Pikmin 2 is a game created by Shigiru Myamoto, produced by Nintendo and played on the GameCube. It is a game about 2 beings from a foreign planet. After crash landing on earth, the half-inch tall spaceman, Olimar, rebuilt his spaceship the S.S. Dolphin, and flew back to his home planet of Hocatate. This all happened in the previous game Pikmin one. Pikmin 2 starts off with Olimar and his new co-pilot Louie being forced back to this mysterious planet (earth) in search of treasures to repay the debt Hocotate Space Travel had occurred. The treasures that they collect are relics of human civilization that are very large in comparison to the brave adventurers size. As in its predecessor, upon landing on earth the space manmeet and make use of the pikmin. The pikmin are plant-based creatures with somesort of vegetation growing out of their head (leaf, bud, or flower) who respondto whistles and reproduce through feeding dead creatures to the pikmin vesselknown as an onion. They come in 5 colors which are red, blue, yellow, white,and purple which represent their unique skills being impervious to fire, breathunderwater, impervious to electricity, impervious to poison, and super strengthrespectively. The game is on a timer and after 15 minutes the day ends. Atnight creatures come out to hunt so it is imperative that the pikmin are safebefore the onions and the spaceship go into orbit to avoid the hunt. pikmin canbe lost in combat with the native monsters of the land or by hazards such asfire, water, electricity, or poison. Combat in this game is a spaceman, Louieor Olimar(you can switch between the two at will), throwing pikmin through theair onto the enemy creatures, and the pikmin whittle down their health. Mostenemies have tricks to beating them and their own ways of attacking.
The combat is tricky as you are throwing pikmin onto giant monsters while dodging attacks for your characters health and the amount of pikmin you are wielding. There are also several unique attacks like one of the Space men spraying the enemy with a purple stone spray, turning creatures temporarily to stone. There are also puzzles around the different sites that require the different kinds of pikmin to navigate. The overall goal is to collect another earth items to pay the debt.
There are two key analytical points to cover in this game and it is the treasure and quality of life of the pikmin. First off, the treasure is usually what humans would consider insignificant especially in the age that Pikmin 2 came out(2004). Stuff like quarters, bottle caps, pieces of globes, and water pistols. This garbage in the eyes of a tiny alien is special and useful. I think it is a comment on the creators about that old adage ones man trash is another mans treasure and how there is this whole history of the past we forget about. The other point is the quality of life of the pikmin. Miyamoto got the idea of pikmin from watching ants in a garden, they are prey to most creatures at the bottom of the food chain but are capable of so much. A swarm of ants working together can topple the world. This being said in the game the pikmin band together under Olimar and Louie’s leadership, and die a lot. To the playerthe pikmin are represented as troops and numbers, but in examination the game specificallymakes you see the spirits leave the pikmins body as they die. At night theplayer is forced to see the pikmin run and fear for their lives. This issomething specific put into the game to bring about the idea that it’s morethan just a game and you can’t just abuse your troops of pikmin, and you needto save them as much as you want to save yourself.