Pikmin 2

Pikmin 2
Developer	Nintendo EAD
Publisher	Nintendo
System	Nintendo Gamecube, Wii, Wii U, Nintendo Switch
Release Date	Gamecube JP April 29, 2004 US August 30, 2004 EU October 8, 2004 Wii JP June 11, 2009 EU April 24, 2009 AU May 14, 2009 Wii U PAL December 15, 2016 US March 30, 2017 JP June 21, 2017 Switch (Digital) June 21, 2023
Gallery	GH Gallery
Rating	ESRB: E

Pikmin 2 is a realtime strategy game that was originally released for the Nintendo Gamecube in 2004. As the title suggests, it is the second installment of the Pikmin series and a sequel to the original Pikmin.

Plot

Following the events of the first Pikmin, Olimar has returned Hocotate home to find that the company that he works for, Hocotate Freight, has fallen into debt, and his own ship was sold off to cover it. However, it is discovered that one of the treasures that Olimar found in his journey is worth a lot of money, so The President sends Olimar and Louie to the planet to search for more. The two of them work both together and apart with the Pikmin population in the search for more treasure.

Gameplay

The gameplay is similar to the previous game in which the players control a character commanding a group of Pikmin to perform various tasks to help in collecting items and proceeding through the planet, although this installment does not have a set limit of days in which everything has to be accomplished. One of the new features is that this game features two leader characters at the same time, through whom the player can split apart the Pikmin forces to accomplish multiple tasks. This game features the same varieties of Pikmin from the first game while adding two new ones: White and Purple Pikmin. White Pikmin are faster, immune to poison and can uncover hidden treasures, while Purple Pikmin are slower but stronger than other Pikmin. The player can also temporarily work with Bulbmin.

The goal of the game is to collect all 201 treasures. The game also has a two-player mode in which players control Olimar and Louie competing against each other, and there is also an unlockable challenge mode where a player (or two players playing cooperatively) must find a key in a cave area to progress further.

Legacy

Ports/Remakes

• In 2009, it was rereleased for the Wii as part of the New Play Control series. This primarily tweaked the gameplay to utilize the Wii's motion controls. This version was later released for download through the Wii U's eShop, in 2016 for Europe/Australia and in 2017 for America/Japan.
• HD remasters of the first two games were released for the Nintendo Switch in 2023. They were made available digitally in June, where the games could be bought separately or in a bundle, and a physical bundle called Pikmin 1+2 was released on September 22nd of that year. The physical game card contains both games, but launches them as separate apps. This version of Pikmin 2 was based on the New Play Control version and received a notable change, as the references to real-world products (such as Duracell batteries and the drink Yoo-Hoo) were replaced with fictional brands. Some treasure names and descriptions were changed, and the songs Ai no Uta and Tane no Uta were also removed, possibly due to licensing issues.

Sequels

After several years of promising a new Pikmin installment, Nintendo finally released Pikmin 3 for the Wii U in 2013.

See Also

• Treasures in Pikmin 2