Pikmin

Pikmin launched in 2001 on GameCube as a project led by Shigeru Miyamoto, blending real-time strategy with puzzle-solving: Captain Olimar crash-lands on an alien planet and must use small plant-like creatures called Pikmin, split into color-coded types with different abilities, to recover his ship's parts before his oxygen runs out. Red Pikmin resist fire, blue ones can swim underwater, and yellow ones withstand electricity and can be thrown highest. A strict day-based time limit was a defining source of tension from the start.

Pikmin 2 (2004) largely removed that pressure from its main mode, shifted focus toward treasure-hunting and exploring underground caves, and added the stronger purple type and the poison-resistant white type. Pikmin 3 (2013, Wii U) then introduced three playable captains from the starving planet Koppai, new rock and winged Pikmin types, and fruit-gathering for juice to sustain the crew; the enhanced Pikmin 3 Deluxe on Switch in 2020 added extra side missions. Throughout this period the series remained a comparatively minor Nintendo franchise next to Mario or Zelda.

After a long gap, Pikmin 4 (2023, Switch) arrived with the dog-like companion Oatchi, a new ice Pikmin type, night expeditions against monsters, and rescuing stranded astronauts including Olimar himself, earning the series its widest acclaim yet from both players and critics. Despite its smaller scale, Pikmin has kept a reputation as a distinctive, thoughtfully designed strategy game built around managing a small army of endearing helpers.