Controls

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The Pikmin games have a variety of controls used to control the game's menus, leaders, camera and gameplay mechanics. These controls come in the form of button presses and releases, analog stick tilts, and touchscreen touches.

In-game controls

Pikmin

The first title in the franchise is played on the GameCube, and hence, with the GameCube controller. The New Play Control! Pikmin version is played using the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk.

GameCube	Wii	Action
A		While commanding Pikmin: Pick a Pikmin up. When the button is released, Olimar throws the Pikmin. When by a sprout: Pluck the Pikmin sprout out of the ground. Without any Pikmin: Punch. When under an Onion: Open its menu.
B		Whistle. Holding it down longer increases the range. Any Pikmin caught in the whistle will come to the leader's command.
Stick		Move in the direction it is held. If a Pikmin is touched while running, it will join the leader. The leaders run as fast as a flower Red/Blue/Yellow Pikmin.
Stick	Wiimote	Move the cursor.
C	Paddown	Move Pikmin group. They will go to a task if they bump into an object and they will no longer be on the party. In the New Play Control! version, the Pikmin will go to wherever the cursor is, when the button is held down.
Y		Open the radar.
X		Dismiss all Pikmin into groups of their type.
Paddown		Lie down.
N/A		While holding a Pikmin, swap it for one of a different type.
L		Press: Point the camera towards the cursor. Lightly tap and hold: Used with Stick / to rotate the camera (fully held in the New Play Control! version).
R	Padleftright	Switch to a closer or farther away camera angle.
Z	Padup	Switch to a top view and then back to an angled view.
Start		Pause and continue the game. The L / Padleft and R / Padright buttons switch between menus.

Pikmin 2

The sequel retains many of the controls from the first game, but with some additions and changes. Like the first game, the original GameCube version is played using a GameCube controller, while the New Play Control! Pikmin 2 version is played with the Wii Remote.

GameCube	Wii	Action
A		While commanding Pikmin: Pick a Pikmin up. When the button is released, the leader throws the Pikmin. When by a sprout: Pluck the Pikmin sprout out of the ground. Without any Pikmin: Punch. If the Rocket Fist has been collected, pressing the button quickly three times will do a more powerful punch. When under an Onion: Open its menu.
B		Whistle. Holding it down longer increases the range. Any Pikmin caught in the whistle will come to the leader's command. The Mega Tweeter increases the range of the whistle by 1.5 times. If the Pluckaphone has been collected, any sprouts will come out, too.
Stick		Move in the direction it is held. If a Pikmin is touched while running, it will join the leader. The leaders run as fast as a flower Red/Blue/Yellow Pikmin, and with the Rush Boots, as fast as a flower White Pikmin.
Stick	Wiimote	Move the cursor.
C	Paddown	Move Pikmin group. They will go to a task if they bump into an object and they will no longer be on the party. In the New Play Control! version, the Pikmin will go to wherever the cursor is, when the button is held down.
Y		Switch leaders.
X		Dismiss all Pikmin into groups of their type. Lie down if the Five-man Napsack has been obtained.
Padup		When not holding a Pikmin, use an Ultra-bitter spray. This is obtained from 10 purple berries.
Paddown		When not holding a Pikmin, use an Ultra-spicy spray. This is obtained from 10 red berries.
Padupdown	N/A	When holding a Pikmin: Swap Pikmin for a leaf, bud, or flower Pikmin.
Padleftright		While holding a Pikmin, swap it for one of a different type.
L		Press: Point the camera towards the cursor. Lightly tap and hold: Used with Stick / to rotate the camera (fully held in the New Play Control! version).
R	Padleftright	Press: Switch to a closer or farther away camera angle. Press and hold: Switches to a down-to-the-ground angle.
Z	Padup	Switch to a top view and then back to an angled view.
Start		Pause and continue the game. The L / Padleft and R / Padright buttons switch between menus.

Pikmin 3

Pikmin 3 allows for four ways to control the game. The player can use the the GamePad's buttons, the Wii Remote + Nunchuk, the Wii U Pro Controller, or, as of version 2.0.0, the GamePad's touchscreen.

Controllers

GamePad	Wii Remote	Pro Controller	Action
			Whistle.
			While commanding Pikmin: Pick a Pikmin up. When the button is released, the leader throws the Pikmin. When by a sprout: Pluck the Pikmin sprout out of the ground. Without any Pikmin: Punch. When under an Onion: Open its menu.

Touchscreen

There are two ways to play with the touchscreen in Pikmin 3. The game can be played with the GamePad and a TV, or on the GamePad alone. The controls are different depending on the screens.

For the GamePad screen alone, the controls are as follows:

GamePad	Action
	When the screen is touched while the button is pressed, that zone is whistled.
	Center the camera behind the leader.

Specific controls

Bomb-rocks

Main article: Bomb-rock.

Due to the actions that can be performed by Pikmin carrying bomb-rocks, some special notes need to be taken into consideration in order to not have a bomb-rock explode accidentally.

When a bomb-rock Yellow Pikmin is thrown, it becomes in a standby state. By whistling this Pikmin, it drops its bomb-rock, which begins its detonation timer. In order to safely retrieve the Pikmin without detonating the bomb-rock, the Pikmin must be touched by the leader. Dismissed Pikmin that have not been thrown will always keep their bomb-rock when returning to the party. Finally, any bomb-rock-carrying Yellow Pikmin that is told to go into an Onion will drop the bomb-rock safely by one of the Onion's legs.

Menu controls

The controls for the menus are simple, allowing the player to highlight an option, change its values, or activate it. In general, the controls are as follows:

To highlight a different option, the D-Pad or main Analog Stick of the controller is used, normally up and down.
To change the value of a highlighted option, the D-Pad or main Analog Stick of the controller is used, normally left and right.
To confirm the option, if applicable, the punch button is used.
To cancel, if applicable, the whistle button is used.

Onion menu

In the first two games and the New Play Control! remakes, the Onion menu allows the player to withdraw or save Pikmin using a simple control interface.

Pressing up or down on the D-Pad or main Analog Stick of the controller allows the player to change the amount of Pikmin of that type in the party. Missing or excessive Pikmin will be automatically withdrawn or stored accordingly. Up increases the amount of Pikmin in the Onion, while down increases the amount in the group.
Pressing the punch button confirms the choice.
Pressing the whistle button cancels.

Controller diagram

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In the first game, if the radar is opened, R / PadRight can be used to flip to a different page, containing an illustration that maps the different buttons on the controller to the corresponding actions. This can be used should the player forget the controls.

Controls screen on the GameCube version.