In my previous review, I mentioned how the Devil is used as the very embodiment of all that is evil, and that, for me and my little video game hobby, the Hotel Transylvania Social Game is the embodiment of all that is awful, evil, terrible, and no-good in games. But, then what is my God? Who is all that is holy and virtuous, and everything I want in a game? And that brings us here.
Pikmin is my favorite series of all time, despite the fact that I've only played the first and second games. You play as a little man who controls tiny little leaf creatures to defeat enemies, collect valuables, and harvest nutrients to produce more Pikmin.
What I love about Pikmin 2 is how much more experimental it gets with the series. The first game was well known for its time limit to beat the game, which is completely removed from Pikmin 2. To go even further, while Pikmin 1 has you working under a ~15 minute time limit each day, the majority of Pikmin 2's gameplay takes place in underground caves which completely stop time above ground. Instead of collecting ship parts to get home safely, you collect licensed products to pay off your company's debt. There are new items you can use in a pinch called "sprays," or "potions," the game features a smorgasbord of new bosses. The list can continue for a while. Game sequels come in many forms, but easily my favorite is the one that throws a bunch of stuff at the wall to see what sticks. Pikmin 1 was, again, a fairly small game, and Pikmin 2 feels like it completely burst open at the seams with content.
Alright, enough talk about concepts. How does the game hold up? Well, it's got holes, that's for sure. The new Purple Pikmin type is obscenely overpowered. Though you can't get that many throughout the story, even just 10 of them is enough to flatten most enemies with ease. The game's dungeons can have just awful layouts that feel straight out of a kaizo hack. The game feels like it's being an ass to you, which is usually charming, but when you spawn next to 3 Decorated Cannon Beetles, or fall victim to a Spotty Bulbear falling out of the sky, it's pretty annoying. The game's lack of time limit in dungeons means that the most logical course of action is to go by yourself, with no Pikmin, and start punching the enemies on the floor. The punch is meant to be a silly input for when you have no Pikmin in your hand, not to be used to kill entire enemies. It's a major pace-breaker when it comes to that. Easily the worst pace-breaker is the Doomsday Appartus, a treasure that requires hours of very tedious, monotonous, boring grinding to obtain.
The game has a lot of flaws! I must confess... this game isn't a 10/10. It just happens to be the best game I've played so far in my life. The game can feel very irritating, but at the end of the day, the gameplay is still pretty fun. Most dungeon floors hit a very nice difficulty level to keep you on your toes, the overworld maps are still fun to explore even if they have been relegated to a small part of the game. Most of the games bosses are really enjoyable, the game's dynamic music is a phenomenal fit for the series.
Topic change real quick. I adore the writing the Pikmin 1. Olimar was this man who you would only see talk through the ship parts you find and his end-of-day writings, and they are some of the most heartfelt things I have seen in any game. You see Olimar as this very kindhearted person, curious about the planet he's on, yet feeling isolated and lonely at his situation, fearful that he won't escape. Pikmin is a very confusing game for new players, but these writings help let the player know they are not alone. You see Olimar talk about his family back home, about the new things he discovered about Pikmin, about his thoughts on life, and you see him grieve when his Pikmin fall in battle. It is hands down the best part of the first game.
In Pikmin 2, this feature is no longer in the game, instead replaced by a silly little email system. The reasoning is simple: Olimar has been through this before, his diary isn't nearly as impactful. But replacing it.... replacing it is my favorite thing in any video game, ever. The Piklopedia.
The Piklopedia records almost every enemy you find, every boss, every interactable object, and even the flora and fauna around the map. Each one of these is given notes from Olimar, and you start to see his nature as a scientist, and god, the way they are written sends my pilgrim heart aflutter. They're funny, they're intriguing, the wording they use is just absolute perfection, they're lengthy without feeling exhausting, and it all plays over some peaceful background music. After beating the game, you unlock Louie's notes for each one, providing even more insight into the game's frankly phenomenal writing. Pikmin 2's writing in the Piklopedia is no lower than a 10/10, it is absolute beauty and perfection. I could go on for days and days about it, something I have already done previously to my good friends, who for years have been subject to my passionate ramblings about the little things I like in life. I hope they don't get too tired of it. I just have a lot to say about Pikmin 2. Perhaps a Tumblr blog post isn't enough. It's hard to keep undepleted adoration at an acceptable length.
Overall score: 9/10. It's been avaliable on every Nintendo console since the Gamecube, go play it! Maybe one day I will find a game I truly consider a 10/10, but until then, Pikmin 2 reigns supreme. God bless it.
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