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The music of Pikmin 3 accompanies every mode of the game, from themes and cues during gameplay to scores of cutscenes and menus, in order to enhance the various moods of the game and to direct gameplay. Generally, the textural style of the music reflects either the technology of Koppai, the scenic environment of PNF-404, or the progression of the story and the quirky nature of Pikmin. In the spirit of compositions for the Pikmin series, this installment features dynamic music that adapts to what occurs in the game, using parameters such as what tasks Pikmin are carrying out, the time of day, and the weather in a particular area. Between gameplay, pre-rendered cutscenes are scored by a Hollywood-style orchestra, and in-game cutscenes are textured by varied loops and cues of music. Compared with the music of the previous games, this game's music is much more atmospheric and ethereal; melody is only germane in establishing leitmotifs in the game.
The soundtrack to Pikmin 3 was composed by Asuka Hayazaki, Atsuko Asahi, and Hajime Wakai, under no official name. Like the previous soundtracks in the series, all the sounds are synthesized or samples attempting to mimic real instruments. This installment of the series features the most advanced sound technology yet, producing very realistic representations of real instruments. However, unlike the music in the previous game, this game's music is all pre-rendered, not played note-by-note in real time; this allows for new instruments, new textures, and new experimentation with sound, at the cost of a less flexible soundtrack.
It should be noted that all titles for Pikmin 3 music in this article and elsewhere are conjectural, as the tracks have no known official names.
If a group of 20 or more Pikmin of one type are idle for long enough, they will begin to sing along with the area theme.
If the leaders have 20 of each type of Pikmin following them, the Pikmin will sing the main theme to Pikmin 3. If the leaders have all types of Pikmin but have a group of 100 of only one type, the Pikmin will sing the main theme discordantly and unorganizedly.
If the three leaders are moving without any Pikmin, they will occasionally sing the "Koppaite" motif, with the single lyric "Koppai", possibly meaning the motif is an anthem of sorts.
A small glitch occurs when a day ends while the player looks at the radar (with the "play" button active, meaning time still passes). The music is put through a hi-pass filter and compressor whenever the map screen is active, making the music sound like it comes from small radio speakers. This filter was not programmed to turn off without player input, so it will remain over the "end of day" theme if it is active at the day's end (although the "today's results" theme will be normal).
