Parents' Guide to

Pikmin 3

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Fun and colorful strategy/puzzle game is a Wii U must-have.

Game Nintendo Wii U 2013
Pikmin 3 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Pikmin 3 Game: Screenshot #1
  • Pikmin 3 Game: Screenshot #2
  • Pikmin 3 Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Skyjim1
Skyjim1 Parent
December 6, 2013
age 9+

Almost a Perfect Game but at the Right Age

(No Spoilers) Pikmin 3 is a quirky real-time, puzzle adventure game. It is kind of a rock, paper, scissors in a way. Yellow Pikmin are resistant against electricity, red are resistant to fire, blue to water, etc. This creates unique puzzle and enemy situations where players must use up to 100 Pikmin in combinations because there might be a mixture of fire, electricity and water. There are also flying pink Pikmin and rock Pikmin as well. Each round is a "day" long and the player can pick which world to go to. Players start with only one or two worlds at the beginning but more soon open. A "day" usually lasts about 7 minutes or so. To start the game, a player is kind of locked into a tutorial mode. But it is not too lengthy, is fun and gives a quick and good understanding of what to do. A player can spend a day growing more Pikmin, gathering fruit, discovering treasures, battling enemies and so on. It's really up to the player. The puzzles are clever and parents should be pleased with the amount of strategy and problem solving involved. There is also a great multi-player system. Players compete in boss battles or try to gather the most fruit. The strategy is endless. Should you grow more Pikmin for your army? Should you just focus on gathering and battling? Should you attack the other players Pikmin? It get's really exciting and things change quickly. As a parent, the only thing I would be concerned about is the violence. BUT it is no worse than Mario stomping on enemies. In other words, it is just soft cartoony violence and I would see no reason that it would be a problem for a child at any age. That said, the real restriction is the complexity of the game. On average, I would say a 9 year old would be able to understand what is going on. An 8 or even 7 year old might be able to handle it but it depends on the child. It is rated for Everyone 10+. I would say 10+ because of the difficulty. Regardless, even some of the younger children could have fun "helping" mom or dad play against older players. It's a great game and I am a long time fan of the series. Highly recommended!
CommonSenseReviewer
CommonSenseReviewer Adult
October 7, 2013
age 10+

Pikmin 3 is a great nature-based strategy game which is recommened to all Wii-U owners

Just as in the previous 2 Pikmin games, in Pikmin 3 you play as an astronaut who has crashed in a planet full of lush green jungles and predators. The player commands plant-like creatures called Pikmin, which are boneheaded and unable to survive on their own wit, but will obey the commands of the player. You will use them to attack enemies (though violence is very mild), carry objects such as fruit to survive the day or ship parts to repair the ship. The game requires a lot of strategy in real-time, as one in-game day is only 15 minutes. It requires a lot of multi-tasking as well, as you always have to give up one priority for another. Pikmin 3 has not changed a whole lot since Pikmin 2, but that's okay. We're just happy to see Olimar and his friends again. Overall, this is a very fun game, but the strategic elements also make it a bit educational. Strongly recommended for children (and adults as well) who have the Wii-U.
See all 2 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Three tiny astronauts crash land on a strange planet in PIKMIN 3. The trio quickly discover a species of intelligent plant life called Pikmin -- colorful sprouts with arms and legs that obediently follow their every command. They use these creatures to help them tear down walls, construct bridges, harvest the fruit they need to survive, and even battle the local aggressive bugs, small animals, and fish that occasionally attack. They find new breeds of Pikmin as the game progresses, including those that can fly and swim, which allow them to access new areas and discover more kinds of fruit. Eventually they learn that there is another alien on the planet -- Captain Olimar from the first two Pikmin games -- and realize that he may hold the key to their escape from this alien world.

Outside of the campaign, players can engage in competitive and cooperative one-off missions to collect items and battle monsters. Another bonus mode sees players using Pikmin to collect fruit matching the lines of a Bingo card. All multiplayer is local and for a maximum of two players.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (14):

It's been nearly a decade since the last time we saw a new Pikmin game, but it's been worth the wait. Nintendo's overlooked series returns in beautiful high-definition, and its strange but intuitive strategic play remains as engaging as ever. Players still control Pikmin by whistling to grab their attention and then tossing them onto objects or enemies of interest. But the introduction of new types of Pikmin -- such as the black rock Pikmin, which are great at smashing crystals, and pink flying Pikmin, which can carry objects over water -- help create plenty of new play scenarios. Plus, players can now switch between three astronauts each with their own Pikmin squads, using the Gamepad map as a means to keep track of all their multitasking efforts.

The game has a few minor niggles. It can be hard to move and properly target your Pikmin for landing using a control stick, and the timer (each day of exploration only lasts about 15 minutes) means you'll often need to leave tasks unfinished from one day to the next. But on the whole, Pikmin 3 is one of the most original, unusual, and just plain fun games available for Wii U.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about puzzle solving. Do you enjoy word puzzles and riddles, or do you prefer more contextual puzzles in which you must analyze your environment and figure out objectives, obstacles, and how to overcome them?

  • Families can also discuss how people use animals. What sorts of jobs are appropriate for the animals in our lives? How do you know if a job goes beyond a harmless task and becomes cruel? Is it ever okay for animals to die in our service?

Game Details

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