Common Sense Media Review
By Chad Sapieha
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fun and colorful strategy/puzzle game is a Wii U must-have.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Pikmin 3
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 3 parent reviews
Based on 14 kid reviews
Kids say that this game is a delightful blend of engaging real-time strategy and exploration with charming graphics and cute characters, making it a fantastic choice for players of all ages. While the gameplay involves some cartoon violence, it is mostly suitable for children and promotes skills like multitasking and teamwork, ensuring both fun and challenge.
- engaging gameplay
- beautiful graphics
- suitable for all ages
- promotes teamwork
- mild violence
- challenge level
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
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?
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
- Platform : Nintendo Wii U
- Subjects : Science : animals , life cycle , plants , Hobbies : gardening
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : analyzing evidence , applying information , solving puzzles , strategy , Collaboration : cooperation , meeting challenges together , teamwork
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Nintendo
- Release date : August 4, 2013
- Genre : Strategy
- Topics : STEM
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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