Spherical Atlas

Spherical Atlas
Number	184
Series	Explorer's Friend Series
Value	× 200
Weight	101
Maximum carriers	100 Pikmin
Location	Emergence Cave
Challenge Mode levels	None

This article is about the top globe half that unlocks the Awakening Wood. For the bottom half that unlocks the Perplexing Pool, see Geographic Projection.

The Spherical Atlas (スフィアマップ^?, lit.: "Sphere Map")　is a treasure in Pikmin 2. It is a northern hemisphere of a globe; this being a representation of Earth suggests that PNF-404 is Earth. This heavy treasure is found on the last sublevel (2) of the Emergence Cave in the Valley of Repose. It requires at least one Purple Pikmin on it to lift it, as it weighs 101 units, more than 100, the maximum weight one hundred weaker Pikmin can carry. This is also the first cave Purple Pikmin are found in, on the same sublevel as the treasure. Before carrying the treasure, it is recommended to defeat the Snow Bulborbs nearby.

When this treasure has been retrieved, the Sphere Chart, part of the Exploration Kit, is unlocked, granting access to the Awakening Wood. This is made possible through the coordinates it provides the Hocotate ship. The Geographic Projection is also a globe half, this time a southern hemisphere; and it too unlocks a new area, the Perplexing Pool.

Model and texture

Every region of the game rotates the model for this treasure, such that the model's "front" shows the part of the world that matches the region. In-game, the "front" side is the side that faces the camera when:

• The player lands on the second sublevel of the Emergence Cave and looks at the treasure,
• The treasure's discovery cutscene plays,
• The treasure's naming cutscene plays,
• The player opens its file in the Treasure Hoard.

This means that, for instance, a player playing the Japanese version of Pikmin 2 can open the Treasure Hoard and have the camera show the globe's Japan straight away.

The treasure's discovery cutscene, in the Japanese, North American, and European versions of the game, respectively.

The Geographic Projection does something similar, but not quite the same. Bizarrely, both parts of the globe are missing the North Pole and the South Pole. The Treasure Hoard icon for this treasure is the same in all versions, and because of its low resolution, it is hard to tell which region is being shown. The highlight texture for this treasure's model is called hilight_I4_bombsarai, and is the same highlight texture used for the Careening Dirigibug. This is also true for the Geographic Projection's model.

The globe depicts the world prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union on December 25^th, 1991. Although central Europe is hardly recognizable, the Baltic and central Asian states are clearly part of what is now the Russian Federation. An odd design choice, considering the game did not start development until more than ten years later, yet the globe was not textured to show signs of aging as would be expected.

Notes

Ship's dialogs

“It's inconceivable that such an immense object has been buried here for so long.

The design on the outer shell resembles the surface of the planet as seen from space!

Perhaps this can be used for something other than salvage.

But how will we ever lift it? I fear that even 100 red Pikmin will be unable to lift it!

---

There is a device resembling a microchip embedded inside this sphere. Retrieving data...

...Error. I could only decode a portion of the data, but I did retrieve new geographic charts.

I will input this data into my planetary database and name it the Sphere Chart.

Press START/PAUSE to contact me and access the Exploration Kit on the radar screen with L.

Now that we have this new data, you should explore the decoded territory tomorrow.”

Olimar's journal

“The purple Pikmin were somehow able to carry this massive treasure. Today, we measured their physical strength using the ship's onboard beefometer. It seems that they have ten times the weight and physical power of any other Pikmin. When I throw them, they land with a resounding thud. I've decided to commemorate the cave I first encountered them in by naming it Emergence Cave.”

Sales pitch

“The surface designs on this item are the map of a savage planet. This alone makes it valuable... But that is not all! Embedded within is a microchip filled with secret, incredibly detailed data. With this item, you'll know everything about this, that, and the other thing, too.”

Gallery

• 

  Artwork of the treasure.

• Spherical Atlas P2 analysis.png

  The Spherical Atlas being analyzed.

• 

  The treasure in the Treasure Hoard.

• 

  Texture used for the model.

Trivia

• In the North American version of the New Play Control! game, with the language set to French, the upgrade this treasure gives is called "Carte Sphérique" (Spherical Map) in the Ship's dialogs and "Système Solaire" (Solar System) in the pause menu. Since another upgrade is also called "Système Solaire" (the Solar System), this is likely a mistake.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	スフィアマップ? Sufia Mappu	Sphere Map
French	Atlas Sphérique	Spherical Atlas
German	Sphärenatlas	Sphere Atlas
Italian	Atlante sferico	Spherical Atlas
Spanish	Atlas esférico	Spherical atlas

See also

• Geographic Projection
• Awakening Wood
• PNF-404

This article was a featured article from April 2nd, 2017 to June 1st, 2017.