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| Pikmin | |
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| Rating | E-Mild Violence |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
Pikmin was the first game in the Pikmin series to be released, on the Nintendo GameCube. Its only sequel so far released is Pikmin 2.
New Play Control!
- Main article: New Play Control!.
It has been announced that Pikmin and its sequel will be re-released as part of the upcoming "New Play Control!" series of games for the Nintendo Wii. Currently, Pikmin's reported Japan release is 25th December, in the comparable "Wii De Asobu" range. A North American release for the game has been confirmed and it is planned to be released March 9, 2009. Changes have been made to Pikmin's graphics, save system and control scheme.
Locations
Plot
Captain Olimar, exhausted from working hard, goes on vacation, only to get hit by a comet and land on the mysterious Planet of the Pikmin, which bears many resemblances to Earth. His ship, the S.S. Dolphin, is now an absolute wreck, but, fortunately, Olimar meets the Pikmin. With their help, he soon finds that there is a hope of recovering the rocket parts he needs and returning home. However, he soon finds out that the planet's atmosphere contains oxygen, an element incredibly deadly to the inhabitants of the planet Hocotate. Olimar has only 30 days to live, after which complete battery failure of his life-support system will occur. He must recover his missing ship parts from all over the planet with the aid of the Pikmin, which are all too eager to help.
Gameplay
Pikmin is a three-dimensional strategy-based game, in which the player is given control of Olimar, who in turn has control over the Pikmin that follow him. The whole point of the game is to find and collect as many of his lost ship parts as possible, up to the maximum of 30, in fewer than the 30 days Olimar has to live, so that he can escape the grasp of the planet before his life-support system fails. Approximately 15 minutes are spent on its surface each day: as nightfall approaches, you must gather stray and toiling Pikmin to your base or command so that they don't fall victim to the voracious nocturnal predators, such as the Red Bulborb.
In Pikmin you will face many obstacles in order to secure the parts required to rebuild your ship. This must be done with care, as many obstacles are hazardous to the Pikmin, such as water, fire and explosions. There are also other things that block your way, such as walls, bridges and gaps. Many different animal species on the planet hinder the progress of your working Pikmin. However, your forces are limited, you can only have up to 100 Pikmin out in the field and no more under any circumstances. The rest are stored in the Onions, considered by Olimar to be some sort of motherships for the species.
The Pikmin
Pikmin are the plant/animal hybrids that were discovered by Captain Olimar when he crash-landed on the planet. The Pikmin willingly follow his orders and imitate his movements in the face of whatever fate may await them. Each species of Pikmin has weaknesses and strengths and all three Pikmin must be used in cooperation in order to collect all of the missing ship parts. The Pikmin are relatively short creatures and stand at a height of about one inch. Very few clues are provided of their physical elements. All Pikmin in general have a head, two eyes, a torso, two feet, and two arms; all three Pikmin are noticeably slender and very fragile thin beings, thus making it apparent that they can easily be harmed, and must be protected at whatever means necessary in order to survive. The facial appearances of Pikmin are a mystery, as they all have huge eyes, and round black pupils, and they always stare at Captain Olimar, or whoever for whatever reason, with a very strange look. Each species of Pikmin also has unique appearances: Red Pikmin have a long pointy nose, Yellow Pikmin have large sail-like ears which catch wind currents and allow them to soar higher when thrown, and Blue Pikmin have not mouths, but gills that have allowed them to survive and live in aquatic habitats. Template:Endspoiler
What They Do
Pikmin are very interactive creatures, for they interact and socialize with themselves, regardless what species of Pikmin interact with, but will focus all attention on Olimar when needed. Pikmin naturally form groups of their own color when dismissed but cooperate with the other colors of Pikmin in battles, carrying dead enemies and other things.
Homes of the Pikmin, Onions
Pikmin live in pods called Onions, which bear similar resemblances to the earthly vegetable, which Olimar named after for the Hocotatian onions. Each Onion is a specific color; red, blue, and yellow are so far the only known Pikmin Onions. Each Onion is home to the Pikmin of the same color, and Pikmin will never enter a foreign colored Onion. Onions propagate more Pikmin by having them carry the carcasses of dead creatures or by carrying pellets to the Onions.
The number of Pikmin that are allowed on the field is 100. This is due to limit the processor load of the Gamecube's CPU, and to make the game more challenging. Why this limit exists, however, is not explained in the game itself. It is merely noted by Olimar, and he himself may possibly not know why.
There are many Onions seen in the Happy Ending of Pikmin, but it is unknown if these colors of Pikmin will be seen in Pikmin sequels.
The Kinds of Pikmin
Red Pikmin
Red Pikmin were the first type of Pikmin that are encountered by Captain Olimar, at The Impact Site. They are used to retrieve the Main Engine, since they are the only Pikmin that you have at the time. Red Pikmin are resistant to fire and are the strongest of all the Pikmin found in the game. They are also distinguished from other Pikmin because of a pointed nose-like growth, which they presumably use as spikes in battle, giving them a slight edge over Blue and Yellow Pikmin.
Yellow Pikmin
Yellow Pikmin are the second Pikmin revealed by Olimar, which was in the The Forest of Hope, the second accessible area in the game. Yellow Pikmin are the only Pikmin with the ability to carry bomb-rocks, and have very large sail-like ears, which they use as glider wings, allowing them to be thrown very high. Yellow Pikmin are known for their ears, and are much lighter than the other Pikmin.
Blue Pikmin
Blue Pikmin are the third and last kind of Pikmin found in the game. They are located in The Forest Navel, the third accessible area in the game. Blue Pikmin are the only species of Pikmin that can move around in bodies of water, thanks to their gills. When non-blue Pikmin fall in the water, blue Pikmin will run to them and throw them out of the water, saving their lives. This is popularly known as the "lifeguard" ability.
Endings
When you get all 30 parts or get to the end of Day 30, you will get one of the three endings in the game, one is a happy one, one is average, and the last one is bad.
Happy ending
This ending is obtained by collected all 30 ship parts, and so occurs after retrieving the Secret Safe from the Emperor Bulblax at the Final Trial. The camera zooms into the Dolphin and Captain Olimar jumps with joy. Then the scene darkens, becoming night, and Olimar walks to his ship and stops to look at the Pikmin one last time. The Pikmin tilt their heads in curiosity. Olimar give the Pikmin a short wave good-bye, to which the Pikmin tilt their heads in the opposite direction. With a sigh, Olimar looks down and shakes his head. Olimar boards the Dolphin and lifts off successfully, and the Pikmin attack and defeat a nearby Spotty Bulborb. Next, the ship is seen flying away, with Onions of many, unseen colors following him. After the credits, you the Enemy Reel is shown.
A video of the happy ending: <Youtube>eBNo2LVN7FI</youtube>
Average ending
This ending can take place in any level and occurs when Day 30 ends. You will need at least all the mandatory parts, which are 25 pieces. Once day 30 arrives and passes without all 30 parts, but more than 25, he walks towards the Dolphin and takes a quick glance back before entering the cockpit of his ship and attempting to blast off. He successfully blasts off while three Pikmin (one red, one yellow, and one blue) look up into the sky.
A video of the average ending: <youtube>T53e18JSgJk</youtube>
Bad ending
| Click [show] to display the image. |
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 The bad ending of Pikmin. |
This is the worst ending you can get. To get it, you will need 24 or fewer of the mandatory parts. Olimar will realize it's the last day that his life support will function, so he tries to lift off. Immediately after taking off, the engine explodes and his ship crashes back onto the planet. The Pikmin carry his unconscious body to an Onion, Olimar pops out as a Pikmin-like creature, having his head but the sprout of a Pikmin with a black stem without a helmet, and he lands in the ground. This Olimar-Pikmin is sometimes known by fans as Pikmar or Olimin.
A video of the bad ending: <youtube>wGL8j1ZBA5I</youtube>
In Super Smash Bros
In the Super Smash Bros series, there have been references to the Pikmin series.
- If you have a saved game of Pikmin on the same memory card as one of Super Smash Bros. Melee, you are given the Captain Olimar trophy in Melee. That game also features a trophy of the Pikmin.
- Pikmin & Olimar is a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
- In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, there is a Pikmin stage called "Distant Planet". It features Bulborbs and other threats like rain. If you throw a Pellet or certain items into one of the Onions, items will pop out.
- There is a remix of the Pikmin World map music in Super Smash Bros. Brawl; this consists of both tracks of the Pikmin map screen and the Pikmin 2 map screen. Hajime Wakai, a musician of Pikmin, is one of the musicians for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
- A few screenshots, leaked videos, and trailers of Super Smash Bros. Brawl have a Bulborb trophy, a Burrowing Snagret trophy, a Creeping Chrysanthemum trophy, a Wollywog trophy, a Red Pikmin trophy, a Yellow Pikmin trophy, and a Fiery Blowhog trophy, along with a Purple Pikmin sticker and a Louie sticker.
- As well as the music mentioned above, there is also The Forest of Hope, which is unchanged from the Pikmin game.