Pikmin
Game Re-Make Challenge
Project: Learn Unreal Engine by recreating the 2001 game Pikmin
Over the summer of 2023, I decided to teach myself Unreal Engine outside of college by recreating one of my favourite childhood games, Pikmin.
For this project I created all of the models, textures, rigs and animations. I also programmed the game myself in Unreal Engine's Blueprint system, and created music for the game as well.
Challenges:
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Blueprint enabling the player to throw another actor.
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Summoning the Pikmin and getting them to follow the player.
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Maintaining blueprint efficiency to avoid lag issues with many actors on screen.
This project is a work in progress, however I have already created a large portion of the game's base mechanics, I have learned a lot about Unreal Engine through this project and am very proud of the result.
The Pikmin
Shown here are the models I created for the Pikmin, using Blender. The process of creating these models taught me a significant amount about how to maintain a low poly-count - something essential when up to one hundred of these models can be on screen at a single time. This also gave me a chance to delve into creating animation loops for characters, such as a walk animation.
The Onion
This model allowed me to explore some advanced rigging and animation techniques. I was also able to experiment with adding in textures as opposed to solely using blender's material system. The decal on the main body is a looping texture I created in photoshop and applied to an extruded surface.
For this model I didn't just exactly replicate the model for the Onion found in Pikmin 1, I took design elements found in Onion models from across the series to create a more stylised look.
Olimar
For this model I looked into high-low poly detail baking to give the character's suit a more detailed appearance. I also spent time creating all the textures for the character model, making use of Blender's texture paint system. Finally I rigged this model and gave it a full range of animations. I also successfully exported this model and its animations and textures for use in Unreal Engine.
Tin Can
Solid View
Here is a tin can model I made as an extra asset for the project, tin cans appear several times throughout the game as decoration.
Rendered View
I created a texture for the can in Substance Designer, allowing for high detail on a low poly model.
Progress Videos
Shown below are the videos I took during the development of this project, which currently remains unfinished.
This project allowed me to gain an understanding of Unreal Engine, more specifically the Blueprint visual scripting system, among other things.
