| File:Image:Empressblublax.jpg | |
| Empress Bulblax | |
|---|---|
| Areas | None |
| Underground Areas | Hole of Beasts, Frontier Cavern, Hole of Heroes |
| Attacks | Squashes Pikmin |
| Size | 480 mm |
| Scientific Name | Oculus matriarcha |
| Family | Grub-dog |
The Empress Bulblax is a boss-class enemy in the Pikmin games. It resembles the head of a Red Bulborb stuck onto a monstrous, elongated backside that is a type of egg sac. It can't eat the Pikmin due to its size, which makes its head hang a fair way above the ground. To defeat it, throw Pikmin at its face; alternatively, you can throw (preferably) Purple Pikmin at its side, and C-stick them into the wall when it starts to roll. After a while, it will shake the Pikmin off and roll left and right in an attempt to crush them, often making rocks fall in the process. The best way is to keep throwing Purple Pikmin at the brown, round thing on it's rump. It is one of the few bosses that can vary depending on where you encounter it, since later dungeons have the Empress continuously giving birth to Bulborb Larvae; they can get killed by the Empress' rolling, so they aren't a problem when the actual conflict has begun. This enemy can only be petrified if you release the spray on the middle of its enlongated torso. In the Piklopedia, it cannot be awakened. When defeated, its egg sac deflates.
Empress Bulblaxes are located on the last sublevel (5) of the Hole of Beasts, Sublevel 8 of the Frontier Cavern, Sublevel 11 of the Hole of Heroes, and Sublevel 4 of the Emperor's Realm in Challenge Mode.
She makes a cameo appearance in the game WarioWare: Smooth Moves where the player must tilt the wii-mote to squish the other Pikmin.
Notes
Olimar's Notes
Initial observation place 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 mates 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.