Pikmin
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- For other uses, see Pikmin (disambiguation).
| Pikmin {{#if:{{{image|}}}|<tr><td colspan="2" style="text-align: center;">{{{image|}}} | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development {{#if:{{{publisher|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Publisher(s)<td>{{{publisher|}}} |
| Release date(s) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg December 3, 2001 |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single player {{#if:{{{ratings|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Rating(s)<td>{{{ratings|}}} |
| Platform(s) | GameCube {{#if:{{{media|}}}|<tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Media<td>{{{media|}}} |
Pikmin (ピクミン in Japanese) is the first of the Pikmin series of video games which are designed by Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto (of Mario and Zelda fame). It was released December 3, 2001 in North America and June 15, 2002 in Europe. It also has the unique distinction of having been the first Player's Choice Nintendo GameCube game in North America. Its sequel is Pikmin 2. In Japanese commercials for the game, the song "Ai No Uta" was used, which became popular and was released as a single in its own right.
According to an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto in the June/July 2002 issue of Nickelodeon Magazine, the tiny creatures featured in the game, called 'Pikmin', are named after Miyamoto's dog, Pik.
Pikmin was a very different game than others released at the time. The game's challenge was to collect missing rocket ship parts within 30 days of preset, uniform length. The innovative system of using days to demarcate sessions of play and to develop the game's flow was very unusual at the time. Unlike many other video games at the time, Pikmin in this way put an upper limit on the time that a player could spend in one game, as at the end of 30 days, the game was over. This is similar to games in the Harvest Moon series.
Contents |
Story
In Pikmin, the main character is Captain Olimar, a spaceman from the planet Hocotate. The story starts when Olimar is taking a vacation in outer space. However, during his flight, a meteorite hits his spaceship, the Dolphin (possibly a reference to the Nintendo Gamecube's codename, "Project Dolphin"), and it crashes on a planet unknown to him. Parts of the spaceship fall off as it plummets to the ground.
When he regains consciousness, Olimar finds out that the planet's atmosphere contains oxygen, which is poisonous to the people from Hocotate, and he can stay on the planet for only 30 days before his air supply runs out. Olimar must retrieve many of the spaceship parts so he can rebuild his spaceship and return to Hocotate. Although there are 30 Parts, there are five that are optional and Olimar can escape without them.
Most fans agree that the planet Olimar crash-landed on is in fact the planet Earth, with further debate that it takes place in the future, where humans have become extinct and insects have further evolved. This is disputed, however. There are some suggestions of it, though, in the form of discarded human objects(cans, cardboard boxes, etc) in the field.
Game play
The game Pikmin is a 3D game, with the player controlling Olimar from a third-person viewpoint. Olimar is in turn followed by the Pikmin, whom he directs. The basis of game play in Pikmin is to retrieve ship parts by using the three varieties of Pikmin available in different combinations. There are standard obstacles present, such as water and fire, to which the blue and red pikmin, respectively, are immune. In addition, yellow pikmin can be thrown higher and further than the other two colors, and also can carry explosive Bomb Rocks to attack enemies or remove obstacles.
In retrieving ship parts, there are generally three steps. The first is to locate the part and scout its location, noting any obstacles Pikmin may need to remove or any enemies which must be defeated. The second step is in selecting the appropriate numbers and colors of Pikmin needed to complete the tasks, and then executing them. This must be done with some care, as only 100 Pikmin may exist outside the Onions at any given time. The third step is to secure the part, which is usually in a difficult to reach location or held by a powerful enemy. After securing the part, it can brought back. All 30 parts are retrieved in this manner.
Time in the game is divided into 30 days. With the exception of the first day, which lasts until the player finds the first ship part (the engine), all Pikmin days are 15 minutes in length. At the end of the day, all Pikmin must be immediately rounded up, work halted, and Olimar must return with the Pikmin to the ship. The reason for this is that many of the creatures which inhabit the Pikmin's planet are nocturnal predators and are much more difficult to defeat. This explains why bulborbs are always found sleeping during the day.
The Pikmin
Olimar discovers the Pikmin, tricolored plant-animal hybrids that willingly follow his orders and help him recover the ship parts. Each color has its own weaknesses and strengths, and all three colors must be used in order to complete the game. This is not the case for every ship part, however. There are some missions and some ship parts that can be retrieved with only two colors of Pikmin, and in some cases, a large monochromatic army of a single shade is enough to capture the needed part.
The basic physical characteristics of Pikmin are somewhat of a mystery, as very few clues are given by the physical elements present in the Pikmin's environment. To us, the Pikmin are very short, standing at only one inch (2.54cm) tall. Pikmin are very simple physically, consisting of little more than a head, slender body, two arms and two legs, all four of which are very thin. Pikmin have tiny little hands and feet. Pikmin facial features are somewhat strange. All Pikmin have two disproportionately large eyes, with round, black pupils. However, only red Pikmin have noses, only yellow Pikmin have ears, and only blue Pikmin have gills shaped like mouths. Blue Pikmin do not have teeth. On top of the heads of all Pikmin are plant-like sprouts, which are either topped by a leaf, bud, or flower. The latter is the most developed stage of Pikmin; flower Pikmin move faster and attack more strongly than leaf or bud Pikmin.
Pikmin are social creatures, seemingly interacting with other Pikmin of all colors if left alone, but focus their attention entirely on Captain Olimar when called into active duty. Pikmin naturally form groups within their own color, but cooperate readily with Pikmin of another color. If allowed to separate into groups during periods of inactivity, they separate along color lines, but do not object to being placed all together. Pikmin live in special pods called Onions, which bear a passing resemblance to the earthly vegetable. Each Onion is color specific, and Pikmin are never seen entering an Onion of a color different than their own. Pikmin reproduce by bringing colored pellets or the carcasses of defeated enemies to their Onion. The Onion then absorbs the object and produces seeds, from which new Pikmin sprout. Onions only produce seeds that match their own color, and the number of seeds produced is dependent on the object being converted. If 100 Pikmin are in the field, the seeds will be stored internally, where they will mature to the basic leaf Pikmin.
- Red Pikmin
- Red Pikmin are the first color of Pikmin that Olimar finds, finding their Onion directly adjacent to the site of Olimar's impact (thus the stage, Impact Site). Olimar starts with only one red Pikmin, but with the Pikmins' ability to propagate itself using environmental means, Olimar soon commands dozens of Pikmin. Red Pikmin are resistant to fire, and therefore are essential to combating enemies that attack with fire or live in regions where fire is prevalent. They are also instrumental in retrieving parts from fiery areas. In addition to this, red Pikmin are the most ferocious fighters of all the Pikmin, attacking with more strength and speed than either of the other two types of Pikmin. Because of this, red Pikmin are usually the favorites in combat-heavy missions. However, because they cannot survive in water, and cannot be thrown as high as the Yellow Pikmin, Red Pikmin are generally not appropriate for fighting air and water-based foes.
- Yellow Pikmin
- Yellow Pikmin are the second color of Pikmin encountered by Captain Olimar. They are found in an Onion in the middle of The Forest of Hope and similar to the red Pikmin, there is only one yellow Pikmin when Captain Olimar encounters the Onion. However, this soon changes, as it did with the red Pikmin. Yellow Pikmin, like red Pikmin, have two special advantages. Yellow Pikmin are smaller than other colors of Pikmin and have large, sail-like ears. This allows them to be thrown farther and higher than other Pikmin, allowing them to reach locations the others cannot. This attribute also makes Yellow Pikmin ideal for defeating flying enemies. Yellow Pikmin are also the only type of Pikmin that can wield explosives, called bomb-rocks in the game. These bomb-rocks can be used to kill enemies quickly or to destroy obstacles, such as heavy stone gates.
Why only Yellow Pikmin are able to do this is unexplained. However, in Pikmin 2, this ability is replaced with the ability to withstand electricity, bringing them more in line with the other two colours of Pikmin.
- Blue Pikmin
- Blue Pikmin are the third and final color of Pikmin encountered by Captain Olimar, and are found in the third area of the game, the Forest Navel. Blue Pikmin are the only Pikmin that can survive water, and appear to have gills. Other types of Pikmin drown when in water, but Blue Pikmin survive in it without problems. This makes them generally the only Pikmin who can safely fight against water-based enemies. As with the other two types of Pikmin, only one Pikmin is available at the Onion when it is first found. And as with the other two types of Pikmin, this soon changes. Blue Pikmin also have the ability to save drowning Pikmin by sending them into action or dismissing them near the victims.
Basic Pikmin abilities
Although Pikmin have special color-specific attributes, all Pikmin are capable of certain basic tasks. These tasks are vital to retrieving ship parts, and often several of these tasks must be completed to retrieve one ship part. One task would open the way slightly, and then allow for completion of the next task, and so on. The word "pikmin" came from the south Korean word, "Pit-ro-men" which in English means slave.
- Building Bridges
- Pikmin can build bridges over ponds and canyons. On the ground, piles of sticks may be found. The Pikmin simultaneously unroll and construct a bridge from this mound of sticks, creating a bridge which both the Pikmin and Captain Olimar can walk on. Pikmin seem to be skilled engineers, as the bridges they create never collapse under weight, although some indigenous creatures (known as Shearwigs) appear to consume wood and will completely destroy bridges over time. However, the pile of sticks will re-appear and the bridge can be re-built.
- Carrying
- All Pikmin can carry objects, such as the carcasses of defeated creatures, nutritious pellets, or ship parts. Because of the very small size of Pikmin, almost all objects require many Pikmin to carry them. An average ship part could require 30 Pikmin to carry, and the heaviest part in the game requires 50. The lightest part requires only 10 Pikmin to carry. Pikmin use pellets and the carcasses of defeated creatures to increase their numbers, so when more than one color of Pikmin is cooperating to carry an object, the Pikmin take it to the Onion that matches the color of the majority of Pikmin carrying the object, not the majority of Pikmin out in the field. For example, if there are 90 red Pikmin and 10 blue Pikmin in the field, but a particular object is being carried by 7 blue Pikmin and 6 red Pikmin, the object will be carried to the blue Pikmins' Onion. Ship parts are always carried to the ship, never to an Onion. If Captain Olimar is attacked by an enemy or injured by an element on the planet's surface, any nearby Pikmin can carry him back to the ship. It should be noted that, based on hypotheses based on evidence in Pikmin 2, one Pikmin can carry exactly one gram.
- Destroying gates
- In some places, the way becomes blocked by walls or gates. These gates can be made of wood or stone. Wooden gates can be destroyed with an army of Pikmin; the Pikmin attack the gate until it collapses. Gates can take quite a long time to tear down, although some take longer than others, even if the same amount of Pikmin are working on each. If a gate is made of stone, it must be torn down with bomb-rocks thrown by yellow Pikmin. Some weaker stone gates require three bomb-rocks, but extremely strong gates can require up to nine explosions to destroy. The wooden gates can also be quickly taken out with a few bomb-rocks. Stronger gates are darker-shaded than others, whether wooden or stone.
- Fighting
- All Pikmin are capable of fighting indigenous creatures found in their surroundings, although certain colors of Pikmin may be better suited to fight certain enemies or to fight in certain areas. As a rule, red Pikmin are most effective against land-based creatures, yellow Pikmin are best against flying enemies, and blue Pikmin are best against water-based enemies.
Threats to Pikmin
Pikmin are small, fragile creatures, and although they can move mountains to help Captain Olimar, they can be killed easily and must be protected. Many things on the planet are a danger to the Pikmin, and great care must be taken to ensure they are not put in harm's way.
- Being eaten
- Almost all creatures on the Pikmins' planet will eat the Pikmin if given the chance. At the top of this list is the Bulborb, the natural enemy of the Pikmin. Large Bulborbs can devour a dozen Pikmin in just a few seconds, which can prove devastating to an ill-planned expedition. The situation Pikmin encounter when dealing with local wildlife is so dire that it is in fact much simpler to number the creatures which do not eat Pikmin, which are decidedly in a minority. Some large creatures, in addition to eating the Pikmin, also stomp on them until they die. Some enemies' variations on this method include killing Pikmin with projectiles.
- Drowning
- Since only blue Pikmin can swim, red and yellow Pikmin encounter serious trouble in the water. Red and yellow Pikmins drown when they enter the water, although they do not die instantly. Captain Olimar and blue Pikmins can act as lifeguards, calling and/or throwing drowning Pikmins to safety. Pikmin drowning would generally be considered poor control on the player's part, as it is preventable. If a Pikmin is drowning and Olimar has no blue Pikmin, he can whistle to the victims and they will make an attempt to come to shore. If they are close to shore, chances are they will make it back alive.
- Burning
- Only red Pikmin are immune to fire, so blue and yellow Pikmin should not go anywhere near it. Unlike water, fire kills Pikmin nearly instantly, so extreme care should be used in areas that contain fire. To make matters worse, there are some enemies in the Pikmins' world that use fire as a primary means of attack. Hordes of red Pikmin can be used to take these enemies down. However, as with drowning, burning Pikmin are snapped back to their senses when whistled to, and they manage to put out their own fires if the player is quick enough.
- Explosions
- Yellow Pikmin can wield bomb-rocks, which are used to blow things up. Pikmin are no exception, and no color of Pikmin can survive a blast from one of these rocks. Captain Olimar can also be injured by these explosions, although not as grievously as the Pikmin. Olimar will sustain serious injuries from an explosion, but all Pikmin will be killed instantly. Bomb-rocks have a blast radius, and it is the player's responsibility that no Pikmin are in the radius. Care must be used that no other bomb-rocks are in the vicinity, as these will explode as well if too close to another explosion. Once a player is more experienced with handling these volatile rocks, one may try throwing them at enemies.
- Spores
- While exploring in the Forest Navel, Captain Olimar finds that one of his ship parts in located inside of a giant mushroom-shaped creature called a Puffstool, which runs when attacked. When vulnerable and cornered by an army of Pikmin, the mushroom creature releases spores which have strange effects on the Pikmin, changing their color to purple, morphing the leaves on their heads into mushroom caps, and causing them to attack Captain Olimar. However, after a short while the parasites die, causing the Pikmin to revert to normal. Pikmin killed during this state never get the chance to revert to normal, and so killing them should be saved as a last resort.
- Being left behind
- This is by far one of the simplest, yet most devasting causes of Pikmin death in the game. The Pikmin follow Olimar, and without his guidance, hopelessly stand around to wait for an order. This is dangerous, as straggling Pikmin will not pay attention to, let us say, a Dwarf Bulborb sneaking up behind them. Therefore, they very easily can become lunch without Olimar. So, leaving a Pikmin who cannot defend itself on the planet at nightfall behind is lethal, as the noctornal predators will eat them alive. The player may use the radar once he or she collects it in the Forest of Hope to find idle Pikmin. Another strategy for preventing idle Pikmin death is to compare the Number of Pikmin With You number to the Number of Pikmin on the Field number. If there are more Pikmin on the field than in the party, then one might want to make sure the idle Pikmin are in a safe, easy-to-reach place. Conversely, if Pikmin are left idle near a task (something to attack or carry), they will apply themselves. So if an enemy attacks a mob of Pikmin, they fight back; without Olimar's guidance, however, they have a tendency to get killed easily. If an object is carried nearby idle Pikmin, they will attempt to help carry it.
Levels
Olimar travels through five main levels to collect all 30 parts, which are scattered across the landscape of each area.
- The Impact Site
- The Impact Site is the location where Olimar wakes up, having lost consciousness when his ship plummeted to the surface. As soon as he wakes up, he begins to look for his ship, and is shocked by the amount of damage that has occurred. After this, sets off to find a way to begin repairs and instead stumbles across the Red Pikmins. Although at the beginning Olimar only has control over one Pikmin, he soon gains control over enough of them, through reproduction, to haul his engine back to the ship.
- The actual area of the Impact Site is one of the smallest in the game, It possesses few explorable areas and only two ship parts. The Impact Site is notable, however, for containing enemies which are found nowhere else in the game.
- The Forest of Hope
- The Forest of Hope is the second navigable area in the game, and is much larger than the Impact Site. There are eight pieces of the ship to be found here. The Forest is divided into three main regions, a shallow lake, a wide beach, and a tangle of narrow paths and pools of water. This is also the first area of the game in which the player encounters Bulborbs, the natural enemy of Pikmin. Olimar also meets the yellow pikmins here.
- The Forest Navel
- This third region of the game is so named because when Olimar flies over the area for the first time, he remarks that this open spot in the very center of the dense forest resembles a navel. This area contains nine ship parts, and contains many dangerous enemies. This and the fact that multiple rock gates which require bomb-rocks, which only yellow Pikmin can carry, to destroy them makes carrying ship parts extremely difficult. The area is pock-marked with fire geysers, and contains large watery areas. To help with this, this is where Olimar meets the blue pikmins. The entire area is very dark and dusty, and is slightly foreboding, especially considering that vast stretches of it seem hauntingly empty. Many enemies in this area attack with fire, or are simply very large. This is also home to a boss with its own music. This is special, because it is the only "boss" in the game besides the final one. It is the Beady Long Legs, who is a monsterous spider-like creature that attacks by stomping on Pikmin with its massive feet.
- The Distant Spring
- The Distant Spring is the last area in the game which contains necessary ship parts. The area contains ten parts in total, the largest amount in the game. As the name would suggest, there is a great deal of water in the Distant Spring, and thus blue Pikmins get a great workout here. The area revolves around puzzles, as many times parts are near water but require other Pikmin to carry them, such as when a part requires passage through a fiery area. In such a situation, careless directing of Pikmin could lead to undue casualties.
- The Final Trial
- This is the last area in the game, and it contains only one ship part. It takes all day to clear the obstacles, so the level cannot be attempted on the final day. The level contains only an optional piece. The area showcases the talents of all three types of Pikmin, requiring careful navigation of fire geysers, traversing wide, watery pools, and precisely placing bomb-rocks. The entire area is a run-up to a creature that lives at the head of the area, and is called Emperor Bulblaxx by Captain Olimar. As one would expect for the final boss, it is more proficient at Pikmin-killing than any other enemy in the game. The Emperor Bulblaxx attacks by crushing its opponents or by eating them after catching them with his large sticky tongue.
Enemies
- Pellet Posy
- It comes in 1, 5, 10, and 20-sprout pellets. You get extra sprouts for carrying with Pikmin that match the pellet's colour.
- Pearly Clamclamp
- This enemy is encountered in the Impact Site. Beat it by tossing Pikmin in and calling them back with B when it closes. The pearl takes only 3 Pikmin to lift but provides you with 50 sprouts.
- Goolix
- This awfully gooey beast, in the Impact Site, can only be beaten by blue Pikmin.
- Mamuta
- This unusual creature lives in the impact site and Distant Spring. He pounds Pikmin into the ground where they flower.
- Honeywisps
- Honeywisps float about 60 centimetres off the ground, dropping honey on Pikmin that touch them.
- Bulborbs
- Bulborbs sleep unless a Pikmin attacks them. They eat six Pikmins at a time. They take 20 Pikmin to carry and their children take 3.
Water-dumples: Dumples can munch lots of pikmins.
- Burrowing Snagret
- A Burrowing Snagret pecks at the dirt to eat up to 3 Pikmin. A snagret swallowed a very important part of the ship.
- Armored Cannon Beetle
- He lives in the forest of Hope, guarding an enormous and important part of the ship.
- Wogpoles
- They live in water and cannot eat Pikmin so they are technically not enemies. But they can be killed and carried so they are listed here.
- Sheargrub
- Only the males are dangerous but females can also be carried.
- Breadbug
- This beast resembles a loaf of bread and is greedy.
- Wollywog
- This yellow-green or silvery frog squishes up to 30 Pikmin at a time. He can be carried by 7 Pikmin for 8 sprouts.
- Beady Long Legs
- It has no head or brain. The Beady Long Legs has four legs and feet but no toes. It will stomp Pikmin unless you throw them at its body. Use yellow Pikmin because others cannot be thrown as high.
- Smoky Progg
- This beast is nearly impossible to beat but once beaten it provides a golden peart worth 100 Pikmin.
- Bulbear
- This beast looks like a black Bulborb with chicken pox and a round nose.
- Emperor Bulblax
- This is the big boss. He swallowed Olimar's safe, which contains his money.
Pikmin recipes
- Breakfast foods
Pikmin pancakes: Make pancakes but incorporate 15 pikpik carrots into the batter.
Toastbug: Slice a breadbug and toast it.
Honeywisp Scramble: Scramble honeywisp eggs.
- Lunches
Bulblaxx hot dog: Take a bulblaxx and about 30 tiny buns. Cut the bulblaxx into sausage shapes and serve on buns
Bulbborb pizza: Take a bulbborb and chop it up and serve on a pizza. Delicious!
- Delicious dinner ideas
Bulbbear meatloaf: Cook a bulbbear and serve it like meatloaf.
Bulbborb steak: Slice a bulbborb and cook the steaks.
Beady Longlegs soup: Take a beady-longlegs and slice it up with pik pik carrots and hot steaming broth.
Water-dumple dumpling soup: Mix water-dumple dumplings with pik pik carrots in Sheargrub broth.
- Snacks
Snagret nuggets: Serve snagret nuggets like you would chicken nuggets.
Wogpole-on-a-stick: Poke a stick into a deep-fried wogpole.
- Delicious desserts
Dumple delight: Take 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream and add some chocolate sauce and water-dumple shaped gummy candies. Serve after a goodf meal of bulbborb steak or bulbbear meatloaf.
See also
External links
- Official Pikmin website
- Template:Nintendo.com
- Pikmin Returns
- Hitchhiker's Guide to Pikmin
- Pikmin speed run (9 day completion) at Speed Demos Archive.
- Pikmin at IGN.
- Template:Moby game
- at pikmin Wiki, or Piki
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