish I could get through a whole cycle losing no Pikmin, but I’m usually in single digits now. And I try to think of them like plants. There’s always new life waiting… It's sad, but that’s the best way I can cope. GAVIN: New life, new civilisations. It’s true, their little withering death cries haunt you and force you to do better for your crew. Did you find yourself resetting, Reynolds? And were there any significant enemies or bosses which you found particularly troublesome? The Blowhogs always wind me up. OLLIE: I never reset, no. I just let the game play out exactly as I intended, or rather unintended in some cases. There was one enemy… I think it’s called Smoky Progg, or something… Good lord, that thing demolished my Pikmin. Absolute slaughter. Still, I recovered, I grew more. Unfortunately, my first playthrough ended on day 30 with 29 ship parts collected. I learned many lessons, though, and I was determined to keep pushing and never reset. GAVIN: No resets is impressive for a first playthrough. It’s a little difficult, as the series evolved and switched things up with each entry, but is there anything specifically about Pikmin 1 that you feel doesn’t hold up or could stand to be tweaked? JIM: Gosh, every time I play, P1 gets higher on my list of all-time favourite games. That said, the Pikmin’s route mapping and overall intelligence in this entry can sometimes be a little… squiffy. Take a corner too sharply or don’t line everyone up before crossing a bridge, and you’ll have missed recruits popping up all over the map in no time. It’s something that got better with each entry, but it might be the only thing that bugs me a little when playing the original in 2025. every Pikmin game does a really great job of being both cosy and warm but also really scary. ALANA: AI is the big one, honestly. I promise these little ones are smart, and then they touch water and I have a little heart attack. Otherwise, I wish Yellow Pikmin were more unique. They get Electricity resistance in later games, but here? Can carry bombs, mate. And be thrown higher. That’s it. OLLIE: I got really stressed out whenever it said there was one or two Pikmin still out in the field at nighttime, and I just couldn’t find them… Sheesh. That said, the thing that bugged me was the sense of depth. It was really tough at times to gauge where the Pikmin would wind up when you’re chucking them about; especially if you’re dealing with a flying enemy. It’s just the nature of an isometric viewpoint, I guess, and it wasn’t a dealbreaker or anything; just something that made me pause and say “Hm, that’s annoying.” GAVIN: I feel that the Wiimote pointer really helped in that department. Does the Switch version have the pointer option? OLLIE: There’s gyro support, I believe, but I never tried it. I found the analogue control to be perfectly fine for the most part. Image: Nintendo Life / Nintendo GAVIN: Yes, going back to analogue sticks with Pikmin 4, I thought I'd miss the pointer, but I quickly forgot about it. Before we wrap things up, is there any other aspect you’d like to discuss - any standout feature or moment? As a captain, I found Olimar’s judgement around what is and isn’t an essential ship part questionable at best when lives are at stake. ALANA: That certainly stresses me out because that plays into my desire to collect things. Balancing the little guys with the different ship parts causes a dilemma early on, but we manage to work it out. On another note, every Pikmin game does a really great job of being both cosy and warm but also really scary. I’m sorry, the final boss on Pikmin 1 scares me. It’s still unsettling. Pikmin 2’s is worse. I’ve grown to find Bulborb’s adorable, but when they’re munching my little guys? Not so much. OLLIE: I do love that the whole world feels like this thriving ecosystem; you can imagine these creatures just living out their lives long after you’ve left the planet. I also want to give a little shoutout to the nectar; slurping that up not only sounds amazing, but it adds a nice extra level of depth, and I always tried to get the vast majority of my Pikmin army sprouting flowers for some of the more devious tasks. JIM: You’re commanding those troops like a pro already, Reynolds! Unfortunately, your expert skill does mean that you missed the ‘Bad Ending’ which, still to this day, haunts me. Talk about a bleak final image… OLLIE: I might have to do it on purpose just so I can see what happens! Image: Nintendo Life / Nintendo GAVIN: So, cards on the table - where does this rank in your personal Pikmin list? JIM: I’m going to assume that we’re skipping Hey! Pikmin, right? Either way, I think it falls in second, for me. Pikmin 4 is just so, so wonderful, despite the fact that 1 holds such a special place in my heart. One of those ‘Favourite vs. best’ scenarios, really. It goes 4, 1, 2, 3, for me, but they’re all pretty darn fantastic. ALANA: Wow, okay, I think Jim’s list is almost identical to mine. I might swap 2 and 1 around depending on my mood, but we’re basically splitting hairs here. I do think 4, despite how slow it starts, is the best one - it just refines everything and the biomes are so much more varied. But Pikmin 1 is such a quick, bite-sized slice of joy and fun. As someone said earlier, not a second is wasted. OLLIE: Oh, it’s right at the top for me. Hehehe. No, in all seriousness, I genuinely can’t wait to play the others. I’m already getting stuck into Pikmin 2 and I’m loving it so far. I don’t trust Louie, though… He’s giving me ‘Burke from Aliens’ vibes… GAVIN: Yes, keep an eye on that one. Oh, I envy you, taking these first steps into a new frontier. It’s why we’re out here! Excellent, well, let’s leave it there. Fine work, everybody. Dismissed. Pikmin - Recruit Report Image: Nintendo Life / Nintendo Promoted Officer: Lt. Ollie Reynolds Best bit: "Slurrrrp! Pop!" - The sound effects are great Worst bit: Watching the little Pikmins' spirits leave their bodies as they drown en masse Would play again? In a heartbeat - and all the others, too! A bloomin' marvellous bit of marketing Horrid-min Top Piks, as ranked by you Captain's log, supplemental. This brings us to the end of our mission on PNF-404 - a resounding, rejuvenating success that saw us journey to undiscovered countries once more. To the journey! Related Games See Also Share:44 3 Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 before joining the site full-time the following year, rising through the ranks to become Editor. He can currently be found squashed beneath a Switch backlog the size of Normandy. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment... Related Articles Every Nintendo Switch Online Sega Genesis / Mega Drive Game Ranked All the Sega Mega Drive games, ranked by you Catch-Up Crew: Pikmin - "A Moment Of Sheer Panic That I Can’t Quite Describe" I am compelled—I must approach it N64 Recompiled Is Planning Its Best Year Yet In 2025 Unofficial PC ports to get mods & performance boosts