Pikmin 2

Empress Bulblax

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Empress Bulblax In-game icon.
File:Empressblublax.jpg
Appears in Pikmin 2
Scientific name Oculus matriarcha
Family Grub-dog
Areas None
Caves Frontier Cavern, Hole of Beasts, Hole of Heroes
Challenge Mode stages Emperor's Realm
2-Player Battle stages None
Attacks Crushes Pikmin, causes boulders to fall, births larvae

The Empress Bulblax (クイーンチャッピー, Kuīn Chappī, Queen Chappy) is a boss in Pikmin 2. Its markings and general features are similar to those of the Red Bulborb, but its body is much larger and composed of five distinct segments; its comparatively tiny legs dangle above the ground. In the Piklopedia, this creature sleeps and cannot be woken up.

The Empress Bulblax makes a few appearances in the game: it is located on the last sublevel (5) of Hole of Beasts, sublevel 8 of Frontier Cavern, sublevel 11 of Hole of Heroes, and sublevel 4 of Emperor's Realm in Challenge Mode.

Notes

Olimar's notes

Initial observations placed doubt on the capability of the grub-dog family to support a strong ant- or beelike social structure, but recent studies show the family is capable of such complexity. The egg sac of the largest female grub-dog within a given range swells to dramatic proportions in response to environmental changes, such as the sudden depletion of prey species. These females temporarily take on the role of pack matriarch. Also, in pack formation it has been observed that nearly all males not involved in species reproduction undergo natural sex changes. The characteristics of such specimens are quite intriguing indeed.

Louie's notes

For a sophisticated delicacy, make a pate de foie gras from this massively obese creature's liver and spread it over a sesame cracker.

Strategy

To defeat this enemy, throw (preferably Purple) Pikmin onto its face and call them back before it throws them off. After shaking Pikmin off, the boss rolls from side to side across the chamber in an attempt to crush its aggressors, smashing into walls, and making rocks fall from the ceiling in most encounters in the game. Although risky, the Bulblax can be petrified if the spray is released on the middle of its elongated torso.

The Empress Bulblax is one of the few bosses that can vary depending on where the player encounters it: for the Hole of Beasts fight, it is easier to throw the Pikmin on the Empress Bulblax's side to the left and retreat to the alcove in the wall between attacks. Here, it is also effective to swarm the body from the left at the start of the battle, before the boss wakes up. Doing this will deal heavy damage if many Pikmin manage to latch onto the Empress.

This is not as effective in the later two battles, as the Pikmin have less time to attack the enemy before she shakes the Pikmin off, and they have the Empress continuously giving birth to Bulborb Larvae. These are easily defeated by their own mother's rolling; alternatively, in the Frontier Cavern, since the number that can exist is finite, they can be lured away from the Empress with one leader while the other fights the boss, resulting in a fight that is about as easy as in the Hole of Beasts. For the Hole of Heroes fight, the player starts off behind the Empress, and she can make boulders fall after hitting the walls; these are most easily avoided by moving behind the exit hole, itself behind a gate. All rules apply here the same as the Frontier Cavern fight, but trapping the larvae is nearly impossible, and requires a decoy leader who is in good condition.

When defeated, four of the Empress Bulblax's front body segments explode, leaving only the segment attached to the head, which can be returned to the Research Pod and cashed in for 15 pokos.

During the fights with the Bulborb Larvae, it is suggested that a leader should distract the larvae, preferably at full health and with the Metal Suit Z obtained, as the larvae can deal a lot of damage otherwise.

In other games

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

The Empress Bulblax appears as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

File:EmpressBulblaxTrophy.jpg Description:

A member of the grub-dog family, transformed by environmental factors. Due to her ridiculous size, the empress bulblax can no longer walk on her tiny legs. She just wiggles around, rolling from left to right. Although the female continues spawning bulborb larvae, she unfortunately rolls over them with her massive body.

  Pikmin 2
How to obtain: Random appearance. Type: Fighter Related

WarioWare: Smooth Moves

The Empress Bulblax makes a cameo appearance in the game WarioWare: Smooth Moves, where the player must tilt the Wii Remote to squish some Pikmin.

Technical information

Pikmin 2 technical information (?)
Internal name queen
Global properties (List)
ID Japanese comment Property Value
s000 friction(not used) Friction 0.5
s001 wallReflection Unknown (wall bounce speed multiplier?) 0.5
s002 faceDirAdjust Unknown 0.25
s003 accel Acceleration 0.1
s004 bounceFactor Unknown (bounce when it hits the ground?) 0.3
fp00 ライフ HP 5000
fp01 マップとの当り Unknown (related to slopes) 90
fp02 ダメージスケールXZ Horizontal damage scale 0
fp03 ダメージスケールY Vertical damage scale 0.05
fp04 ダメージフレーム Damage scale duration 0.35
fp05 質量 Unknown (weight?) 0.01
fp06 速度 Move speed 125
fp08 回転速度率 Rotation acceleration 0.1
fp09 テリトリー Territory radius 200
fp10 ホーム範囲 "Home" radius 25
fp11 プライベート距離 "Private" radius 70
fp12 視界距離 Sight radius 200
fp13 視界角度 FOV 90
fp14 探索距離 Unknown (exploration radius?) 50
fp15 探索角度 Unknown (exploration angle?) 120
fp16 振り払い率 Successful shake rate 1
fp17 振り払い力 Shake knockback 300
fp18 振り払いダメージ Shake damage 1
fp19 振り払い範囲 Shake range 120
fp20 攻撃可能範囲 Unknown (shock attack max range?) 150
fp21 攻撃可能角度 Unknown (shock attack max angle?) 25
fp22 攻撃ヒット範囲 Unknown (attack hit range?) 150
fp23 攻撃ヒット角度 Unknown (attack hit angle?) 25
fp24 攻撃力 Attack damage 10
fp25 視界高 Unknown (height visibility?) 50
fp26 探索高 Unknown (exploration height?) 50
fp27 ライフの高さ HP wheel height 50
fp28 回転最大速度 Rotation speed 10
fp29 警戒時間 Unknown (warning time?) 15
fp30 警戒ライフ Unknown 500
fp31 ライフ回復率 Regeneration rate 0.00001
fp32 LOD半径 Off-camera radius 300
fp33 マップとのあたりポリゴンの選定 Collision processing radius 250
fp34 ピクミンとのあたり Pikmin damage radius 50
fp35 石化時間 Petrification duration 1
fp36 ヒップドロップダメージ Purple Pikmin drop damage 50
fp37 地震気絶確立 Purple Pikmin stun chance 0 (0%)
fp38 地震気絶時間 Purple Pikmin stun time 10
ip01 振り払い打撃A Shake mode 1 – hit count 30
ip02 振り払い張付1 Shake mode 1 – Pikmin requirement 5
ip03 振り払い打撃B Shake mode 2 – hit count 35
ip04 振り払い張付2 Shake mode 2 – Pikmin requirement 10
ip05 振り払い打撃C Shake mode 3 – hit count 45
ip06 振り払い張付3 Shake mode 3 – Pikmin requirement 15
ip07 振り払い打撃D Shake mode 4 – hit count 50
Specific properties
ID Japanese comment Property Value
fp01 ローリング時間 Unknown (rolling time?) 3.5
fp02 出産間隔 ( sec ) Birth interval 2
fp Forest 1 Life HP on the Hole of Beasts 3300
fp 出産数 ( Max ) Max births until it falls asleep 50
fp 出産数 ( Min ) Min number of Larvae on the cave with which it will wake up again 25

Gallery

Trivia

To do: Confirm Louie's notes in the Japanese version. If they mention ovaries, re-write the last tidbit so that it points out the Japanese version instead, and only then makes a reference to the prototype.
Care to do so?

  • The Empress Bulblax may shed its skin; on the last sublevel of the Hole of Beasts, right underneath the Research Pod, there appears to be an Empress Bulblax skin on the floor.
  • It is impossible to wake up the Empress Bulblax in the Piklopedia, no matter how many Pikpik carrots are thrown at it. The only other enemies who will not attack in the Piklopedia are the Titan Dweevil and the Segmented Crawbster.
  • The Empress Bulblax is the only member of the Grub-dog family that does not kill Pikmin by eating them.
  • The creature resembles a real-life pregnant queen termite.
  • The Empress Bulblax gives live birth to its larval-form offspring. This is not only unique to the Pikmin franchise, but also to Earth lifeforms.
  • The Empress Bulblax's scientific name, Oculus matriarcha, translates into 'Eye Matriarch'. Oculus translates into eye, and matriarcha is similar to matriarch, referring to its title of "Empress". The matriarcha in its scientific name indicates that it does not belong to the same genus as its descendants, the Bulborb Larvae (bambinii). How this difference between parent and offspring genus is possible is unknown.
  • An unused prototype script for Louie's notes on the Empress Bulblax is consisted of using its ovaries instead of its liver.[1] It was changed in the final product for obvious reasons.
    • It does however, seem to be the recipe for the Japanese Version.


Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
  Japanese クイーンチャッピー?
'Kuīn Chappī'
Queen Chappy

References