Nintendo has made many different types of Pikmin and Red Pikmin usually turn out to be one of the worst. This video goes into the complete history of Red Pikmin.
I will say that if you're doing a purpleless run of Pikmin 2 (no Purple Pikmin for combat outside of the Waterwraith and no Bitter Sprays) then Red Pikmin's higher damage and general expendability is really vital. This, of course, isn't me defending Red Pikmin in Pikmin 2 - the fact you have to massively handicap yourself just for Red Pikmin to be useful really goes to show how poorly they were treated in that game.
I meen better treatment then yellow pikmin. Who lost both their original features throughout the series and now just do electrical work?? Bomb rocks? Nah. Throw hight, gone in the newest sequal. Pickmin 2s new editions of 2 pikmin was good. Purples sorta broke the mold they disnt need to do more damage if thier point was to stun. But thats what happened… I like these changes better then the third game, were flying pickmin alter a huge amoint of the game outside, and rock pickmin….. are just plainly dumb… i dont want a rock with eyes as a pickmin not to mention replacing the old subterranean races… ice continues the rock pickmin trend… though Im less aposrd to their abilities, they could have been done better. Pikmin 4 i just hate ochi more then any new pikmin…. As the dumb mascot just says screw the game you were going to play… and all the unique abilities of the types…. Oachi beats all…
I mean personally speaking, I accidentally handicapped myself on my first playthrough of Pikmin 2 by rarely bringing my own purples into caves out of fear of losing them so the only purples I was using throughout the game were the trickle feed of purples in caves, it was a very fun playthrough and made the game way more challenging than I was hearing people say
@@gungisgrand225 I think your accidental handicap was the way the devs tried to balance purple pikmin, (especially since you already _will_ have to farm for them if you want every treasure, even if you do a completely deathless run and make use of every purple candypop bud up until the Doomsday Apparatus) but the problem there is that purples are just so strong that losing them in combat is pretty difficult unless you're given a clusterfuck of enemies or hazards they flat out can't deal with, which does happen but not often.
I feel that most people who discuss the utility of red pikmin dismiss what it's like to be playing the games for the first time. On my first Pikmin 2 playthrough I was averaging around 10 - 15 purples and found reds far more reliable as an expendable damage dealer. In Pikmin 3, the rock pikmin are somewhat of a glass cannon with how you have to continually round them up after pelting them which, when coupled with the general uncertainty of how to approach the enemies and environments, left me relying on reds far more as a continuous damage dealer. Pikmin 4's regressive 3-pikmin limit gives reds value as an all-rounder if you want to rebel against how infantilising the ice pikmin make the game. They're the most beginner-friendly pikmin type, and I think that's valuable in and of itself.
The 3 pikmin limit in 4 guaranteed I basically never used the reds outside of when required so I could use the ones I might need for things and damage dealers were purples, rocks or dog Pink pikmin in 4 I never used can't think of a time they were needed aside from removing some out of reach dead mud skeeter out of the mud in the last area lol
Really well-edited video! Im not sure if I quite agree with the notion that red pikmin are trash in 3 though, since their higher damage output compared to most other types and their ability to latch on to things (unlike rock pikmin) makes them a good basic pikmin to have on hand most of the time. But I can definitely see someone just straight up barely using them late game due to the versatility the other types have to offer.
Reds' utility comes from their expendability. The fact that I never need to worry about losing them, because they're so plentiful, makes me feel comfortable using them in dangerous situations. Sure, they're rarely the most useful, but when you need a low-value troop who can do everything decently well, they're there for you.
fun fact, red pikmin are among one of only two types of pikmin that cannot be replaced by Oatchi. the fire starter makes them not replaceble with the other type being rocks who are the only one who can break crystals
I wouldn't call them the worst per se, more so very underutilized. Same goes for Blue Pikmin, another type that gets a lot of hate; not bad, just very underutilized.
I had no idea that interaction at 2:00 was possible. I will say purples can be a pain to farm in Pikmin 2 unless you go out of your way to do so, which does make reds fairly handy throughout a portion of the earlygame... unless you savescum which I am not above LOL. To me it seems like the problem is not that reds are underpowered, but rather that they are the most balanced throughout the series.
admittingly i can't deny some of these notions of reds not being better than purple, but they are still FAR from the worst pikmin type. the 1.5x damage multiplier alone makes them better than most other pikmin types as clearing enemies are much faster with them, and again Pikmin 1 fire hazards are more dangerous. Purples may be better in Pikmin 2, but they are also more expensive with their only form of getting more is through their candypop buds, making reds more ideal for fighting since they are more expendible. No, the WORST pikmin would definitly be blues. their only gimic is that they can go underwater. And because of only having that going for them, they have been invalidated entire, 3 TIMES. By bulbmin(who showed up in watery levels half the time), flying pikmin and the newer ice pikmin. Not to mention Oatchi just being a squad on their own, further invalidating the use of blues in Pikmin 4. Exclusive Puzzles and items(and the submerged castle) do not make blues better than reds, it only forces the player to use something that is worse than what they already have. Because even though you wont have to take reds all the time, you would still want to. You will never want to take blues, so the game has to make you.
ok i gotta say I dont really care how good or bad red pikmin are since they're just the staple food pikmin in each game post pikmin 1 but I am floored seeing that the snitchbugs can bomb you with your own bomb rocks. thats such a fringe interaction I'm impressed it works like that
Now I want to preface this with the fact that I have only ever played Pikmin 3 deluxe and 4, so I'll be speaking from what I know by watching other people play Pikmin 2. Please fact check me if I am wrong in any of this. An attribute of reds you are putting aside is availability in Pikmin 2, from what I know, purples are not easily farmable, while reds are. So for example, you may want to use reds for combat instead of purples if you want to not risk losing purples. 1.5x is not 2x, but it's still a significant advantage over 1x.
I think red pikmin in Pikmin 2 actually are pretty useful, since I usually play it pretty safe with purples, having a good reliable 1.5x damage is not bad.
Tbh, I have to agree, specially considering how uncommon it is to obtain Purples in comparison to Reds, aside, paring them with Purples for combat purposes can work from time to time, so I wouldn't say Red are completely irrelevant in 2
Honestly I feel like yellows have had the most nerfing. They are neer non recognizable at this time. Pickmin 2 - no longer use bomb rocks Pikmin 3- electricity is not instantaneous death for non yellow Pickmin 4 like the blues replaced by oachi the Mascot…. No longer throw higher, or reach interedting locals…. Oachi has to help them reach things…
@@squizzlor how many tresures, flarlic, onion or castways you need blues for combine? 0, that's the number, 1 needed use is bater than zero ( actually 2 )
They are the most changed PIkmin, as they are also given buffs in each PIkmin game 2- immunity to electricity 3- 2x digging speed, use in puzzles and longer throw range 4- 4x digging speed
counter argument for pikmin 2 : cost of losing 5 purple pikmin : you need to find a flower to regain those 5 purple pikmin cost of losing 5 red pikmin: you dont have those 5 red pikmin in your team until you go back to base. in short, red pikman are good cannon fodder for when you're a wimp and don't want to send the non-disposable pikmin to the slaughter.
I think I have to completely disagree. Sure, purples are just the best ever, but I don't think that they make reds any worse considering that 1.5 times damage on an easily-regernable resource is nothing to sniff at, and they're only amazing in Pikmin 2, whereas 1.5 times damage is always useful no matter what.
Tbh, Red Pikmin are really good for combat in Pikmin 3 since they latch onto enemies and can kill them instantly but since Rock Pikmin exist, Reds get overshadowed.
... I know this is an old video, but did/do you not realise ultra spicey spray equalises pikmin damage? even purples do the same damage as whites under it. (though with the slam they do still work better) bc of this, yellows, purples and winged pikmin end up being the best for combat if you have sprays (especially winged pikmin) and also it makes rock pikmin useless
I dont risk purple pikmin, just go with the usual red pikmin all ways, even more because i use the red for candypop flowers, not saying i dont use purple, but just go with 10 to a cave and etc
I think if they made fire more dangerous like maybe not instantly killing other pikmin but to the point where exposure to fire would be much more dangerous would give reds a lot more use. On paper they seem fine in every game but get outclassed pretty easily by ones that do more damage or have better overall attributes. I hope they make reds a more integral part of the games as they’re a cool type and should be a solid choice but eh idk they seem to be hard to design for, at least pikmin 4 improved them a ton tho
Red Pikmin in 3 aren’t as useless as in 2, yes rocks do more damage but they can’t latch on to enemies, stumble back for a second after hitting an enemy, and after the initial throw do less damage, they both have their uses, rocks are great for getting rid of smaller enemies with less health while reds are better for larger enemies, it ends up being way faster to ambush reds on to an enemy that to throw a bunch of rocks
I don’t think I can make a Luigi joke here, so, uhhhhh Red pikmin is literally one of the ICONS of pikmin. It’s like a Mario game without toads. ITS NOT THE SAME
red pikmin are underutilized in my opinion. i loved the hot areas in 4, but the geysers from 2 and 3 are a push over. fire is DANGEROUS in pikmin 1. where red pikmin shine.
counter argument for pikmin 4: killing enemies with ice pikmin will freeze the corpse to bits, wasting it. rock and purple pikmin don't latch on like reds do when you charge at an enemy with oachi.
You were generous with 14/139 lol. I wouldn’t include hole of beasts, white flower garden, citadel of spiders, bulblax kingdom, hole of heroes (how are reds better than purples here?), or hazard training, so I would have given it a 7/139
