Pikmin (video game)

For the game series, see Pikmin series.

Pikmin (ピクミン, Pikumin) is a real-time strategy video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube video game console in 2001. Pikmin is the first game in the Pikmin series of video games, designed by Shigeru Miyamoto. Pikmin was released on October 26, 2001 in Japan, December 3, 2001 in North America, and June 15, 2002 in Europe. The sequel, Pikmin 2, was released in 2004. The image song, "Ai No Uta" by Strawberry Flower, appeared in the Japanese commercials for the game, but soon became an unexpected hit song, eventually eclipsing Pikmin's sales.

The game Pikmin is a 3D, top-down, strategy game, with the player controlling Captain Olimar (known in Japan as Captain "Orima", an anagram kana spelling of "Mario") 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. Red Pikmin also are more aggressive and have excellent attack ability. In addition, yellow Pikmin can be thrown higher and farther than the other two colors, and also can carry explosive bomb rocks to attack enemies or destroy 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 be 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 days in the game are 13 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.

Olimar discovers a tricolored plant-animal hybrid that willingly follows his orders and helps him recover ship parts. He names these creatures "Pikmin" after "Pikpik carrots" (A vegetable that is shaped similarly to a Pikmin). 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 or so 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. On top of the heads of all Pikmin are plant-like sprouts, which are either topped by a leaf, bud, or flower. The flower is the most developed stage of Pikmin; flower Pikmin move faster and attack more strongly than leaf or bud Pikmin. There are three different varieties of Pikmin in the first game. Red Pikmin have pointed noses, and are not affected by fire. Yellow Pikmin have large pointed ears, can be thrown high, and can wield explosive bomb-rocks. Blue Pikmin have gills shaped like a mouth, and can enter water without drowning.

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 which Olimar names Onions, since they 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 from their own. Pikmin reproduce (or replicate depending on how one looks at it) by bringing colored pellets or the carcasses of defeated enemies to their Onion. The Onion then absorbs the object, takes the nutrients for seeds, 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.

Apart from the main gameplay, Pikmin also contains a Challenge Mode that is unlocked once Olimar gets all 3 types of Pikmin. Each of the five levels in the main game is available for play. The object of Challenge Mode is to grow the greatest number of Pikmin in one day as is possible. The number of creatures in Challenge Mode is significantly greater than in the main game, and their distribution is changed as well. Although discovering new areas in the main game opens them for Challenge Mode play, Challenge Mode does not affect gameplay in the main story mode in any way. There is still a 100 Pikmin limit.

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, an asteroid hits his spaceship, the S.S. Dolphin (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 people from Hocotate, and he can stay on the planet for only 30 days before his life support system stops working. Olimar must retrieve many of the spaceship parts so he can rebuild his spaceship and return to Hocotate. Although Olimar initially states in his journal entries that he needs all 30 parts, as the game moves on it is hinted at that some parts might not be actually necessary to lift off, and, indeed, one can win the game without said parts.

To help Olimar are indigenous creatures called Pikmin, which are nearly extinct and unable to survive in the environment without his leadership when he arrives. As this element of symbiosis develops, Olimar discovers parts of his ship and travels across the Pikmin Planet. The game has multiple endings depending upon how successful the player is, ending if either the 30 days are up or if he or she collects all 30 parts.

The worst ending happens if Olimar does not collect the 25 necessary parts within 30 days. He attempts to fly off the planet, however the Dolphin plummets back down and crashes. Olimar's life support system fails and he breathes the planet's oxygen, which most likely kills him. The Pikmin take his body to the Onion and he gets sucked in. A Pikmin seed is spit out and sprouts, however this Pikmin is half Olimar. The average ending happens if Olimar collects the 25 necessary parts within 30 days, but is missing one or more of the five unnecessary parts. He attempts to fly off the planet and succeeds. The best ending happens if Olimar collects all 30 parts. He flies off the planet and the Pikmin are seen successfully fighting off a predator on their own, before Onions of various colors (not just red, blue, and yellow, but green, light blue, black, and other colors) fly up into the planet's atmosphere in a farewell.

Some believe 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 alien creatures have taken over the earth. 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. It can be said however, that the people of Hocotate are very small, as these objects are often more than twice Olimar's size. Further, the instruction manual describes Olimar as being about the size of a quarter (or from a Japanese perspective, a 100 yen piece; or even in the UK version, a 50 pence piece). Others think that the planet in Pikmin is Earth, but seen from the perspective of an alien visitor. There is evidence stating that the planet is not Earth, but more evidence is given in Pikmin 2 to suggest that the planet is Earth in that the treasures collected are mostly human-made objects, such as a Duracell battery and bottle caps. Furthermore, in the video sequences serving as introduction to the game, the ship can be seen hurtling toward a continent that looks remarkably like Africa.

The Impact Site

The Impact Site is the first area visited in the game. Players arrive here when they start the game, where Olimar has crashed his ship, the Dolphin. Players learn basic gameplay here, discover the Red Pikmin, and how to use them.

The Forest of Hope

The Forest of Hope is the second area of the game, unlocked after the Main Engine is retrieved from The Impact Site on Day 1. It is also the first place where there is actual combat. In this area, Yellow Pikmin, bomb rocks, and enemies are discovered.

The Forest Navel

The Forest Navel is the third area of the game, unlocked after five parts have been retrieved. In this region, there are Blue Pikmin, water, and new enemies.

The Distant Spring

The Distant Spring is the fourth area in the game. Largely a water area, players find that blue Pikmin will be invaluable here.

The Final Trial

The Final Trial is the last stage in Pikmin, obtainable once Olimar has 29 spaceship parts. The only treasure has been consumed by an Emperor Bulblax and is completely optional, since it is not a required part to finish the game. And it will not lower your score if you don't get it.

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 shetland sheepdog, Pikku.

Miyamoto was heavily influenced when designing the pikmin to represent the Loli or lolita genre and carefully designed that idea around the pikmin, as a representation and cognitive symbol of how flowers bloom and age.

During the Game Developers Conference 2007, Miyamoto mentioned that most of the elements of Mario 128 were incorporated into the Pikmin game.

IGN gave Pikmin a 9.1, or "Outstanding," rating, impressed by the use of textures and orchestration. The gameplay was noted for being fun for players of many different experience levels. ^[1] The game was heavily faulted for the requirement to complete the game in 30 game days. This was changed in Pikmin 2, one of the reasons Pikmin 2 was more critically acclaimed.^{[citation needed]}

• E3 2001 Game Critics Awards: Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game^[2]
• 2001 Japan Media Arts Festival: Excellence Award for Interactive Art

Pikmin 2 was better received by reviewers such as IGN than the original. Pikmin 2 came out in 2004 and features the same basic idea with some new added multiplayer modes and no limit to the amount of days allowed in single-player mode.

• Official Pikmin website
• Template:Nintendo.com
• Template:GameFAQs
• Pikmin at MobyGames
• Pikipedia-A Wikia Wiki