The Key

The Key
Number	196
Series	Explorer's Friend Series
Value	× 100
Weight	1
Maximum carriers	3 Pikmin
Location	Citadel of Spiders
Challenge Mode levels	None

The Key is a treasure in Pikmin 2, whose name is the only one among the treasures that describes itself exactly. It is quite obviously a large, golden key. The Key is found inside the body of a Beady Long Legs on the last sublevel of the Citadel of Spiders. Besides from increasing the Poko total, The Key also unlocks Challenge Mode, which can be found in the Main Menu after the treasure has been collected. It is the only part of the Explorer's Friend Series that is not found in the Exploration Kit.

In Pikmin 2's Challenge Mode, this treasure is found on every sublevel of every one of the 30 levels. It is required to make the entrance to the next sublevel or the geyser appear and it is worth 100 Pokos.

Notes

Olimar's Journal

"This item came from the personal treasure hoard of a massive Pikmin-devouring spider. The whole cave was crawling with all kinds of fearsome creatures. I decided to name that eerie cave the Citadel of Spiders. The ship can't stand bugs... Whenever I ask it to store a specimen for salvage, it threatens to stage a mutiny."

Sales Pitch

"This shape...I have encountered it some where before... No, I must be mistaken.. Yes, I am mistaken. Thoughts like these strike all who see this cabalistic form. You can feel its immense power!"

The Ship's Diologue

Found

"Sweet victory! That giant instect's body crumbled into dust!"

"I am quite relieved to know I won't have to store such an enormous bug."

"...Analyzing soil samples. ... ... ... ...Anomoly detected. What's that glittery widget?"

Collected

"This object seems familiar. I will combine it with the president's parellel-dimension controller."

"ALERT!!! Sensors indicate a massive dimensional shift at a distant location."

"I'm receiving a message from a far-flung dimension. Displaying the message now..."

""Challenge Mode can now be accessed from the title screen.""

"It appears to be total gibberish. Hopefully the message has reached its intended recipient."

"I will name this apparently worthless device the Key."

Gallery

• The Key.png

  The Key in its cutscene.

• Key.PNG

  A key from Super Mario World.

• The.Key.png

  The Key being analyzed.

Trivia

• The Key bears a striking resemblance to the keys commonly used the Mario franchise. This particular design bears resemblance to the keys in the non-Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, and Yoshi's Island DS.

• Strangely, the description calls the Beady Long Legs a "Pikmin devouring spider!", even though the creature cannot eat Pikmin.
• It is unknown why a key would emit interdimensional information.