PNF-404
PNF-404 is the planet that Olimar lands on, in both Pikmin and Pikmin 2, and where Alph, Brittany, and Charlie land on in Pikmin 3. It is the natural habitat of Pikmin as well as many other lifeforms, many of them predators of the Pikmin. The planet is known as the planet of the Pikmin or the Pikmin planet in the first two games, but the scientific name "PNF-404" comes from Koppai. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl it is known as Distant Planet.
In Pikmin, Olimar crash lands on this uncharted planet during his vacation after his ship is struck by a meteoroid; Olimar must escape the planet before his life support system fails because the atmosphere contains oxygen which is toxic to Olimar's people.
In Pikmin 2, Olimar returns to the planet with his new companion, Louie, in search of treasure, in order to rescue the company he works for, Hocotate Freight, from bankruptcy.
In Pikmin 3, Alph, Brittany, and Charlie land on PNF-404 to collect food to save Koppai from a food shortage.
The planet appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as a fighting stage under the name Distant Planet. It features a forested section of the planet, similar to the Awakening Wood or The Forest of Hope. Finally, in Super Smash Bros. 4, Olimar makes a comeback, as well as Pikmin-related forest-like stage, possibly based on the Garden of Hope.
The planet as Earth
While room is left for ambiguity, there is an impressive amount of evidence that PNF-404 is Earth, or at the very least a planet with highly similar geography to Earth. Several views of the planet reveal the distinctive continental shapes of Africa, Southeastern Asia, Antarctica, South America, and Australia, while the Spherical Atlas and Geographic Projection are two halves of a globe that clearly show Earth and its countries. Finally, the technical filename of the Distant Planet stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl is STGEARTH, making it clear that at the very least the Brawl developers see the planet as Earth.
It is unclear whether there is a human presence on the planet during the games, though the evidence of a historical human presence is obvious: all of the treasures of Pikmin 2 are either objects natural to Earth or man-made objects, some of which are registered trademarks of existing companies, and scenery in both games includes detritus such as tin cans, cardboard boxes, toy train tracks, and bathroom tiles. A popular theory is that the games take place some time after humans have either left Earth or become extinct through some means.
All this considered, Pikmin 3 adds a new wrinkle into the equation: the area selection map shows that extreme continental drift has occured since Pikmin 2, with Antartica becoming a tropical paradise and merging with Australia, and southeastern Asia becoming a cold tundra.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
- See SmashWiki's article on Distant Planet for more information.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, there is a stage named Distant Planet. It features a background similar to The Forest of Hope, with some vines, leaves and a slope that serve as the main platforms. A Red Bulborb occasionally appears on the right side of the screen, which can be stood on. It may open its mouth, and any fighters that fall in are eaten and lose a stock. An Onion of a random color drops from the sky at times. A Pellet Posy also grows at certain times, and, if hit enough, it'll drop its pellet. If the fighters grab a pellet and throw it at an Onion, items will spawn from the Onion, with the amount depending on the pellet's number (leaving a Pellet Posy alone slowly upgrades it from a 1 to a 5 and then 10) and whether it matches the Onion's colour. Damaging an Onion enough will cause it to fly away prematurely.
As with many Smash Bros. stages, a few liberties have been taken from the original source. Firstly, rain pours from time to time, which does not occur in the Pikmin series until Pikmin 3. Secondly, a Cloaking Burrow-nit can be seen in the background, despite this area being based on The Forest of Hope. The stage could be based on the Awakening Wood as well, however. Finally, the Red Bulborb is much larger in Brawl than in the Pikmin games, at about four or five times the size.
Gallery
The planet as seen in Pikmin.
The planet as seen in the Pikmin 2 intro cut-scene. The Ship's engine glows over what appears to be somewhere in Africa as it lands.
- Distantplanet1.PNG
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Planet of the Pikmin is a stage known as Distant Planet.
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Trivia
- The name "PNF-404" fits the naming nomenclature used by NASA to identify less important planets. The letters and numbers that make up the name, however, have a special meaning: 404 is an HTTP status code that means "Page Not Found".
- In Pikmin 3, the landmasses appear different than those in Pikmin 2. These new landmasses appear to represent Pangaea Ultima, a hypothetical supercontinent in the future. Each of the areas appear to be on a distinct region: the Tropical Wilds on Antarctica, the Garden of Hope on Australia, the Distant Tundra on Asia, the Twilight River on the Americas, and the Formidable Oak on India. Given that Pangaea Ultima appears 250 million years in the future, though, most relics of humankind should have long since perished.
See also
External links
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