Editing Story Mode

{{game icons|p=y|p2=y|p3=y|p4=y|hp=y}}

[[File:Pikmin 3 area selection menu TW.jpg|thumb|200px|The [[area selection menu]] in ''Pikmin 3'' – a key part of Story Mode.]]

'''Story Mode''' is a generic term for the main mode of a video game. It is the mode where the actual storyline and [[canon]] takes place. The {{pg}} (excluding {{pb}}) all have a story mode, and it is always the top item in the [[Menu/Title screen|main menu]]. Story modes are contrasted with alternative game modes such as [[Mission Mode]] or [[2-Player Battle]].

 

The term "story mode" was not used in-game until {{p3}}, with previous games simply listing the option as "start" and "begin".

The various story modes in the ''Pikmin series'' feature similar elements. In all games, a [[leader]] or group of leaders will arrive on [[PNF-404]] (or an [[Hey! Pikmin planet|unknown planet]] in the case of {{hp}}) and use the [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]] to complete tasks in various [[area]]s, with the goal of eventually leaving the planet. The specifics of how this is done differ by game.

 

The story mode in {{p1}} features [[Captain Olimar]] attempting to rebuild his ship, the [[S.S. Dolphin]] after it crash-lands on PNF-404. He has thirty [[days]] to complete this task before his life-support system gives out. His search for the [[Ship part|thirty missing parts]] spans five [[Area#Pikmin|areas]]. Areas are unlocked by reaching a certain number of ship parts to expand the S.S. Dolphin's flight capabilities.

 

Each day in ''Pikmin'' lasts about thirteen minutes (sixteen in the European [[region|version]]). If Olimar [[Leader#Leader is down|loses all his health]] or [[Pikmin extinction|loses all his Pikmin]], the day is automatically ended.

 

To complete the game, the player must find twenty-five mandatory ship parts before the end of thirty in-game days. If this is not done, the game is lost. There are also five additional ship parts to find, which are not needed to complete the game but are needed to unlock the [[The Final Trial|final level]] and get the best ending.

 

There are three different endings, depending on how many ship parts have been collected, as explained [[Pikmin_(game)#Endings|here]].

 

 

The story mode in {{p2}} chronologically continues immediately after the best ending of ''Pikmin''. [[Captain Olimar]] and his new partner [[Louie]] return to PNF-404; this time, they attempt to raise ten thousand [[Pokos]] through salvaging [[treasure]]s, to repay the debt of [[Hocotate Freight]] after a freak accident involving [[golden pikpik carrot]]s. Their search for the two-hundred and one treasures spans four [[Area#Pikmin 2|areas]] and fourteen [[caves]]. Areas are unlocked by collecting certain treasures containing maps of the planet, or (in the case of the final area) progressing through the story.

 

Unlike ''Pikmin'', ''Pikmin 2'' does not have a day limit in its story mode. While days still last around thirteen minutes, the player has an infinite amount of days to complete the game. Along with this, all time is paused when within a cave. Also unlike ''Pikmin'', the player can now play with 2 leaders: Olimar and Louie. The player can switch between the two, seemingly doubling the amount of tasks that can be complete within a day. If one leader is ever [[Leader#Leader is down|defeated in battle]], they will be out of commission for the remainder of that day, limiting the player to only using the remaining leader. If that leader also falls, the day is automatically ended (or the cave is automatically exited, leaving behind any collected items). This is also true in the case of a [[Pikmin extinction]].

 

The player can obtain [[upgrade]]s for their leaders by defeating certain [[boss]]es, and collecting the treasures they drop that form an [[Exploration Kit]].

 

 

 

The story mode in {{p3}} features [[Alph]], [[Brittany]], and [[Charlie]] attempting to solve a planet-wide famine on [[Koppai]] by traveling to PNF-404 to search for [[fruit]] to take back and cultivate. When a catastrophic system failure causes their ship, the [[S.S. Drake]], to crash land, the three explorers enlist the help of the Pikmin to gather fruit. Their search for the planet's sixty-six edible fruits spans five [[Area#Pikmin 3|areas]]. Areas are unlocked by collecting objects from [[boss]]es that expand the S.S. Drake's signal range.

 

Like before, days last only thirteen minutes (though, in {{p3d}} this time can vary depending on which [[difficulty]] the player has chosen). There is no set day limit, but instead a [[juice]] counter. Each fruit produces a certain amount of juice, anywhere from half a cup to three full cups. Each cup is equal to one additional day of exploration. If the player is ever to run out of juice, the game will end, although the player is encouraged to simply return to an earlier day and retry. The player can control 3 leaders at once – the three Koppaites. Along with this, the player can now use [[Go Here!]] to make inactive leaders move to a location automatically. Like previous games, if [[Leader#Leader is down|all three leaders fall]], the day is ended automatically. However, if all Pikmin of one type die, the [[Onion]] will eject a seed immediately after without ending the day, making a [[Pikmin extinction]] impossible by traditional standards. Also unlike previous games, the player is pointed to complete various objectives to progress the story, such as finding another character or reaching a signal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Story mode in {{p4}} features [[Pikmin 4 player character|the newest recruit of the Rescue Corps]], and their loyal space-dog companion [[Oatchi]]'s quest to rescue Captain Olimar, the [[Rescue Corps]] that were sent to help him, and a number of [[castaway]]s after a series of freak accidents results in all of them crash-landing on PNF-404. After making contact with the Rescue Corps, they are also tasked with collecting and extracting [[sparklium]] from various treasures across the planet in order to repair the [[S.S. Shepherd]]. Their search for Olimar, the forty-nine missing individuals, and the eight hundred and fifty-nine treasures span six areas and twenty-three caves. New areas are largely unlocked through story progression: Collecting enough sparklium will expand the effective range of the S.S. Shepherd's scanners, allowing for further exploration.

 

Each day in ''Pikmin 4'' lasts around fifteen minutes. Similar to {{p2}}, there is no day limit, allowing for as much time to be taken as needed. However, time ''does'' pass - albeit slower - while in caverns, requiring a degree of efficiency even when exploring underground. ''Pikmin 4'' returns to only featuring two playable Leaders, being the main player character and their companion Oatchi. The player can upgrade both Oatchi and their character by collecting [[raw material]], which can be then crafted into various upgrades, such as a [[Gear#Pup Scorch Guard|flame-retardant collar for Oatchi.]]

 

 

 

 

The story mode in {{hp}} features [[Captain Olimar]] trying to collect enough [[Sparklium]] to fuel his [[S.S. Dolphin II|ship]] into working condition after crash landing on an unknown planet also inhabited by Pikmin. He gathers the necessary Sparklium by collecting [[treasure]]s in many side-scrolling levels across nine [[Area#Hey.21 Pikmin|sectors.]] Levels are unlocked after the previous one is complete, with secrets paths also available.

 

 

 

 

 

Many of these same changes apply during the segment with [[Brittany]] after she falls into a cave in the [[Distant Tundra]] and discovers the [[Yellow Pikmin]]. Once she leaves this cave, the day counter will begin like normal. The tutorial with Captain Olimar in ''Pikmin 4'' also applies many of these changes, although it does not represent his first day on the planet. Pikmin can die during the fight with the [[Porquillion]] here, but a Pikmin extinction will not end the day because Olimar and [[Moss]] have unlimited health and can keep fighting by themselves. The tutorial only ends once the Porquillion is dead and has dropped the [[Interstellar Radio]].