Pikmin 3 prerelease information

Pikmin 3, like other games, went through several iterations that never made it to the public. While no one has been able to go into the game's files to get unused content as of now, some prototypical elements that never made it to the final product can be found by looking at early trailers and footage. Hopefully, over time, unused data will be able to be observed from the game's disc itself.

Characters and Pikmin

Brittany

In a prototype version, Brittany's suit was yellow, both in-game and on concept art. In the final version, her suit was changed to pink. Her original concept art also lacked glasses, which she has in the final game.

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  Early concept art of Brittany, showed off at E3 2012.

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  Brittany in her yellow suit in a prototype version of the game.

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  The final version of Brittany.

Character D

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The unused character "D" as shown at E3 2012.

To do: Link to the interview in a reference. Care to do so?

There was one character that never made it into the game in any footage whatsoever, and was scrapped early in development. He was showed off at E3 2012 in a bit of concept art, and all that was underneath him was the letter "D". With an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, he stated that there were three captains playable in the game, suggesting Character D was scrapped early on, since he was never shown in any footage. Since Alph, Brittany, and Charlie all had the first letter of their name under their art at E3 2012, it is speculated by fans that the character's final name was meant to be Drake, but this name was eventually moved to the game's SPERO, the S.S. Drake. A possible reason for the scrap could've been due to the fact that controlling and switching between four leaders would have been considered too chaotic.

Rock Pikmin

In the earliest footage shown of Pikmin 3, Rock Pikmin had a slightly different appearance, with slightly darker coloration and dark-colored limbs. They also made different sounds that sounded like lower-pitched versions of common Pikmin sounds. Each Rock Pikmin was also shaped slightly differently (e.g. some were shorter but wider). This made them seem more like real rocks, but the feature was eventually removed in the final game.

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  The original concept art for Rock Pikmin.

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  The Rock Pikmin's final look.

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  Rock Pikmin in the E3 2012 demo. Some are shaped differently.

Changed mechanics

Lock-on

In an early build of the game, the lock-on feature would cause the camera to enter a tilt-shift mode to focus only on the creature, which would be highlighted in blue. The name of said creature was then displayed in simple blue text above it. This was greatly changed for the final game, which displays the name in a box in the lower right corner. This name is surrounded by strange characters, presumably of the language of Koppai. With the update released on May 29^th, 2014, the lock-on mechanic featured two new images on the left side of the screen. One shows which control makes the Pikmin charge, and the other shows how to cancel the lock-on.

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  The prototype version of the lock-on mechanic.

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  The lock-on interface in the final game.

Whistle

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A red character whistling.

Originally, the whistle in Pikmin 3 had a smaller radius than in the past two games, and lasted for a shorter length of time. This was later changed to be slightly larger and longer, and included the ability for the whistle to call Winged Pikmin by raising off the floor after fully expanding to create a cylindrical beam of light.

Throwing captains

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Notice how high up the red character is compared to the blue, his starting point.

In the early footage shown of the game, the captains were first shown to have the ability to toss one another to access new locations. At this point in development, the captains were thrown much higher than they are in the final game. This change was most likely made to rid the game of some areas where players could easily break the barriers.

Changed weights

Insect Condo

In the 2012 demo of Pikmin 3, the Insect Condo was shown as one of the fruits returning from Pikmin 2. In this footage, it required only 8 Pikmin to carry it, as opposed to the 10 required in the final game.

Medusal Slurker

In the E3 2012 demo, the Medusal Slurker required 7 Pikmin to carry, while in the final game, it can be carried by 6.

Early names

Combustion Berry

In the 2012 demo for Pikmin 3, the Golden Sunseed was referred to as the "Combustion Berry", sharing the same name as a fruit treasure that appeared in Pikmin 2.

Pyroplasmic Slooch

In early footage, the Pyroclasmic Slooch was one of the first new enemies revealed, and its name was instead "Pyroplasmic Slooch", a one letter difference from its current name.

Other changes

Title screen

In an early version of the title screen, the logo contained a "3" made of violet flowers, to resemble the flowers of the Rock and Winged Pikmin. In the final game, these flowers were changed to orange, possibly to represent Ultra-Spicy Spray. In addition, the earliest footage of the game showed that it was originally much dimmer than the final version, although this was possibly due to the fact that the lighting engine wasn't complete at the time it was shown.

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  Pikmin 3's original logo and darker setting.

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  Pikmin 3's final logo and more lit-up design.

Crystals

In the earliest footage of Pikmin 3, Crystals were much more opaque. In the final game, they were changed to be completely transparent.

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  Crystals, as they looked in the game's early production.

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  Crystals, as they appear in the final game.

Early Cupid's Grenade location

One early screenshot of the game shows the snow pile with an iron ball that resembles the President. On top of this pile lies a Cupid's Grenade that is not in this location in the final game. It is likely that the Cupid's Grenade behind the sculpture is where this one was moved, as it is the closest to the earlier location.

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  The Cupid's Grenade in a different place.

See also

• Prototype information
• Unused content