In the Pikmin games, some cutscenes play at certain times. While these cutscenes are playing, the player usually has no control over the game, other than to advance the text, or to skip the cutscene. There are several different types.
Pikmin 1
Opening
In the opening cutscene, Captain Olimar is shown flying in the S.S. Dolphin. The camera changes to show a meteor that shortly after crashes against the ship. It comes flaming down towards the Pikmin Planet, losing bits as it falls. The game then begins at the Impact Site, with Olimar lying down, unconscious. After waking up and looking around, he realizes his ship is wrecked.
This is what Olimar says after the crash.
The player can now take control of Olimar and begin the first day.
Bad ending
If the player has 24 or fewer of the required ship parts by the end of the 30th day, Olimar will attempt to leave the planet in a haste, but the engine explodes and the ship crashes back to the ground. After the game's statistics are shown, the Pikmin are seen carrying Olimar's unconscious body to the Red Onion, and Olimar pops out as a Pikmin hybrid, dubbed "Pikmar".
Neutral ending
If the 30th day ends, and Olimar has enough ship parts, he'll try to take off. Olimar quickly runs towards the ship, turns back to take a last look at the Pikmin, and then takes off in a hurry. A Blue, Yellow, and Red Pikmin, all in the leaf stage, will stay and watch Olimar fly away, a bit confused as to why their leader left so quickly. The screen shows Olimar sailing peacefully, albeit bothered that he had to leave so abruptly.
Good ending
If the player manages to retrieve every ship part before the 30th day, Olimar can go back home fully prepared. When the Secret Safe is retrieved, a small cutscene shows the ship fixing itself for the final time, complete with several shots of the Dolphin's complicated setup. Olimar takes a closer look and jumps in glee.
Night falls, and Olimar must leave. Before going in, he turns back at the Pikmin who are all in a straight line looking at him. They then turn their heads to the left in order, forming a little wave. Olimar waves goodbye in the hope that they'll understand. The Pikmin then turn their heads right in order, forming another small wave. With a sigh, Olimar just shakes his head and proceeds to take off. Shortly after, a Red Bulborb appears, and the line of Pikmin, now knowing what to do, thanks to Olimar, are quick to fight it off. The S.S. Dolphin is shown flying in space, and several Onions, even some with previously unseen colors, are seen following it.
Credits
The background consists of a shot of the Pikmin Planet, half covered in shade. The credits then roll from bottom to top. Occasionally, images of Olimar's adventure on the planet will appear behind the text, and sometimes comets shoot by. If the player got a good ending, the Enemy Reel will play after this.
Enemy Reel
- Main article: Enemy reel.
If the player gets the good ending, a montage of the creatures in the game will play.
Pikmin 2
In Pikmin 2, the major cutscenes can be re-seen in the Bonuses option on the main menu.
Opening
This cutscene plays if the player is idle on the title screen for long enough.
"Hocotate Freight is a long-haul, deep-space shipping company.
One day, its only employee of any merit, Captain Olimar...
...crashed on an uncharted planet while on an interstellar vacation.
There, he was aided by the indigenous creatures which he called Pikmin.
In the end, Captain Olimar escaped...
But in Olimar's absence, his employer, Hocotate Freight...
ran into financial difficulties..."
Olimar is then shown returning to Hocotate, after which he speaks to the President.
"Olimar! I'm so glad you're safe! Yes, very glad. Quite glad. But...
Sadly, I have an announcement that is not so glad:
Our company is going under. Yes. We're finished...
On his first mission, Louie here met a ravenous space bunny...
And his entire load of golden Pikpik brand carrots was eaten!
I took out an enormous loan to repay the debt from this loss!
I decided to sell off corporate assets to repay the loan...
But the only asset we had to sell was your ship, the S.S. Dolphin.
As for the rest of our loan...
We have no means to repay it!"
Horrified, Olimar drops a bottle cap he brought along.
"Olimar! What is that?
You brought that back as a souvenir for your kid?"
Louie's eyes pop out, bewildered. The ship then analyzes the bottle cap.
"Treasure! Treasure! Treasure! Money! Money! Money! Money!
Initiating valuation of recovered treasure. This artifact is worth...
100 Pokos!
This thing's worth 100 Pokos?! That's more than a year's salary!"
The President gladly exclaims:
"WHAT?!? There are MORE on that planet? They can repay our debt!
Louie! You dolt! Look alive! You must depart immediately!
...With Captain Olimar!"
The ship is shown taking off in great haste, as they head to the Pikmin Planet.
Debt Repayment
Once the debt is payed, this cutscene plays. The ship talks to the two Captains about returning to Hocotate.
"Mission complete! You've earned 10,000 Pokos!
Now Hocotate Freight will be prosperous and debt free until the end of time! ...Probably.
Prepare to blast off! We return to Hocotate triumphantly!"
Olimar takes off, unhappy that he had to go in such a hurry. He looks behind him to the Pikmin Planet. He then remembers about the Pikmin that helped him, imagining their faces on the planet's surface. He faces forward again to resume flying, until he looks back again, only to notice that Louie is not in his cockpit. It's too late to go back, as the ship is already warping. The camera then zooms back to show part of the planet.
Credits
In this cutscene, the credits roll from bottom to top. In the background, several clips of Louie are seen, showing him lost and wondering around the landscape, sometimes getting into trouble. The environment has been recorded in real life, and Louie was superimposed on top of it.
Goal Completion
This cutscene plays when the player continues the game after repaying the debt. It shows Olimar and the President discussing the fact that there are more treasures in the planet. The President starts talking to Olimar:
"Thanks to you, our company has been saved! Hurrah!
What?!? There's still more treasure? ...Good gravy!
If we collect it all, we'll be filthy rich!
Louie!"
The President points at where Louie should be, and the camera pans to show he's not there.
"...Where's Louie?
What?!? You lost him?
In that case...
I shall go!"
Treasure Completion
This cutscene plays when all 201 treasures have been collected. It shows Olimar taking off, leaving the Pikmin, which are outside of their Onions. While the President chuckles with glee, Olimar starts getting a bit emotional, until he notices the planet's surface, bewildered. The Pikmin start glowing with their respective colors, and soon, the ground is covered with several lights. The camera shows the Pikmin dancing while watching their Captain go. After a while, Olimar looks up, to notice that the three main Onions have followed him for one last ride. After a while, the Onions return, and Olimar rides back to his home, rather happy.
After that, a general shot of the Pikmin planet is shown, demonstrating quite a resemblance to Earth. Seven flowers pop up on the screen, and with letters that write "Pikmin 2". Finally, the game shows on the screen the message "The End".
Louie's Dark Secret
Louie's Dark Secret is unlocked once the player gets a "pink flower" rating on every Challenge Mode level, obtained by completing the levels without deaths. It's only present in the Bonuses menu.
The short cutscene explains what really happened to the golden Pikpik carrot cargo.
"The President entrusted Louie with the golden Pikpik carrots.
But Louie couldn't suppress his powerful hunger...
And he ate every last one.
Then he falsified his report to the president...
..Which led to Hocotate Freight accruing an insurmountable debt..."
Both games
Attraction mode
|
To do: List Pikmin 2's attraction mode cutscenes. |
If the player is idle on the title screen for long enough, the game will start showing a bit of gameplay, to show new players how the game works. In Pikmin 2, there are several cutscenes that explain different parts of the game, such as each color's strength, and the hazards that can be found.
Intermissions
Some small cutscenes are triggered at certain points while the player is playing. For instance, when a a captain discovers something about the environment or a Pikmin, a commentary about it will be made. In Pikmin Olimar talks to himself about it, but in Pikmin 2, the ship dialogs with the captains instead.
When a ship part is obtained, a small cutscene plays, and Olimar gives some information about the part. If the S.S. Dolphin is ready to go to another area after that, a short cutscene plays showing the ship fixing itself and improving in shape. In Pikmin 2, when a treasure is collected, the player is given a chance to look around the treasure they just collected using the analog stick.
Sunset
- Main article: Sunset.
At the end of each day, a cutscene takes place showing Olimar gathering his Pikmin, and getting on the S.S. Dolphin. Another cutscene after that shows the ship taking off, and wild creatures roaming below. If any Pikmin were left behind, they'll be shown getting eaten. After these cutscenes, the player is presented with the day's statistics.