Pikmin Adventure
- For the article about the park-themed game as a whole, see Nintendo Land.
Pikmin Adventure: Tame the Wilderness (Pikmin Adventure: ピクミンアドベンチャー?) is an attraction featured in the Wii U title Nintendo Land. It is the Pikmin-themed mini-game of the 12 Nintendo franchise-based attractions playable in Nintendo Land.
Pikmin Adventure is fast-paced, action filled attraction, as opposed to the real time strategy-styled puzzle solving nature of the main games in the franchise. The goal is to complete each level, by reaching the ship. Pikmin Adventure also includes a multiplayer co-op and a multiplayer versus mode.
Gameplay[edit]
Pikmin Adventure is played with one to five players. One player controls their Mii dressed in Olimar's spacesuit with five smaller Pikmin, and uses the Wii U GamePad, while up to four others use the Wii Remote to play as Miis dressed as assorted, larger Pikmin. There will always be one Olimar player and one Pikmin player, even if an AI player has to take the place of a human one.
Challenge Mode[edit]
The players are tasked with navigating through each level, defeating enemies and blockades on the way, until they reach the end, where the Hocotate ship awaits. The attraction has a blocky and metallic theme to it, especially the enemies, in which most of them are are mechanized versions of Pikmin enemies.
The Olimar player has a group of smaller Pikmin they control, and are differentiated from the playable Pikmin by their smaller size and resemblance to chess pieces. Although they have different colors, the only gameplay difference is that Blue Pikmin do not flail when underwater. In addition, the player controlling Olimar has the option of using their whistle to call every Pikmin to their side (including those controlled by other players) by using the icon on the lower left of the touch screen or by pressing 
/ 
. The captain player can throw Pikmin by tapping at a spot on the GamePad, while the Pikmin players move around and attack freely. All human-controlled characters have a shared health meter, represented by hearts on the HUD.
As they make their way through the area, players will encounter enemies. Most of the time, all enemies in a section must be defeated before the next one is unlocked. Other times, players must destroy a specific block or perform some other task before the path is cleared. Most levels have large enemies – bosses – near the end. These must be defeated before the level can be completed.
All players can move around freely, attack and pick up rocks and bombs. The captain player can issue small Pikmin to attack blocks or enemies, while the Pikmin players can strike with their heads. Throughout the levels, blobs of nectar can appear from various sources. Collecting three blobs increases that player's level, which increases the attack power. With nectar, the relevant Pikmin on the player's side can mature from leaves to buds to flowers, though this is merely aesthetic. For the captain player, an increase in maturity means an increase in army number, and for the Pikmin player, more nectar means higher defense; when hit, Pikmin players will lose levels, and if they're hit when on the bottommost level, they will die. Whenever a player dies, the game freezes for a second, showing the defeated player, and when it resumes normal speed, that player will be sent flying upwards at an angle. A heart is depleted from the meter and, provided there are still any left, the player will briefly join the game again after a couple of seconds. AI-controlled players will not freeze the game or count down the number of hearts when killed.
One of the main mechanics of the game is the captain player's whistle. When used, all Pikmin, player-controlled or not, will be grouped with the captain. The player Pikmin will stack on top of the captain's head and can be thrown in this fashion. If a player Pikmin doesn't want to be grouped, they can shake the Wii Remote after the whistle. Some spring-loaded pads, which require all players to be stacked in order to be activated, propel everyone onto other rooms.
Walls block the players' path sometimes, but these can be broken down. Some of these blocks are replaced with Question Blocks, which give out a bit of nectar or a heart when broken. In addition, larger variants of these blocks are on the ground in certain spots, and trigger certain events to happen when broken, such as spawning a bridge. Some Question Blocks appear spontaneously from certain spots on the ground, and when broken, reveal several pools of nectar and sometimes hearts.
There are three powerups that captains and Pikmin can obtain. These change the way Pikmin are thrown and damage enemies with. If hurt, the captain or Pikmin player will lose their powerup instead of being knocked out. Certain levels also play out similar to Super Mario 3D Land, in which there is a time limit, and players must continuously kill enemies and overcome obstacles to gain more time, to keep the timer from reaching 0. Players that fail repeatedly on the same level will find a large Assist Block at the start of the level on their next try. Breaking this releases a giant blob of nectar that instantly levels up all players to level 50, or adds a minute to the clock in timed runs.
After completing the normal expeditions, advanced missions are unlocked, with an increased difficulty level. These missions also give the Olimar player a new gameplay mechanic: by pressing 
/ 
or a button on the GamePad's screen, all Pikmin in the captain's party are changed to Red, Yellow, Blue, or the usual mixed group. These colors now make a difference due to the fact that most enemy weak points in these missions are color-coded, and Pikmin of the same color make very effective damage, while Pikmin of other colors are weaker against them. In addition, Blue Pikmin are still immune to navigating through water. Mastery rankings also exist for all levels in the attraction; to obtain them, players must complete the stage within a certain time limit, and not take any damage.
Versus mode[edit]
In the competitive mode, the Olimar player battles against the Pikmin players with the goal being to get more pieces of candy than the other team. Candy appears from defeated enemies and from attacks inflicted on members of the opposing team. Enemies, rocks, bombs, Question Blocks, and power-ups also appear at times.
Content[edit]
Levels[edit]
Standard levels[edit]
- Bulborb Forest
Boss of the Beebs / 
Boss of the Baubs- Five Seconds to Takeoff / Five Seconds to Take-off
- Overthrow the Bulblord
- Cannon Smash
- King Beeb is Back / Queen Baub's Return
- Through the Darkness
- Swamp Master / Master of the Marsh
- Lord of a Barren Land
- Burst the Giant Balloon
- Back-Garden Escape / Back Garden Escape
- Shining Eyes
- Icy Arena
- Out of the Darkness / Out of Darkness
- Bulborb Baths
- The Chopping Block
Advanced levels[edit]
- The Green Menace
- Desperate Dash
- The Tyrant Arrives
- Cage of Terror
- Breaking Boundaries
- Good-Bye, Pikmin / Goodbye, Pikmin
Multiplayer levels[edit]
- Starter's Arena
- Description:
- US version: Good for beginners, this simple arena is the perfect place to learn the basics and sharpen your skills.
- European version: Good for beginners, this simple arena is the perfect place to learn the basics and sharpen skills.
- Description:
- Warrior's Arena
- Description: This arena is recommended for players starting to grasp the ins and outs of a winning strategy.
- Hero's Arena
- Description: This fierce and chaotic arena is recommended for battle-hardened veterans.
Enemies[edit]
- Main article: Pikmin Adventure enemies.
Some of the common creatures in the Pikmin series appear, such as Red Bulborbs, but there are also enemies never seen before in the actual series. The most common is a race of spherical insects, called "Beebs". Cannon-like enemies called Telescoping Pumphogs are also featured; they either fire bombs or spiked balls. Blowhogs appear, but blow out air and charge.
In order to attack an enemy, players must aim at their purple, spherical weak points. There is a robotic UFO piloted by the villainous Dark Monita that appears in some rooms, and drops enemies inside gashapon capsules. The most common enemies chomp Pikmin or the captain, although there is a variety that can grab their prey, throw them up in the air, swallow them, and encapsulate them inside blocks shaped like feces. Players who are trapped will constantly shout "Help!" via a speech bubble near them, and they can be freed from these prisons if other characters or Pikmin attack them, at which point they'll say "Thank you!" via another speech bubble. The same happens if a player is trapped inside a bubble that had been shot at them.
In the extra levels, some enemies are imbued with elemental properties: fire, electricity and water. These do not affect Pikmin like the hazards of the main Pikmin games but instead indicate which type of Pikmin will deal damage.
The following enemies exist:
- Bulborb: comes in three colors: red, yellow, and green. Red Bulborbs charge after players in a straight line, while Yellow Bulborbs hop back and forth to dodge attacks and can also spit projectiles like water or spiked balls. Green Bulborbs attack like the Red Bulborbs, but have the added ability of following the player while charging. All of these Bulborbs can eat players and trap them inside of a Bulborb dropping. If the GamePad player is stuck in one of these, any Pikmin in their group will automatically latch on and attack it.
- Bilious Bulborb: similar to the Orange Bulborb in appearance, the Bilious Bulborb has three weak points; one on its back and two on its sides. It attacks by spitting projectiles at players.
- Beeb: an enemy that walks around and has a simple tackle attack. The bigger variants got a ring around the top of their antenna.
- Bombardier Beeb: a Beeb variant that will explode shortly after spotting a player. The larger the Bombardier Beeb, the bigger the blast radius. It can be defeated before detonating, which yields nectar or coins.
- Telescoping Pumphog: a type of Blowhog that is anchored to the ground. It mainly acts as a cannon that fires bombs or spiked balls. White Pumphogs lack weak points and are invincible. This enemy is typically stationary, but a rare variant can burrow through the ground as means of travel.
Bosses[edit]
Bosses use the Titan Dweevil's theme.
- King Beeb: a large Beeb that rolls around to trample players.
- Bulblord: a large Bulborb with a hexagon-shaped body. It charges, rolls, and bites. A stamp can be obtained by breaking its eyes.
- Large-Mouth Wollywog: a large Wollywog. It uses its tongue to attack.
- Emperor Pinchipede: a large centipede with pincers. Its main attack is to try and bite the players.
- Greater Bladed Beeb: an insect which bears blades on its hands. It tries to cut players.
- Grand Bulblord: a green Bulblord.
- Translucent Wollywog: a ghost-like Large-Mouth Wollywog.
- Greater Studded Beeb: a spike-ball handed Greater-Bladed Beeb.
- Monochromatic Pinchipede: a white Pinchipede.
Plants and fungi[edit]
Plants and fungi in this attraction are purely decoration, and have a robotic look to them. Each one has a statue of it on the Nintendo Land plaza.
Power-ups[edit]
There are three different power-ups that can be found throughout the attraction. These help do more damage to enemies and blocks, and change the way Pikmin are tossed and/or attack with. These power-ups also act as a shield, by preventing the character from taking damage, but being lost in the process.
Hammer Seed[edit]
Hammer Seeds are the first power-up to be found in the attraction. When collected, Pikmin will grow sledge hammer heads on their stems. When the Olimar player throws Hammer Seed Pikmin, they will drop down on enemies much like Purple Pikmin do in Pikmin 2. They also have a chance to stun the enemies. Pikmin players with this power-up have increased damage, as well as the ability to stun randomly, and when 
is held down and released, they will charge forward, consecutively swinging their hammer down on enemies.
- Monita's notes
- : “This item sprouts a hammer from a Pikmin's head. It doesn't look particularly heavy, but take one swing at the enemy and you'll see that it gets the job done.”
- : “This item sprouts a hammer from a Pikmin's head. It doesn't look particularly heavy, but take a swing at the enemy and you'll see that it gets the job done.”
Whip Seed[edit]
Whip Seeds are the second power-up found in the attraction. Whip seeds will grow springs on the Pikmin's stems, which can be extended to attack in a longer range and do more damage. If the Olimar player gets the Whip Seed, their Pikmin home in on the targeted area like fireworks when thrown. They can also be thrown farther than normal and follow moving enemies, similar to the Winged Pikmin. When a Pikmin player gets the Whip Seed, their attack range is increased enormously, and can attack from farther away to avoid taking damage, when is held and released, the Pikmin will spin with very long range.
- Monita's notes
- : “This item extends a Pikmin's stalk so it can be used as a whip, allowing long-range attacks. If Olimar picks it up, his Pikmin will explode with color when he throws them!”
- : “This item extends a Pikmin's stalk so it can be used as a whip, allowing long-range attacks. If Olimar picks it up, his Pikmin will explode with colour when he throws them!”
Knuckle Seed[edit]
Knuckle Seeds are the last of the power-ups in the attraction. Knuckle Seeds turn the Pikmin's stems into fists, and make the player stand in a fighting stance when standing still. The Knuckle Seed makes Olimar's Pikmin act like bullets when thrown, and do great great impact damage, much like Rock Pikmin from Pikmin 3. When the Pikmin players get this power-up, they do massive damage with combos, and when is held and released, Pikmin will perform a Haudoken-like attack.
- Monita's notes
- : “This item makes a fist sprout from a Pikmin's head. There are no scissors or paper versions, unfortunately. Aim for the enemy and start pummeling!”
- : “This item makes a fist sprout from a Pikmin's head. There are no scissors or paper versions, I'm afraid. Aim for the enemy and start pummeling!”
The Hammer Seed power-up as seen in the Nintendo Land plaza.
The Whip Seed power-up as seen in the Nintendo Land Plaza.
The Knuckle Seed power-up as seen in the Nintendo Land Plaza.
Controls[edit]
One player will play as Olimar on the GamePad. They can move their character with 
/ 
, use the touch screen to throw Pikmin by tapping on the target, and use / as the whistle. In the extra levels, / is used to change the type of Pikmin between blue, yellow, red, and mixed. Buttons for these last two functions also exist on the GamePad's screen. By quickly flicking the stylus from the captain's position to a direction, the Olimar player will perform a dodging somersault in that same direction. In addition, the player can also tap a bomb or rock while near it to pick it up, and hold a press on a location on the GamePad to make the leader walk in that direction.
The Wii Remote players use 
to move around, to attack and pick up rocks or bombs, and 
to jump. can be held to execute a strong attack, with the effects depending on the current power-up, if any. By shaking the Wii Remote, a Pikmin player can ignore the captain whistle's pull.
Stamps[edit]
Single player
|
Versus mode
|
Lists[edit]
Soundtrack[edit]
References to other series[edit]
Gallery[edit]
A five-player game. Notice the different suits.
A screenshot of the captain obtaining a knuckle seed in Versus Mode.
Screenshot of a Blue Pikmin obtaining the Whip Seed power-up.
The first major boss the player comes across, the Bulblord.
Players fighting the attraction's first mini-boss, the King Beeb.
In-game screenshot of five players.
The start of the level "The Chopping Block".
The main Pikmin types as they appear in Pikmin Adventure. Notice the stigma of the Blue Pikmin, Yellow Pikmin and Red Pikmin's flower match their color, unlike the main games.
Artwork used in the manual of Pikmin Adventure.
The color of the leader's antenna depends on the color of the player's Pikmin.
An unknown butterfly. It can't be interacted with, and it's not solid, as it can go through objects.
The description of the mini-game in the manual.
Artwork of a Mii wearing a Red Pikmin outfit.
Artwork of a Red Bulborb.
Trivia[edit]
- White Pikmin are the only type of Pikmin that a Wii Remote user can use that Olimar does not have. Purple Pikmin do not make an appearance in this attraction.
- In the Advanced Levels, the White Pikmin won't get any elemental buffs on enemies.
- Pikmin Adventure has the most bosses of any attraction in Nintendo Land. Battle Quest has two and Metroid Blast has three, but this attraction has nine.
- Depending on the current location, a remixed theme of The Impact Site, The Forest Navel, or the Valley of Repose will play.
- The Wii Remote Pikmin have different colored shapes under them:
- Blue Pikmin have a blue circle.
- Red Pikmin have a red square.
- Yellow Pikmin have a yellow triangle.
- White Pikmin have a purple star.
- At the start and end of level 14, "Out of the Darkness", a castle that resembles the ones in the original Super Mario Bros. can be seen.
- In a possible foreshadowing of Pikmin 3, many enemies arrive in the same gashapon-style capsules that the spacesuit upgrades are found in.
Names in other languages[edit]
- The title is Pikmin Adventure in all regions. The following table contains the subtitle.
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese |
ピクミンアドベンチャー? Pikumin'adobenchā |
Pikmin Adventure |
 Dutch |
Op avontuur met de Pikmin | On an adventure with the Pikmin |
 French |
La grande aventure des Pikmin | The Pikmin's big adventure |
 German |
Pikmin-Abenteuer | Pikmin Adventure |
 Italian |
Le avventure dei Pikmin | The Pikmin's adventure |
 Spanish |
La aventura de los Pikmin | The Pikmin's adventure |
 Portuguese |
Aventura Pikmin | Pikmin Adventure |
 Russian |
Приключения пикминов Priklyucheniya pikminov |
Pikmin Adventure |