Toot on your whistle and call forth your colourful army as Pikmin 3 launches today in stores and on Nintendo eShop across Australia and New Zealand. Exclusive to the Wii U platform and the first new installment since the Gamecube era, Shigeru Miyamoto’s inimitable take on real-time strategy shows the world from the perspective of inch-high explorers, who command a legion of tiny but powerful Pikmin to take on enemies and puzzles in a quest to save their home planet. After a wait of more than a decade, you can venture into the world of giant every day objects alongside new Pikmin and even alongside a friend in new multiplayer modes.
Pikmin 3 stars the original Red, Yellow and Blue Pikmin who each have special abilities, but also introduces two new types of Pikmin that allow for new gameplay strategies. Meet the Rock Pikmin who are the sturdiest of all Pikmin and can be used to smash through glass walls or enemies’ exoskeletons! Also making their debut are the Winged Pikmin, whose ability to fly lets them carry things above ground and lift blockades, forging new paths.
In Story Mode, take control of three new characters Alph, Brittany and Charlie, who are tasked with saving their home planet Koppai from starvation and searching the peculiar planet of PNF-404 for nutritious fruit. With PNF-404 full of hostile inhabitants, the intrepid trio are not alone – but thankfully they are aided by a diminutive army of plant-like Pikmin who obey their every command.
Your loyal Pikmin put their unique talents to use to seek out items, solve puzzles and fight enemies; through your actions the Pikmin can grow in numbers and overcome all – or be sent forth to be chomped! The challenge is to work through each day to most strategically seek out fruit and take down creatures – but fear not when the situation turns sour, as Pikmin 3 introduces a new feature that allows you to jump back in time and tighten your tactics.
In Mission Mode, you are given tasks to complete within a time limit, such as defeat a fiendish boss or collect as much fruit as possible. Play alone or co-operatively and aim for the highest score on the online leaderboard, where you can see how you compare to other Pikmin 3 players around the world!
Bingo Battle is a competitive multiplayer mode which pits you and a friend against each other, on a variety of different maps, to complete a line in a special Pikmin-themed bingo card. The Pikmin twist is that each square on the bingo card is an enemy to take down and collect, or an item or fruit to bring home. With numerous ways to play the maps and rules that can be customised, novices and veterans alike can enjoy employing different tactics to outwit their opponents!
As an added bonus, those who download Pikmin 3 from the Nintendo eShop (At least in Australia and New Zealand) between the 27th July and 21st September 2013 will be able to buy The Wonderful 101 for 30% off on Nintendo eShop once it is released.
