It’s been more than seven years since Pikmin 3 launched on the Wii U but it’s relaunching this fall on the Nintendo Switch.
Pikmin 3 Deluxe will launch on the Nintendo Switch on October 30, Nintendo announced on Wednesday, August 5. The game is a port from the Wii U version and will come with the same storyline and look and feel. Nintendo plans to sweeten the pot a bit by adding new features, including the option to play the entire Pikmin 3 Deluxe story mode in a co-op. All of the game’s DLC and side missions can also be played in co-op mode and Nintendo said players can choose from new difficulty options to adapt the gameplay to their skill level.
Pikmin 3 Deluxe is an adventure game that centers on three explorers who work with a variety of Pikmin characters to survive on a world on which they’ve crash landed. The game features a variety of puzzles and battle moments and the Pikmin characters that players choose to have with them vary with their environment. For instance, in the game’s Twilight River area, blue Pikmin that can breathe underwater are more useful. Pink Winged Pikmin can fly over areas to help players move through puzzles in other areas.
When the game launched on Nintendo’s Wii U in 2013, it earned high marks from users and critics alike. It currently has a score of 87 from critics and a score of 8.7 from users on Metacritic.
Nintendo didn’t share too many details on just how different the Switch’s Pikmin 3 Deluxe experience will be. However, in addition to co-op modes, Nintendo said it has added new side-story missions allowing players to explore planet PNF-404. The company has also promised head-to-head multiplayer battles. Lock-on targeting has been added to the game and players can turn on a hints feature to make the title a bit easier to play. Nintendo said it designed Deluxe to be accessible to both veteran players and newbies.
Although Pikmin 3 Deluxe is largely a port from the Wii U hit, Nintendo said it’s still planning to sell the game at the standard $60 it sells other new titles for. Players can pre-order the game now to have it on launch day.