- For the disambiguation page listing a few microgames in the WarioWare series of the same name, see Pikmin 2 (microgame).
Pikmin 2 is the second game in the Pikmin series, released in 2004 for the Nintendo GameCube. It takes place directly after Pikmin, with Captain Olimar returning to the Planet of the Pikmin. Unlike the first game, this game includes a 2-Player mode, two new types of Pikmin, and the Pikmin-esque creature Bulbmin. Nine years later, Pikmin 2 received a sequel for the Wii U, titled Pikmin 3.
Like the first game, Pikmin 2 was ported to the Wii as part of the New Play Control! series, titled New Play Control! Pikmin 2. In 2023, a remaster of Pikmin 2 was released for the Nintendo Switch, as part of the Pikmin 1+2 compilation.
Plot[]
Upon returning to Hocotate after his adventure on the planet PNF-404, Captain Olimar meets his employer and a newly hired, supposedly inexperienced employee named Louie. Olimar learns that Hocotate Freight is in a massive debt of 
x10,100 due to the loss of a shipment of Golden Pikpik Carrots, a situation brought about by Louie; Olimar's ship, the S.S. Dolphin, is consequently removed and sold in order to repay some of the debt, at which Olimar drops a bottle cap in shock, brought back to Hocotate as a souvenir for his son. The Ship proceeds to absorb the bottle cap and values it at x100, leading to the President sending Olimar and Louie back to the Distant Planet to collect more treasures. When they arrive Louie falls out of the cockpit. Luckily, Olimar reunites with Louie beginning their quest for treasure.
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
| After the debt is fully paid, Olimar returns to Hocotate; on the way, however, he discovers that Louie is not with him. The President joins Olimar back on Hocotate, and the game progresses with the President replacing Louie as a playable character, the two Captains endeavoring to completely clear the planet of treasure and to locate and rescue Louie. The player finally discovers their lost employee in the Dream Den, atop a Titan Dweevil. Olimar with the help of the Pikmin and the President defeat the Titan Dweevil. Once all treasures are collected, Olimar, Louie (in the cargo hold), and the President return to Hocotate while the Pikmin say goodbye by glowing, singing and dancing. |
Spoilers end here.
Gameplay[]
Pikmin 2 logo
The gameplay of Pikmin 2 is similar to the series' first game with a few changes. The Y Button no longer opens up the map of the current area anymore; instead, it is accessed via the start button. The Y Button is now used to switch control between two currently available pilots, allowing the player to multi-task, introducing a strategic aspect. Unlike the first game, this one has an endless amount of days in which to complete all objectives. You also cannot get a game over by Pikmin extinction or losing your health. At the end of a day, the nocturnal enemies of the planet awaken, posing an impossible threat, and any Pikmin left behind are killed. After the ship has risen into a low orbit, it is possible to view the treasures salvaged that day, the current Pikmin count, and an E-mail sent by various characters. There are two new hazards introduced in Pikmin 2: electricity and poison. The majority of obstacles are present again, along with new obstacles, such as electric gates and Paper Bags. Red, Yellow and Blue Pikmin are stored in Onions, while purples and whites are stored in the ship's hull, due to their being produced through appropriate Candypop Buds, thus having no respective Onions. There is a general consensus that the overall atmosphere of Pikmin 2 is different to that of the first game; the feelings of being rushed and isolation prevalent throughout in Pikmin have been lessened. In the first game, Captain Olimar was stranded, alone, on a foreign planet, with a limited number of days to survive. It can be concluded, then, that it is Pikmin 2's absence of a time limit, the addition of Louie as a companion and the daily E-mails that achieve this.
The Japanese version of Pikmin 2 has e-Reader compatibility. Sets of Pikmin e-Reader cards were sold which unlocked new mini-games. This feature was not available in other regions, because the peripheral had been discontinued. The option on the menu of these versions was removed entirely.
Challenge Mode[]
Challenge Mode can be accessed through the title screen. It is unlocked by retrieving The Key from the Citadel of Spiders in Story Mode. Challenge Mode consists of 30 unlockable caverns, most of which contain multiple sublevels. In each sublevel, a duplicate version of The Key must be retrieved with a predetermined number of Pikmin, and within a certain time limit. Scores are kept on each level. The appearance of a level's icon depends on the status of the level;
- Yellow Dot: A cave the Player hasn't yet unlocked
- Leaf : A cave the Player hasn't yet completed
- Flower : A cave the Player has already completed
- Pink Flower : A cave the Player has completed with no Pikmin casualties
If a Player manages to earn a Pink Flower on every level of Challenge Mode, the secret cutscene, Louie's Dark Secret, is unlocked.
The Pikmin[]
The Pikmin from the first game haven't changed, except for the Yellow Pikmin, who are no longer able to handle Bomb Rocks (which is possibly because they are all larger and heavier in this game), but are instead immune to the electrical hazards in the game. Mushroom Pikmin are not seen in Pikmin 2, due to the absence of the Puffstool, and there are three new kinds of Pikmin that can be discovered in underground areas, which are:
Purple Pikmin[]
Purple Pikmin are the first underground Pikmin and the second kind of Pikmin discovered, and are found by using the Violet Candypop Bud in the last sublevel of the Emergence Cave. They have a bulky appearance and have visible hairs on their head. They are needed to carry the Spherical Atlas in the cave because purples have 10 times the strength of an ordinary Pikmin and the treasure's weight is 101. Their great weight means that they shake the ground upon landing from a throw, which can temporarily stun nearby enemies of most species that are on the ground. Purples are also the strongest type of Pikmin, dealing the most damage in attacking enemies. They possess an advantage over other Pikmin when dealing with some bosses: for example, they can harm Giant Breadbugs and can make a Waterwraith vulnerable to attack by any Pikmin.
White Pikmin[]
White Pikmin are the second underground Pikmin and third type of Pikmin found in Pikmin 2. To find the game's first White Pikmin, the player must visit the White Flower Garden and progress to sublevel three, where the Ivory Candypop Bud are. They are smaller than other Pikmin and have red eyes. The poison clouds produced by poison pipes and Doodlebugs will cause Pikmin to choke, but White Pikmin are immune. These Pikmin can locate buried items on their own, making them essential for unearthing buried treasure. They are also the fastest of the Pikmin, both in carrying items and keeping up with the player. When eaten by an enemy, they poison the enemy and cause it to lose some health; smaller enemies are killed instantly. These Pikmin are also the weakest in terms of attack power, being outclassed by every other Pikmin type, though because they attack faster this is balanced out.
Bulbmin[]
Bulbmin are the last type of Pikmin you may find. They are found in three caves: Submerged Castle, Frontier Cavern, and Hole of Heroes. Bulbmin may look like Bulborbs but they can be used like, and act similarly to, any other Pikmin. To retrieve small Bulbmin, one must defeat the larger Bulbmin and then call the small ones with a captain's whistle. Bulbmin are immune to all the hazards on the planet except physical threats posed by enemies, but are slower and weaker and can't leave underground areas. They are a good choice to use in Candypop Buds, due to the fact that they don't return above ground with you. Bulbmin encompass the traits of every Pikmin type except Purple Pikmin.
Pikpik Carrot Pikmin[]
Pikpik Carrot Pikmin are Walking Pikpik carrots that can only be obtained by a hack. They are poorly textured and ineffectual when thrown. They can only encountered through the challenge mode of the game.
Controls[]
- A button
- While commanding Pikmin hold A to pick a Pikmin up. When you release A, whichever leader is currently active will throw the Pikmin, or you can rapidly keep pressing A to quickly throw more Pikmin of the same color onto an enemy/object.
- When by a sprout: Pick the Pikmin sprout out of the ground.
- Without any Pikmin: Punch. If you have the Rocket Fist, press it quickly three times to do a more powerful punch.
- B button: Whistle. Hold it down longer to increase the range. Any Pikmin caught in the whistle will come to your command. The Mega Tweeter increases the range of the whistle by 1.5 times. If you have the Pluckaphone, any sprouts will come out too.
- Analog stick: Move in the direction you press the stick. If you hit a Pikmin while running, it will join you. You run as fast as a flower Red/Blue/Yellow Pikmin, and with the Rush Boots you run as fast as a flower White Pikmin.
- C-Stick: Move your Pikmin group. They will go to a task if they bump into an object and they will perform the action, such as carrying a treasure.
- Y button: Switch leaders. If both leaders are in one group, all the Pikmin under your control will go to the new leader.
- X button: Dismiss all of your Pikmin under your control into groups of their color. This is useful if you need a certain colour of Pikmin for a job.
- D-pad up: Use an Ultra Bitter Spray. This is obtained from ten purple berries.
- D-pad down: Use an Ultra-spicy Spray. This is obtained from ten red berries.
- D-pad down: (while holding a Pikmin) swap a Leaf, Bud or Flower Pikmin as the same one as you are holding.
- D-pad left/right: (only when holding a Pikmin) swap your Pikmin for one of a different color.
- L button: Center the camera behind the current captain in control.
- Lightly tap and hold the Analog Stick to rotate the camera.
- Z button: Switch to a top view and then back to an angled view.
- Start: Pause and continue the game. Use the L and R buttons to switch to different menus.
Locations[]
The following are the above ground areas in which it is possible for the ship to land:
- Valley of Repose - A snowy valley in which Captain Olimar and Louie first land. They discover Red Pikmin and Purple Pikmin here. Part of this area serves as the tutorial for the game.
- Awakening Wood - A small forest in which Grub-dogs live and where Olimar and Louie first discover White Pikmin and Blue Pikmin. It is similar to the Forest of Hope from Pikmin
- Perplexing Pool - An aquatic area with many enemies native to water. The Captains find Yellow Pikmin here. It is similar to The Distant Spring from Pikmin.
- Wistful Wild - An autumn forest native to many tough beasts. This area is unlocked after the main story is completed, and it is where Louie is rescued. It is a combination of The Impact Site and The Final Trial from Pikmin.
See also[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- If you have 20 of each type of Pikmin, they will sing Ai no Uta, the song that played during Japanese commercials for the first Pikmin game.
- If playing the "New Play Control!" version, the title screen on the Wii menu lines the 5 Pikmin up in order of which you unlock them (Red, Purple, White, Yellow, & Blue).
- On the European Box Art for Pikmin 2, you can faintly see a Bulborb in the background.
- In the beta version of Pikmin 2, the first area you play in appears to be the Perplexing Pool.
- All Pikmin types in Pikmin 2's special features are based on one of a typical human's senses. Red Pikmin have large noses, representing the sense of smell. Purple Pikmin have some rather small "whiskers" coming from their head. This simulates the sense of touch, as animals tend to use whiskers to feel around them. White Pikmin have large, red eyes, like the sense of sight. Yellow Pikmin have very large ears, which simulates the sense of hearing. Blue Pikmin have mouths, which is the sense of taste.
- Every area in the game has at least one gate with poison fumes.
- The GameCube flavor text is "Find your fortune with the help of all-new Pikmin!"