Area
Areas (エリア?, lit.: "Area") are the main explorable locations in thePikmin games. Each game in the series has a set of areas that can be visited, and these areas provide a range of environments to growPikmin, fightenemies, and collectitems. Each game features anarea selection menu for selecting which area to go to from the areas unlocked. In the main games, this menu is shown at the beginning of eachday, and it is not possible to change the area one is exploring during a day.
In each game, theleaders will only be able to access a single area initially, but over the course of the game, more areas will be unlocked. For example, to access to thePerplexing Pool inPikmin 2, a specific treasure, theGeographic Projection, must be collected. Gaining access to new areas is a major form of progression through the games.
Areas function differently in each game in the series. In the main games, areas are 3D environments with various rooms and corridors connected non-linearly, while inHey! Pikmin, areas are linear standalone levels, and are organized into groups calledsectors, of which there are 9. The items that are collected in areas vary by game as well. InPikmin,ship parts are scattered around the 5 areas. InPikmin 2, areas containtreasure and severalcaves, which contain more treasure. InPikmin 3, 4 of the 5 areas containfruit, while the last area is a standalone challenge. InPikmin 4, areas have treasure,raw material, and caves which hold treasure, raw materials, and castaways, or occasionally areDandori Challenges orDandori Battles. InHey! Pikmin, each area contains 1–4 treasures.
List[edit]
Pikmin[edit]
Pikmin 2[edit]
Pikmin 3[edit]
Pikmin 4[edit]
Hey! Pikmin[edit]
Areas inHey! Pikmin are much smaller, and grouped into sectors. Each area has a level code that indicates its sector and its placement within the sector. Areas with an "E" in the code areboss areas; areas with an "X" in the level code aresecret areas. The last sector only has 1 area, which is a boss area. Sectors also containSecret Spots andSparklium Springs.
Unlocking[edit]
The method used to unlock areas in each game differs. One area is unlocked from the start, but the others can only be accessed after certain conditions are met.
InPikmin, areas are unlocked through collectingship parts, the main collectible. The number of parts required to access each area is 1 forThe Forest of Hope, 5 forThe Forest Navel, 12 forThe Distant Spring, and 29 forThe Final Trial.
InPikmin 2, theAwakening Wood and thePerplexing Pool are unlocked by collecting theSpherical Atlas andGeographic Projection respectively, while theWistful Wild is unlocked by collecting
× 10000 worth of treasure (after the previous areas have been unlocked).
InPikmin 3, unlocking each area is tied to collecting a specific item. TheGarden of Hope is unlocked by finding theS.S. Drake and completingday 1, theDistant Tundra is unlocked by collecting theData Glutton, theTwilight River is unlocked by collecting theFolded Data Glutton, and theFormidable Oak is unlocked by collectingLouie for the second time. (To note is that although theTropical Wilds is unlocked from the start, it cannot be landed in after day 1 before rescuingBrittany.)
InPikmin 4, areas are unlocked by collecting a certain amount ofSparklium. TheSun-Speckled Terrace,Blossoming Arcadia, andSerene Shores are unlocked by collecting
× 300, × 1,500 and × 4,000 respectively. The three remaining areas of the game require an additional condition to be unlocked: theHero's Hideaway requires × 7,000 and rescuingBernard to be unlocked, theGiant's Hearth requires × 11,000 and rescuingOlimar to be unlocked, and thePrimordial Thicket requires × 13,000 and rescuingYorke andDon Bergman to be unlocked. Unlocking areas inOlimar's Shipwreck Tale requires collecting a specific amount ofship parts: 2 for the Blossoming Arcadia, 8 for the Serene Shores, and 23 for the Hero's Hideaway.
InHey! Pikmin, areas are unlocked by completing the previous area. Some areas have asecret exit which unlocks a different area to the standard exit, but both the standard next area and the secret next area will lead to the same area after that. Sectors are unlocked by completing theboss area in the previous sector, except for thefinal sector, which additionally requires collecting
× 30,000.
Features[edit]
In the main games of thePikmin series, areas have consistent features in their design. They have a landing site where theOnion(s) andship land at the beginning of the day, and these are usually connected in several directions to spaces nearby. Most spaces center around a certain enemy or theme. There are oftenobstacles between spaces that may increase the time it takes to get there or to restrict access to it until a certainPikmin type is unlocked. There are also some spaces that function more as corridors between other spaces. There are often large loops in areas that provide multiple ways to access a part of the area. InPikmin 3, areas are divided into separatedsegments, with special connections that teleport leaders and Pikmin between them. InPikmin 4, the aforementioned landing site takes on the form of multiplebases per area.
Base[edit]
InPikmin 4, each area has multiplebases for the ship and theOnion to land in. A base is marked with several glowing pink rocks on the floor making up the shape of two rings, one where theS.S. Beagle orS.S. Dolphin sits, and one where the Onion goes. Each base is given a name and a number based on the landmarks around it, though these are fixed, meaning the number doesn't reflect the order in which players find bases. When landing on the area for the first time, the player will always arrive at base #1. As the player comes across new bases, they get added to the list of unlocked bases for that area. Some bases are blocked off by something, usually anenemy, which needs to be cleared before that base can be unlocked. Despite having multiple bases meaning the player has multiple spots to land in, the game will force the player to land at the most-recently used base for that area at the start of eachday.
To select a different base as the one that the ship and Onion should currently use, the player needs to go up to an unused base and press
/
. This will make the screen fade to and from black, and when the scene returns, the ship and Onion will be just about finished with landing in the new base. Any Pikmin orleader near the Onion or ship will be instantly transported inside the ship towards the new spot. Any Pikmin that were busycarrying things will readjust their trajectory towards the new base after a second.
Unlocking a base also allows it to be used in anight expedition, provided there is an available night expedition at that base. Some largercave sublevels and theHefty HaulwayDandori Challenge also have multiple bases, though these are only marked with a single ring for the ship, since the Onion does not go underground. TheRescue Command Post's bases are unique in that the player cannot change them, and they are not marked, despite being recognized independently in theradar. The rocks of bases that have not been unlocked are a dim red, and they turn bright pink when unlocked.
Segment[edit]
InPikmin 3, areas are split into multiple segments. When a leader, Pikmin, or an object carried by Pikmin touch an invisible portal,[1] they are transported to the equivalent portal, in another segment of the area. For the most part, these segments separate the outdoors parts of an area from the tunnels and small caverns that can be explored, though some segments also exist for small enclosures, interesting plateaus, or corridors leading intoboss arenas, among other things. The act of being transported in a portal saves the player some otherwise uninteresting travel time, but besides that, segmenting the area allows the game to only focus on the segment the player or Pikmin are on, and can save on processing and rendering segments that are irrelevant. Via the use ofglitches, one can make the game show parts of a segment that aren't loaded entirely, or are missing geometry.
When the player's active leader goes through a portal, the screen goes through aniris out transition, and then an iris in transition in the new segment. The camera's behavior after this depends on a few circumstances, as explainedhere. This transition does not happen for other things that go through portals, and instead they simply appear at the destination instantly. The player can find where a portal leads by checking theradar – in the Wii U version ofPikmin 3, they can even tap on the portal's icon on the GamePad to pan the radar towards the equivalent portal. In reality, to make sure the player doesn't get transported back and forth endlessly, the destination of a portal is usually somewhere in front of the equivalent portal. In modes with a timer, transitioning through a portal also stops the timer momentarily, as explainedhere.
Terrain[edit]
Terrain varies between games, areas, and sections of areas. It has no real impact on gameplay, but it does change the atmosphere and the sounds of footsteps on the ground. Some enemies are associated with particular types of terrain.
Pikmin[edit]
Most areas inPikmin have natural surfaces such as sand, soil and wood.
- Natural
- Grass: Found in most areas.
- Soil: This is what the leader and his Pikmin will be walking on for a majority of the time. Soil is found in every area in the game.
- Sand: Usually, when there iswater, there is sand, especially inThe Distant Spring. In it, about half the amount of land is submerged in water, and that amount of land is sand. It can also be found in the small pond area inThe Impact Site and the large lake inThe Forest Navel.
- Stone The rimstone lake section ofThe Forest Navel is mostly made of stone. Some sections ofThe Impact Site include stone. Most of the general area surroundingThe Distant Spring is made out of mossy cut stone.
- Wood: Various tree stumps can be found in the game – in The Impact Site,The Forest of Hope and The Distant Spring. Bridges are made out of wood and can be walked on.
- Man-made
- Cardboard: Thecardboard boxes in The Impact Site, The Forest of Hope and The Final Trial can be walked on by using a nearby rock as a platform.
- Rusted metal: InThe Final Trial, large slabs of rusted metal are used to cross the body of water separating the landing site from the area where the player battles against theEmperor Bulblax, which actually takes place in a large metal "bowl" like arena. This metal bowl arena is actually a sideways rusty tire rim.
Pikmin 2[edit]
InPikmin 2, the player will find a vast array of different types of terrain.
- Natural
- Snow: In some caverns, one may find the area to be covered in a blanket of snow. This terrain can be found in theValley of Repose and its respective caverns.
- Grass: A common terrain, mostly found in above ground areas, with theAwakening Wood being a common example. Grass-like terrain can be found in thePerplexing Pool; however, considering the area's aquatic nature, it's possible that it's actually moss.
- Wood: As in the first game, tree stumps can be found, most notably in thePerplexing Pool.
- Sand: ThePerplexing Pool has sand surrounding its lakes, and the concrete cave theme also uses sand as terrain.
- Mud: Mud can be found near the pothole cover of theValley of Repose, and the surface around the entrance to theHole of Heroes appears to also be made of mud.
- Man-made
- Concrete: Can be found in a few areas; most of theValley of Repose is formed from concrete. This is due to it being a crosswalk of sorts.
- Tile: This style consists of simple turquoise-colored tile filled floors and walls, which have sand filled in between each tile. Areas with this style usually have water, which is typically found in small descents of ground. The tiles may be interrupted by sand or a metallic floor.
- Stone formations: Inside thePerplexing Pool, there are odd stones formations that are mysteriously shaped, some of which are walk-able. These odd formations range from simple pathways to maze-like structures.
- Seesaw blocks: In several areas, there are sets ofseesaw blocks. They can be used to lift Pikmin and theleaders to higher areas, and several sets of these scales must be navigated to obtain treasure.
- Rusted metal: The landing area of theWistful Wild is actually an old road sign, in addition to being on top of a sideways rusty tire rim. The fire path that was made of rusty metal fromThe Final Trial can also be considered a metallic surface. There is rusty metal that can be found by theWhite Flower Garden's entrance. There is also the metal theme for caves that is made almost entirely out of rusted metal.
- Dirty metal: There is a set of corridors made out of metal pipes commonly used with the tile theme for caves mentioned above. These pipes don't appear to be corroded, but are dirty instead.
Pikmin 3[edit]
- Natural
- Glass: Shards of glass and largecrystal formations are present and can serve as obstacles or have valuable items encased inside of them. They can be shattered by being continuously hit withRock Pikmin.
- Sand: Sand flooring exists in theTropical Wilds. There is also plenty of sand in several areas ofMission Mode andBingo Battle.
- Wood: There are multiple places where wood is incorporated into the terrain. In the Tropical Wilds, wood is accessible to walk on, but has no special features. In theDistant Tundra, frozen wood is incorporated as well as a walkway to the cave whereCharlie is rescued. Someclipboards can also be walked on.
- Snow: In theDistant Tundra, snow can be found blanketing much of the area. It makes a crunching sound when leaders walk on it, similar to that inPikmin 2.
- Grass: The most common terrain, it covers most floors of areas and has no special qualities.
- Rock: Caves are structured from rock, and types range from simple brown rock, similar to that inPikmin andPikmin 2, to odd moss-covered rock, looking like granite.
- Mud: Terrain that exists primarily in theGarden of Hope, mainly in the arena of theQuaggled Mireclops. This terrain may change from water back to mud by the boss' stomps.
- Lily pads:Lily pads drift along rivers in theTwilight River, allowing leaders and Pikmin to travel across it and find moresegments.
- Man-made
- Ceramics: All of thebridges inPikmin 3 are constructed from ceramic objects.
- Tile: Simple tiling that has sand filled between the cracks. Similar to that inPikmin 2, but it is only present in very few places.
- Buckets: A large bucket serves as a bridge to the Quaggled Mireclops' arena. In someBingo Battle stages, plastic buckets can be found under the Onions.
- Scales: A set of scales can be found in areas in both Story and Mission Mode. These scales have a redesign fromPikmin 2, and can be used to get to fruits and to further segments.
- Rusted metal: Metal similar to that inPikmin 2, but darker and with less or more rust.
- Pipes: They are unique ways of transport in the Bingo Battle areaRusted Labyrinth. They allow leaders to slide to lower areas, while geysers can transport them back up to the upper areas.
- Conveyor belts:Conveyor belts are unique ways of transport in theMission Mode areaClockwork Chasm, with switches to change the direction of movement. These switches can be activated using Pikmin.
- Bricks: Self-explanatory. Some are found in the Twilight River and cannot be interacted with.
- Foam: All of theJigsaw Colosseum andJigsaw Fortress stages inBingo Battle are both set on top of foam puzzle-piece mats.
- Cake frosting: The top of a cake is accessible by geyser on the Collect Treasure! variant of theFortress of Festivity.
- Pizza: A pizza can be found on the Collect Treasure! variant of theFortress of Festivity and can be walked on.
- Cardboard: Alongside the pizza in the Collect Treasure! variant of theFortress of Festivity, is a circular cardboard pizza box that the pizza is located inside.
Hey! Pikmin[edit]
InHey! Pikmin, the player can find a fairly large variety of environments. Each sector of the game features a unique environment, which serves to set the ambience. However, some areas vary from the atmosphere of the sector where they're located.
- Brilliant Garden: The first sector of the game has rather common terrain, made of grass and foliage.
- Verdant Waterfront: This sector mainly focuses on water environments, such as lakes, as well as all the plant-life terrain found around lakes.
- Sparkling Labyrinth: A rocky sector, with terrain made of rocks and crystals.
- Ravaged Rustworks: This sector features human-made materials, such as metal pipes and tubes.
- Leafswirl Lagoon: The environment of this sector is pretty focused on autumn, with the terrain being mostly dead leaves and dirt.
- Sweltering Parchlands: This sector is mostly themed around fire, so the terrain consists of dirt, coal, and burned vegetation.
- Snowfall Field: The exact opposite of the previous sector; this time, snow makes up most of the terrain, and this area symbolizes winter.
- Lushlife Murk andThe Final Stretch: The last areas are focused on poisoned environments; the terrain usually consists of barren dirt and rock.
Relations[edit]
Though not directly confirmed, it is heavily implied that some areas inPikmin 2 are actually areas fromPikmin, albeit changed. TheAwakening Wood has the same layout asThe Forest of Hope. It has been implied by Olimar that these are the same location, as read on his journal about theGeographic Projection.[2] Likewise, thePerplexing Pool shares the same layout asThe Distant Spring, with some changes (such as the concrete section at the landing site). TheWistful Wild is a combination ofThe Impact Site andThe Final Trial, with some new terrain connecting the areas. TheValley of Repose is not a remade version ofThe Forest Navel or any other area from the firstPikmin game and is completely new.
All areas inPikmin 3 are original, while the forest shown in the title screen is almost the same as the western path of theAwakening Wood. This is best seen with a model viewer, because of the water and angles. This comparison is detailedhere. TheMission Mode stageForgotten Cove is a remade version of theThe Forest Navel.
The Forest of Hope'sradar pattern on top of a map of the Awakening Wood.
The Distant Spring's radar pattern on top of a map of the Perplexing Pool.
The Impact Site and The Final Trial's radar patterns on top of a map of the Wistful Wild.
Animation comparing thePikmin 3 title screen with the Awakening Wood.
Gallery[edit]
A map ofThe Impact Site.
A map ofThe Forest of Hope.
A map ofThe Forest Navel.
A map ofThe Distant Spring.
A map ofThe Final Trial.
A map of theValley of Repose.
A map of theAwakening Wood.
A map of thePerplexing Pool.
A map of theWistful Wild.
A map of theTropical Wilds.
A map of theGarden of Hope.
A map of theDistant Tundra.
A map of theTwilight River.
A map of theFormidable Oak.
A map of theRescue Command Post.
A map of theSun-Speckled Terrace.
A map of theSun-Speckled Terrace inOlimar's Shipwreck Tale.
A map of theBlossoming Arcadia.
A map of theBlossoming Arcadia inOlimar's Shipwreck Tale.
A map of theSerene Shores before noon.
A map of theSerene Shores after noon.
A map of theSerene Shores before noon inOlimar's Shipwreck Tale.
A map of theSerene Shores after noon inOlimar's Shipwreck Tale.
A map of theHero's Hideaway.
A map of theHero's Hideaway inOlimar's Shipwreck Tale.
A map of theGiant's Hearth.
A map of thePrimordial Thicket.
Trivia[edit]
- The main areas inPikmin 2 andPikmin 3 each represent a season: theValley of Repose and theDistant Tundra are winter, theAwakening Wood and theGarden of Hope are spring, thePerplexing Pool andTropical Wilds are summer, and theWistful Wild andTwilight River are autumn.
- The main areas inPikmin 3 are also each located on a different continent of Earth: theTropical Wilds is in Antarctica, theGarden of Hope is in Australia, theDistant Tundra is in Asia, and theTwilight River is in South America. TheFormidable Oak is based on Greenland, though in the current-day location instead ofPangaea Proxima's.
- The names of the areas inPikmin 3 all have the same number of characters (including spaces) – 14.
- InPikmin andPikmin 2, some meteors occasionally appear on thearea selection menu's sky. A large cluster of them temporarily appears when the last area of each game is unlocked.
- Pikmin Bloom does not have areas, though since the game takes place on a map of the real world, it could be argued that the entirety of Earth is its single area, which would make it the largest area in the series.
Names in other languages[edit]
Area
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Japanese | エリア? Eria | Area | |
 Chinese(traditional) | 地區 區域 Dìqū Qūyù | Area | Used inPikmin 3. Used inPikmin 4. |
 Chinese(simplified) | 区域 Qūyù | Area | |
 Dutch | Gebied | Area | |
 French | Région Zone | Region Zone | Used inPikmin,Pikmin 2 andPikmin 4. Used inPikmin 3. |
 German | Region Gebiet | Region | Used inPikmin. Used inPikmin 2,Pikmin 3 andPikmin 4. |
 Italian | Area | Area | |
 Korean | 지역 jiyeog | Area | |
 Portuguese | Área | Area | |
 Spanish | Zona | Zone |
Surface
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 地上? Chijō | Above-ground |
| Chinese (traditional) | 地上 Dìshang | Above-ground |
| Chinese (simplified) | 地上 Dìshang | Above-ground |
| Dutch | Bovengronds | Above-ground |
| French | Surface | Surface |
| German | Oberfläche | Surface |
| Italian | Superficie | Surface |
| Korean | 지상 jisang | Above-ground |
| Portuguese | Superfície | Surface |
| Spanish | Superficie | Surface |
Base
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 拠点? Kyoten | Base |
| Chinese (traditional) | 據點 Jùdiǎn | Base |
| Chinese (simplified) | 据点 Jùdiǎn | Base |
| Dutch | Kamp | Camp |
| French | Base | Base |
| German | Basis | Base |
| Italian | Base | Base |
| Korean | 거점 geojeom | Base |
| Portuguese | Base | Base |
| Spanish | Base | Base |
Sector
| Area (Hey! Pikmin)
|
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^In the game files, the object's data is in
/content/CMCmn/object/portal.szs. - ^“The interior of this hemisphere contains a chip coded with charts detailing a new region. I explored this forest the last time I was here, but it's clear that it has undergone some dramatic changes. The plants and animals have also evolved significantly. I've given this forest a new name... The Awakening Wood. I must begin to form a hypothesis to explain why the forest changed so rapidly.” – Captain Olimar inOlimar's journal for theGeographic Projection
| Pikminareas |
|---|
 Click an area on the image
The Impact Site •The Forest of Hope •The Forest Navel •The Distant Spring •The Final Trial animtest •codetest •E3play_3 •map_06 •play_4 •route •shapetst •testmap •tuto1 •tuto2 |
| Pikmin 2areas |
|---|
 Click an area on the image
Valley of Repose •Awakening Wood •Perplexing Pool •Wistful Wild |
| Pikmin 3areas |
|---|
 Click an area on the image Tropical Wilds •Garden of Hope •Distant Tundra •Twilight River •Formidable Oak |
| Pikmin 4areas |
|---|
 Click an area on the image Rescue Command Post •Sun-Speckled Terrace •Blossoming Arcadia •Serene Shores •Hero's Hideaway •Giant's Hearth •Primordial Thicket |
| Hey! Pikminsectors |
|---|
| Brilliant Garden •Verdant Waterfront •Sparkling Labyrinth •Ravaged Rustworks •Leafswirl Lagoon •Sweltering Parchlands •Snowfall Field •Lushlife Murk •The Final Stretch |