Pikmin on mobile - What might it look like on iOS and Android?

Nintendo's coming to mobile. Every time we say that feels like the first time. It's just plain weird. Good weird, though.

Yes, come December 15th, Nintendo will be a full-on mobile game developer and publisher. That's when Super Mario Run hits the App Store.

This is got us to thinking about all the other Nintendo IP that could be on its way to an iPhone or Android phone near you, and how they might translate. Check out our prior musings on Zelda, Metroid, Animal Crossing, Kirby, and Donkey Kong.

Now we're turning our attention to one of Nintendo's lesser known but much beloved franchises: Pikmin, a gently strategic series based on legendary creator Shigeru Miyamoto's love of gardening.

So, how might Pikmin work on mobile?

There have been just three Pikmin games released since 2001, and they all play very much the same way. They're all light, action-focused real time strategy games with elements of exploration, squad-management, and puzzling.

There's been absolutely no genre experimentation with the Pikmin series, which is somewhat unusual for a core Nintendo franchise. When you think about Mario, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Metroid, and Zelda you can probably name multiple types of game for each.

Combine this fact with a little news item that emerged back in 2013. Around this time, shortly after Pikmin 3 hit the Wii U, Shigeru Miyamoto revealed to 4Gamer that Nintendo had prototyped a classic Pikmin for the 3DS, but that "no matter what it just didn't seem like Pikmin".

Nintendo clearly has a very set idea for what Pikmin is, as Miyamoto went on to explain. "We concluded that Pikmin is a game that revolves around action based on its controls and the strategy sits on top of that," he said. "Although there are elements that are built on the strategy, there are other overall things that have to be well considered. This complete experience is an important element of Pikmin."

So, Pikmin on mobile will be a squad-based real time strategy game or it won't be allowed to exist at all, right? Up until a few months ago, we might have been tempted to say so.

At a September 1st Nintendo Direct event, it was reported that a new Pikmin was headed for 3DS in 2017. Not only will this be the first ever portable Pikmin game, it will also mark the first ever diversion from the established Pikmin template. This is going to be a "side-scrolling adventure game" driven by the console's touchscreen.

From the footage that has been revealed, we see that the core elements of Pikmin are represented in a kind of 2D platformer world, including direct control of tiny spaceman Olimar and the ability to lob coloured Pikmin at piles rubble to have them cleared and turned into bridges. They can also be used to battle screen-filling creatures.

All in all, this new Pikmin reminds us a little of forgotten PSP gem Patapon.

The new 3DS Pikmin seems to offer a convincing pointer to the kind of game we could expect should it ever turn up on mobile.

The side-on perspective and touch-driven controls look perfect for play of smartphones and tablets. Indeed, if you want an example of how this could be honed further for mobile play, we'd direct your attention to Kiwanuka.

This side-scrolling strategy-puzzler has your little protagonist leading a band of faithful followers, using their combined strength to build bridges to inaccessible areas. Sound familiar?

True, in Kiwanuka your followers literally form the bridging structures themselves, but the core principles remain familiar - and indicate how a mobile Pikmin might work out in light of what we know about Nintendo's plans.

This is an important point, because if Super Mario Run has taught us anything, it's that Nintendo wants its mobile games to be fluid and fully native to the mobile form factor. This would suggest that a classic, expansive, fully 3D Pikmin is off the cards - especially as Nintendo was unable to get such a direct conversion to work on the 3DS with its generous array of control inputs.