Nintendo Unveils Pikmin 3 Deluxe, Adding New Story Content and Difficulty Options

Nintendo just unveiled Pikmin 3 Deluxe through Twitter, a re-release of the 2013 Wii U title which is coming to Switch later this year.

The game will contain the single-player campaign and multiplayer modes from the original, as well as all DLC from the Wii U version. It’s also adding more difficulty options for players of different skill levels by offering lock-on targeting and optional hints for those who need them. It says on its website that these modes will allow players to “play at your pace,” so perhaps easier modes will give more time to complete tasks each in-game day, if not do away with the clock entirely?

The game is also adding a “Piklopedia,” which contains bios on encountered creatures, and badges which seem to act as its achievement system. They’re also adding a few new side-stories starring the original series protagonist Olimar and the clumsy Louie.

There had been reliable sources telling the public that a Pikmin 3 re-release was in the cards for Nintendo for quite some time now, but it’s nice to finally have confirmation. Other common rumors say that Nintendo is planning to re-release some of its most celebrated Mario games for Switch later this year, so let’s hope that comes to pass as well.

Always the oddball, Nintendo has usually announced games of this calibre in Nintendo Directs, video presentations where the company gives details on upcoming games for its systems. However, since the onset of the pandemic, most other videogame companies have switched to Direct-style video presentations, whereas Nintendo has only had two very brief “Mini” Directs, instead taking to social media to make its big announcements. It doesn’t really matter; it’s just odd.

Despite being a joyful and thoughtful “pet simulator” in the words of reviewer Garrett Martin, Pikmin 3 hasn’t reached a wide audience thanks to its release on the poor-selling Wii U. Especially in the much more successful Switch’s first couple years, many of Nintendo’s best Wii U offerings made the switch to the console, reaching far wider audiences and making Nintendo a lot more money. Pikmin 3, however, seemed to be one of a few games that hadn’t yet made that switch, keeping it stuck on the forgotten console.

But not for much longer! Pikmin 3 Deluxe launches Oct. 30 on Switch.