Difficulty Settings in Pikmin (and why they failed)

[@rayflyers]

But Pikmin 4 does have a hard mode: the auto lock-on that ruins your aiming. It's just a shame you can't turn it off.

[@potatoe972]

I always call the difficulties: “Very Easy”, “Easy”, and “Mildly Inconvenient”.

[@harribo2323]

yup

[@rayflyers]

​@@harribo2323I call them Easy, Wii U, and Tedious. It's a shame that the Wii U version of the game is the superior version (because what the Switch version added wasn't good, and the Wii Remote controls were more reliable than gyro)

[@TheFrantastic]

​@@rayflyersIt's basically a choice between a convenient version or a good version, unfortunate... It's great in portable tho, I'd rather have it like this than not have it at all.

[@PhantomOfficial07]

@@rayflyers sorry but i am not using a wiimote to play pikmin

[@lazykirby57]

@@rayflyers Wait, really? I was planning on getting pikmin 3 deluxe, but if what you said is true, then I might buy the original version instead.

[@lasercraft32]

Basically Nintendo seems to think Pikmin is already a pretty hard game series, because basically every new player will end up with loads of casualties... meanwhile for everyone who's actually played the game before its easy, barely an inconvenience.

[@user-qv2mc3dw5o]

Losing pikmin is TIGHT

[@lasercraft32]

@@user-qv2mc3dw5o lol glad someone got the reference! XD

[@slimeybob5294]

The casualties aren’t much of a problem to replace, but they cause emotional damage.

[@Fenyx_Birb]

I mean i lost 20 purple pikmin one time in pikmin 2 and i managed to get past that.

[@justsomewheel9379]

@@Fenyx_Birb I also lost a lot of purple pikmin from one cannon beetle larva on 2023, July 6th, midday, 3:18 PM and I've also managed to move on. Haven't even thought about it since.

[@Donchan1]

If pikmin 4 added difficulty options I would definitely want them to bring back enemy respawns

[@Camphreneas]

That, and some enemies being able to regain their health after being taken down, such as what the Spotty Bulbear has in the past Pikmin games prior to 3.

[@videorelaxant2780]

This drove me nuts in 4

[@jonathantorres3589]

@@Camphreneasonly in 2 they did that

[@apocalypseofplush]

Enemy respawns should be default.

[@boisvert45]

I did like how Ultra Spicy cut the pikmin number almost in half. Until pikmin 4 came out and it that just became life for most of the game

[@YoshiFawful64]

What I really hate the most about Deluxe's difficulty modes is that all the bonus stuff like Mission Mode is _locked_ into easy.

[@Gulliblepikmin]

3:47 Funny misname aside, the eggs in the Garden of Hope aren't even there in the original Wii U version of Pikmin 3. Also normal mode did more damage than just incorrect labelling; both the Mission Modes and Bingo Battle use normal mode in Pikmin 3 Deluxe rather than the Wii U accurate hard mode.

[@lukeiannello6190]

Funnily enough, Nintendo did the same thing with difficulties when porting Metroid Prime 1/2 to the Wii with the Metroid Prime Trilogy edition. The original game had Normal and Hard, with Hard doubling the damage you took, doubling the health enemies have, and a few changes to the number of enemies that would spawn in certain spots. The Trilogy version has Normal, which is easier than the GameCube's Normal; Veteran, which is the same as GameCube Normal; and Hypermode, the same as GameCube's Hard. They literally repeated the same mistake with Pikmin 3 Deluxe. That said, no one in the Metroid community bothers with Hard mode because many fights against non-boss enemies just become "spam the A button a little more or ignore them completely".

[@grape_soduh]

I feel like Nintendo is afraid of any form of difficulty options cause of their younger options I guess but it really hurts replay ability

[@1stCallipostle]

It's weird, because their games already have a decently wide difficulty range. Can a 5 year old beat Pokemon? Yes. Could a 5 year old navigate let alone survive Tears of the Kingdom? No. Does Pokemon need difficulty options even more than Pikmin because they fumbled it the one time they tried? Yes.

[@michaelr3077]

hard mode is still easier than the wii U version since it has things like nectar eggs in earlier areas where they weren't before. Theres probably a bunch of smaller changes that are also easier than the original

[@nicolasn12]

if i ever get my hands on the game(pikmin 3) im setting it to the hardest difficulty

[@VantageEmblem]

Pikmin connoisseur status achieved

[@jonlevidalkvistagustsson6134]

Hard is actually slightly easier than the OG because it has more eggs then the original. They may have also given enemies less health, but I forget if that's just in mission mode? Anyways Deluxe does not have a difficulty 100% accurate difficulty optuon for the original!!

[@krimsonkartoffel]

The only hard time i had with pikmin 3 deluxe was when louie stole my fruit. I scrubbed twice before I got it. 60 pikmin are easier to manage on the whole. Overall, calling pikmin 3 deluxe "ultra spicy" is like calling beans on toast a flavorful masterpiece of culinary expertise. But then you get a solid clump of black pepper named the quaggled mireclops.

[@maneruloquendero]

Nintendo's philosophy with the Switch is "fun for everyone", but I think they did that by making its games so easy a baby with no arms could play and beat them

[@lordvegetables]

hey i started playing through the first pikmin because of your videos. it’s been a lot of fun now and i kept laughing at myself calling the blowhog the braphog because i’m mentally disabled. also i laughed at the dobson and connoisseur joke. keep up the vids bro

[@PickoYT_]

Seriously, I think even with the ultra spicy difficulty, Pikmin 3 deluxe doesn't even compare to the OG Wii U version. "Subscribe to become a true Pikmin connoisseur" really made me have a laugh 😂 Insane vids as usual

[@maicoxmauler2825]

I like how people keep saying games need to be made easier for kids, when a lot of kids get like 2 singleplayer games a year if they're lucky, and when they're done with them they go back to the sweatiest FTP multiplayer grinds imaginable.

[@josephdecasper7670]

A harder difficulty setting that brings back the 30 day limit would would do pikmin veterans justice.

[@GamerboyZun]

Hopefully soon (assuming we get any for pikmin 4) a future update or dlc adds back a difficulty option

[@bestmanalive99]

Honestly, one of my biggest issues with pikmin 4 rn is how easy it felt as someone who replayed the whole series again right before launch

[@GamerboyZun]

@@bestmanalive99 I do get why it went pretty light on the difficulty since like pikmin 3 this is a lot of people’s introduction to the franchise but yeah something to make it more challenging would be nice

[@pikminologueraisin2139]

pls no autolock option pls I beg ya nintendo

[@The_Official_Optimar]

They should include a master mode and a new game plus mode in new pikmin titles to add replay value. Especially if enemies don’t respawn anymore; enemy layouts and stat changes to multiple things in the mode would add some much needed difficulty to the newer entries in the series.

[@volvoman5262]

small defence off 60 pikmin limit: Nintendo wants people to play pikmin 3 with using multitasking as much as possible, limiting the amount of pikmin makes multitasking a lot harder and needs diffrent strategies

[@TheWrathAbove]

While that sounds true in theory it doesn't actually work that way in practice. It actually makes multi-tasking easier as there are less possible optimal strategies, and executing those strategies are easier since there's less to manage

[@volvoman5262]

@@TheWrathAbove this changes nothing

[@pikminologueraisin2139]

don't forget that the franchise was born on the idea of showing how many characters the Gamecube could show without lags

[@DylBro101]

the submerged castle has fallen. Billions must be crushed. (Love your thumbnail, and good video

[@jackbob83]

At 3:47 did you say “no eggs in the Forest of hope?” There never were any in the Wii U version. In fact, the only areas with eggs at all are the Tropical Wilds and the Formidable Oak.

[@jykatyk567]

I feel like managing 100 Pikmin can be part of the difficulty and can lead to a lot of fun multitasking. Peak Pikmin, for me, is when you have all 100 doing something productive. So dragging the cap down to 60 feels kinda restrictive, not harder :/

[@NoobGaming-ik3my]

As someone who couldn’t beat pikmin 3 because I didn’t like when the pikmin died, I do agree that ultra spicy is a little lacklustre

[@brem-]

Yeah the difficulties are just... odd, to say the least. In normal mode I usually get like a surplus of 50 juice, but in ultra-spicy I get a surplus of 30. This might sound like a big deal, but I've usually 100% completed the game at like day 11, and like day 15 in ultra-spicy only because it takes longer to collect everything due to the 40% reduction in pikmin. So in ultra-spicy mode I can play to like day 45 before my juice is gone. I love Pikmin 3, I love the music and the areas, but it is one of, if not the easiest game in the pikmin franchise.

[@tnzwelk]

Glad to see someone talking about this, though I'm surprised you didn't mention how mission mode is stuck on normal now which completely destroys the balance it originally had. The misconception about days being shorter on ultra spicy is because nintendo just straight up lied. When the game was originally showed off on the treehouse they talked about the changes in ultra spicy, one of which being shorter days. Pretty much none of these changes were in the actual game. Hard is also technically easier than the wiiu game since it has significantly more eggs in it meaning that every difficulty is easier than the original wiiu game. The big problem with ultra spicy isn't even that they didn't try, it's that they didn't understand what makes a pikmin game hard. Changing the enemies and AI would be awesome, but it's not even really needed. Nintendo seems to have thought the challenge came from the combat, hence why 60 pikmin would make it harder. That's not the case though. In reality the challenge comes from the multitasking or, as they call it now, dandori. having 60 pikmin actually makes the game easier because it limits what you can do. Sounds a bit strange, but think about it. If you're a pro and you're playing on hard then you know the game, you know how to multitask. You use every second of the day and all 100 pikmin in the smallest groups possible to complete a ton of tasks. 13 minutes, 20 tasks. Lowering that amount to 60 doesn't mean you now have to stretch even thinner to complete those 20 tasks, you were already stretched to the limit, rather it means you now have 13 minutes to do 12 tasks. You have the same time to complete way less tasks and the less tasks doesn't mean more work, it means more downtime waiting for pikmin. As strange as it sounds the simple way to make a hard mode would actually be to give the player MORE pikmin and a shorter time limit. Obviously the whole enemy and AI changes would be preferred, but if they wanted to go the simple changes route that would have been the way to go.

[@psychonauts0]

Okay so like, I subbed to you around the time you made your third video, and now you just keep going releasing banger after banger in such a short time frame. I'm sure this pace won't keep up forever, but my god, well done, these videos have all been great.

[@TSamuel808]

Have to agree, i just wished they actually put more Effort into it then just: Slap some Minor Changes and dassit.

[@Wookis]

epic two days in a row????

[@s_callahan]

Could you do a video on the differences between the 3 ports of pikmin 1 & 2 gameplay wise, and which port you prefer/recommend the most?

[@imonlyhereforpikmin]

They are all very similar but I would recommend the Switch Version for Pikmin 1 as it has the least amount of glitches and the Gamecube Version for Pikmin 2 as it has the best gameplay tech and skippable cutscenes (Dolphin emulator can replicate the enhanced graphics of the Switch version) Steer clear of the Wii version of Pikmin 1, it's objectively the worse release

[@s_callahan]

@@imonlyhereforpikmin What does the wii version do to Pikmin 1?

[@imonlyhereforpikmin]

It's the glitchiest version and makes some strange gameplay changes. I have a video coming out about it soon.

[@ArloLinn]

You could say with the release of pikmin 4 that difficulty modes have become, LOST MEDIA 😱

[@nicocchi]

Rebranding the normal difficulty mode is like one of the biggest sins you could make. Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn had the same deal, where the difficulty settings in JP were Easy, Normal, Hard, but for some reason overseas they decided to rename to Normal, Hard, Very Hard. I'm not really sure what they really accomplish with that other than being a major annoyance

[@RobotGuy405]

Yeah that led to reviewers slamming the game for being too hard, when in reality they were just playing hard mode. I don't understand how mislabeling difficulty options is so prevalent with Nintendo games.

[@yungmuney5903]

Its gotta be a mistranslation thing right?

[@Xahnel]

@@yungmuney5903 No, the Japanese have a dim view on our ability to handle difficult gaming challenges. They always have. Nintendo almost always makes their games easier in localization. One of the most famous examples is Mario 2. The Japanese got an actual sequel to Super Mario Bros, filled with much harder levels, while we got Mario sprites plastered over an entirely different game. We know "Mario 2", the actual sequel, as "The Lost Levels", and we didn't get a standalone "release" until the Virtual Console, 20 years later. The Japanese have zero faith in our ability to handle their hardest challenges.

[@Sandromatic]

Metroid prime trilogy (and I think prime 1 remake?) does the same thing, the original GameCube difficulty of the first two games is "hard", while "normal" is an easier mode, and the original Hardmode is hypermode.

[@masomn]

Another point that makes me despise the difficulty settings: “Normal,” the easy one, is treated as the default, which means that when you play Bingo Battle (idk if this also counts for mission mode or not) enemy HP is halved and it sucks ass

[@cototototorra7106]

What I think happens is that 2 and 4, as well as 1 and 3 play diffently As not matter how hard they make it, you would still have infinite tries in 2 and 4 to beat the challenge (unless you don’t abuse resets) while in 3 and 1 you would have to either suck it up or reset the whole day

[@BagelBrain]

These are definitely high quality pikmin videos weekly

[@hoodedman6579]

They did something similar in Wii versions of Metroid Prime 1 and 2, where the “Normal” difficulty is an easier version and “Veteran” is the original difficulty. There were also a few more changes to all difficulties that made them easier, such as the spring ball being added. This is all much less of a big deal because Prime was already somewhat difficult and Prime 2 was harder than that, and the global easier things were more convenient. I also don’t think it was drastically easier anyway, though I haven’t really tested it much. Also, I don’t think they changed the hard modes but they’re really unfun in all versions; they just double enemy damage (which is fine) and enemy health (which is not). This just makes every fight a massive tedious slog that’s not really that much more threatening outside of like the last three bosses, and the last boss arguably took too long without double health. This is especially true of the last boss’s second phase, which basically has one easy-to-dodge attack and largely feels unfinished. It’s just plain boring normally, and so it’s just made worse when it’s twice as long.

[@leifcasanova3097]

True chads play Pikmin by using only your bare hands

[@alexwagner23]

You forgot to talk about the difficulty settings in Pikmin Adventure

[@Dooty-Doot]

The mention of the shitty difficulty harder option in Pikmin 3 DX reminds me of Forager's sub-par hard difficulty. In simplest terms, you die easier (minimal effects for dying regardless, normal or hard). And crafting costs are higher. But in Forager you craft a SHIT TON of stuff. It just leads to a trickle down of tedium, and that's about it. Not great.

[@pikminologueraisin2139]

dead to rights for ps2. pretty obscure reference but like at the time IGN (I kid you not) one of the redactor from IGN was so pissed that the ps2 version of the game had the hardest difficulty being easier than the og version on the xbox (and the game kick you balls without saying hello even on medium)

[@hecatia666]

They did what happened in Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn but opposite

[@gungisgrand225]

A year after playing Pikmin 3 Deluxe do I learn that I in fact played the game on the easy difficulty, I am very mad

[@turingtestingmypatience]

Pikmin 4 does have difficulty settings! They're just.. locked to the Dandori Battle side mode for no good reason. Worst part is, even if they aren't fantastic, they were on the right track as to how to do it: clear-yet-thematic labeled easy and hard difficulty settings, dog strength capped really low on Ultra Spicy. Far far far from perfect, but still could have been expanded to the full game.

[@Nic_2751]

Ok yeah we need an actual hard difficulty setting for fuck’s sake

[@MrJeffBalkaner]

I’ve beaten Pikmin 2 3 times, and playing ultra-spicy mode on the switch was BARELY HARD AT ALL.

[@leodaoust8035]

5:21 I understand that its funny to censor Nintendo's forbidden word but you didn't have to hit me with an auditory taser

[@Cameron_Bendy22]

NOW I KNOW WHY ALL THE BOSSES ARE SOOOOOO EASY

[@elkarlo1593]

The differences between Normal, Hard and Ultra-Spicy are so negligible you might as well choose either at random In fact I avoid super-spicy all together because the 60 Pikmin limit is kind of annoying rather than difficult and only adds tedium to the game

[@polterfox3795]

Hey nice analysis

[@StarstriketheVigil]

5:22 might want to adjust the audio there it's too loud.

[@biggubbins7747]

GREEN ARLO REFERENCE!!!

[@Louie-xq1dt]

What about having the ability to change how fast elements kill pikmin so pikmin 4 can have insta kill electricity from pikmin 2

[@pikmintopia]

an interesting insight, tyyyy!!

[@waveburner1254]

As someone who grew Up with These games I don't think a hard mode would be necessary. I enjoy Pikmin for it's relaxing, Sometimes challenging experience. I was extremely suspicious about Pikmin 3 after the horrors that Pikmin 2 brought and I didn't touch 3 until it's deluxe edition released on the Switch. But it was fun. The only time I ever felt confused and thoughts the Game was hard was at the last level. I recently played this game again and I swear I completely forgot how to deal with the final boss. I've played this game before but that final boss gave me such PTSD that I just didn't remember. And that was basically the one thing I struggled with in Pikmin 3. I don't have Pikmin 4 yet but I hope it will be equally relaxing as the other Games and maybe somewhat challenging.

[@Furcornfan-qb8gl]

Please don’t say that Pikmin 3 sucks it was the first Pikmin game I had

[@s_callahan]

early upload lets go :3

[@bluetoad6848]

The difficulty of the pikmin series has tanked since the 1st one. Pikmin 1 had the hardest difficulty. (But was still a pretty easy game) Pikmin 2 was a lot easier. Pikmin 3 was easy, but they at least properly raised the skill ceiling accordingly. (Keep in mind that pikmin 3 was designed for newcomers) Deluxe for some reason, decided to make pikmin 3 even easier. And finally, 4 is the easiest pikmin game to date. The game felt like it was on autopilot most of the time. At this rate, pikmin 5 is gonna just play itself.

[@squwooshk]

What's the name of the song that starts at 0:22?

[@imonlyhereforpikmin]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYTam6ijqLCbpKcsi=4-Xoi25lR8WkRf7t

[@squwooshk]

@@imonlyhereforpikmin Thanks

[@pikminologueraisin2139]

In pikmin 4 you can literrally ctrl+z. even if there is some nightmare mod added, the game would still be for babies.. yeah let's load state again!

[@mrwho995]

I don't think the difficulty options in Pikmin 3 failed at all. They could have gone further with it but it was only a good thing.

[@pikminologueraisin2139]

I think it suck balls, og without difficulty options was pretty balanced (leaning too much into being too easy imo but for a standard nintendo game it's fine) it's such a joke that the supposed harder difficulty is actually easier than the og game.. also what the difficulty options actually change ? the ai ? the environment ? LOL

[@squizzlor]

I am planning to buy it do to its new dificulty mode. Ulra spicy.. lets see if thats a bad call. I personly didnt feel inpressed by the initial game, but a mose that suposably will bring in a servival element and bwcome a kin to pikmin1 is the hope. 4 has defiled pikmin into a hand holding mess… why not even an option to aim for yourself?? The ai also seem realy dumb, and its anoying for the game to judge tjat you have thrown enough pikmin onto an Item… it funny that I never heard compleants on that last bit… but it truely pains me and dulls my delight when a computer tells me how I should play and yanks the controller from my hand… So Im now willing to believe after what 4 is just prety but flat and dull… that maby pik3 wasent as bad as I had bashed it for…. Still hate rockpikmin as a concept…. As well as the loss of whites and purrples… but 4 has shown that nentendo is ready to rake pikmin over the coals in celibration of a mascot caracter that makes most types of pilmin…. Useless! Oachi is a bad dog! I remind him every in game day, as I ram him into electicsl fences or set him ablaze

[@squizzlor]

Oh juice is only halved?? Thats it? They dont consume more juice??

[@richardmeulenkamp7343]

Why does is pikmin 4 easy Nintendo basically wants a younger audiences to play

[@Super_star_remix]

Every pikmin game except 2 is Very easy

[@Moss_Dude]

69th like, yay

[@AlexWormy2206]

i hate how Nintendo acts like Hard-Modes are LOST MEDIA!!! nowadays. Look at Mario Wonder or Pikmin 4. bro i can beat these games in 2 fucking days. like that isnt pikmin connoisseur shit, its pikmin baby connoisseur shit

[@volvoman5262]

Pikmin 1 and 2 have the same logic

[@captainmarsh3664]

Literally every previous Pikmin game would be beaten in the same timeframe, not because of low difficulty, but because they're just short as fuck. Mario Wonder is also unironically on the harder side of the 2D platforming games (certain badges like the ! Block and safety net one notwithstanding), the series is just legitimately not that hard at all and it's never been outside of outliers like Lost Levels.

[@Markm8]

I want bimkin 2 cave difficulty

[@gameingmachine8283]

I’m sorry but is it calling Pikmin 3 “Pikmin tree” a normal thing? Is it just an accent thing or a running gag?

[@imonlyhereforpikmin]

Accent

[@evergreenoaktree]

"I didn't check my expectations and was upset when the game wasn't like my imagination, so I made yet another negative piece of shit clickbait video."

[@Sub2NM09]

Him saying tree instead of three