Pikmin 3 Deluxe (Nintendo Switch) Preview

Those new to the game and the series will find a marvellous experience of exploration and puzzles, seeing three diminutive explorers trek off across the stars - desperate to find a world abundant with food to bring back to their starving home. They find a planet of giant fruit, ripe for the picking but, following a less than stellar landing, the trio have to battle against towering insects and the natural barriers of the world.

To do so, they enlist the assistance of the titular Pikmin, cute little flower creatures who can be commanded with a whistle, sent to pick up and carry what is needed, battle against the creatures of the wilds, build paths, and more. There are different types of Pikmin to take out on expeditions, with up to 100, in total. Some Pikmin can swim, fly, break glass, or act as conductors with electrical currents. Balancing the team is important; equally, the team of explorers can be switched between, splitting the workload, and even better in this version is how that workload can be split between players.

This is one of the biggest and best new additions to the Deluxe. The original offered multiplayer, both co-operative and competitive. The co-operative gets a tweak here, thanks to the inclusion of two-player local co-op. An absolutely genius little addition is how it allows the players to take a Joy-Con each and share the experience. The competitive mode, entitled "Bingo Battle," sets players against each other with groups of Pikmin collecting specific items, tracking down and recovering fruit or animal corpses to fill a bingo board.

It's not all the that new update brings, though, as it includes everything that the original brought and bundles in all of the DLC that was released for it, and, honestly, that would be enough for the experience. This is an absolute gem of a title, that originally received a 9/10 here on Cubed3 for its Wii U release. In addition, it adds brand new Side Stories - playable stages that give a fresh perspective on what happened in the original story from the viewpoint of Olimar and Louie, along with new levels and challenges to take on.

On top of this, there are plenty of little quality of life changes to help enhance the experience. A hunt system to help those who get stuck, for instance, along with new difficulty modes for both those who find the game too easy and too difficult. The Piklopedia, which was absent from the original release, but a great part of Pikmin 2, is also present, giving comments and notes.