Customer Ratings & Reviews

Most of the criticisms you may have heard about this game do indeed apply. It is simplistic, there is not a strategy element like in the main series games, and it is pretty repetitive. However, you do get to guide hang out with all of your favorite pikmin again (except I have yet to encounter the white ones), and if you play toward the goal of completing all goals for an area, then it can be quite fun and challenging. Most areas have at least two challenges that are optional and do not affect your ability to beat the game. The first challenge is to first discover all 20 pikmin and then to not let any of them die during the level. The second challenge is to discover the hidden artifacts in the levels and retrieve them. Attempting to complete these challenges has caused me to place most levels at least 2 times so far, some even more. Some levels also have secret exits which open an extra level for you. Gameplay is repetitive, but still fun. You tap where you want Olimar to throw the pikmin in a side scrolling universe, and you move Olimar with the circle pad to try to find the exit(s), all the while collecting a little sparklium to help your ship take off and go home. There are 9 sectors. I have not completed them all yet, but according to online guides, there are 5 levels and a boss battle in the first 8 sectors and one boss battle in the 9th. There is no strategy element to speak of in this gameplay, but there is a puzzle solving, and a new element introduced of Olimar having a jetpack. So at times he can jump and fly to place the pikmin cannot go and you must solve a puzzle without them or in a new way other than just throwing them. Amiibos are used in a fun way, but not in a very necessary way. If you have a bunch cluttering up your bathtub, then you can break them out for this. Each Sector has a couple of special one-screen puzzle levels that will unlock when an amiibo is scanned. The scanned amiibo (only Animal Crossing, Pikmin, Splatoon, and Mario Party ones are supported I believe) will appear in game as an artifact and you must figure out how to get the Pikmin or Olimar to collect it. If you do not have any amiibos, then the one made special for this game will act as a randomly chosen amiibo for you when it is scanned. I have not used this feature much, but it would seem all you really need is luck and the Pikmin amiibo for this game to unlock them all. As with all artifacts, there is a funny description unlocked when the amiibo is collected and catalogued. You could easily beat this game without the need for any amiibos, and the only thing you would miss are a couple of one-screen puzzles and a bunch of funny text which you could easily find and read on the internet. You can also use the special pikmin amiibo for this game to cheat in a level, by calling more pikmin to you once per level. So if you had 10 pikmin and accidentally killed 5 but you could not progress any further with only 5, then you could scan the amiibo and more would come to help (amount depends on the level of the amiibo), however, it is clear the game sees this as cheating, because it will not allow you to unlock the special challenge of rescuing all pikmin if you use the amiibo in a level. Lastly, there is a minigame that is not very game like, in which you send the pikmin you have lead to the exit of each level into a top down environment and you leave them to harvest fire, water, crystals, grass, etc in an area and unlock more sparklium for you. It is a very slight attempt at a management sim, but it does provide yet another reason to replay certain levels if you are stockpiling a particular type of pikmin for harvesting purposes. There is a demo for this, if you try it and you feel that you would want to repeat those actions over and over for roughly 40 levels, then this is definitely the game for you.

While diehard fans have been critical over the leap into 2.5D side scrolling, I believe the developers at Arzest have a done a great job with this experimental title. Unlike their mediocre first effort with Yoshi's Island, Hey! Pikmin is well designed and easy to play but does offer a bit of a challenge with it's several optional objectives in each stage. While the challenge and experience isn't as satisfying compared to that of the main line series, I enjoyed my time with Hey! Pikmin and look forward replaying the levels to find any missed items, hidden secrets and no Pikmin lives lost. Recommended!

Hey Pikmin is a fun little Pikmin adventure. I wasn't sure the normal Pikmin gameplay would translate to 2D but it was fun! And the graphics and music are great

This is a bit different than other Pikmin games, and can be a bit difficult at times as a result. Still, great game, and my son loves it.

I loved the pikmin games on GameCube. I loved them on Wii and WiiU. Now I'm loving them on the go

Bought this game for my 3 year old. At first he didn’t know what he was doing but then he saw me playing for a few minutes an automatically got . It keeps him entertain and when he can’t pass a level he says mommy help. I myself like this game when he’s not playing it keeps you busy and entertain. My husband first thought the game was lame then he started to play and said the game was interesting lol

This has been my go-to game when I'm in the mood for simple and if I don't have time or energy for a long gaming session. Things may get more challenging as I progress, but I'm pleased regardless. Keep in mind this is targeted towards a younger age group. If you're looking for easygoing game play with cute characters (even as an adult), then I recommend Hey! Pikmin.

I've played through Pikmin 1, 2, and 3 and loved them all. When I heard that a side-scrolling-spin-off game was in the works I had mixed feelings. After playing the game for a while, I still have mixed feeling about it. Let's start with the good: Despite the low resolution of the 3ds, this game is beautiful - much like the previous titles. It is a joy to look around and see the world. The Pikmin are adorable. Nintendo is so good at making mute characters come to life. The descriptions of the things we use are entertaining. The puzzles are different from most games because it's about launching Pikmin everywhere instead of getting your actual character places. There is still a small amount of managing Pikmin. The game makes you want to explore every part of the levels. On to the bad (and keep in mind, this is in comparison to previous Pikmin games) The game isn't tough at all. You don't get to micro-manage the Pikmin to do different tasks. You don't get the joy of an RTS-like game. I liked being a Pikmin Overlord, sending pikmin all over the map to kill enemies, destroy walls, and haul loot. This just isn't in the game. The Pikmin park has a very small sense of this, but it is nothing in comparison to previous titles. This game is split into a lot of different level (ala mario bros.) which makes the world feel less natural and broken up. It kills the exploration vibe of the series. Thinking about it now, this game could have been made at least thrice as good if it was a metroidvania set-up where Olimar gathers lots of Pikmin from all over and backtrack to previous places to solve puzzles that required more Pikmin or certain types of Pikmin. Exploration would go up, micro-managing would be a thing again, and the world would feel more real. This all being said, this is a good game. It has enough enjoyment in it to warrant $32 (hooray Gamer's Club), but I'm a bit wary of $40 for it. It can be a good introduction to the characters of the series, but in no means is it the same as the others with regards to gameplay.

A nifty little puzzle game starring Pikmin. Definitely different than past entries, and maybe not fully fleshed out, but an interesting experience you might want. The music is especially great.

Good game with charming game play and manages to retain most of what makes this franchise great. Perfect to play a couple of stages to wind down before bedtime!

If you're already a fan of the Pikmin series, this latest installment is sure to please! If you've never played Pikmin before, this one is a great one to start off with!

Very fun interactive game for kids and adults. The game has great replay value and no loot boxes or microtransactions!

If you're a fan of Pikmin, this is a nice entry in the series, even if it's not the main games in the series.

While this game is very basic compared to the main games it is still a fun 2d puzzle style game with some aspects of pikmin.

I love the Pikmin series, and was a bit nervous that this game would not be quite like the other enteries in the series - especially being on a handheld device. While I do sometimes feel this, I am able to overlook it because it is still a Pikmin game at heart and feels like Pikmin. I am able to command Pikmin, send them out to do tasks on my screen, take multiple colors at a time, etc. It is fun, and worth playing if you are a fan of the series.

This game takes too much of a hit without anyone giving it a chance and playing it. Yes this pikmin game is very much different from past games. Of course it would. It's on the 3ds. It's going to have limitations, But it is a calm relaxing puzzle game that's not in anyway destroying the franchises reputation. This is not a Federation Force of Metroid. I'm not claiming it's the best game or 5 stars. I gave it 4 stars and very well could have been a 3 1/2 if I could. But it's just that. A pretty good game that is a nice break to play from the other games I play. I dock it points because it could be cheaper than the $39.99 price point they are asking for. It still is a fun pick up and play game for you or if you have kids that like platforming games. It's got that pikmin charm we know and love with little funny bits. Different yes, a bit simple at times, yes. Still is very enjoyable. There is a free demo available on the Nintendo shop on the 3ds/2ds that'll let you try the game for a bit. That can give you an idea if this game is for you. So fling those Pikmin and here's hoping Pikmin 4 comes out sooner rather than later!

I was skeptical at first about this game, but have had a lot of fun playing it. Would recommend checking it out!

I love Pikman and this game is no exception :) it is a little challenging but that's what I like about it :)

Love Pikmin and while this isn’t the same as the others, it’s still a nice taste of the series on portable.

I've been a Pikmin fan since the original game released back in 2001 one and have enjoyed each subsequent entry so when Hey! Pikmin was announced I was already on board. This game has all the charm of the mainline titles, fun gameplay, and colorful graphics. However, it does offer a slightly watered down experience given that its normal strategic gameplay has been substituted with 2-D platforming, which is an odd but understandable route to take the series, given that it'd probably be difficult to see and manage hundreds of Pikmin on the 3DS's screen. Another puzzling omission from this game is support for 3-D. While not a huge negative since I rarely play with 3-D enabled, I think the graphics would have benefited the immersion slightly, but with all that aside, if you're a Pikmin fan like me, then Hey! Pikmin is an obvious buy and I recommend that you do. It'll at least tide us all over until we get a proper sequel on the Nintendo Switch. :)