My import copy of Pikmin has finally arrived, and I have just poked my head up from a couple hours of game play. I have completely been immersed in Shigeru’s garden, and I decided to take a little break and jot down some quick impressions. Okay fine, I’ll be honest…my Pikmin just murdered me.

The E3/Cube Club and Space World builds are a bit different than what I am playing now. I think the game is extremely fun, addictive, and challenging. Unfortunately, all the menus are in Japanese, as is the story. There also is a lot more Japanese in this game than I had hoped for…but it’s not too difficult to figure out. I’m looking forward to seeing menu translations so I can see other modes, and adjust settings if need be. So far, so good though. Getting the game set up wasn’t all that difficult.

I will say that Pikmin is totally different than I had expected. I’ve gotten through 14 of the 30 days of the game, and still feeling like I have barely touched the surface. I’m not saying this game is going to be long, because I foresee beating it in 12-15 hours total. I just feel like I’m re-learning the game all over again due to the fact that this genre/style of game is something new to me. Okay, I suck at it. There’s supposedly 30 pieces of the ship around and I only have like 10, and there’s not a lot of time remaining. Yet, there’s something about these Pikmin that just draw me to the game. I think it’s the EAD factor. I’m planning on restarting from scratch tomorrow. Now that I have the hang of everything I want to start over. I think the language barrier is part of the problem.

There are 3 different types of Pikmin that you manage. They each have different attributes that can help you recover the lost parts of your space ship. Pikmin can kill enemies, tear down walls, build bridges, and more. Using certain Pikmin at specific times can help or hinder your chances of getting space ship parts, killing enemies, or surviving different terrain. They need your help because, for a lack of a better description…they are dumb. They’ll trip and fall, get lost, and get killed easily if you aren’t paying attention. The puzzles aren’t overly difficult, but you’ll need to think. Since you are under a daily time limit, the pressure is on. It’s a bit frustrating at times, but you’ll learn to plan out your day, and try to make the most of your time.

The environments are very organic, and just plain gorgeous. I’ve only seen 3 areas of the Pikmin world but so far my eyes have yet to be disappointed. The E3/Cube Club build had some serious slow down when you were controlling a lot of Pikmin, but it’s all been cleaned up. Pikmin moves at a very brisk pace no matter how many different things are going on screen. For example, you could have 20 Pikmin carrying a dead enemy back to the ship, while other Pikmin are tearing down a wall, and you’re controlling some Pikmin in a battle. The game doesn’t flinch.

Ever since my first taste of Pikmin back at E3, I fell in love with the music of this game. Getting the chance to hear it all in the comfort of my own home is an absolute aural delight. The music is fantastic, and I’m hoping in the future there’s a soundtrack I can order. It’s mostly ambient new wave kind of music, but it flows quite nicely with the game. The sound effects are also top notch. Hearing your Pikmin follow you has to be experienced to appreciate. So is listening to them bang their heads against a wall, or an enemy. Even though you’re trying to save the Pikmin, when they do something stupid (or you do), it’s sometimes nice to hear them scream when a baddie chomps on them. So much for being a good parent...

If you can’t tell, I’m totally enamored by Pikmin. It’s totally different, cute, weird, and one of the best games available for the system. Even though I suck at it, I keep getting sucked back into it. It was hard enough to put the controller down and write these impressions. If you’ve imported a GameCube, and you’re looking for something different and fun, don’t wait another second and get this game now. It’s a very unique game coming from the mind of a very unique man.