Pikmin 3 prerelease information

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Notes: It'd probably make more sense to organize this page chronologically by version than by type of content.

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Suggestions: Add unused content that hints to cut enemies, areas, etc. (i.e. exclude obvious debugging content). Also, isn't there a cut area (1, 2) of sorts? Additionally, important information in this video should be noted.

Pikmin 3, like other games, went through several iterations that never made it to the public. Some of these had content that was changed or removed before the final release. Because the exact versions in which these tidbits appear is not known, their name is not given here, but fans usually call these "beta", "alpha", or "pre-alpha" versions.

In addition, there is unused content inside the disc that also hints at what type of content was meant to be in the final release, at one point.

Characters[edit]

Alph[edit]

In a prototype version, Alph had smaller eyes and pupils.

An early E3 2012 screenshot of Alph leading Pikmin; here his eyes are smaller.
In the GamePad screen, Alph's early radar icon can be seen.
Another shot with Alph's different eyes.

Brittany[edit]

In a prototype version, Brittany's suit was yellow, both in-game and on concept art. In the final version, her suit was changed to pink. Her original concept art also lacked glasses, which she has in the final game.

Brittany in her yellow suit in a prototype version of the game.
Different image of the prototype Brittany.
Another screenshot of Brittany from an earlier build of the game.
Early concept art of Brittany (labeled B), showed off at E3 2012.
The final version of Brittany.

Character D[edit]

The unused character "D" as shown at E3 2012.

There was one character that never made it into the game in any footage whatsoever, and was scrapped early in development. He was shown off at E3 2012 in a bit of concept art, and all that was underneath him was the letter "D". With an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto^{[source needed]}, he stated that there were three leaders playable in the game, suggesting Character D was scrapped early on, since he was never shown in any footage. Since Alph, Brittany, and Charlie all had the first letter of their name under their art at E3 2012, it is speculated by fans that the character's final name was meant to be Drake, keeping in line with the military alphabet theme, but this name was eventually moved to the game's ship, the S.S. Drake. A possible reason for the scrap could've been due to the fact that controlling and switching between four leaders would have been considered too chaotic.

Red character[edit]

A front view of this red character.

In some footage, it is possible to see an unknown leader that wears a red-accented spacesuit and looks similar to Alph but with brown-yellow hair rather than blue.

Rock Pikmin[edit]

In the earliest footage shown of Pikmin 3, Rock Pikmin had a slightly different appearance, with slightly darker coloration and dark-colored limbs. They also made different sounds that sounded like lower-pitched versions of common Pikmin sounds. Each Rock Pikmin was also shaped slightly differently (e.g. some were shorter but wider). This made them seem more like real rocks, but the feature was eventually removed in the final game. Also something to note, Rock Pikmin in the E3 demo have blue bulbs on their heads, instead of purple like the final game. Winged Pikmin also have blue flowers, as seen on the E3 presentation.

The original concept art for Rock Pikmin.
The Rock Pikmin's final look.
Rock Pikmin in the E3 2012 demo. Some are shaped differently.
Winged Pikmin with blue flowers.

Winged Pikmin[edit]

As referenced by their internal name and seen in concept art, Winged Pikmin were originally going to be orange, as opposed to the final main color of pink.

Bulbmin[edit]

Bulbmin were probably considered to be in the game, based on concept art and their model's presense in the game files. It was likely scrapped early in development though, as its appearance is identical to Bulbmin in Pikmin 2.^[1]

2014 Nintendo Game Seminar notebook concept art[edit]

The page in question, featuring several unused and unfinalized ideas.

A notebook handed out in the 2014 Nintendo game seminar featured several concepts of ideas for Pikmin types, mostly unused ones, presumably for Pikmin 3.^[2]^[3] It includes art, as well as notes in Japanese. The following can be noted:

An early design for Rock Pikmin differing from the final.
A blob-shaped "light blue" Pikmin type, described as moving slowly and fixing structures with mucus.^[4]
An early design for Winged Pikmin, featuring them walking outside of a hazard and colored orange.
A slim "green" Pikmin type, which could be connected together to form a bridge, and also described as "parasitic" and "farming".
A "black" Pikmin type shaped like a hairball, described as having evolved to suit cold climates.
A Pikmin type with a carapace for a head.
A Pikmin type shaped like a seed, described as being able to stick to walls, not latching on to enemies, making a lot of seeds, and being small and weak.
A hairy, Purple Pikmin-like "brown" Pikmin type, described as being big and strong, efficient at building, and difficult to grow (requiring 10 pellets to grow 1 seed).
A Pikmin type shaped like a ghost.
A Bulbmin.
A concept for a Candypop Bud-like flower.
A Spotty Bulbear with a leaf sticking out of it, similar to Bulbmin. It can be seen in two drawings, both times following Olimar with Pikmin on its back, and in one of them traveling in the water.

Enemies[edit]

Main article: Unused content in Pikmin 3#Unused enemies.

There are unused files inside the game for a handful of enemies, both new and returning. These got removed for reasons unknown. Many of these, such as the returning enemies from Pikmin 2 are heavily unfinished, and some do not even spawn.

An unknown purple and yellow leech-like enemy. It does not hurt Pikmin, but it will burrow underground when a Pikmin or a leader approaches.
A version of the Wollywog with a crystal on its stomach. It is possible that it would've stomped with its crystal, and only Rock Pikmin could destroy it.
A version of the Beady Long Legs with its round head replaced with a foot. It likely would've stomped with its head as well.
A version of the Male Sheargrub that is rounder. It has bright orange "armor" and its behavior is not finished.
An alternate-colored Ravenous Whiskerpillar.
The Honeywisp.
The Emperor Bulblax.
The Wollywog.
The Breadbug.
Several Armored Cannon Larva variants.

Moreover, while in the final version of Pikmin 3 a Whiptongue Bulborb releases any Pikmin caught in its tongue if it is hit in the eye, in the E3 trailer of the game, it is seen eating the Pikmin before flinching.

Mechanics[edit]

Lock-on[edit]

In an early build of the game, the lock-on feature would cause the camera to enter a tilt-shift mode to focus only on the creature, which would be highlighted in blue. The name of said creature was then displayed in simple blue text above it. This was greatly changed for the final game, in which the scene is covered by a vignette effect, and the name is displayed in a box in the lower right corner, surrounded by Koppaite text. With the update released on May 29^th, 2014, the lock-on mechanic featured two new images on the left side of the screen. One shows which control makes the Pikmin charge, and the other shows how to cancel the lock-on.

The prototype version of the lock-on mechanic on a Skitter Leaf.
The same prototype version, but on a Skutterchuck.
The lock-on interface in the final game, before update 2.0.0.

Whistle[edit]

A red character whistling.

Originally, the whistle in Pikmin 3 had a smaller radius than in the past two games, and lasted for a shorter length of time. This was later changed to be slightly larger and longer, and included the ability for the whistle to call Winged Pikmin by raising off the floor after fully expanding to create a cylindrical beam of light.

Throwing leaders[edit]

Brittany is higher than Alph, her starting point.

Alph throws Brittany to another tree stump.

In the early footage shown of the game, the leaders were first shown to have the ability to toss one another to access new locations. At this point in development, the leaders were thrown much higher than they are in the final game. This change was most likely made to rid the game of some areas where players could easily break the barriers.

Stats[edit]

In the 2012 demo of Pikmin 3, the Insect Condo was shown as one of the fruits returning from Pikmin 2. In this footage, it required only 8 Pikmin to carry it, as opposed to the 10 required in the final game.
In the E3 2012 demo, the Medusal Slurker required 7 Pikmin to carry, while in the final game, it can be carried by 6.
In the E3 2012 demo, the Whiptongue Bulborb required 10 Pikmin to carry, while in the final game, it needs 12 Pikmin.

Names[edit]

In the 2012 demo for Pikmin 3, the Golden Sunseed was referred to as the "Combustion Berry", sharing the same name as a fruit treasure that appeared in Pikmin 2.
In early footage, the Pyroclasmic Slooch was one of the first new enemies revealed, and its name was instead "Pyroplasmic Slooch", a one letter difference from its current name.
Crystal walls were originally called "Crystallized Walls".
According to the Koppaite text visible when the Formidable Oak is highlighted, its name is patterned after The Final Trial. However, the two names are not similar in the slightest, nor are their Japanese names – the Formidable Oak is 哀しき獣の塔^? (lit.: "Tower of the Sorrowful Beast"), and The Final Trial is 最後の試練^? (lit.: "Final Trial"). This indicates that, earlier in development, the Formidable Oak had a different English and/or Japanese name.
In an early screenshot, the KopPad can be seen in a video call. Its frame is visible, and the Koppaite text on it spells out ("PPAD"). For the final game, the frame was changed to say ("GPAD") instead, which is the KopPad's Japanese name. In addition, the Koppaite text on the final game's lock-on mode contains the sentence "Simple dictionary in the PIPAD". This could also be an early name for the KopPad, or just a Romanization of "PPAD".

The Pyroclasmic Slooch called Pyroplasmic Slooch.
A crystal wall called crystallized wall.
The KopPad, with the text "PPAD" on its frame.

Areas and missions[edit]

One early screenshot of the game shows the snow pile with an iron ball that resembles the President. On top of this pile lies a Cupid's Grenade that is not in this location in the final game. It is likely that the Cupid's Grenade behind the sculpture is where this one was moved, as it is the closest to the earlier location.

In the Nintendo Direct on April 17^th, 2013, it's possible to see a Swooping Snitchbug in the Tropical Wilds. In the final game, the Swooping Snitchbug is placed somewhere else in the map, and in this part of the area, a Bulborb and three Dwarf Bulborbs appear after day 1.

It should also be noted that some Mission Mode areas contained certain types of Pikmin that are no longer available in these maps today.

The Whiptongue Bulborb in Distant Tundra in a different location. The slide on the right also has icicles that are not present in the final game.
The Cupid's Grenade in a different place.
The early location of the Swooping Snitchbug in the Tropical Wilds.
In the final version of the Twilight Hollow, the Sunseed Berry is located elsewhere and the pile of Nuggets in the right corner of the screenshot is absent (there is an egg instead).
The Citrus Lump is replaced by a Face Wrinkler in the final version. Also, it's not possible to get Red Pikmin, Yellow Pikmin or White Pikmin in the final version of the area.
In the final version, there are no Blue Pikmin. Instead, it's possible to find Winged Pikmin in this place. Also, the Cupid's Grenades are replaced by a Golden Sunseed in the final version.
These Winged Pikmin are located elsewhere in the final version. They are replaced by a group of buried Purple Pikmin instead.
Early version of Shaded Garden.
There are no Dwarf Bulborbs here in the final version of the Shaded Garden.
An early version of the Tropical Forest showing that it was possible to get Red, Yellow and Blue Pikmin in the area, which is not possible in the final version.
Desiccated Skitter Leafs are shown here in the Tropical Forest, but in the final game, this area is home to Pyroclasmic Slooches.

Audio[edit]

The idea for a different end of day theme depending on how profitable the day was, like in Pikmin 2, might have been considered, seeing as how there are unused files for a "happy" and a "sad" version of the Pikmin 3 song.

Other changes[edit]

Title screen[edit]

In an early version of the title screen, the logo contained a "3" made of violet flowers, to resemble the flowers of the Rock and Winged Pikmin. In the final game, these flowers were changed to orange, possibly to represent ultra-spicy spray. In addition, the earliest footage of the game showed that it was originally much dimmer than the final version, although this was possibly due to the fact that the lighting engine wasn't complete at the time it was shown.

Pikmin 3's original logo and darker setting.
Pikmin 3's final logo and more lit-up design.

Crystals[edit]

In the earliest footage of Pikmin 3, crystals were much more opaque. In the final game, they were changed to be transparent.

Crystals, as they looked in the game's early production.
Crystals, as they appear in the final game.

HUD elements[edit]

In the Nintendo Direct on May 17^th, 2013, the juice counter was seen for the first time. However, unlike the final version, which has an orange colored juice in the bottle, this version has a silver colored juice.
In the May 17^th, 2013 Nintendo Direct, the pause menu was shown. The last option says "To Ship's Log", which was later changed to "To Earlier Day" in the final game. In addition, the menu received some minor appearance tweaks, mostly on the " Back" label.
In the first trailer of Pikmin 3, it's possible to see the early design used for the Mission Mode timer. The figures used for it look a bit different and they are in a blue rectangle, in the final version.
It's possible to see a previous version of the Collect Treasure! counter in the E3 2012 trailer of Pikmin 3. The design of the medals and figures look a bit different from that of the final version.
In the E3 2012 trailer, it's possible to see an early version of the Pikmin counter.
In E3 2012 images that contain the radar, it is possible to see that the colors of the terrain are much less saturated and harder to tell apart.
In the final game, the number of standby Pikmin that appears next to the cursor is using a normal font, but in the E3 2012 footage, the number is in italics.

The juice counter in an early version. The standby Pikmin number in italics can also be seen.
The juice counter in the final game.
The pause menu in an early version.
The pause menu in the final game.
A screenshot showing the timer used in a previous version of Pikmin 3.
The final timer.
A screenshot showing the Collect Treasure! counter as it appeared in a previous version of Pikmin 3.
The final counter.
The early version of the Pikmin counter used in Pikmin 3.
The current Pikmin counter used in Pikmin 3.
In the final game, there is no "Day 1" icon in the part where the player plays with Captain Charlie.
The radar in E3 2012 footage.
The radar in the final version of the game. The terrain colors are more vibrant.

There is also gameplay of an unknown build of the game that takes place in Tropical Forest, but the HUD's positioning is different from anything in the final game or other demos of Pikmin 3. Particularly: the health meter for the current leader is next to the left edge of the screen, a bit above the center, and the Pikmin counter is at the bottom of the screen, centered horizontally. There is one recorded image of the gameplay, but it's not clear if this is single-player gameplay, or if it is the left screen in co-op mode.

Locking-on to the Face Wrinkler in a version of the game with a different Mission Mode HUD.
Locking-on to a Whiptongue Bulborb.
Locking-on to fragments.
Locking-on to a Spotcap.

Appearance changes[edit]

An early bridge.

In an earlier version shown at E3 2012, blue bridge fragments had a different appearence, looking less shiny and more aged.

References[edit]

^ YouTube video explaining the Bulbmin model (at 05:34)
^ Tweet by クラウン on Twitter, published on June 13^th, 2016, retrieved on October 17^th, 2022
^ Tweet by クラウン on Twitter, published on June 13^th, 2016, retrieved on October 17^th, 2022
^ Tweet by SleepyBakes on Twitter, published on May 7^th, 2021, retrieved on December 31^st, 2021

[1] YouTube video explaining the Bulbmin model (at 05:34)

[2] Tweet by クラウン on Twitter, published on June 13^th, 2016, retrieved on October 17^th, 2022

[3] Tweet by クラウン on Twitter, published on June 13^th, 2016, retrieved on October 17^th, 2022

[4] Tweet by SleepyBakes on Twitter, published on May 7^th, 2021, retrieved on December 31^st, 2021

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