Ship parts are the main collectible items in Pikmin. They are also major collectible items in the Side Stories in Pikmin 3 Deluxe and Olimar's Shipwreck Tale in Pikmin 4.
In Pikmin
Ship parts are fragments of the ship used by Captain Olimar, the S.S. Dolphin. After colliding with a comet at the start of Pikmin, the S.S. Dolphin 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. The parts are usually placed in such a manner that some form of challenge must be overcome in order to access them. Some are found on high ledges, some are behind gates, and some are inside enemies, most commonly bosses.
After a certain number of parts are recovered, the S.S. Dolphin'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 required 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 required ship parts are collected, the normal ending will be shown. If, however, the player fails to recover all required ship parts after 30 days, they will receive the bad ending.
Every time a ship part is collected in Pikmin, gameplay stops, and a cutscene takes place showing the part being beamed into the Dolphin. 14 of the ship parts visually disappear after being collected, but 16 parts will appear on the Dolphin in a specific place upon collection, causing sparkle particles to come out. Once installed, the ship part remains visible on the Dolphin for the rest of the game.
In Pikmin 3 Deluxe
In Olimar's Comeback, The President sends Olimar and Louie back to PNF-404 to repair the Hocotate ship after they had abandoned it. Collecting ship parts is slightly different in this game, however. In First Part Found and Another Part Found, the player must clear a path for the Pikmin to transport a single ship part to the SPERO before time runs out. In The Ship Restored, the player must find multiple ship parts and return them to the SPERO. The Ship Restored assigns each part a monetary value of hundreds of Pokos as part of the mission's scoring system.
Some of the ship parts in this game mode are named, while others aren't. Although, all are near identical in appearance to the ones collected in Pikmin, despite the Hocotate ship being far different in design from the S.S. Dolphin. Those returning parts being:
Main Engine
Chronos Reactor
Nova Blaster: 
× 700
Repair-Type Bolt: × 500
Analog Computer: × 800
Only the Main Engine and Chronos Reactor are referred to by name by Olimar in his outline and assignment reports.
In Pikmin 4
Ship parts appear in the Olimar's Shipwreck Tale side mode and essentially serve the same purpose as they did in Pikmin, both story and gameplay-wise. Like in Pikmin, there are 30 parts to collect, although the day count has been halved to 15. After a certain number of parts are recovered, the S.S. Dolphin's stability will increase, and the player will be able to access a new area. For each part Olimar recovers, he is rewarded with either a piece of gear, a skill for Moss, or a pack item after the day has been summarized. Should the player collect all parts, they will be awarded with the 'best' ending, and if they fail to recover all ship parts, they will receive the bad ending. Unlike in Pikmin, all parts are required for a successful launch – there is no normal ending.
Most of the ship parts from Pikmin return, but many are replaced with duplicates of the Extraordinary Bolt, Repair-Type Bolt, and the Automatic Gear. The reason why some parts have been replaced with duplicates of other parts in Pikmin 4 is unknown.
All visible ship parts from Pikmin that are not collectible in Pikmin 4 can be found on the ship from the start (minus the Eternal Fuel Dynamo, which can become obstructed in Pikmin regardless).
Trivia
- In Pikmin, during a ship part recollection cutscene, all other ship parts that are being carried will turn invisible. This also happens in Pikmin 2 with treasures.
- In Pikmin, the player can obtain the Main Engine on day 2. This requires getting a Pikmin extinction on day 1 then coming back and collecting the Main Engine on day 2.[2]
- In Pikmin 4, all but two of the collectible parts that appear visible on the ship after collecting are in the same spot as in Pikmin. Both Ionium Jets appear in set places, with the Sun-Speckled Terrace jet on the starboard side and the Blossoming Arcadia jet on the port side.
- The two exceptions are the Omega Stabilizer, which appears on the opposite side of the ship compared to Pikmin, and the Interstellar Radio, which does not appear visible at all.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 French (NoA) |
Pièce de vaisseau | Ship part | |
 Portuguese (NoE) |
Peça da nave | Ship part | Translation taken from the Pikmin instruction manual. |
 Spanish (NoA) |
Pieza de la nave (in-game) Pieza nave (final results screen) |
Ship part |
See also
References
- ^ YouTube video demonstrating the requirement of 85 Pikmin for the Safe (at 05:08)
- ^ YouTube video demonstrating how to obtain the Main Engine on day 2 by getting a Pikmin extinction