Pikmin 2

The box art for Pikmin 2.

The box art for the PAL version of Pikmin 2.

Pikmin 2 is the second game in the Pikmin series. It is currently the most recent game, taking place directly after the first game, in whose ending Captain Olimar successfully escapes the planet of the Pikmin.

Locations

The following are the overground areas in which it is possible for the ship to land:

• Valley of Repose
• Awakening Wood
• Perplexing Pool
• Wistful Wild

Plot

Upon returning to Hocotate after his adventure on the planet of the Pikmin, Captain Olimar meets his employer and a newly hired, supposedly inexperienced employee named Louie. Olimar learns that Hocotate Freight is massively in debt 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 in order to repay some of the debt, at which Olimar drops a bottle cap, brought back to Hocotate as a souvenir for his son. The Ship proceeds to absorb the bottle cap and values it at 100 Pokos, leading to the President then sending Olimar and Louie back to the Pikmin planet.

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Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

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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 endeavouring to completely clear the planet of treasure and to locate and rescue Louie. The player finally discovers that lost employee in the Dream Den, atop a Titan Dweevil.

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Spoilers end here.

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Controls

• A button:
  • While commanding Pikmin: Pick a Pikmin up. When you release A, Olimar or Louie will throw the Pikmin.
  • 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 lose your control.
• Y button: Switch leaders. All the pikmin under your control will go to the new leader.
• X buttons: Dismiss all of your Pikmin into groups of their color.
• D-Pad Up:
  • When not holding a Pikmin: Use an Ultra-bitter spray. This is obtained from 10 purple berries.
  • When holding a Pikmin: Swap your Pikmin for a leaf, bud, or flower Pikmin.
• D-Pad Down:
  • When not holding a Pikmin: Use an Ultra-spicy spray. This is obtained from 10 red berries.
  • When holding a Pikmin: Swap your Pikmin for a Leaf, Bud or Flower Pikmin.
• D-Pad Left/Right: (only when holding a Pikmin) Swap your Pikmin for one of a different color.
• L button:
  • Press: Center the camera behind Olimar/Louie.
  • Lightly tap and hold: Use the Analog Stick to rotate the camera.
• R button:
  • Press: Switch to a closer or farther away camera angle.
  • Press and Hold: Switches to a down-to-the-ground angle.
• Z button: Switch to a top view and then back to an angled view.
• Start: Pause and continue the game. The L and R buttons switch between menus.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Pikmin 2 is very similar to the series' first game, with just a few small changes. For example, 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.

At the end of a day, the many 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, of course, to their being produced through appropriate Candypop Buds, thus having no respective Onions.

There is a general concensus that the overall atmosphere of Pikmin 2 is different to that of the first game; the feelings of hurriedness and isolation prevalent throughout in Pikmin 1 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 Pikmin

The Pikmin from the first game haven't changed, except for the Yellow Pikmin, who are no longer able to handle bomb-rocks, but are instead immune to the electrical hazards in the game. There are three new kinds of Pikmin that can be discovered in underground areas, and Mushroom Pikmin are not in Pikmin 2.

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Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

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The first kind of underground Pikmin discovered are Purple Pikmin, which are made distinct by the visible hairs on their head and their bulky appearance. White Pikmin are smaller than other Pikmin and have red eyes. Bulbmin may look like Bulborbs but they can be used like, and act similarly to, any other Pikmin.

New Pikmin types

Purple Pikmin

Purple Pikmin are the second kind of Pikmin discovered, and are found by using the Violet Candypop Buds in the last sublevel of the Emergence Cave. 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 third type of Pikmin found in Pikmin 2. To find the game's first White Pikmin, it is necessary to visit the White Flower Garden and progress to sublevel three for the Ivory Candypop Buds there. The poison clouds produced by poison pipes and Doodlebugs will cause some Pikmin to choke but White Pikmin can endure them without coming to harm. They can locate buried treasure, which they do of their own accord, making them essential for collecting such treasure. They are also the fastest of the Pikmin variations, and so it follows that they can carry treasure, pellets and creature bodies with the greatest speed. When eaten by an enemy, they poison the enemy and cause it to lose some health, killing smaller Bulborbs instantly.

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. 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.

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Spoilers end here.

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WarioWare: Smooth Moves mini-game

In the Wii game WarioWare: Smooth Moves there is a mini-game based on and called "Pikmin 2". In it you control Empress Bulblax and must use the Wii-mote to roll her from side to side squishing Pikmin.

In-game capitalization error

In the game, the words the and container in the treasure Empty space container were meant to be capitalized, but were not.

See also

• Piklopedia
• Treasure Hoard
• wikipedia:Pikmin 2

External Links

• Pikmin 2 game manual