Pikmin is the first game of the Pikmin series. It was released on the Nintendo GameCube, on October 26, 2001. Three years later, the sequel, titled Pikmin 2, was released on April 29, 2004.
Pikmin was later ported to the Wii in 2009 as a New Play Control! title, titled New Play Control! Pikmin, and its main difference and selling point is the use of both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk together. The game was then ported to the Nintendo Switch in 2023, where a remaster of it is included in Pikmin 1+2.
Plot[]
Captain Olimar is a man of high vocabulary and an employee of Hocotate Freight. After all the hard work from his profession, Olimar decides to take an interstellar vacation in his personal ship, the S.S. Dolphin. He puts the ship into auto-pilot. With no real place in mind, Olimar relaxes within the comfort of his ship.
Suddenly, a meteorite smashes into Olimar's ship, and he is knocked unconscious. Meanwhile, 30 parts of his ship careen towards a seemingly undiscovered planet. Olimar awakens to find his beloved ship in ruins. He must find all the necessary ship parts with the help of his newfound friends, the Pikmin, in order to get back to his home planet before his 30-Day life support runs out.
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
When all of the 30 ship parts are collected, or the end of day 30 is reached, one of the three endings in the game is shown - one is the Good Ending, one is the Average Ending, and the last one is the Bad Ending.
Good ending[]
This Ending is obtained by collecting all 30 ship parts, and so occurs after retrieving the Secret Safe from the Emperor Bulblax at the Final Trial. The camera zooms into the Dolphin and Captain Olimar jumps with joy. Then, the scene darkens, becoming night, and Olimar walks to his ship and stops to look at the Pikmin one last time. The Pikmin tilt their heads in curiosity. Olimar gives the Pikmin a short wave good-bye, to which the Pikmin tilt their heads in the opposite direction. With a sigh, Olimar looks down and shakes his head. Olimar boards the Dolphin and lifts off successfully, and the Pikmin attack a nearby Spotty Bulborb. Next, the ship is seen flying away, with Onions of many colors (all not seen before) following him. After the credits, the Enemy Reel is shown.
Average ending[]
This Ending can take place in any location and occurs when Day 30 ends. You will need at least all the mandatory parts, which there are 25 of. Once day 30 arrives and passes without all 30 parts, but all the mandatory parts, he walks towards the Dolphin and takes a quick glance back before entering the cockpit of his ship and attempting to blast off. He successfully blasts off while three Pikmin (one red, one yellow, and one blue) look up into the sky, wondering if they will ever see Olimar again.
Bad ending[]
The bad ending of Pikmin.
This is the worst Ending available. To get it, 24 or fewer of the mandatory parts need to be collected and day 30 must be reached. Olimar will realize it's the last day before his life support will cease to function, so he tries to lift off. Almost immediately after taking off, the engine explodes and his ship crashes back onto the planet. The Pikmin carry his unconscious body to an Onion, making Olimar pop out as a Pikmin-like creature, having his normal head, but the sprout of a Pikmin with a black stem, and without his spacesuit helmet. Oddly enough, every other creature in the games that are turned into seeds produces normal Pikmin, but Olimar becomes a hybrid form with some of his Hocotatian features remaining. He may be dead or just unconscious.
Spoilers end here.
Gameplay[]
Pikmin is a three-dimensional real-time strategy game in which the player is given control of Olimar, who in turn has control over the Pikmin that follow him. The whole point of the game is to find and collect as many of his lost ship parts as possible, up to the maximum of 30 parts, in fewer than the 30 days Olimar has to live, so that he can escape the planet before his life-support system fails. Approximately 17 minutes are spent on its surface each day. As nightfall approaches, the player must gather stray and toiling Pikmin to the player's base or command them so they don't fall victim to the voracious nocturnal predators, such as the Spotty Bulborb. Some creatures are more fierce, such as the Burrowing Snagret. There are also several bosses that often drop ship parts. Some of these formidable creatures are optional, such as the Mamuta.
In Pikmin, the player will face many obstacles in order to secure the parts required to rebuild Olimar's ship, the S.S. Dolphin. This must be done with care, as many obstacles are hazardous to the Pikmin, such as water, fire, and explosions. There are also other things that block the players' way, such as walls, bridges, and gaps. Many different animal species on the planet hinder the progress of the Pikmin working for the player, as well. However, the forces given to the player are limited, as players can only have up to 100 Pikmin out in the field and no more under any circumstances. The rest are stored in the Onions, considered by Olimar to be some sort of motherships for the species. When the game ends, the player's work will set a high score that you can attempt to beat in another playthrough.
Controls[]
| Action(s) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Navigating the Menu | ||
| Select Menu Item | Analog Stick | |
| Confirm Selection | A | |
| Cancel | B | |
| Gameplay | ||
| Move | Analog Stick | |
| Punch | A (Without Pikmin) | |
| Hold Pikmin | Hold A | |
| Throw Pikmin | Release A | |
| Whistle | B (Hold to increase range) | |
| Direct Pikmin | C-Stick | |
| Dismiss Pikmin | X | |
| Center Camera | L | |
| Move Camera | Analog Stick (move lightly) | |
| Change Camera Angle | R | |
| Change Camera Height | Z | |
| Change Camera POV | Hold R | |
| Pause screen controls | ||
| Show Map/Pause Screen | Y | |
| Return to Game | B | |
| Scroll Through Map | Analog Stick | |
| Other Options | Left Analog | |
| Cancel | B | |
| Onion Controls | ||
| Access Onion Menu | A (under Onion) | |
| Deposit Pikmin | Analog up | |
| Withdraw Pikmin | Analog down | |
| Confirm | A | |
| Cancel | B | |
| Other controls | ||
| Heal Olimar | A (in front of Dolphin) | |
| View Ship Part Info | A (near Ship Part) | |
Details[]
- A button:The A button has multiple uses. First, you can throw a Pikmin with A, as well as pluck any pikmin from the ground. You can also press A while alone to attack, although it's not very powerful.
- B button: Whistles. Hold down the B button to increase its range. Any Pikmin caught in the whistle will be under the player's command.
- Analog Stick: Moves. If an idle Pikmin is walked into by Olimar, it will join him.
- C-stick: Moves the Pikmin group currently under control. They will go to a task if they bump into an object, thus leaving the Pikmin group.
- Y button: Brings up the map / controls menu. The map is unavailable until after the Whimsical Radar has been retrieved from The Forest of Hope, but the controls menu can be seen at any time by moving right with the analog stick.
- X button: Dismisses all Pikmin currently under the player's command in groups of their color.
- L button: Centers the camera behind Olimar. Lightly tapping and holding this moves the camera with the analog stick.
- R button: Changes the camera angle. There are 4 different angles: close up, normal, far, and ground angle. Close, normal and far can be shuffled simply by pressing the R button. For a ground view, hold the R button.
- Z button: Switches to a top-down view and then back to an angled view.
Locations[]
The overworld, as seen in game.
Pikmin[]
Pikmin are the plant/animal hybrids that were discovered by Captain Olimar when he crash-landed on the planet. The Pikmin willingly follow his orders and imitate his movements, despite whatever fate may await them. Each species of Pikmin has weaknesses and strengths and all Pikmin must be used in cooperation in order to collect all of the missing ship parts. There are three types of Pikmin encountered in this game:
Red Pikmin[]
A Red Pikmin.
Red Pikmin are the first type of Pikmin encountered by Olimar, at The Impact Site. They are used to retrieve the Main Engine, since they are the only Pikmin that the player can have at the time. Red Pikmin are resistant to fire and are physically stronger than all of the Pikmin found in the game, boasting an attack stat 1.5x higher than the other two types. They are also distinguished from other Pikmin because of a pointed nose-like growth, which they presumably use as spikes in battle, giving them a slight edge in combat over Blue and Yellow Pikmin.
Yellow Pikmin[]
A Yellow Pikmin.
Yellow Pikmin are the second Pikmin discovered by Olimar, in The Forest of Hope, which is the second accessible area in the game. Yellow Pikmin are the only Pikmin with the ability to carry Bomb Rocks, and have very large sail-like ears (used to help them fly farther) and are extremely light, allowing them to be thrown very high and remain in the air for a slightly longer period of time. Yellow Pikmin are known for their adorable ears, and are much lighter than any other Pikmin type. Yellow Pikmin are the only Pikmin with ears.
Blue Pikmin[]
A Blue Pikmin.
Blue Pikmin are the third and final type of Pikmin found in the game. They are located in The Forest Navel, the third accessible area in the game. Blue Pikmin are the only species of Pikmin that can move around in bodies of water, thanks to their gills. When non-blue Pikmin fall in the water, idle Blue Pikmin will grab them and throw them out of the water, preventing them from drowning. This is popularly known as the "lifeguard" ability.
Mushroom Pikmin[]
A Mushroom Pikmin. Note the giant mushroom cap.
Mushroom Pikmin are not conventional Pikmin that you travel with and control. Instead, they are under the control of a Puffstool. Mushroom Pikmin are once-normal Pikmin that have turned against Olimar and attack him due to the effects of being struck by Puffstool's spores. These rogue Pikmin retain the same abilities (immune to fire, etc) as the color of Pikmin it transformed from. However, the colors and facial features they possessed pre-transformation disappear. Instead, these Pikmin are purple and have tired-looking semicircle-shaped eyes and a small, black mouth similar in shape to the Blue Pikmin's gills.
Commercials[]
Gallery[]
