Music in Pikmin 3
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The music of Pikmin 3 accompanies every mode of the game, from themes and cues during gameplay to scores of cutscenes and menus, in order to enhance the various moods of the game and to direct gameplay. Generally, the textural style of the music reflects either the technology of Koppai, the scenic environment of PNF-404, or the progression of the story and the quirky nature of Pikmin. In the spirit of compositions for the Pikmin series, this installment features dynamic music that adapts to what occurs in the game, using parameters such as what tasks Pikmin are carrying out, the time of day, and the weather in a particular area. Between gameplay, pre-rendered cutscenes are scored by a Hollywood-style orchestra, and in-game cutscenes are textured by varied loops and cues of music. Compared with the music of the previous games, this game's music is much more atmospheric and ethereal; melody is only germane in establishing leitmotifs in the game. This game's music also contains many more original synthesized instruments, to heighten the theme of futurism and to give the soundtrack personality.
Like the previous soundtracks in the series, all the sounds are synthesized or samples attempting to mimic real instruments. This installment of the series features the most advanced sound technology yet, producing very realistic representations of real instruments. However, unlike the music in the previous game, this game's music is all pre-rendered, not played note-by-note in real time; this allows for new instruments, new textures, and new experimentation with sound, at the cost of a less flexible soundtrack. It also should be noted that all titles for Pikmin 3 music in this article and elsewhere are conjectural, as the tracks have no known official names.
Composers[edit]
The soundtrack to Pikmin 3 was composed by Asuka Hayazaki, Atsuko Asahi, and Hajime Wakai, with the additional music in Pikmin 3 Deluxe being done by Soshi Abe and guest composer Babi.[1] Since the soundtrack to Pikmin 3 does not have an official album, unlike Pikmin did with Pikmin World, the individual songs do not have composer credits explicitly provided by Nintendo. Alternative means have instead been used to identify each piece's composer:
- Nintendo's naming convention for audio files in their games includes the artist's initials. In the internal names, "w" denotes Hajime Wakai, "aa" denotes Atsuko Asahi, "o" denotes Asuka Hayazaki (maiden name "Ohta"), and "as" denotes Soshi Abe.
- A composer's unique music equipment can be used to determine what songs they've worked on.[2] Songs that use sounds from Cubase are indicative of Atsuko Asahi's work,[3] while instances of sounds from the KORG Triton Studio are likely by Asuka Hayazaki.
- Babi attributes four in-game songs and the ending theme for the Side Stories to herself on her website. Through e-mail, she has elaborated further on what songs these are specifically.[4]
If enough identifying evidence is present to pinpoint the composer of a song, the song's composer will also be listed within this article.
Leitmotifs[edit]
These are small gestures that reappear throughout the game suggesting ideas or setting moods.
 The "Koppaite motif", denoting Koppai, its technology, and/or the mission of collecting fruit. |
 The Plasm Wraith's motif. |
 "The Pikmin motif", denoting Pikmin themselves. |
Menus[edit]
The menus of the game have looping music beds that play the environment presented in the menu. Normally that environment has a spatial view of PNF-404, so the menu themes in this game especially adhere to presenting a suggestion of space and spaceships (the main menu being the exception).
- Title screen
| Title screen | |
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| Internal name | STRM_BGM_Title_48k.bfstm
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The main theme of the game, heard in the title screen. This fluent, swirling demonstration of the music program's aptitude continues the tradition of main themes being waltzes, although this one is the longest and most complex of the three. A harp and glockenspiel are most prominent with the melody (a transformation of the Pikmin 2 motif into a scalar gesture), along with one grand flourish in the harp when the melody returns. Strings provide harmonies and interest using pizzicato and small divisi solos. Finally, the small sounds kalimba and marimba distinguish this as a Pikmin theme. The whole theme definitely plays the natural beauty of PNF-404; when it concludes, birdsong and rushing water sounds fade in, while the ensemble drones quietly around F major and its progression, a few instruments playing the Pikmin 2 motif here and there.
- Day selection
| Day selection | |
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| Composer | Asuka Hayazaki |
| Internal name | FileSelect.o.48.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard in the day selection menu and saved game selection menu. The mood of this composition switches drastically from the main menu's, as the spatial view of PNF-404 and the focus on the Koppaite explorers demands a theme regarding Koppai. As such, the music is highly synthezised, with drones in synth string bass, oscillating harmonic accents, and spacey background sound effects over a bed of very shimmery overtone sounds and one panning drum-machine cowbell. The melody in this ballad-like drone is difficult to make out, but it begins as a development of the Pikmin 2 motif. One of the instruments playing the melody (especially discernible at the end of the loop) is a cymbal-esque synthesizer that first debuted in Pikmin in The Distant Spring's theme. It will recur throughout the music of this game.
- Today's report
| Today's report | |
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| Composer | Asuka Hayazaki |
| Internal name | Result.o.48.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard after the S.S. Drake takes off at the end of a day, during the day results menu. This theme is a remaster of the "today's report" theme of the previous two games. The bass-string drone is much more prominent in this version, which shows off the tune's progression of harmonies over a C bass. Also to note in this new version is a new oscillating chip-tone sound effect that accrues volume at the end of each measure. Some of the instruments in the mix have undergone a makeover, most particularly the arpeggiating instrument that in the first two games was more prominent; in this version it is a sound with low attack, making it sound like it is dragging. The main melodic instrument is still the same, however; it plays the separation of the spaceship from the natural ground environment.
- S.S. Drake
| S.S. Drake | |
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| Internal name | STRM_BGM_Mapselect_48k.bfstm
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Heard inside the S.S. Drake during the area selection menu. Perhaps the most synthetic theme in the game, this track entirely plays to the technology and environment of the S.S. Drake's interior. A simple melody in a sine-wave synthesizer plays as pad strings and rotary synthesizers evolve beneath it. An echoing drum machine eventually enters the mix, along with some sound effects that might resemble spaceship computer sounds. When addressing "space" themes in this game, sound effects that rise or fall chromatically seem to be popular; they occur in a majority of the menu themes.
| Mission Mode menu | |
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| Composer | Asuka Hayazaki |
| Internal name | MissionSelect.o.48.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard in the Mission Mode menu. This menu has a spatial background, but the menu itself does not necessarily suggest space. Thus the theme is not synthesized to the same degree as the S.S. Drake theme, for example. A synthetic bass, elaborate percussion, and chromatic sound effects form the foundation, but a rousing string section, trumpets, and glockenspiel and xylophone dominate the melody. These more recognizable instruments aid the excitement of preparing for a Mission Mode stage.
| Side Stories menu | |
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| Composer | Soshi Abe |
| Internal name | SidestorySelect.as.48.dspadpcm
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Heard in the Side Stories menu. This theme shares the same chord progression as the Mission Mode menu and Bingo Battle menu themes, but is at a slower pace, and has instrumentation very similar to the day selection menu theme. This makes it a hybrid of the menu themes of Story Mode and the alternative game modes, emphasizing how the Side Stories are a hybrid of the 2 game styles. The theme also has a strong drumbeat and many light percussion elements in the background to add to the theme of space. This theme is exclusive to Pikmin 3 Deluxe.
| Bingo Battle menu | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | Vsselect.aa.48.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard in the Bingo Battle menu. This menu is very similar to the Mission Mode menu; in fact, this theme is the same theme, in the same key, merely played with half-time percussion. This time however, a fanfare announces the theme, and it is accented by trumpets, a tuba, a military percussion, again over a synthesized music bed and sound effects. The whole mood still captures the space background, but feels much more like an appropriate preparation for battle.
- Mission results
| Mission results | |
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| Composer | Hajime Wakai |
| Internal name | m_result.o.32.dspadpcm
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Heard during the results menu of a Mission mode stage, regardless of the results themselves. This is the Challenge Mode results theme from Pikmin 2; nothing was changed about it before it was used in this game. Using complex gestures in synthesized bass, marimba, and snare drum, this composition definitely conveys the relay of information. The melody, in a different meter and over a different harmonic progression, is the main motif from the "today's report" menu theme, again stating that this menu is the end of the mission.
- Side Story results
| Side Story results | |
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| Composer | Soshi Abe |
| Internal name | SideStory_Result.as.48.dspadpcm
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Heard during the results menu of a Side Stories mission. This shares some similarities to the Mission Mode results theme, such as the strong snare drum rhythm and the sound of the bass synth, and shares some similarities to the saved game selection menu theme from Pikmin and Pikmin 2, such as the ostinato in the background and some of the sound effects. The melody, played on a brass-like synth, prominently uses the Tresillo rhythm. Interestingly, The President indicates that he composed the song in the dialog box when the player gets a platinum medal. This theme is exclusive to Pikmin 3 Deluxe.
Cutscenes[edit]
Most of the cutscenes of the game have pre-rendered soundtracks, as they are usually a specified length. The theatrical cutscenes have a Hollywood-style orchestra to perform them, plus electronics. Meanwhile, the in-game cutscenes can sometimes have a looped theme, since dialog occurs over the cutscene that requires player input to progress. These cutscenes can be performed by a wide range of ensembles and electronics, as they all have varying moods and contexts to convey.
- Loading screen
| Loading screen | |
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Heard after selecting the game from the Wii U menu, when it is loading. A theme rather dissimilar from anything else in the game, this quiet theme merely wanders in a simple waltz using instruments that are similar to real instruments but that have synthesized distinctions. The percussion is bottle-like, the melody is ocean-harp-like, and the string drone late in the tune is violin-like, but they all have intended differences from the real sound. This theme is not in Pikmin 3 Deluxe.
- Story Mode opening
| Story Mode opening | |
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Heard during attraction mode, or when a new game begins. The first-ever narrator in the series (voice of Julian Macfarlane) reads the following passage, which contains key elements that change the soundtrack.
Before the passage begins, a dramatic percussion hit silences the audience, with a quiet A in bass strings immediately disconcerting the mood. After the galactic date, a synthesized bass joins this A, bringing overtones into the passing drone. Only when the narrator introduces Koppai does this texture change. Pad strings and a small gesture in a triangle wave follow the appearance of the planet, and tremolo strings in an F-Lydian chord accent the name "Koppai". The next sentence begins with a low tam-tam, and reverb from the previous gesture morphs into an organ-like synthesizer, violins playing open notes, and a small gesture in marimba accent Koppai's predicament, although focusing more still on its introduction. This fades into reverb; at "another planet", a new texture arrives. As it plays the technology of space travel and SPEROs, it is entirely synthesized, and quite major. Reverberant strings bring it down, however, clogging this initial texture until "to their dismay", when the whole texture ends on C minor and falters away. At "the final vessel", the music suddenly builds into a major orchestral sting, with full strings, horns, and timpani. The texture is by no means "miraculous" sounding; its dissonant blaring around D minor leaves the mood of PNF-404 very ambiguous. But this thins out to a simple triumphant counterpoint in pad strings when "they mobilize". At "Koppai's last hope", the theme gains power from a trumpet, and loses reverb to become more coherent. As the narrator pauses, a drum machine, timpani, and tambourine accent the space travel scene. A trumpet toots the triumphant "Koppaite motif", under a quiet chip-tone texture. A harp flourish sweeps out this beat at "nears its end". The music is now continued in the orchestra, but it quickly spirals into dissonant whole-tone harmonies as "they initiate the landing sequence". Percussion mounts the tension until the big release at "something goes horribly wrong", when the resolving high D sustains in violins over decaying cellos. It all fades, and when the three leaders plummet to PNF-404, only a lone shimmering drone in F returns. The final gesture is an echoing synthesized Pikmin 2 motif, in a sustained chord context. Unlike the prologue in the previous game, this ending is much more ambiguous, the major turnaround only suggesting the title of the game and not the fate of the Koppaites.
- Captain Charlie's introduction
| Captain Charlie's introduction | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | demo_BossEDie2_CharlieTheme.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm demo_c00_CharlieTheme.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard after Captain Charlie awakens in the Distant Tundra, and being rescued from the Vehemoth Phosbat. This brief fanfare is heroic, but the clapping beat behind it decreases its power and seems to encapsulate it on a small scale. This seems like the theme that Charlie would have chosen to introduce himself, powerful but easily understood.
- Peculiar discovery
| Peculiar discovery | |
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| Composer | Asuka Hayazaki |
| Internal name | demo_a02.o.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when something Pikmin-related is discovered, such as a new Onion. This is a remaster of the "peculiar discovery" theme from the previous game, beginning with a small percussive gesture when a leader first notices something. The marimba from the previous game is now a tremolo guitar, and the flute is now a synthesizer; the theme appears to be a more modernized, streamlined version of the previous rendition, playing both the Pikmin and the futurism of the new Onion design.
- Tutorial
| Tutorial | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | Minigame.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm Minigame_Introless.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when in a tutorial on how to control Pikmin or throw leaders. This small theme is entirely synthesized, with lo-fi percussion and a wah-guitar-like sound providing bass and harmony. The melody is very repetitious, and the loop is only so long, accenting the brevity but sealing in the effectiveness of the tutorial.
- Charlie's cliffhanger
| Charlie's cliffhanger | |
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| Composer | Asuka Hayazaki |
| Internal name | demo_c06.o.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when Charlie is attacked by the Vehemoth Phosbat. In a horror-film-like turn, high aleatoric strings and horn cluster chords put Charlie in a suspenseful environment. When he realizes the horror behind him, the music swells to a high-contrast cluster, but without any accent for a jump-scare; instead an ocean harp glissando leaves Charlie's story unfinished.
- Alph awakens
| Alph awakens | |
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| Composer | Asuka Hayazaki |
| Internal name | demo_a00.o.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when Alph wakes up in the pool of water in the Tropical Wilds. A mainly whole-tone texture accents Alph's awakening, with col legno strings, a music box, and a clarinet playing the main gesture. A vibraphone and one other instrument travel the whole-tone scale, eventually closing into the early "Alph's Crash Site" theme.
- Red Pikmin encounter
| Red Pikmin encounter | |
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| Composer | Asuka Hayazaki |
| Internal name | demo_a01.o.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when Alph finds a lone Red Pikmin and it runs away. The babyish sound of the celeste and synthesizer in this cue accent the smallness, perhaps the silly or cute look of the Pikmin to Alph. However, tremolo strings build the tension for when the Pikmin is scared and runs away, leaving Alph and a solo clarinet rather confused.
- Found important item
| Found important item | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | demo_glad.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when an important non-Pikmin item is discovered, such as the first piece of fruit or the KopPad. This is a new rendition of the success theme, with more prominent flutes with vibrato playing the "success" motif, and a clearer sound in the harmony and bass, thanks to an acoustic guitar sound. Percussion is also added in this rendition, another element adding to the satisfying conclusiveness of this tonal motif.
The fanfare then continues into a looping section, which is a new rendition of the success theme's loop, although thinner, and with a softer percussion mix and melodic instrument. All of the synthesizers used here are once again very adept at conveying a "space explorer" mood.
- New Pikmin type
| New Pikmin type | |
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| Composer | Hajime Wakai |
| Internal name | demo_get_pikmin.w.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when a new type of Pikmin is plucked or found. Again, a mixture of synthesizers and small natural instruments introduce the Pikmin, this time with a decoration of the Pikmin 2 motif. One should notice how the melodic synthesizer detunes at the end of the cue, leading into the dialogue about new Pikmin.
The simple and playful loop that follows has an easy melody and not very many instruments; it allows the player and the leader to adjust to a new type of Pikmin. It also plays the characteristics of the Pikmin, such as if a Pikmin is demonstrating its ability during the cutscene. Before it loops, it slows down.
- Found S.S. Drake
| Found S.S. Drake | |
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| Composer | Asuka Hayazaki |
| Internal name | demo_a10_00.o.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when Alph finds the S.S. Drake. Taking on a more triumphant and orchestral tone than the previous cutscenes, the S.S. Drake is introduced with a fanfare of the "Koppaite" motif, ending on a more ambiguous dominant F chord. Flutes provide small spurts of a harmony that will recur when this motif is used again, landing in a new area.
- No signs of life
| No signs of life | |
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| Composer | Asuka Hayazaki |
| Internal name | demo_a10_01.o.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when Alph first scans for life around the S.S. Drake. This small cue begins with almost a cartoonish mood, with a gracing flute and rhythmic staccato violins slowly descending as Alph's hopes for intelligent life are dashed. The cue ends in a small reprise of the main gesture in Alph's Crash Site, finishing with an uncertain dominant ♭9 E chord. This leads well into the surprise call from Brittany.
- Brittany's theme
| Brittany's theme | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | demo_a10_2_Connect.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard during Brittany's first call to Alph. Brittany has a strange synthesized theme in A, built by a cutoff-oscillating saw synthesizer. A simple whole-tone melody on a second synthesizer establishes Brittany as remotely friendly, while the calm drum-machine percussion puts the urgency of her condition at ease. This theme is meant to quell any worry about Brittany's previously unknown fate.
- Nocturnal predators
| Nocturnal predators | |
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| Composer | Asuka Hayazaki |
| Internal name | demo_a10_03.o.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when Alph explains rocketing into orbit at sunset to escape nocturnal predators. When Alph first hears the strange alien calls (of a Whiptongue Bulborb), his panic incites a Bernard-Herrmann-esque gesture in high strings and discordant brass. Afterwards an atonal loop plays, with a main synthesized sound and metal percussion that set the mood almost of a horror B-movie. It is clear that the music is trying to convey the strange sounds as the noises of an extraterrestrial being; the atonality suggests that this being means the player harm.
- Area loading
| Area loading | |
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Heard whenever an area is loading at the start of a day (or at a specific time of day), Mission Mode stage, or Bingo Battle. More of a sound than a theme, this progression ebbs from a C fifth drone to C major, using very simple synthesizers and a lot of evolving reverb to break down the complexity surrounding the menus and prepare the player for the new complexity of the gameplay area.
- Land in a new area
| Land in a new area | |
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| Composer | Asuka Hayazaki |
| Internal name | demo_CourseIn.o.32.dspadpcm.bfstm demo_CourseIn_d00.o.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard whenever the S.S. Drake lands in an area for the first time, besides the Tropical Wilds and Distant Tundra. This exultant gesture is the "Koppaite" motif at its best, signaled by triangle and timpani and carried by a trumpet section and an array of synthesizers, including one similar to the main synth in the "new Pikmin type" theme. The full, rich harmony of the final note lasts right up until the leaders emerge from their landed ship.
- Discovery
| Discovery | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | demo_explain_loop.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard whenever something important needs explaining, such as the Pikmin limit or a new signal showing up in the Garden of Hope. This is a remaster of the "explanation" theme from the previous game; the composition and instrumentation are the same, but now with the technical advancement behind Pikmin 3's music, the gesture is clearer and more realistic. It leads into a loop as the leaders explained what they have discovered.
- Discovery (loop)
| Discovery (loop) | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | demo_explain_loop.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard as a leader explains a gameplay-related discovery. This is a remaster of the "explanation" theme from the previous game; with the technical advancement behind Pikmin 3's music, the gesture is clearer and more realistic. The harmonic progression is different, however: in Pikmin 2 the loop progresses C major, G major, C major, G minor; whereas in Pikmin 3 the progression is only a loop of C major, G major.
- Found Brittany
| Found Brittany | |
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Heard when Brittany is spotted lying on the ground in the Garden of Hope. As Brittany was not expected to be found in such a dubious state, the music takes an atonal turn, with a horror-film-style buildup (and tambourine rattle) to a six-hit release in synthesizer and strings, in a way resembling the style of the "Final Floor!" theme of the previous game. One can also hear the first instance of a flexatone in the Pikmin series.
- Brittany's theme reprise
| Brittany's theme reprise | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | demo_b11_Briconnect.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when Alph calls Brittany and she awakens. This reprise of Brittany's theme adds a piano-glockenspiel hit to the beginning (a friendly tone to calm concerns about Brittany's state) and a new piano-esque melodic synthesizer to the mix. This increases the complexity of Brittany's theme, perhaps representing how much closer the player is to rescuing her.
- Medusal Slurker encounter
| Medusal Slurker encounter | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | demo_b07_JellyfishFind.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when the Medusal Slurker is first encountered, holding Rock Pikmin. This is a calmer, smaller-scale version of the boss introduction cue in the same game, suggesting a much smaller mini-boss. A baritone saxophone and bass clarinet form the only bass power, so besides the contrast of high and low registers this cue is not designed to generate much worry about the might of the enemy. The four-note accent is the same sound used to introduce a Pikmin suffering.
- Rescued Brittany
| Rescued Brittany | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | demo_b13_Briagain.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when the crystal wall blocking Brittany is destroyed. Brittany is introduced with a small gesture, like Charlie was. But her gesture is resoundingly major and high-spirited, in high-register flute triads and glockenspiel arpeggios. Afterwards, a loop plays over Brittany's dialog that is much more natural than most of the other cutscene soundtracks up to this point. A harp, pizzicato violin, and quiet violin section play a subtle melody in A♭ sus, culminating in a very wholesome sound. The theme is almost enhanced by the cicadas droning in the background.
- Recovered important item (loop)
| Recovered important item (loop) | |
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| Composer | Hajime Wakai |
| Internal name | demo_get_Equipment.w.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when the S.S. Drake recovers something important, such as the first piece of fruit or the Data Glutton. This theme highly resembles the "collected treasure" theme of the previous game, except instead of a "Hocotatian" motif in a natural-instrument ensemble, this new synthesized melody is the latter half of the "Koppaite" motif. The new bit tailors off into the classic loop from the previous game, however, with remastered synthetic drones but with the same old instrument to play the "end of day" motif and its accompaniment.
- End of day
| End of day | |
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| Composer | Hajime Wakai |
| Internal name | demo_dayend_normal.w.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when a day ends. This is a remaster of the "end of day" theme from the previous game; all of the original instrumentation is intact, but the reverb has more depth and the whole piece generally sounds crisper. Unlike the previous game, Pikmin 3 has no alternative "end of day" themes depending on how productive the day was, despite seemingly being intended to, originally.
- Pikmin suffering
| Pikmin suffering | |
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Heard when a non-Red Pikmin suffers fire for the first time, and when a non-Blue Pikmin is drowning for the first time. This four-note gesture is the same that introduces the Medusal Slurker, albeit without the second cymbal crash. The theme may be distressing, but the small ensemble and high xylophone and synthesizer put the distress on the very small scale of the Pikmin.
- Pikmin suffering (loop)
| Pikmin suffering (loop) | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | demo_z17_PikuminDrown.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when a leader explains what to do when a Pikmin is on fire or drowning. This loop is rather coherent, with a distinct resolution of D to G from E♭, according to the bass clarinet. However, one synthesized texture underneath this resolution is detuned with itself, making it sound unpitched and disconcerting. Certainly, the contrast in registers here is enough to suggest something wrong, and something urgent.
- Leader is down
| Leader is down | |
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| Composer | Hajime Wakai |
| Internal name | demo_PlayerDown.w.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard whenever a leader loses all their HP. This is a new rendition of the "leader is down" theme of the previous game, featuring the same composition but with a few differences. The synth bass in the previous game is replaced with a marimba sound, and the whole texture fades into a synthesized filter at the end. These changes, including making the whole theme less melodic and less prominent, can reflect that one leader being downed is less of an urgent problem with three leaders to begin with. However, Pikmin 3 does not supply different versions of this theme based on how many leaders are left.
- Pikmin extinction
| Pikmin extinction | |
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| Composer | Hajime Wakai |
| Internal name | demo_PikminExtinction.w.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard whenever a Pikmin extinction occurs, when a player loses all Pikmin. This is a new rendition of the "Pikmin extinction" theme of the previous game, except many instruments have been removed to diminish the scale of the mood down to the three lone leaders. Now, only a penny whistle, a classical guitar, and a marimba score the loss of all Pikmin, certainly making the cue more solitary yet still conveying the forlorn yet hopeful mood well. The marimba and the classical guitar sounds particularly show off the advancement of the programs used to make music in the series.
- Game over
| Game over | |
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| Composer | Asuka Hayazaki |
| Internal name | Gameover.o.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when a day ends with no juice remaining. A decelerating clock tick and baritone saxophone chime in to bring the playthrough's events to a sluggish close. Based on the whole-tone tendencies, the comical jaw-harp-like harmony, and the detuning timpani hit near the end, the introduction to this theme seems to be playing more to mocking the failure of the player than to the doleful fate of the Koppaites. It seems that its brevity was intended to sound anticlimactic, perhaps to give the player more hope and indirect encouragement to continue.
The loop that follows is drastically different from the cue right before it. More of a collection of sounds, this loop uses space and register very adeptly, filling it with far-fetched and unrecognizable textures. Each sound on its own is triadic, or at least tonally coherent, but together they all mold together into a juxtaposition of modes, providing a background music bed. The looseness of this theme can be explained by its anomalous purpose: this theme has to score the game after the game is over.
- Land in Distant Tundra
| Land in Distant Tundra | |
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| Composer | Asuka Hayazaki |
| Internal name | demo_CourseIn_c07.o.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when the S.S. Drake prepares to land in the Distant Tundra, but loses Brittany. To note is that at the beginning of this rendition of the "land in new area" theme that the cymbal crash is missing. It instead accents the S.S. Drake hitting an obstacle and losing Brittany. This perfect synchrony also includes the final note being a half-step higher than usual, to give the theme a whole-tone, ambiguous feel. Afterwards, a saw-wave synthesizer and tuned gongs descend chromatically to aurally follow Brittany on her fall into the cave.
- Captain Charlie's theme
| Captain Charlie's theme | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | demo_c23_CharlieRap.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard after Captain Charlie escapes the Vehemoth Phosbat, and is talking with the other leaders. This small loop repeats Charlie's previous motif with a vocal-like synthesizer and over a simple straight-ahead beat. Again, the beat puts the theme in more understandable context, and gives both the theme and Captain Charlie more associated character.
- Louie's theme
| Louie's theme | |
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| Composer | Asuka Hayazaki |
| Internal name | demo_d06_02.o.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when Louie calls the leaders in the Twilight River. Louie's theme has many different sounds all providing confusing whole-tone passages. Together they create a very complex and comical loop, with many different streams that are difficult to follow. One element remains constant though: a Wurly-keyboard-esque sound consistently plays the 7th and 2nd scale degrees on the off-beat. This rigid gesture will be important when Louie's theme is reprised; it provides the basis for the general mood of urgency.
- Recovered Louie
| Recovered Louie | |
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| Composer | Hajime Wakai |
| Internal name | demo_get_luie.w.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when Louie is brought back to the S.S. Drake, both times. This cue harkens back to the "collected special treasure" theme from the previous game. The composition is the same, but the instruments are radically more synthesized and the rhythm is more pronounced by a drum machine. The "Koppaite" motif was used for all important items before this; since Louie is a Hocotatian; the "Hocotatian" motif is referenced. It should be noted that what seems like a small noise from Louie during the cue can also be heard. After the cue, the same "collected treasure" loop plays, a theme for the analysis of important objects.
- Louie escaped
| Louie escaped | |
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| Composer | Asuka Hayazaki |
| Internal name | demo_b22.o.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard the morning Louie escapes in the Garden of Hope, when the leaders discover he is missing. This is essentially the last reprise of Louie's theme, with a few elements adding extra power to intensify the feeling of having no juice left. Instead of the Wurly synthesizer, violas and violins provide the texture bed for the other confusing gestures. Overall, they make the loop sound less elaborate, but more important, as the scale of the ensemble and the mood is augmented.
- Found Olimar
| Found Olimar | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | demo_e12_FindOlimar.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when Captain Olimar is discovered at the top of the Formidable Oak. Now a full orchestra and electronics are prepared to score all scenes containing the Plasm Wraith. The surprise of finding Olimar is intensified by harsh whole-tone strings, a cymbal slide, and a quiet reversed sample of an ocean harp. The strings hold on a high E to sustain the suspense of finding out the Plasm Wraith's next move. This tension is not easily released, however, as evidenced by the following loop.
- Found Olimar (loop)
| Found Olimar (loop) | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | demo_e12_FindOlimar.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when the leaders explain finding Olimar. Only a celeste and a voice-like synthesizer play here, creating a very eerie lullaby mood. Given the context of the Plasm Wraith looking over Olimar, this piece is remotely fitting but still extremely tense. The tension built from the previous cue is not released here, as the music takes an almost opposite judgment to the leaders about the situation. The calmness and thinness of this piece is not referenced again, as the Plasm Wraith is never this calm again.
- Olimar released
| Olimar released | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | demo_BossEHenka.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when Olimar is initially released from the plasm ball the Plasm Wraith forms. A sweep up the strings and a horn blare establish the terrifying contrast that characterizes the now hostile Plasm Wraith. The orchestral power subsides as Olimar is left alone, with only violins holding E and F together to augment the suspense of the moment. This held note quickly evolves into a new loop.
- Olimar released (loop)
| Olimar released (loop) | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | demo_BossEHenka.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when the leaders explain how to handle carrying Olimar. From the initial held note this new loop appears, controlled by cellos and a doumbek. The violins waver in their notes slightly, which certainly makes the mood off-putting, but what really drives the tension home is the alien synthesizers that play. A ping-like sound and a synth bass play bits of the Mysterious Life-Form's theme, which at the moment sounds very strange but which will soon sound familiar. In fact, it could be said that the Mysterious Life-Form's theme releases the tension accrued and sustained by this theme.
- Mysterious Life-form appears
| Mysterious Life-form appears | |
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| Composer | Atsuko Asahi |
| Internal name | demo_e01_BossEAppear.aa.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when the Mysterious Life-Form materializes inside the Formidable Oak. This is the most aleatoric music in the game, beginning with the reversed sample of an ocean harp (to establish something wrong) and growing into a huge, rich, looping cluster of tension. High strings randomly rise while a horn cluster settles them, eventually just leaving a loop of low strings and horns playing imperceptibly together. The whole loop sounds like one sound, but it is a very rich texture that actually alienates the Mysterious Life-Form. The dissonance of this cue makes the Mysterious Life-Form seem more monstrous, and less adherent to anything else in the game.
- Conclusion cutscene
| Conclusion cutscene | |
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| Internal name | demo_s02_ending01_mix.yr.32.dspadpcm.bfstm
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Heard when Olimar is saved; the cutscene occurs this way no matter how much fruit was recovered. It begins with the Koppaites meeting Olimar, who is immediately characterized by the true "Hocotatian" motif played resoundingly in trumpet (and later echoed in a horn section and a flute). The bold texture for Olimar contrasts with a softer, thinner texture for the awestruck Koppaites, in harp, thumb piano, and flute. This friendly texture stays for the remainder of the scene, as Olimar and the Koppaites exchange friendly dialog. One other element receives musical attention: the cosmic-drive key: its appearance is almost comically chimed by a bell and the same choir used as a sound effect in the KopPad. When the S.S. Drake lifts off, an immediate orchestral theme erupts with full strings and up-beat horn textures. An electronic drum kit kicks in with a cymbal crash and a synthesized texture plays the S.S. Drake accelerating into the atmosphere. Next comes an orchestral elaboration of the "Koppaite" motif, which only becomes richer and more victorious with time. When the leaders look back at the Pikmin from the air, the texture suddenly thins out to solo strings playing molto expressivo. The texture builds as more strings and a mark tree enter the mix, until it all metamorphoses into a predominant version of the Pikmin 2 motif, sung by Pikmin over strings. The orchestral texture barges back in to repeat this texture as an extended dominant, until the final resolving F major caps the whole scene's fade to black. As the S.S. Drake leaves PNF-404 in the next scene, the music slows to an ostinato of quiet violins and basses, while woodwinds and cellos voice a gesture dissimilar to any motif; it is clearly building up to something. This something is a resolution in G major, with mainly a trumpet and crotales voicing what resembles an inversion of the "Koppaite" motif, followed by a simple scalar gesture in strings and glockenspiel. This repeats three times before the next orchestral hit, when Charlie tells Alph to prepare cosmic drive. The orchestra builds in the dominant key as the sound of cosmic drive intensifies, even switching to strange substitute harmonies, perhaps in the style of Gustav Holst. Finally, cosmic drive begins, and the orchestra hits several times in a whole-tone key of G, augmenting the weirdness of this science-fiction concept. A final triplet of hits from the whole orchestra plays before the S.S. Drake disappears in a flash; the music simply stops at this point, leaving one with the view and the aural nature of the void of space.
The epilogues all feature the same music bed, with the narrator from the prologue narrating a different message based on how much fruit was recovered. The music is a loop not unlike a fanfare for a medal ceremony, with military percussion and rhythm underlaying a harmonic texture in strings and some woodwinds. Even a few spacey melodic sound effects join in to thicken the texture. Overall, this piece focuses on playing to the conclusion of the game, so it works over each message.
- Ending (modest supply)
| Ending (modest supply) | |
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| Internal name | STRM_DEMO_s03_Epilogue01_48k.bfstm
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- Ending (reasonable supply)
| Ending (reasonable supply) | |
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| Internal name | STRM_DEMO_s03_Epilogue02_48k.bfstm
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- Ending (healthy supply)
| Ending (healthy supply) | |
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| Internal name | STRM_DEMO_s03_Epilogue03_48k.bfstm
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- Ending (bountiful supply)
| Ending (bountiful supply) | |
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| Internal name | STRM_DEMO_s03_Epilogue04_48k.bfstm
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