LOOKS LIKE YOU CRASH-LANDED ON PNF-404...

"Extraordinary! When I plucked the sprout, it turned out to be a living creature, not a plant! Picking it has done no visible damage... It just stands there, staring at me. Its shape is similar to the Pikpik brand carrots I love so much... I believe I shall call it a Pikmin."

WHAT IS PIKMIN?

Pikmin is a real-time strategy puzzle game series by Nintendo, with 4 main-line games and 2 spinoffs. The series surrounds the titular species of Pikmin, a plant-like creature, and the planet they live on, PNF-404. PNF-404 is home to a plethora of flora and fauna you'll fight and research throughout your time on the planet. Throughout each game, you play as a captain(s), trying to find your way off the planet, as PNF-404 has a history of crash-landing ships... no one knows why or how, but you don't have time to think about that-- you've got to get back home! Luckily, the Pikmin, the loyal creatures they are, are there to help you and fight by your side the whole way.

LEARN ABOUT THE GAMES!

Pikmin is the first game of the series, releasing December 3rd, 2001 in North America for the Nintendo GameCube. It has also been re-released for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo Switch.

The game follows Captain Olimar, a pilot for Hocotate Freight, crash-landing on the mysterious planet of PNF-404. Unfortunately, his ship, the S.S. Dolphin, breaks apart in the crash, and the pieces of his ship are sent flying across the planet. And what's even more unfortunate-- Olimar only has 30 days of life-support before the toxic oxygen of the planet kills him. Seems pretty bleak... but luckily, Olimar comes across an Onion, home and breeding ground to the Pikmin, who immediately take a liking to Olimar, following his every order. Throughout the 30 days, Olimar must work with the Pikmin to survive the planet's enemies and collect his ship parts so he can return home.

The game has 3 endings: a good ending, a neutral ending, and a bad ending. If you collect all 30 ship parts, you will recieve the good ending, in which Olimar leaves the planet happily and safely, and we see the Pikmin begin to fend for themselves with newfound confidence. This ending is considered the canonical ending. If you only collect the 25 required parts, you will recieve the neutral ending, where Olimar still takes off safely, but the Pikmin simply watch in curiosity. If you cannot collect all of the required parts, you will recieve the bad ending, in which Olimar attempts to take off, but fails, falling back to PNF-404 and presumably dying. The Pikmin pick up his body and carry him to the onion, where he pops out as a Pikmin-like creature himself. This ending is elaborated on in Pikmin 4, as a sort of what-if scenario.

Pikmin 2 is the second game of the series, releasing August 30th, 2004 in North America for the Nintendo GameCube. It has also been re-released for the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo Switch. This game introduces multiplayer into the series, as well as battle mode.

The game continues off of the good ending of Pikmin 1, following Olimar as he returns back home and finds out the company he works for, Hocotate Freight, is in severe debt thanks to a lost shipment while he was gone. In order to repay the debt, the company president sends Olimar and a newbie employee, Louie, back to PNF-404 to collect items they can sell. This game, unlike the first, has no day limit, and allows you to search the planet as long as you please-- however, to keep the tension, caves are introduced. These caves also have no time limit, but you will lose all progress in them if you leave partway through, meaning you must manage your resources and strategies carefully.

The game features only 2 endings, a neutral/good ending and a best/perfect ending. To get the first ending, you simply need to get enough to repay the debt, and Olimar leaves to head back... only to realize Louie was left behind, leading into the post-game. The second ending requires you to collect every treasure, and allows you to leave the planet with Louie safely in tow.

Pikmin 3 is the third game in the series, releasing August 4th, 2013 in North America for the Nintendo Wii U. It has also been re-released in a Deluxe edition with additional content for the Nintendo Switch.

The game splits off from the previous two, now following a trio of captains from the planet Koppai: Charlie, Brittany, and Alph. Koppai is experiencing a famine, and in a desperate measure to help their planet, the three turn to PNF-404 to collect fruit, crash-landing on their way (sensing a theme...?). The three are split up in different areas of the planet and, once finding eachother again, they must find the cosmic drive key needed to fix their ship and return back home. In their search, they find a data file of Captain Olimar stating he has the key! Hooray! ... However, the team finds Louie instead, who eats all their fruit and runs away. In time, they catch Louie and finally find Olimar, defeating the Plasm Wraith holding him captive and returning home.

The game has 4 endings, depending on how much food you gather. The worst ending occurs when you have collected less than 35 fruits, implying that it likely won't be enough to solve the famine. The next 2 endings occur when collecting more than 35, but not all of the fruits, implying that it won't be enough to fix things completely, but it will help the planet greatly in times of need. The best ending requires collecting all 65 fruits, saying that the planet will be able to fully recover thanks to the bountiful amount of food and seeds the team returns with, and suggests that the crash-landing may have truly been a miracle rather than a mistake.

Pikmin 4 is the fourth and most recent game in the series, releasing July 21st, 2023 worldwide for the Nintendo Switch. The game reintroduces the cave system and treasure collection from Pikmin 2, as well as introducing customizable player characters, a hub world, and night expeditions.

Pikmin 4 is easily the longest game in the series, so this summary is a bit long, buckle up! The game builds off of the bad ending of Pikmin 2, initially following Olimar as he crash-lands on PNF-404, discovering the Pikmin and a space dog he names Moss. He soon sends out an SOS signal, alerting the main characters of our game: the Rescue Corps, a 7-member (!) crew tasked with rescuing stranded space travelers. It is notable that, after the prologue, you play as a customizable player character rather than an assigned one, a first for the series. Unfortunately, the Rescue Corps ship also crashes, forcing the crew to find eachother again, training their very own space dog Oatchi along the way. The game focuses heavily on the idea of Dandori, "strategic planning and efficient execution of tasks," as we see leaf-like creatures obsessed with Dandori. To heal them, we must take night expeditions, another first for the series, to collect glow sap to return them to their normal human (-ish) selves. One of these leafling creatures we discover looks suspiciously like Olimar, and after being cured, we discover he is, in fact, Captain Olimar, and go to return home safely with him. When trying to leave the planet, Oatchi becomes greatly distressed and cannot leave, so the crew must return to cure him. After defeating Louie and the Ancient Sirehound, an old, massive space dog, the collar he drops contains hair that helps cure Oatchi! After a long journey, the crew, and Oatchi, finally return home safely.

The game technically features 2 endings, though this is a little complicated. The first ending occurs after rescuing Olimar and attemping to return home, and, while you can end the game here, it is not the true ending. To achieve the true ending, you must return back and work through another area and final boss to cure Oatchi. Personally, I see the first ending as more of a fake-out than a real ending, but to each their own!

Hey! Pikmin is a spin-off game in the series, releasing July 28th, 2017 in North America for the Nintendo 3DS line of systems. The game is, instead of a real-time strategy game, a 2D puzzle platformer, differing greatly in gameplay.

The game focuses on Captain Olimar as he crash-lands on an alien planet, discovering the Pikmin, as many games before. (It's important to note that this planet isn't specified to be PNF-404, and we are also unsure when this game fits into the timeline, or if it's canon at all... it's a bit of a mess in terms of plot connection.) After crashing, Olimar concludes that the Sparklium supply of the ship is dangerously low, and before returning home, he must replenish this supply with the help of the Pikmin. The game follows him traveling through various areas and collection Sparklium and treasures alongside the Pikmin, with the goal of collecting 30,000 Sparklium and finding the Sparklium Converter the ship still needs.

The game features only 1 ending, occuring upon completing both of the game's main goals. After beating the final boss, Olimar says his final goodbye to the Pikmin, flying off back to Hocotate. The Pikmin's onion attempts to follow, but can only make it so far. The S.S. Dolphin continues home as we see Hocotate in the distance.

Pikmin Bloom is a spin-off game in the series, releasing October 28th, 2021 for Android and iOS. The game is an augmented-reality location-based game with a focus on walking in collaboration with Niantic.

Pikmin Bloom, being a walking-based mobile game, doesn't have any plot. You play as your Mii, and the game tracks your daily steps to earn goals. You can plant flowers as you walk to earn more rewards; these rewards are often Pikmin, sometimes with a special "decor" based on the location you found them in. These Pikmin can be named, levelled up, and go on expeditions to collect items like flowers, nectar, and decor. The game also has an online multiplayer aspect, allowing you to collaborate with people local to you and across the world in events like Mushroom Battles and weekly Step and Flower Challenges.

MEET THE CAPTAINS!

Olimar is a middle-aged Hocotatian working for Hocotate Freight delivering shipments all across space. He is described as a family man, with a wife, son, daughter, and a dog named Bulbie. While stranted on PNF-404, he often discusses his family, wishing he could be back home with them. He is also a hard worker, often taking extra shifts to support his family. Olimar is very introspective and quite intelligent, with a strong vocabulary and interest in learning about the Pikmin and their planet, as seen in the Piklopedia and end-of-day monologues. Though he sometimes can be a bit sarcastic and short-tempered, he is generally a sympathetic and thoughtful man, making him the perfect protagonist of the series for the player to connect to.

Olimar appears in nearly every game in the series, including: Pikmin, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3, Pikmin 4, Hey! Pikmin, and Pikmin Adventure.

Louie is a young Hocotatian and newbie working for Hocotate Freight alongside Olimar. He is often portrayed as lazy and apathetic, generally very quiet and inexpressive. Even still, he survives incredibly well in dangerous situations, either by sheer luck or deliberate strategy. He often causes trouble in the games, destroying shipments, stealing, and controlling large enemies. He is also known for his ravenous appetite, eating everything he can and describing in detail the tastes and preparations of various flora and fauna of PNF-404 in the Piklopedia.

Louie appears in: Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3, Pikmin 4, and Hey! Pikmin.

Charlie is a Koppaite and captain of the S.S. Drake. He is a pragmatic and strong leader, caring deeply for his crew and staying calm in the face of danger. He has a love for the scenery and nature of PNF-404, as well as having a penchant for ducks; he has a good-luck charm rubber duckie he keeps in the ship, as well as a duck named Elizabeth back home on Koppai. He is shown to have a deep affection for Brittany, often trying (and failing) to express his feelings towards her.

Charlie appears in: Pikmin 3, and is mentioned in Pikmin 4.

Brittany is a Koppaite and botanist, responsible for keeping track of and studying the fruit the crew collects on PNF-404. She is generally a very kind and hard-working person, showing affection towards Alph and her family back home; she doesn't exactly take a liking to Charlie, but tolerates him enough to work by his side. She has a love for cute things, especially the Pikmin, and loves her job as a botanist very much. She can be a bit sassy on occassion, but never deliberately unkind.

Brittany appears in: Pikmin 3, and is mentioned in Pikmin 4.

Alph is a Koppaite and the engineer of the S.S Drake, a ship built and named after his grandfather. Alph has 12 siblings, being the second youngest, and was very close with his grandfather, leading him to want to become an engineer. He can be a bit aloof, but is a very caring person, loving each and every Pikmin the crew works with. Alph has been described as the member with "the most common sense," being an honest and hard worker

Alph appears in: Pikmin 3, and is mentioned in Pikmin 4.

Captain of the Rescue Corps, Shepherd is a Giyan and strong leader of her crew. She is the 99th captain of her family, having served in the Rescue Corps for generations, and after being saved by a Rescue Pup when she was young, her love for the dogs sparked easily. She hopes for a day where the Rescue Corps are no longer needed, where the world is peaceful and safe, but works hard in the meantime to help anyone she can. However, she can sometimes be apprehensive, as seen with her initial fear of the Pikmin and the fauna of PNF-404.

Shepherd appears in: Pikmin 4.

Collin is a Giyan and the communications officer of the Rescue Corps. He is the most level-headed of the group, often having to bring his crewmates back down to earth (or, PNF-404, rather?). He is a hard worker and is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, also being quite skilled in tinkering with machines. Collin is quite sentimental, inheriting his grandfather's reciever and refusing to replace it, no matter how damaged it becomes.

Collin appears in: Pikmin 4.

Russ is a Giyan and the scientist of the Rescue Corps. He is incredibly passionate about science, talking about it frequently and spending much of his time inventing in his lab. In the game, he helps invent items and power-ups for the player to use, including items like bomb rocks, which he is especially proud of. Russ is the heir to one of the largest Giyan corporations, and is very close with his mother back home.

Russ appears in: Pikmin 4.

Dingo is a Ohrian and officer of the Rescue Corps specializing in solo missions. He can be a bit careless and direct, not often expressing affection to his crewmates, but he also worries about how they percieve him. He is very dependable when needed, with his strength being a great benefit to his team, as well as the player, as he can be used to take care of missions for the player if they are struggling.

Dingo appears in: Pikmin 4.

Yonny is an Ohrian and doctor of the Rescue Corps, as well as being responsible for night missions. He is a bit of a mad-scientist type, often trying experimental medicine and being very interested in solving strange cases. He helps create medicine to cure the leaflings using glow sap collected from night missions, as well as testing new medicines on his teammates and the Glow Pikmin, laughing maniacally the whole way.

Yonny appears in: Pikmin 4.

Bernard is a Nijoian and pilot of the Rescue Corps. He is a veteran pilot with lots of experience, and a very passionate and positive person. He is said to speak unusually loud, putting emphasis on random words and having a unique way of speaking. He often gives advice and compliments to the player, expressing his pure optimism. Bernard is initially discovered asa leafling, but is cured by Yonny.

Bernard appears in: Pikmin 4.

In Pikmin 4, the player is represented as a customizable player character (view customization options here). They are the newest recruit of the Rescue Corps, and hail from the planet Karut. In promotional media, the default look is often displayed, as shown in the picture to the side. Many fans have dubbed this character "Pom" (also called Lisa or Naomi in some material), giving them their own personality that goes largely unexplored in the game.

The Rookie Rescue Officer appears in: Pikmin 4.

MEET THE PIKMIN!

The Pikmin are a plant-animal hybrid creature discovered on PNF-404. They are incredibly loyal creatures, listening to orders and following their leader with little to no hesitation. Pikmin are sprouted from Onions, spitting them out as seeds where they grow in the ground; the leaves on their head can grow into buds, and later flowers, representing their maturity and strength levels. In the game, Pikmin are used in large groups to defeat enemies, collect items, and beat obstacles and puzzles.

The Red Pikmin can be identified by their long-pointed nose, as well as, of course, their color. They are often the first Pikmin discovered in the games, making them the pseudo "main" Pikmin. They are resistant to fire and have a 1.5x attack strength multiplier in all of the games. Olimar has said that this fire resistance is thanks to their skin and muscles being made of fire-resistant cellulose.

Red Pikmin appear in: Pikmin, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3, Pikmin 4, Hey! Pikmin, Pikmin Bloom, and Pikmin Adventure.

The Yellow Pikmin can be identified by their large ears (or rather, tissue that resembles ears). Their abilities have changed frequently throughout the games. In all of the main-line games, they can be thrown higher than other Pikmin. In Pikmin (1), they are able to hold and toss bomb rocks; this ability is rendered useless later as all Pikmin can now hold bomb rocks. From Pikmin 2 onward, the Yellow Pikmin have a resistance to electricity, and in Pikmin 3 onward, they can dig faster thanks to their ears being used as shovels.

Yellow Pikmin appear in: Pikmin, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3, Pikmin 4, Hey! Pikmin, Pikmin Bloom, and Pikmin Adventure.

The Blue Pikmin can be identified by their small pink mouths. These mouths give them water resistance, as they filter oxygen through their gills inside. Their water resistance allows them to swim and breathe underwater, which other Pikmin would drown attempting to do. However, this resistance is their only special ability, with the Blue Pikmin often considered to be the weakest of the types due to this.

Blue Pikmin appear in: Pikmin, Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3, Pikmin 4, Hey! Pikmin, Pikmin Bloom, and Pikmin Adventure.

The Purple Pikmin can be identified by their large, round bodies and trichomes (tiny plant appendages) on their head. They weigh 10 times more than normal Pikmin, as well as having the strength of 10 Pikmin when carrying items. This weight gives them extra attack strength as well, making them useful in battle. However, their weight also slows them down greatly, and they move much slower than other Pikmin even when fully grown flowers.

Purple Pikmin appear in: Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3 (in Mission Mode and Bingo Battle), Pikmin 4, and Pikmin Bloom.

The White Pikmin can be identified by their small stature and large red eyes. Their small size makes them much faster than other Pikmin, but their attack strength is also much lower. Their red eyes allow them to see buried treasure in Pikmin 2. Their main ability is their poison; when ingested by enemies, they will poison and deal damage to the enemy, but die in the process. In some Pikmin media they are also shown to possibly be venomous, though this ability does not appear in the games.

White Pikmin appear in: Pikmin 2, Pikmin 3 (in Mission Mode and Bingo Battle), Pikmin 4, and Pikmin Bloom.

The Rock Pikmin can be identified by their grey color and rock-like appearance, of course! They are immune to being crushed or stabbed, simply becoming partially buried and needing to be re-plucked. Their hard exterior allows them to shatter glass and crystal. They have strong attack strength, but do not lock-on to enemies like other Pikmin, instead, bouncing back and having a small cool-down before smacking into enemies again.

Rock Pikmin appear in: Pikmin 3, Pikmin 4, Hey! Pikmin, and Pikmin Bloom.

The Winged Pikmin can be identified by their large blue eyes, pink striped body, and of course, their wings. The Winged Pikmin use their wings to fly, allowing them to tale shortcuts and attack airborne enemies. However, their speed is slower than other Pikmin. They cannot be crushed except for the final boss in Pikmin 3, and in Hey! Pikmin, they also have the ability to carry Olimar.

Winged Pikmin appear in: Pikmin 3, Pikmin 4, Hey! Pikmin, and Pikmin Bloom.

The Ice Pikmin can be defined by their light blue, icy bodies. They have a resistance to ice attacks and cold environments, and they can freeze bodies of water, as well as freeze enemies. However, their attack power is lower than other Pikmin, even when enemies are frozen. Even still, Ice Pikmin are often considered to be some of the best in the series thanks to their freezing powers.

Ice Pikmin appear in: Pikmin 4.

The Glow Pikmin can be identified by their glowing green bodies, ghost-like tails, and different-sized blue eyes. Glow Pikmin are mainly used during night expeditions and can be commanded as normal Pikmin can. They also have an extra charge ability, in which the Glow Pikmin form into a glowing orb (a Glowmob) and charge forward, stunning nearby enemies. They are formed by the Luminknoll rather than the Onion, and are produced by Glow Pellets, star-like rocks. They have resistance to all hazards, but are rare and can only be summoned with Glow Seeds leftover from night expeditions to balance their immunity.

Glow Pikmin appear in: Pikmin 4.

Though not a Pikmin, Oatchi works closely alongside them. He is a Giyan space dog working as a Rescue Pup for the Rescue Corps, and is the playable companion of the player character. He can be trained to gain many resistances and skills, including strength buffs, swimming, and rush attacks. He can pick up scents, useful for creating trails to specific story progression items and locations. The PNF-404 mission is his first one. What a good pup!

Oatchi appears in: Pikmin 4, and as a costume in Pikmin Bloom.

WHY I LOVE PIKMIN!

FAVE GAME: Pikmin 3

FAVE PIKMIN: Yellow Pikmin

FAVE CAPTAINS: Alph and Louie (I am a LouAlph enjoyer...)

I've loved Pikmin for as long as I can remember, even before I ever played the games. I was only 5 in 2013 when Pikmin 3 released, and immediately fell in love with the game. I remember playing the Wii U demo over and over, playing for as long as possible and carefully saving my last play for later (by the way, I still hate the old limited-play demo system. SO stupid...)

I never got to play the full game until 2021, a few months Pikmin 3 Deluxe released. I remember playing for hours huddled under blankets while it snowed outside. 2021 was a very dark time of my life, and Pikmin was one of my small joys at the time. I've since replayed Pikmin 3 quite a few times, though to be entirely truthful... I've never beaten the Plasm Wraith. I struggle SO badly with the maze chase section, I don't know why!! I've even tried playing it co-op with my girlfriend; she played as Brittany and led the Wraith in circles while I took care of the puzzles, and we STILL couldn't do it! Am I just bad? Probably! I see people say the fight was way too easy, but I just... can't beat it. Lol! Even still, I've replayed the rest of the game countless times, and spent hours upon hours replaying the mission mode for highscores. My girlfriend and I love playing the Bingo Battle mode too!

I have also played some of Pikmin 2 (on Wii U), though, to be entirely honest, I'm not the hugest fan. I much prefer the more recent Pikmin games, though I know this is an unpopular opinion. I just find the Pikmin AI and cave system in Pikmin 2 to be so annoying... I've never played Pikmin 1, though I would like to at some point!

I've played Pikmin 4 all the way through and really enjoyed it. I must admit, when playing the demo and beginning of the game, I was a little unsure... WAY too much dialogue, which I still stand by. I understand wanting to make the game more accessible to new players, but jeeesus... it's annoying for them too! Anyway, once you get past that point, it's much more fun! I really like the new modified cave system and treasure collection, I think the mechanics have been much improved. I also love the small sections where you play as Olimar, so fun and a nice break from playing with the player character, I really enjoyed the time limit paralleling the original game.

Anyway... what I love about Pikmin is, even under a time limit, the ability to slow down and take the environment in. The landscapes are one of my favorite things in Pikmin, Olimar's passion for researching the wildlife is something I love as well-- I could spend hours reading the Piklopedia, and have in the past. The world-building of the game is absolutely incredible, and one of my favorite things in the series is all the characters' writings you can read. I love learning all about the science and behaviors of the various specie, as well as their flavors and the perfect recipes for them (thanks, Louie).

I also love the music of Pikmin, but who doesn't? Each track (at least before Pikmin 4... sorry) is so memorable and fits the environments perfectly. I love the real-time layering of the soundtrack as well, which YouTuber Scruffy has done incredible videos breaking down, like this one about boss music, and this one comparing the adaptive music of Pikmin 3 and 4. I'd really recommend checking out his videos, he does some awesome stuff, even outside of Pikmin! I feel like I could spend hours just listening to the music of Pikmin, and, well, I definitely have! I often will put on playlists of the best tracks while I work, study, relax... Pikmin easily has one of the best, if not the best, soundtracks I've ever heard in a game, and I just keep coming back to it.

Pikmin is just one of those game series that just changes you as a person. Something about it is so incredibly moving, I truly wish I could put it into words. After playing I feel such an intense feeling of hope and motivation, it just makes me want to go outside and observe every little thing... Whenever I'm feeling depressed I know I can just play a bit of Pikmin and start to feel a little better. Have you read that article about parents using Pikmin's idea of Dandori to make their kids do stuff? Yeah. It works on me too. I still occasionally say "Dandori issue" even 2 years on from Pikmin 4's release, LMFAO.

I really hope we get another Pikmin game, especially now that its audience has grown so much thanks to Pikmin 4. It makes me so happy that Pikmin is finally getting its flowers-- it's one of the best games I've ever played, and I think if you play it too, you might think the same. If you're interested or think it might be up your alley, give one of the games a try! I'd recommend Pikmin 3 or 4 for newbies to the series, as they're probably the games with the best entry for new players. Pikmin 3 is shorter and my personal favorite, but Pikmin 4 was made with new players in mind, so take your pick! Plus, there's always Pikmin 1 and 2, as well as spin-offs to try... so give it a shot! You might find yourself taking a liking to PNF-404 after all. :)