Music in Pikmin 4
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This article is a stub. You can help Pikipedia by expanding it. |
The music of Pikmin 4 accompanies every part of the game, from menu screens to areas to Dandori Battles.
Leitmotifs
These are small gestures that reappear throughout the game suggesting ideas or setting moods.
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 The "Pikmin motif", denoting Pikmin themselves. |
Menus
- Title Screen
| Title Screen | |
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| Internal name | 806003557.wem
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| External links | |
The music for a title screen has the important role of establishing what the musical style of a game will be, as a listener's first impressions of a soundtrack are likely to be made here; the title screen of Pikmin 4 immediately demonstrates its brand new emphasis on ambience and subtlety, which are two regularly occurring themes throughout rest of the game. This piece is almost entirely solo piano, with an occasional strike of a large standing bowl for bass; the piano is also notably cinematic in style and very high-fidelity. A high-pitched fanfare played by this piano briefly introduces the title of the game, and then begins the main looping section of the piece in a 6/8 time signature. While the chords are mostly consonant, occasional out-of-key notes add an uneasy feel to the piece. A minute into the loop, a delicate performance of the Pikmin motif can be heard.
- Dandori Challenge Results
| Dandori Challenge Results | |
|---|---|
| External links | |
Plays on the results screen for all Dandori Challenges, including the ten that make up the Trial of the Sage Leaf. This is a remix of the Challenge Mode results track from Pikmin 2.
- Final Rescue Results
| Final Rescue Results | |
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| External links | |
Plays in the final results menu for the main game. This is an arrangement of the classic "Today's Results" track.
- Olimar's Shipwreck Tale: Area Select
| Olimar's Shipwreck Tale: Area Select | |
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| External links | |
Plays when the player is selecting an area in Olimar's Shipwreck Tale, unless it is the first day within the mode in a single gameplay session. The first time the player is prompted to select an area after talking to Olimar (regardless of how far along they are in the Shipwreck Tale), the music for the surrounding Rescue Command Post continues playing instead. This theme derives its melody from View in Pikmin, but is arranged to sound more like an upbeat march.
- Olimar's Shipwreck Tale: All Records
| Olimar's Shipwreck Tale: All Records | |
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| External links | |
Plays in the final results menu for Olimar's Shipwreck Tale. This theme is mostly identical to Voyage Complete from Pikmin, but with added instruments.
Cutscenes
- Meeting the Red Pikmin
| Meeting the Red Pikmin | |
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| Internal name | 797371819.wem
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| External links | |
Heard when the first Red Pikmin is plucked. In Pikmin 4, each new type of Pikmin that is discovered will introduce itself with its own variation of the Pikmin 2 motif. Each of these variants is identical in structure, with various acoustic instruments like clarinet, violins, and a shaker making up the accompaniment (a glockenspiel also helps invoke the Pikmin as a whole). The motif, however, will be played on an instrument that is characteristic of the Pikmin it is associated with. Red Pikmin, for example, use a synthesizer for their theme.
- New Pikmin type discovered (loop)
| New Pikmin type discovered (loop) | |
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| Internal name | 833756281.wem
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| External links | |
Heard right after any of the Pikmin discovery themes, except for the Glow Pikmin. A simple, quirky waltz on pizzicato violins loops during the Rescue Corps members' discussion on the newly discovered Pikmin type, with some more brief references to the Pikmin 2 motif played on an alto recorder.
- Meeting the Ice Pikmin
| Meeting the Ice Pikmin | |
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| Internal name | 251711324.wem
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| External links | |
Heard when the first Ice Pikmin is discovered. This arrangement of the Pikmin 2 motif is played in a high-register on synth bells, indicating the frosty nature of the Ice Pikmin.
- Meeting the Yellow Pikmin
| Meeting the Yellow Pikmin | |
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| Internal name | 85259862.wem
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| External links | |
Heard when the first Yellow Pikmin is discovered. Accenting this Pikmin's electrical capabilities is the sound of a singing Tesla coil, playing the Pikmin 2 motif.
- Meeting the Blue Pikmin
| Meeting the Blue Pikmin | |
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| Internal name | 892950229.wem
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| External links | |
Heard when the first Blue Pikmin is discovered. As with the other Pikmin types, this arrangement of the track features an instrument that is characteristic of Blue Pikmin and the water they inhabit. This instrument is a synthesizer with a low-pass filter and vibrato; the vibrato invokes a sort of gargling or bubbling, while the filtering of higher frequencies mimics how sounds become muffled when underwater.
- Meeting the Purple Pikmin
| Meeting the Purple Pikmin | |
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| Internal name | 329576732.wem
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| External links | |
Heard when the first Purple Pikmin is discovered. This arrangement of the Pikmin 2 motif is played on timpani, an instrument that is also used as the sound effect for the Purple Pikmin's thud in Pikmin 2.
- Meeting the White Pikmin
| Meeting the White Pikmin | |
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| Internal name | 145179906.wem
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| External links | |
Heard when the first White Pikmin is discovered. This version of the theme uses a synthesizer that is wind-like, invoking the airiness of the toxic gas that White Pikmin boast an immunity to.
- Meeting the Rock Pikmin
| Meeting the Rock Pikmin | |
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| Internal name | 684496223.wem
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| External links | |
Heard when the first Rock Pikmin is discovered. This version of the theme is played on a metallic drum, reflective of the Rock Pikmin's tougher appearance.
- Meeting the Winged Pikmin
| Meeting the Winged Pikmin | |
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| Internal name | 816165473.wem
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| External links | |
Heard when the first Winged Pikmin is discovered. This version is scored with a piccolo, fitting for the tiny Winged Pikmin. Their ability to fly is also referenced with an additional trill.
- Meeting the Glow Pikmin
| Meeting the Glow Pikmin | |
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| External links | |
Heard when the first Glow Pikmin is discovered during a night expedition. This variant of the Pikmin discovery theme takes an uneasy turn due to the unique circumstances it takes place in, and is scored on a theremin to play upon this Glow Pikmin's ghostly appearance. Despite this, a glockenspiel reassures the player that this species of Pikmin is still a friendly one. Similar to the other discovery themes, a loop immediately follows, but with the glockenspiel taking the place of the recorder this time.
- Into the Cave
| Into the Cave | |
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| Internal name | 279313891.wem
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| External links | |
Heard when a cave is entered. A new rendition of the equivalent theme in Pikmin 2, it is a new arrangement of the Hocotate motif, also setting an adventurous mood for exploration.
- Sage Leaf's Cave
| Sage Leaf's Cave | |
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| External links | |
Plays during dialogue cutscenes with the Sage Leaf. This short theme uses the leitmotif of the "leafling spotted" jingle, but is greatly slowed down and uses different instruments to emphasize the Sage Leaf's ostensibly older age.
Areas
- Rescue Command Post
| Rescue Command Post | |
|---|---|
| External links | |
The theme of the Rescue Command Post is one with short snippets of melody which sets the mood to prepare for an expedition and talk with the rescued castaways.
- Sun-Speckled Terrace
| Sun-Speckled Terrace | |
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| External links | |
The base layer of the Sun-Speckled Terrace's theme is very sparse, with various piano notes, some of which are repeated for a while or have a delay effect.
- Blossoming Arcadia
| Blossoming Arcadia | |
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| External links | |
The Blossoming Arcadia's theme is quite calming and peaceful. Mostly in a slow triple meter, this piece hangs around F major and features lush strings above bouncy mallet percussion, with flutes playing a simple supportive ostinato between the two.
- Serene Shores
| Serene Shores | |
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| External links | |
The music of the Serene Shores uses lots of space and is more textural rather than melodic; pedal steel guitar swells make up one of these textures. It plays in a moderate 12/8 time, with a shekere accenting the second beat of every measure.
- Hero's Hideaway
| Hero's Hideaway | |
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| External links | |
Hero's Hideaway's theme is very lively, with various piano notes, pots and pans clanging, and an accordion, some of which are repeated for a while. Being noticed by and battling Moss will add some additional layers to the music.
- Giant's Hearth
| Giant's Hearth | |
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| External links | |
The music of the Giant's Hearth makes strong use of acoustic guitar. The presence of slide guitar particularly is reminiscent of Southern country music, further accented by the outdoor fire pit and camp equipment.
- Primordial Thicket
| Primordial Thicket | |
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| External links | |
The theme of the Primordial Thicket combines low woodwind sounds with both pitched and non-pitched percussion to drive motion forward. A bright-sounding aerophone carries the tune above the other instruments.
Caves
Bosses
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This section is a stub. You can help Pikipedia by expanding it. |
- Olimar's Shipwreck Tale: Battling a Strong Creature
| Olimar's Shipwreck Tale: Battling a Strong Creature | |
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| External links | |
This boss theme is heard when battling any boss as Olimar, such as during the tutorial, or during Olimar's Shipwreck Tale. This is the same song used for mid-bosses in Pikmin 3, itself a rendition of the one used for most bosses in Pikmin 2.
- Battling a Stronger Creature
| Battling a Stronger Creature | |
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| External links | |
A boss battle theme often used for bosses found aboveground. This song is organized as a drumline cadence, with the base theme being played exclusively on percussion instruments found in a marching band. When the boss is defeated, a "boss defeated" cue plays.
For every type of boss, a unique layer of pitched instruments that is characteristic of the creature will be added to the music:
| Icon | Name | Description |
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Burrowing Snagret | Adds an organ and pitched didgeridoo sample. When the Burrowing Snagret retreats underground, the entire theme is also put through a low-pass filter. |
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Crusted Rumpup | Adds a repetitive sawtooth synthesizer. |
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Porquillion | Adds a thumb piano and several pitched shaker samples. |
- Battling a Strong Creature
| Battling a Strong Creature | |
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| External links | |
A boss battle theme often used for bosses found in caves. This theme is played on African percussion instruments. Like the previous boss theme, each type of boss will add its own instrument to the music.
- Groovy Long Legs Battle
| Groovy Long Legs Battle | |
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| External links | |
This theme can be heard when battling the Groovy Long Legs at the last sublevel of Below-Grade Discotheque. It is played by techno noises and an air-horn. It also plays a "boss defeated" cue when the enemy is defeated. Uniquely, it is the only boss theme that plays when engaging a boss in the Piklopedia, supplementing the idea that the Groovy Long Legs itself is producing the music.
- Giant Breadbug Battle
| Giant Breadbug Battle | |
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| Composer | Kazumi Totaka |
| External links | |
This theme can only be heard when battling the two Giant Breadbugs on the last sublevel of Plunder Palace. It is identical to the theme heard in Pikmin 2. Unlike in that game however, this theme will stop playing after both of the Giant Breadbugs have been defeated.
Waterwraith
As in its appearance in Pikmin 2, the Waterwraith has a unique dynamic boss theme. All cues are reorchestrated versions of the ones present in Pikmin 2, except the vulnerable theme, which has been replaced with a more abstract theme.
- Waterwraith Appears
| Waterwraith Appears | |
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| External links | |
Heard when the Waterwraith first appears in the story mode of Pikmin 4, in the background of an introductory cutscene. Like Pikmin 2, the cutscene begins with the normal Pikmin 2 boss battle intro, but then lapses into a looping music bed as Collin warns of the Waterwraith's threat. This bed contains echoing textures of dissonant marimba, percussive underpinnings from a gong and bell, and most importantly, atonal drones from a double bass with extension. The combined effect sounds quite alien, like the mood set by the Waterwraith.
- Cave Exploration (Waterwraith)
| Cave Exploration (Waterwraith) | |
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| External links | |
When the Waterwraith appears in the Engulfed Castle on sublevels 1-4, the music changes drastically. In 5/4 time signature and including a full string section and brass stabs, the soundtrack is reminiscent of thriller soundtracks with #9 chords and tri-tones in the bass. The music now conveys a great intensity and sense of urgency, and is not dynamic since there is no way to attack the Waterwraith at this time.
- Waterwraith vulnerable
| Waterwraith vulnerable | |
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| External links | |
A new theme that replaces the vulnerable theme heard in Pikmin 2. When the Waterwraith appears on the Engulfed Castle's final sublevel, the normal boss theme plays as long as the Waterwraith has its rollers; the special attack cue chimes in whenever the Waterwraith shakes Pikmin off. But when the rollers are defeated, the music suddenly shifts to an abstract theme with crotales signaling that the threat of this boss has been nullified. Further attacking the Waterwraith will add various Latin percussion instruments to the music.
Ancient Sirehound
- Ancient Sirehound (first phase)
| Ancient Sirehound (first phase) | |
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| External links | |
Heard when battling the Ancient Sirehound at the last sublevel of Cavern for a King. It is played mainly by an electric guitar and intensely graduates the farther you are in the battle.
- Ancient Sirehound (ice phase)
| Ancient Sirehound (ice phase) | |
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| External links | |
Heard when battling the Ancient Sirehound at the last sublevel of Cavern for a King.
- Ancient Sirehound (electricity phase)
| Ancient Sirehound (electricity phase) | |
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| External links | |
Heard when battling the Ancient Sirehound at the last sublevel of Cavern for a King.
- Ancient Sirehound (fire phase)
| Ancient Sirehound (fire phase) | |
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| External links | |
Heard when battling the Ancient Sirehound at the last sublevel of Cavern for a King.
- Ancient Sirehound (Gloom phase)
| Ancient Sirehound (Gloom phase) | |
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| External links | |
Heard when battling the Ancient Sirehound at the last sublevel of Cavern for a King.
- Final battle (vulnerable)
| Final battle (vulnerable) | |
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| External links | |
Heard when battling the Ancient Sirehound at the last sublevel of Cavern for a King. It is played mainly by an electric guitar, drums, a xylophone and intensely graduates the farther you are in the battle.
Olimar's Shipwreck Tale
In general, the area themes in the prologue assume an energetic style compared to the quieter tracks used in the main game. This change in music contributes to a greater degree of urgency in the mode, where Olimar has little time for leisurely exploration during the fifteen days he has to collect his lost ship parts.
- Olimar's Shipwreck Tale: Sun-Speckled Terrace
| Olimar's Shipwreck Tale: Sun-Speckled Terrace | |
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| Internal name | 748301629.wem
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| External links | |
The theme for the Sun-Speckled Terrace is reminiscent of The Impact Site's main theme from Pikmin however it still primarily uses the same instruments of the story mode theme for this area.
- Olimar's Shipwreck Tale: Blossoming Arcadia
| Olimar's Shipwreck Tale: Blossoming Arcadia | |
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| Internal name | 763938080.wem
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| External links | |
The theme for Blossoming Arcadia is reminiscent of The Forest of Hope's main theme from Pikmin.
- Olimar's Shipwreck Tale: Serene Shores
| Olimar's Shipwreck Tale: Serene Shores | |
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| Internal name | 349004147.wem
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| External links | |
The theme for the Serene Shores is reminiscent of The Distant Spring's main theme from Pikmin, using similar instruments to play similar parts from The Distant Spring in combination with the story mode theme, as if both tracks are being mixed together.
- Olimar's Shipwreck Tale: Hero's Hideaway
| Olimar's Shipwreck Tale: Hero's Hideaway | |
|---|---|
| Internal name | 988716588.wem
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| External links | |
This area theme reuses many sounds from the its main story mode counterpart; it even uses a melody similar to the one heard during the game's initial tutorial with Captain Olimar. Unlike the other area themes, its melody does not clearly resemble any track from Pikmin.
Dandori Challenges
- Dandori Challenge 1
| Dandori Challenge 1 | |
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| External links | |
Plays in Dandori Day Care, Test Tubs, Ice-Cross Course, Hefty Haulway, and Oasis of Order.
- Dandori Challenge 2
| Dandori Challenge 2 | |
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| External links | |
Plays in Hotshock Canyon, Rockaway Cellars, Aerial Incinerator, Strategic Freezeway, Planning Pools, Toggle Training, and Cliff-Hanger's Hold.
- Trial of the Sage Leaf
| Trial of the Sage Leaf | |
|---|---|
| External links | |
Plays in all ten stories of the Trial of the Sage Leaf. This theme departs in style from both typical cave music and other Dandori Challenge songs, with a fast pace and heavy use of electronic and percussive instruments. It samples some parts of the cave tracks however.
Dandori Battles
- Dandori Battle (Toy Box)
| Dandori Battle (Toy Box) | |
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| External links | |
Plays in Trial Run, Battle in a Box, and Final Battle, all of which are set in toybox-like environments.
- Dandori Battle (Sandbox)
| Dandori Battle (Sandbox) | |
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| External links | |
Plays in Dandori Castle, Hot Sandy Duel and, in Dandori Battle mode, Leafy Showdown. All of these stages have a sandy aesthetic.
- Dandori Battle vs. Olimar?
| Dandori Battle vs. Olimar? | |
|---|---|
| External links | |
Plays in Leafy Showdown in Story Mode only. This track incorporates the melody from The Final Trial's theme.
Enemy mixes
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This section is a stub. You can help Pikipedia by expanding it. |
Whenever the player is near an enemy in the main story, that enemy will add a new layer of instruments to the music. However, there is not one singular enemy mix per song; rather, there is a unique enemy mix tied to every single type of enemy in the game. The instruments that are added are often characteristic of the creature they are associated with, and some few enemies may also have several different enemy mixes, depending on the enemy's current state.
| Icon | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
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Anode Beetle | A percussive, chirp-like synthesizer and a stylophone-like sound are added when nearby. |
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Anode Dweevil | A shaker and singing Tesla coil are added when nearby. |
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Breadbug | The Giant Breadbug theme's combat mix from Pikmin 2 is added when nearby. The melody of that song is also referenced on an additional synthesizer with quick portamento. |
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Doodlebug | A pulsating, buzzing synthesizer and xylophone are added, while a comical, high-pitched sawtooth synthesizer plays the sound of the Doodlebug's flatulence. |
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Honeywisp | Two synthesizers resembling a bell tree and an oscillating flute are added, mimicking the floating Honeywisp. |
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Iridescent Flint Beetle | A glass marimba and a resonating synthesizer with a very quick release time are added, playing rapid sequences of random notes from the pentatonic F major scale. |
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Iridescent Glint Beetle | Identical to the Iridescent Flint Beetle's enemy mix, but the release time of the synthesizer has been lengthened. |
Minor jingles
- Obstacle removed
Heard when an obstacle, such as a gate or bridge, is overcome. It is similar to the same jingle in previous games, filling a similar purpose.
Trivia
- When the player is walking with Pikmin alone or while riding on Oatchi, they may sing a short song. These songs include the brief passages from the Awakening Wood, the Garden of Hope, the Waterwraith's chase theme, the Leafy Showdown theme, the six note leitmotif of Pikmin 2's title screen, and a new unique song.
- When there are no more days remaining in Olimar's Shipwreck Tale, the main area themes speed up and their respective sunset themes are slowed down.