Pikmin

The main protagonist of the series is Captain Olimar, an employee of the Hocotate Freight Company, who flies a ship known as the S.S. Dolphin, a reference to the GameCube's developmental code name. He has a wife, son and daughter. Pikmin 2 introduces Louie, a co-worker of Olimar, who places the Hocotate Freight Company in debt after losing a shipment of gold pikpik carrots to a "ravenous space bunny". The names "Olimar" and "Louie" are based on Mario and Luigi, who were also created by Shigeru Miyamoto.

Concept art of Pikmin 3 characters Alph, Brittany, Charlie (each labeled 'A', 'B', and 'C', respectively), a Pikmin, and an unnamed fourth character (labeled 'D') who was removed during development

In Pikmin 3, three new characters succeed Olimar as playable leaders: Alph the engineer, Brittany the botanist, and Captain Charlie. All three characters come from Koppai, a planet whose inhabitants are similar to the Hocotatians, and they interact with each other through in-game dialogue. Though not playable during the game's story, Olimar and Louie both appear later in the game's story and become integral to its plot, are playable in Bingo Battle Mode and five of the downloadable mission levels, and Olimar's expedition logs are later discovered by the crew and offer helpful advice regarding PNF-404.[7]

After becoming stranded on the unknown planet in Pikmin, Olimar becomes acquainted with the species of plant-like beings that he names "Pikmin" because they resemble the "Pikpik" brand of carrots on his home planet of Hocotate. They are small, brightly colored creatures who are each as tall as a US dime. They follow any command: from attacking enemies and defending Olimar to retrieving large artifacts. Pikmin are generally very weak unless they are used in hordes, as the Pikmin are excellent at working together. Pikmin speaks with strange, squeaking noises. Simple commands can, however, be communicated to them by the use of a whistle or any other device capable of producing high-pitched noises.

A selection of the varying Pikmin types (from left to right): Red Pikmin, Yellow Pikmin, Blue Pikmin, Purple Pikmin, White Pikmin, Rock Pikmin, and Winged Pikmin

Pikmin come in several colors, each with strengths and weaknesses. In Pikmin, there are three types of Pikmin: Red Pikmin, who are better in combat and can withstand extreme heat and fire; Yellow Pikmin, who can be thrown higher, and can use bomb rocks (Pikmin only), are immune to electricity (Pikmin 2 onward), and can dig faster (Pikmin 3 only); and Blue Pikmin, which have gills and can walk in water (or get splashed with water-based attacks) without drowning. There are also Mushroom Pikmin who attack the other types of Pikmin. They are created when regular Pikmin are infected by spores let out by the Puffstool.[4]

In Pikmin 2, three new species of Pikmin were introduced: Purple Pikmin, White Pikmin, and Bulbmin. Purple Pikmin move slower than normal Pikmin, but have ten times the strength and weight of other Pikmin, giving them the ability to pick up much heavier objects and attack and destroy obstacles and other enemies with fewer numbers. They also have the potential to stun enemies when they land near or on them.[4] White Pikmin, when ingested by enemies, damage the enemy by being toxic. White Pikmin themselves are immune to poison, can locate buried treasure with their special eyes, and can run faster than other Pikmin.[4] Bulbmin are a subterranean parasitic species of Pikmin that infect Bulborbs (the most common enemy found within the Pikmin series) and take control of them. These Pikmin are found exclusively within certain cave systems in the game, usually as a pack of up to 10 juvenile Bulbmin and a single adult Bulbmin. While the adult forms of these Pikmin are hostile towards Olimar, the juvenile Bulbmin will follow Olimar like regular Pikmin once the adult is killed. They are immune to most hazards (save explosions, being eaten, being crushed, and bottomless pits), and will not follow Olimar when he leaves the cave they are found in. The only way to "keep" them is if they are transformed into other Pikmin species by Candypop Buds.

Pikmin 3 introduced two new species of Pikmin: Rock Pikmin and Winged Pikmin. The gray-colored Rock Pikmin look like small rocks and can smash through glass, crystals, ice, and the carapaces of large creatures. These Pikmin can also survive crushing attacks from boulders and enemies and are invulnerable to piercing attacks as well. Rock Pikmin also cause more initial damage when thrown at an enemy, though they are unable to latch onto them.[4] The pink-colored Winged Pikmin are the smallest species of Pikmin and hover in the air using their small wings. They can fly over hazards such as water and pits and can carry items in the air.[4]

In Pikmin 4, the game introduces two new species, Ice Pikmin and Glow Pikmin. Ice Pikmin can freeze enemies and the environment.[8] Glow Pikmin are ghost-like Pikmin that are green and have no legs and can fly. They can only be used in caves or during the game's night expedition mode and can combine themselves into a large green energy ball to attack enemies.

Another main character in Pikmin 2 is the President of Hocotate Freight, a large man who runs the company and keeps debt collectors away. The president is forced to sell the Dolphin, and it is replaced by an unnamed ship that can speak, name, and value the treasure on the planet.

Pikmin is the first game in the series, released in 2001. The game's plot focuses on Captain Olimar's predicament of having crash-landed on an unknown planet and befriending plant-animal creatures that he dubs Pikmin. Olimar has to gather the missing pieces of his broken spaceship to escape before his air supply completely runs out and he succumbs to the planet's oxygen-rich atmosphere, which is poisonous to his species. Pikmin features three endings, which are dependent on the number of spaceship parts reclaimed. Reclaiming all thirty parts by the final day results in the best ending: Olimar waves goodbye to the Pikmin, who proceed to defend themselves on their own at nighttime, while Onions of various colors observe his departure as he looks back on the unknown planet before returning home. Reclaiming at least the twenty-five required parts by the final day results in the normal ending: Olimar quickly departs, while one of each type of Pikmin runs toward his ship to watch him depart. Lastly, failing to reclaim the twenty-five required parts by the final day results in the worst ending: Olimar crash-lands back onto the planet, succumbs to oxygen poisoning, and is taken by several Pikmin to be placed into an Onion, which converts him into a Pikmin-Hocotatian hybrid.[9]

Pikmin was ported to the Wii in 2009 as a New Play Control! title, which was made available on the Wii U's Virtual Console service in North America in 2016.[10] An HD remaster of the game was released for Nintendo Switch in 2023.[11]

Pikmin 2, released in 2004, takes place immediately following the events of Pikmin. When Olimar returns to his home planet Hocotate, he discovers that his employer, Hocotate Freight, has gone into severe debt. When the company's president discovers that the souvenir that Olimar has brought back with him is significantly valuable, he orders Olimar and Louie, another employee, to journey back to the Pikmin planet and gather treasure to pay off the debt. The main objective of Pikmin 2 is to collect human garbage that is referred to as treasure on Hocotate, including bottle caps and gadgets. The player controls both Olimar and Louie, alternating between the two characters to divide and accomplish more tasks during a single day. Unlike the first game, Pikmin 2 has no deadline, so the player can spend as many days as desired to collect all the treasure.

Like its predecessor, Pikmin 2 was ported to the Wii in 2009 (or 2012 in North America) as a New Play Control! title was made available on the Wii U's Virtual Console service in Europe in 2016.[12] An HD remaster of the game was released for Nintendo Switch in 2023.[11]

Shigeru Miyamoto hinted about the possibilities of a new Pikmin game in a July 2007 interview with IGN, saying "I certainly don't think we've seen the last of Pikmin. I definitely would like to do something with them, and I think the Wii interface in particular is very well suited to that franchise."[13] A later CNET.com interview in April 2008 reported that "For now, Miyamoto looks ahead to other projects for the Wii, mentioning his desire to continue the Pikmin series."[14] A new Pikmin game was confirmed at E3 2008 during Nintendo's developer roundtable, in which Miyamoto stated that his team was working on a new entry in the series.[15][16][17] Miyamoto confirmed that Pikmin 3 would be released on the Wii. He also stated that the Wii's controls were "working well" with the game.[18] The announcement in October 2008 of a re-release of the first two Pikmin games on the Wii with updated motion controls,[19] raised concerns about whether Pikmin 3 was in development. However, a subsequent interview with IGN clarified that the re-releases of Pikmin and Pikmin 2 under the New Play Control! series was separate from Pikmin 3.[20] The game was not shown at E3 2009, 2010, or 2011, but Miyamoto confirmed in June 2010 that the game was still in development.[21][22] At Miyamoto's roundtable discussion at E3 2011, Miyamoto stated that Pikmin 3 development was moved to Wii U, the Wii successor.[23] He said that the HD graphics for the next system and its special screen-based controller would work better for it. On April 15, 2012, Miyamoto said in a Spanish interview that a new Pikmin game and a new New Super Mario Bros. game will both be showcased for the Wii U at E3 2012. He also added the comment "Anyone who played the original Pikmin games will enjoy playing it."[24] On June 5, 2012, at Nintendo's E3 press conference, Pikmin 3 was announced and featured a trailer that revealed the inclusion of the new Rock Pikmin.[25] Six days later, a second trailer was released that revealed the new Winged Pikmin and other aspects of the game.[26] Although originally intended to be released within the Wii U's launch window,[27] Pikmin 3 was delayed and instead released in mid-2013.[28]

On August 5, 2020, Nintendo announced Pikmin 3 Deluxe, an enhanced port of Pikmin 3 for the Nintendo Switch, for release on October 30, 2020, via Twitter.[29]

A Nintendo 3DS entry in the series was announced in a Nintendo Direct in September 2016 as a side-scrolling action game due for release in 2017.[30][31] In another Nintendo Direct in April 2017, the game's title was announced as Hey! Pikmin and its release date was announced to be July 28, 2017.[32] The game was developed by Arzest.[33]

On March 22, 2021, Niantic, known primarily for the mobile game Pokémon Go, announced a Pikmin game for mobile devices.[34] Little was known at the time of announcement, except that it will feature similar gameplay to Pokémon Go, using AR technology. A playable prototype was released for select users in Singapore the same day the game was announced.[35] On October 26, 2021, the game was revealed to be titled Pikmin Bloom and launched immediately in Australia and Singapore.[36]

In September 2015, Miyamoto said that Pikmin 4 was in development and "very close to completion".[37] At E3 2017, he said that its development was still progressing.[38] Pikmin 4 was officially announced in a Nintendo Direct on September 13, 2022, with the game being released on July 21, 2023, for the Nintendo Switch.[39][40]

On November 5, 2014, three short animated Pikmin films were released on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS eShop, after being shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival. The short films, "The Night Juicer", "Treasure in a Bottle", and "Occupational Hazards", each feature Captain Olimar and groups of Pikmin. To commemorate the films, puzzles related to them were made available in the Puzzle Swap game mode of StreetPass Mii Plaza. The films were later uploaded to YouTube to promote Pikmin 3 Deluxe.