Story Mode
Story Mode (or 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 Pikmin games all have a story mode, and it is always the top item in the main menu. Story modes are contrasted with alternative game modes such as Mission Mode or 2-Player Battle.
Features
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 unknown planet in the case of Hey! Pikmin) and use the Pikmin to complete tasks in various areas, with the goal of eventually leaving the planet. The specifics of how this is done differ by game.
In Pikmin
- Main article: Pikmin (game)#Plot.
The story mode in Pikmin 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 thirty missing parts spans five 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 EU version). If the player ever causes Olimar to lose all his health or lose all their 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 final level get the best ending.
There are three different endings, depending on how many ship parts have been collected.
- The "bad" ending is achieved if the player is missing any of the twenty-five mandatory ship parts by the end of the thirtieth day.
- The "average" ending is achieved if the player collects all twenty-five mandatory ship parts by the end of the thirtieth day, but has not collected all thirty parts.
- The "good" ending is achieved if the player collects all thirty ship parts, including the five optional parts.
In Pikmin 2
- Main article: Pikmin 2#Plot.
The story mode in Pikmin 2 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 locating treasures to repay the debt of Hocotate Freight after a freak accident involving golden pikpik carrots. Their search for the two-hundred and one treasures spans four 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 captains: 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 captain is ever defeated in battle, they will be out of commission for the remainder of that day, limiting the player to only using the remaining captain. If that captain 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 upgrades for their captains by defeating certain bosses, and collecting the treasures they drop that form an Exploration Kit.
Though the game appears to end once the debt is repaid (even rolling the credits), you are asked to return to the planet, search for more treasure, and retrieve Louie who was left on PNF-404 by mistake afterwards. The game is only "completed" once the player collects all two hundred and one treasures. Even after that, the player can still continue to play on their save file, though there is nothing to collect other than any missing Piklopedia entries.
In Pikmin 3
- Main article: Pikmin 3#Plot.
The story mode in Pikmin 3 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 areas. Areas are unlocked by collecting objects from bosses that that expand the S.S. Drake's signal range.
Like before, days last only thirteen minutes (though, in Pikmin 3 Deluxe this time can vary depending on which difficulty you've chosen). There is not 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 addition day of exploration. If the player is ever to run out of juice, the game declares it "game over". Though, the player is encouraged to simply return to an earlier day and retry. The player can control 3 captains at once, being all three Koppities. Along with this, the player can now use Go Here to make inactive captains move to a location automatically. Like previous games, a Pikmin extinction or all three leaders have fallen, the day is ended automatically. Unlike previous games, the player is pointed to complete various objectives to progress the story, such as finding a captain or reaching a signal.
In certain locations, the player can obtain upgrades to their suit.
To complete the game, the player must retrieve the missing cosmic drive key from Captain Olimar so the Koppaites can return to Koppai. Alont the way, the player must also collect as much fruit as possible.
There are three different endings depending on how many fruits have been collected.
- The "bad" ending is achieved if the player collects thirty-two fruits or less before recovering the cosmic drive key. Koppai's fate is left ambiguous, although the narrator is not particularly hopeful and implies that the gathered seeds will not be enough to support the population.
- The "neutral" ending is achieved if the player collects thirty-three to sixty-five fruits before recovering the cosmic drive key. The narrator suggests that the gathered seeds will be enough to save Koppai, but only if used properly, and notes that the three leaders have learned much about teamwork and planning thanks to the Pikmin.
- The "good" ending is achieved if the player collects all sixty-six fruits before recovering the cosmic drive key. The narrator proclaims that, with all available seeds secured, that the food crisis can be solved, with the planet ushering in a new era, as well as noting how much the three leaders, "Koppai's saviors," have learned thanks to the Pikmin. He continues, suggesting that the catastrophic error that forced them to crash-land was no accident after all.
In Hey! Pikmin
- Main article: Hey! Pikmin#Plot.
The story mode in Hey! Pikmin features Captain Olimar trying to collect enough Sparklium to fuel his ship into working condition after crash landing on an unknown planet also inhabitated by Pikmin. He gathers the necessary Sparklium by collecting treasures in many side-scrolling levels across nine sectors. Levels are unlocked after the previous one is complete, with secrets paths also available.
Unlike previous entries, the player is tasked with reaching the goal of each level with no set time limit, picking up any treasures along the way. At the end of each sector, a boss must be fought to advance. If the player manages to beat the level without any of the 20 Pikmin dying, they are rewarded with a golden Pikmin badge for that level.