Pikmin

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Pikmin
North American cover art
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Shigefumi Hino Masamichi Abe
Platform(s)	Nintendo GameCube, Wii
Release date(s)	Nintendo GameCube JP October 26, 2001 NA December 2, 2001 PAL June 14, 2002 Wii JP December 25, 2008[1] NA March 9, 2009[2] EU February 6, 2009 AUS February 26, 2009 [3]
Genre(s)	Real-Time Strategy
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	ELSPA: 3+ ESRB: E OFLC: G8+ PEGI: 3+
Media	GameCube Optical Disc, Wii Optical Disc
System requirements	19 Memory Card blocks

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 2, 2001 in North America, and June 14, 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. As of March 31, 2002, Pikmin has sold over one million copies.^[4]

Pikmin is a 3D, top-down, strategy game, with the player controlling Captain Olimar (オリマー, the katakana for Olimar, which reads "Orimā", is an anagram kana spelling of "Mario^?) from a third-person viewpoint. Olimar is followed by the Pikmin, whom he directs.

Gameplay

The basis of gameplay in Pikmin is to retrieve ship parts by using the three varieties of Pikmin available in different combinations. Olimar discovers tricolored plant-animal hybrids that willingly follow his orders and help him recover ship parts. He names these creatures "Pikmin" after his favorite Pikpik brand carrots. Each color has its own special abilities; all three colors must be used in order to overcome various obstacles and complete the game.

Locating ship parts

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. 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. Only 5 of the 30 ship parts are not mandatory. The other 25 are needed to acquire the ending in which Olimar blasts off into space.

Time restraint

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, all days in the game are about 15 minutes in length. By the end of each day, all Pikmin should 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 eat all Pikmin that are left behind on the surface after the sun sets. If Olimar doesn't collect all 25 mandatory ship parts within this 30 day time limit, his ship's life support systems will fail and Olimar will die from oxygen poisoning. If he does, then he blasts off into space successfully and returns home.

Pikmin types

The Pikmin are very short, standing approximately 1 inch tall. Pikmin are very simple physically, consisting of little more than a head, slender body, two arms and two legs, all three of which are very thin. Pikmin have hands and feet. 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. Each variety of Pikmin also has its own unique facial feature; Red Pikmin have pointed noses, Yellow Pikmin have large pointed ears, Blue Pikmin have gills and a mouth. In terms of gameplay, deciding which type of pikmin to use is a crucial part strategizing: Red Pikmin are immune to fire, which is useful for passing through fire obstacles and fighting certain fire-breathing enemies, and they are also the strongest in battle; Blue Pikmin will not drown in water, unlike the others; Yellow Pikmin can use bombs to hurt enemies or break walls and can also be thrown higher than red and blue Pikmin.

Pikmin behavior

Pikmin are very social creatures, seemingly interacting with other Pikmin of all colors if left alone, but focus their attention entirely on Olimar when called into active duty. Pikmin naturally form groups within their own color, but cooperate well 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 together. Pikmin live in special homes which Olimar names Onions, since they bear a passing resemblance to the vegetable. Each Onion is color specific, and Pikmin are never seen entering an Onion of a color different from their own. Pikmin reproduce by bringing colored pellets or defeated enemies to their Onion. The Onion then lifts the object inside with a ray of light, takes the nutrients for seeds, and produces more 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. One kind of enemy can change pikmin though, using purple spores, changing their stalks into mushrooms and making them evil. The enemy that does this is the Puffstool in the Forest Navel. When these spores turn them purple, they turn on Olimar and attack him until they change back. When they become white, they attack the enemies with spores, that look like giant mushrooms, or go into a group. When Pikmin of any kind drink nectar they transform into flower Pikmin which are faster than leaf or bud pikmin, and can sometimes be stronger than the other pikmin. You can get them by leaving them in the ground until they sprout into flowers, giving them nectar or just allowing them to mature.

Challenge mode

Apart from the main gameplay, Pikmin also contains a Challenge mode that is unlocked once Olimar gets all three 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. There is still a 999 Pikmin limit.

Plot

In Pikmin, the main character is Captain Olimar, an astronaut from the planet Hocotate. The story starts when Olimar is taking an intergalactic vacation in outer space. However, during his flight, a comet hits his spaceship, the S.S. Dolphin (a reference to the Nintendo GameCube's codename, "Project Dolphin"), which is then pulled into the gravity field of an uncharted planet. Parts of the spaceship fall off as it plummets to the ground and crashes.

Olimar's damaged spaceship taking off.

When he regains consciousness, Olimar finds out that the planet's atmosphere contains high levels of oxygen- an element deadly to his people- and he can stay on the planet for only 30 days before his life support system stops functioning. 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, which is assumed to be Earth. The game has three endings depending upon how successful the player is. It is assumed that the true ending is where Olimar collects all the parts for his spaceship and successfully leaves the planet as he says good-bye to his new friends.

Development

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 Shigeru Miyamoto's Shetland sheepdog, Pikku.

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

Reception

This section requires expansion.

IGN gave Pikmin a 9.1 out of 10, impressed by the use of textures and orchestration. The gameplay was noted for being fun for players of many different experience levels.^[5] The game was heavily faulted for the requirement to complete the game in 30 game days, although some praised this element for enforcing use of time-management and strategy, thus increasing the game's difficulty. However, this was changed in Pikmin 2, one of the reasons Pikmin 2 was more critically acclaimed.^[6]

IGN Later gave the New Play Control! Pikmin and 8.0 out of 10.

Cubed3 gave The New Play Control version of Pikmin 8 out of 10, praising the original title's charm and gameplay as enhanced by use of Wii Remote, but still notes the 30-day window as a limitation.^[7]

Nintendo Life awarded The New Play Control Pikmin 8 out of 10, calling the game "quirky, innovative, colourful, charming, and addictive", claiming that it epitomises "exactly what Nintendo are all about". However, they were disappointed at the lack of extra content, especially with the New Play Control sequel, Pikmin 2, on the horizon.^[8]

Awards

• E3 2001 Game Critics Awards: Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game^[9]
• 2001 Japan Media Arts Festival: Excellence Award for Interactive Art

Sequels

Pikmin 2 was widely considered an improvement on the original. Pikmin 2 came out in 2004 and features the same basic idea with some new multiplayer modes, three new Pikmin colors (white, purple and Bulbmin), caves, many more beasts and Bosses, and no limit to the amount of days allowed in single-player mode.^[10] When asked about Pikmin appearing on the Wii at E3 2008, Shigeru Miyamoto simply replied, "We're making Pikmin." There were originally suspicions that he may have been referring to the re-releases of the two games, but it was confirmed in an interview that he was talking about a completely new game.

New Play Control

Both Pikmin and Pikmin 2, are part of the New Play Control! series, a selection of Nintendo GameCube video game remakes adding support for features of the Wii. It was released on December 25, 2008 in Japan^[1], February 6, 2009 in Europe and March 9, 2009 in North America.^[11] New Play Control! Pikmin uses the Wii Remote, and requires the player to point and click on the screen to do various tasks instead of manually moving a cursor with a control stick.^[12] It was also announced that the game saves day-by-day records of the player's playthrough, allowing the player to restart from any recorded day of his or her choice.^[13] Although the game was visually enhanced to play in 16:9, the audio was not updated to Dolby Pro Logic II.

References

External links

• Official Pikmin website
• Pikmin at Nintendo.com (archives of the original at the Internet Archive)
• Pikipedia-A Pikmin Wiki
• Pikmin at GameFAQs
• Pikmin at MobyGames