Ship part

Ship parts are the main items that need to be recovered in Pikmin. They are fragments of the ship used by Captain Olimar, the S.S. Dolphin. After colliding with a comet, the ship lost most of its parts, which are needed to leave the planet. Scattered around the areas in the game, they must be successfully retrieved back into the ship in order to repair it.

Gameplay-wise, the parts are normally located behind some form of challenge, which must be overcome in order to access it. Some are scattered around in specific spots, while others are inside some enemies, most commonly bosses.

After a certain number of parts are recovered, the ship's stability will increase, and the player will be able to access a new area. There are a total of 30 ship parts, but only 25 of them are mandatory in order to leave the planet. Should the player collect all parts, they will be awarded with the best ending. If after 30 days, all mandatory ship parts are collected, the normal ending will be shown. If, however, the player fails to recover all mandatory ship parts after 30 days, they will receive the bad ending.