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This article is about controls of the Pikmin games. For the data file category, see Controls (Exploration Notes).

The Pikmin games have a variety of controls used to control the game's menus, leaders, camera and gameplay mechanics. These controls come in the form of button presses and releases, analog stick tilts, Wii Remote pointer movements and touchscreen touches.

In-game controls

The following is a list of controls for when the player is controlling a leader on an area or cave, for each game.

Pikmin

The first title in the franchise is played on the GameCube, and hence, with the GameCube controller. The New Play Control! Pikmin version is played using the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk. The Nintendo Switch version uses a control scheme similar to Pikmin 3 Deluxe.

Action GameCube Wii Switch Notes
Move  
fully held
   
fully held
Move cursor – stick  
lightly or fully held
N/A  
lightly or fully held
Move cursor – gyro N/A   Move the right Joy-Con / Move the Pro Controller
Reset cursor N/A N/A  
Hold and throw Pikmin       Pressing holds a Pikmin, releasing throws it.
Release held Pikmin N/A N/A   +  
Whistle       Holding it down longer increases the range.
Swarm       +   On the GameCube and Nintendo Switch, the stick determines swarm direction and distance. On the Wii, Pikmin go in the direction and distance of the cursor when the button is held.
Dismiss      
Swap Pikmin type N/A     While holding a Pikmin, swaps it for one of a different type.
Swap Pikmin maturity N/A     When holding a Pikmin, swap it for one of a different maturity in the same type. Also causes the swarm effect on the cursor, but the group does not move.
Pluck sprout      
Punch       Only when not commanding Pikmin.
Lie down       Only after day 1.
Face camera forward  
tapped
 
tapped
  Tapping the button makes the camera face towards the cursor on the GameCube, but towards where the leader is facing on the Wii and Nintendo Switch.
Rotate camera  
lightly or fully held
 
held
 
horizontally
On the GameCube and Wii, the player can press the button and use   /   to rotate the camera sideways.
Change camera's distance      
Change camera's vertical angle      
vertically
Open Onion menu       When below an Onion's beam.
Olimar's monitor      
Pause/resume      

Pikmin 2

The sequel retains many of the controls from the first game, but with some additions and changes. Like the first game, the original GameCube version is played using a GameCube controller, the New Play Control! Pikmin 2 version is played with the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk, and the Nintendo Switch version uses a control scheme similar to Pikmin 3 Deluxe.

Action GameCube Wii Switch Notes
Move  
fully held
   
fully held
Move cursor – stick  
lightly or fully held
N/A  
lightly or fully held
Move cursor – gyro N/A   Move the right Joy-Con / Move the Pro Controller
Reset cursor N/A N/A  
Hold and throw Pikmin       Pressing holds a Pikmin, releasing throws it.
Release held Pikmin N/A N/A   +  
Whistle       Holding it down longer increases the range.
Swarm       +   On the GameCube and Nintendo Switch, the stick determines swarm direction and distance. On the Wii, Pikmin go in the direction and distance of the cursor when the button is held.
Dismiss  
tapped
 
tapped
 
Swap Pikmin type       While holding a Pikmin, swaps it for one of a different type.
Swap Pikmin maturity       When holding a Pikmin, swap it for one of a different maturity in the same type.
Switch leaders       Only if the other leader is not in the active one's group.
Pluck sprout      
Punch       Only when not commanding Pikmin.
Lie down  
held
 
held
  Only if the Napsack has been obtained.
Use ultra-bitter spray       Not possible when holding a Pikmin.
Use ultra-spicy spray       Not possible when holding a Pikmin.
Face camera forward  
tapped
 
tapped
  Tapping the button makes the camera face towards the cursor on the GameCube, but towards where the leader is facing on the Wii.
Rotate camera  
lightly or fully held
 
held
 
horizontally
On the GameCube and Wii, the player can press the button and use   /   to rotate the camera sideways.
Change camera's distance  
tapped
 
tapped
 
Camera ground-level angle  
held
 
held
 
held
Change camera's vertical angle      
vertically
Open Onion menu       When below an Onion's beam or the Hocotate ship's beam.
Pause/resume      
Check controls N/A N/A  

Pikmin 3

Pikmin 3 allows for four ways to control the game. The player can use the the GamePad's buttons, the Wii Remote + Nunchuk, the Wii U Pro Controller, or, as of version 2.0.0, the GamePad's touchscreen; the latter is known as "Stylus Mode". The Wii Classic Controller is not supported. When the player uses a control from a controller different from the one they're currently using, a message will appear on-screen saying the main controller has changed, and the player is then allowed to use that controller from there on out. The exception to this is  .

In addition, the player can toggle Off-TV Play with  . While Off-TV Play mode is on, the TV screen will display some Pikmin moving from right to left on a black screen, with the message "Look at the GamePad." on the bottom. Given that with Off-TV Play off, the player uses the TV screen as the main gameplay view-port and the GamePad as the radar, the player will need to use   to toggle between gameplay view and radar view, if Off-TV Play is on.

If the player wishes to play with the Wii Remote and Off-TV Play, they must point the Wii Remote at the GamePad, as opposed to the Sensor Bar.

Controllers

Action GamePad Wii Remote Pro Controller Notes
Move  
fully held
   
fully held
When playing with the Wii Remote, the camera will automatically rotate to make it easier to navigate.
Move cursor  
lightly or fully held
   
lightly or fully held
Hold and throw Pikmin/leader   /       Pressing holds a Pikmin, releasing throws it.
Whistle       Holding it down longer increases the range.
Lock-on  
held for a bit
 
held for a bit
 
held for a bit
Only if the cursor is on a target. The player only needs to hold on for the time it takes the lock-on to activate.
Charge/dismiss   /       While locked-on, charges, otherwise dismisses.
Change next Pikmin type      
Switch leader       Only if the other leader is not in the active one's group.
Pluck sprout   /      
Punch   /       Only when not commanding Pikmin and near a punchable target.
Use ultra-spicy spray      
Dodge       Only if the Dodge Whistle has been obtained.
Face camera towards cursor  
tapped
 
tapped
 
tapped
Only if the cursor is not on a target.
Rotate camera   N/A  
Hold cursor  
held
N/A  
held
Allows moving the leader without moving the cursor. If locked-on, places the cursor on the object and keeps it there, otherwise fixes the cursor on the spot.
Reset cursor on top of leader   N/A  
Open Onion menu   /       When below an Onion's beam.
Cancel pluck/Go Here!      
Toggle radar       Only if Off-TV Play is on. The gameplay is instantly paused when switching to the radar.
Pause/resume      
Skip cutscene       Certain cutscenes cannot be skipped.
Use Bingo Battle item      
Toggle Off-TV Play   N/A N/A

Stylus Mode

With Stylus Mode, the player does the majority of the important actions by pressing on the touchscreen. In this mode, the controls are exactly the same whether Off-TV Play is on or off, and the same touchscreen spot maps to exactly the same game world location in both cases. To use an ultra-spicy spray, dismiss/charge, open the KopPad's apps, or switch leaders, the corresponding buttons on the left side of the touchscreen must be tapped.

Action GamePad Notes
Move   The camera will automatically rotate to make it easier to navigate.
Move cursor  
tapped or held
Hold and throw Pikmin/leader   Pressing holds a Pikmin, releasing throws it.
Whistle   +  
both held
Holding it down longer increases the range.
Lock-on  
held
Only if the cursor is on a target. The player only needs to hold on for the time it takes the lock-on to activate.
Charge/dismiss  
tapped on icon
While locked-on, charges, otherwise dismisses.
Change next Pikmin type   /  
tapped
Won't take effect if the player whistled after pressing.
Switch leader   tapped on icon /  
Pluck sprout  
released
Won't take effect if the player whistled after pressing.
Punch  
released
Only when not commanding Pikmin and near a punchable target. Won't take effect if the player whistled after pressing.
Use ultra-spicy spray  
tapped on icon
Dodge   Only if the Dodge Whistle has been obtained.
Face camera towards leader's direction  
tapped
Rotate camera   held on border /  
Open Onion menu  
released
Won't take effect if the player whistled after pressing.
Cancel pluck/Go Here!  
Pause/resume  
Skip cutscene   Certain cutscenes cannot be skipped.
Toggle Off-TV Play  

Pikmin 3 Deluxe

Pikmin 3 Deluxe changes many of the controls from Pikmin 3 due to factors like the differences between the Wii U and Switch (such as the lack of a second screen), changes to mechanics such as charging, and utilization of the Switch's gyroscope.

The available control schemes depend on the amount of players.

  • In single-player, the player can use one of the following: 2 combined Joy-Con attached to the console, 2 combined Joy-Con detached from the console, or a Pro Controller.
  • In 2-player, each player can use one of the following: 2 combined Joy-Con detached from the console, a Pro Controller, or a single Joy-Con sideways.

The game features three cursor control styles: stick-only, gyro-stick, and gyro-pointer. These control modes are set in the pause menu.

  • With stick-only controls, moving   lightly controls the cursor, and moving fully controls both the leader and cursor. By tilting the stick lightly, the cursor can go past its standard range; when it does, it turns cyan. Pikmin can be thrown farther than normal this way, but only roughly until the midway point between the maximum standard range and the maximum "light tilt" range. The whistle always comes from where the cursor is. Moving the stick fully if the cursor was past the standard range will return it to standard range. In this mode, rotating the camera will keep the cursor in place. Unlike Pikmin 3, the cursor is based on the area's geometry. For instance, if the player is overlooking a cliff and has the cursor on the edge, holding up will make the cursor move forward in the area and dip down the edge, despite the fact that doing this moved the cursor down on the screen.
  • With gyro-stick controls,   controls the leader when fully held, but also controls the cursor regardless of how much it is tilted. Tilting the controller will also move the cursor. In reality, there is an imaginary "anchor" that is controlled by  , and tilting the controller allows the cursor to offset around this point, up to a fixed radius around the point. For unknown reasons, in certain scenarios the cursor will behave erratically – if the gyro offset is at a given angle, and the anchor moves to that same side compared to the leader, the offset will cause the cursor to very quickly jump to the leader.[1]   and   both reset the cursor's position and gyro offset. With this mode, locking-on will place the cursor on the target, but it can then be offset by tilting the controller. In this mode, rotating the camera will keep the cursor in place, but any gyro offset will change to match the camera's orientation, albeit with erratic results as the camera rotates.[2] Moving the cursor, regardless of input, will make it move around the screen, like with gyro-pointer controls, and not around the area, like the stick-only controls.
  • With gyro-pointer controls,   only controls the leader, and only when fully held. Instead, tilting the controller moves the cursor around the screen. It can move to any position on-screen, and cannot go past it. Pressing   in this mode changes it to centering the cursor instead of changing the standby Pikmin to the next one;   now changes to the next standby Pikmin. In this mode, rotating the camera will keep the cursor in the same screen location.

There is only one cursor control style option in the options menu, so in 2-player mode, it influences both players. Gyro-pointer cursor mode cannot be used with a sideways Joy-Con – the game will act as if gyro-cursor is on instead for any player that tries, despite the option still being recorded as gyro-pointer behind the scenes until players purposely change that.

This means that if the option is set to gyro-pointer, one player is using combined Joy-Cons or a Pro Controller, and the other player is using a single sideways Joy-Con, one can play with gyro-pointer while the other plays with gyro-cursor, which is not something that is otherwise possible. Any player with a sideways Joy-Con will only have the stick-only and gyro-stick options available in the pause menu, but oddly this means that if player 1 is using two combined Joy-Cons or a Pro Controller, and player 2 is using a sideways Joy-Con, player 1 will be able to set the global cursor style option to any mode, while player 2 will be limited to stick-only or gyro-stick, despite the option affecting both players as stated previously.

Action Combined Joy-Cons or Pro Controller Sideways Joy-Con Notes
Move  
fully held
 
fully held
Move cursor – stick  
lightly or fully held
 
lightly or fully held
  • With stick-only cursor controls: Moves the cursor.
  • With gyro-stick cursor controls: Moves the cursor's main location.
  • With gyro-pointer cursor controls: No effect.
Move cursor – gyro Move the right Joy-Con / Move the Pro Controller Move the Joy-Con
  • With stick-only cursor controls: No effect.
  • With gyro-stick cursor controls: Moves the cursor around its main location.
  • With gyro-pointer cursor controls: Moves the cursor.
Hold and throw Pikmin/leader     Pressing holds a Pikmin, releasing throws it.
Whistle     Holding it down longer increases the range.
Lock-on only     Only in stick-only cursor controls or gyro-only cursor controls, and only if a lock-on target is available.
Lock-on + reset gyro     Only in gyro-stick cursor controls, and only if a lock-on target is available.
Cancel lock-on – no more available     Only if locked-on with no more targets available.
Cancel lock-on – always    
Charge    
Change next Pikmin type – right    
Change next Pikmin type – left   N/A Only in stick-only cursor controls, or gyro-stick cursor controls.
Use action menu   held +     held +   Allows the player to use an ultra-spicy spray, change leader, bring the other player's leader to the group, dismiss, or use the current Bingo Battle item.
Throw Pikmin automatically  
held
 
held
Only while locked-on.
Pluck sprout    
Punch     Only when not commanding Pikmin and near a punchable target.
Dodge   /   N/A Only if the Dodge Whistle has been obtained.
Rotate camera  
left or right
N/A
Face camera towards leader's direction only   N/A Only in gyro-only cursor controls.
Face camera towards leader's direction + extend cursor     /   Only in stick-only cursor controls.
Face camera towards leader's direction + reset gyro + reset cursor     /   Only in gyro-stick cursor controls.
Reset gyro – gyro-stick   N/A Only in gyro-stick cursor controls.
Reset gyro – gyro-pointer   N/A Only in gyro-pointer cursor controls.
Face camera North + point to Onion     /   Only in Bingo Battle. If the player is rotating the camera manually as they do this, then the camera will not face North.
Open Onion menu/Assemble All     When below an Onion's beam/when next to the S.S. Drake.
Cancel pluck/Go Here!    
Zoom mini radar in/out  
up or down
N/A
Show hint   N/A
Radar     /  
(Player 1 only)
If player 2 uses a solo Joy-Con, they cannot open the radar.
Pause/resume     /  
(Player 2 only)
If player 1 uses a solo Joy-Con, they cannot pause the game.
Skip cutscene     /  
(Player 1 only)
If player 2 uses a solo Joy-Con, they cannot skip cutscenes. Certain cutscenes cannot be skipped.

Hey! Pikmin

Hey! Pikmin is primarily played with the 3DS's control stick and the touch screen, as almost all actions can be done with them. While most buttons are not required to play the game, they still have functions to provide an alternative to using the control stick. The buttons exclusive to the New Nintendo 3DS do not do anything.

Action Button Notes
Move left   left /   left /  
Move right   right /   right /  
Move up   up /   up /   Only when swimming or climbing a vine.
Move down   down /   down /   Only when swimming or climbing a vine.
Hold and throw Pikmin   Pressing holds a Pikmin, releasing throws it.
Whistle   tapped on icon
Change next Pikmin type   tapped on icon
Enter doorway   up /   up /  
Open jetpack   tapped on icon
Close jetpack   down /   down /  
Bounce up   up /   up /   Only when carried by Winged Pikmin.
Fall faster   down /   down /   Only when carried by Winged Pikmin.
Radar   /  
Pause/resume   /  

Specific controls

The following article or section is in need of assistance from someone who plays Pikmin 3.

This section details controls for specific scenarios that can be encountered while playing.

General menus

The controls for the menus are simple, allowing the player to highlight an option, change its values, or activate it. In general, the controls are as follows:

  • To highlight a different option, the D-Pad or main Analog Stick of the controller is used, normally up and down.
  • To change the value of a highlighted option, the D-Pad or main Analog Stick of the controller is used, normally left and right.
  • To confirm the option, if applicable, the punch button is used.
  • To cancel, if applicable, the whistle button is used.

Onions

In the first two games and the New Play Control! remakes, the Onion menu allows the player to withdraw or save Pikmin using a simple control interface.

  • Pressing up or down on the D-Pad or main Analog Stick of the controller allows the player to change the amount of Pikmin of that type in the party. Missing or excessive Pikmin will be automatically withdrawn or stored accordingly. Up increases the amount of Pikmin in the Onion, while down increases the amount in the group.
  • Pressing the punch button confirms the choice.
  • Pressing the whistle button cancels.

Area selection

The area selection menu in the first two games has some specific options and controls.

Action GameCube Wii Switch Notes
Change selected area       Also changes the selected voyage log entry. In Pikmin 2 for the GameCube,   can also be used.
Pick area/log       Opens a menu asking if the player wishes to enter the area. On Olimar's voyage log, it opens the selected journal.
Close log       Closes Olimar's voyage log in Pikmin. This button also allows canceling the area choice, if the ship's animation hasn't been completed yet.
Toggle Olimar's voyage log      
Open Piklopedia      
Open Treasure Hoard      
Quit       Opens a menu that allows the player to continue or return to the title screen.
Play "boing" N/A   N/A In New Play Control! Pikmin 2, it makes the Wii Remote's speaker sound a "boing" sound effect, the same that can be heard when an invalid Pikmin number is attempted on the Onion menu.

Piklopedia and Treasure Hoard

On the Piklopedia and Treasure Hoard menu, there are a few specific actions that can be performed.

Action GameCube Wii Notes
Change entry     Only when no entry is opened.
Open selected entry     Only when no entry is opened.
Close entry   /   /     /   /   Only when an entry is opened.
Move camera     Only when an entry is opened.
Zoom in/out    
Rotate camera     +  
Throw pikpik carrot     Only on the Piklopedia, and only if an entry is opened.
Use ultra-bitter spray     Only on the Piklopedia.
Open Olimar's journal/Olimar's notes    
Open sales pitch or Louie's notes    
Switch between Piklopedia and Treasure Hoard   /     Only when no entry is opened.
Quit     Opens a menu asking if the player wishes to remain on the mode or if they went to return to the area selection screen, if no entry is opened.

Bomb rocks

Main article: Bomb rock.

Due to the actions that can be performed by Pikmin carrying bomb rocks, some special notes need to be taken into consideration in order to not have a bomb rock explode accidentally.

Radar

Main article: Radar.

A few buttons control the radar. These allow the player to pan it and zoom it.

Pikmin 2 title screen

Main article: Title screen secrets.

Some Easter eggs exist on the title screen for Pikmin 2 and the New Play Control! remake. These allow the player to change the words the Pikmin spell out, and allows the spawn and control of an enemy.

Button-mashing

The term button-mashing is used when a player rapidly presses buttons or tilts sticks on the controller, without any discernible pattern. The point of doing this varies between games and scenarios, but in the Pikmin games, one may have to button-mash in certain situations in order to achieve a goal. The following situations require the player to button-mash:

  • When the current leader is being attacked by an opposing Pikmin, twirling the main analog stick allows the leader to shake them off; they'll remained latched until the stick is twirled for long enough. In Pikmin and New Play Control! Pikmin, actual buttons can also be pressed rapidly to shake off Mushroom Pikmin.
  • When the leader is being held by a Greater Spotted Jellyfloat, Swooping Snitchbug or Bumbling Snitchbug, the player can rotate the main stick to break free. If they do not do it in time, they subject the leader to damage. In Pikmin 3 Deluxe, the player may also shake the controller itself.
  • In Pikmin 3, when a leader is thrown to the ground, the player can mash directions on   /   – such as twirling – to make them get up. The player can also shake the Nunchuk to make them get up (usually easier and faster). The leader will get up by themselves eventually, however. In Pikmin 3 Deluxe, they get up by themselves right away.

In a sense, it could be said that the games prior to Pikmin 3 require the player to mash   /   to continuously pluck Pikmin, but this is only partially true: the player needs only to press the button during a pluck animation, in order to assure that the next Pikmin will also be automatically plucked. In addition, mashing the throw button is required in order to throw Pikmin in quick succession.

If the player is not interested in a cutscene's dialog, the fastest way to advance it is by mashing the   /   /   and   /   /   buttons. If the game in question allows using the "B" button to both advance the text and auto-fill the letters, then that button may be mashed alone.

In Pikmin 2, the mashing logic only reads from the control stick, not any other button or the C-stick. The game keeps track of how hard the player's been mashing lately as a numeric value. As the player mashes, this number increases every frame, but it also decreases every frame the player doesn't mash, meaning the player has to keep mashing to keep that number up. Due to the way the system works, this number can never go beyond 14. Every frame where that number is higher than 5, the game rolls a random number between 1 and 22, and if that number is below it, it can proceed to the next check: a roll between 1 and 10, where if the number is 1, the leader is freed. In practice, this means the harder the player has mashed in the past 22 frames, the higher their chance of escaping, and even with the fastest possible mashing, there's a 14/22 × a 1/10 chance every frame to be freed.

Console and controller resetting

For the GameCube games, there are two button combinations that replace the need to interact with the physical console itself: one resets the game without pressing the button on the console, and the other resets the controller's neutral position, without needing to unplug and replug it. The former can be achieved by holding   +   +   for a few seconds. For the latter, the player must hold   +   +  , for three seconds, without touching  ,  ,   or  . This is because when the console is booted, or the controller's neutral position is reset, the position of the sticks and the analog shoulder buttons is considered to be the default. If, for instance, the Control Stick is held to the right when the default position is being registered, then the game will assume that the Stick is being held left, if the player releases the Control Stick.

Controller diagram

Pikmin, New Play Control! Pikmin, and Pikmin 3 Deluxe contain diagrams of the controller with labels on what each button does during gameplay. In Pikmin and its remake, a diagram is found in Olimar's monitor, and in Pikmin 3 Deluxe, diagrams of the different control styles are found in the Control Guide in the pause menu. These can be used should the player forget the controls.

Movement and analog stick drift

After the release of Pikmin 3 Deluxe, there have been reports[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] of players being unable to move the leader, sometimes in specific angles only. This is because in order to move a leader, one must tilt the analog stick fully, since tilting it partially will only move the cursor (or do nothing, if the player is using gyro cursor controls exclusively), and given that some Joy-Cons and Pro Controllers suffer from analog stick drifting and incorrect range detection[12], players suffering from this hardware problem will find themselves unable to move leaders effectively until the affected controllers are repaired.

Trivia

  • Interestingly, after switching leaders in Pikmin 3, there is a small delay until the player can switch again. This delay can be bypassed with Stylus mode and the touchscreen buttons.

See also

References

  1. ^ Twitter video on Twitter, published on October 17th, 2020, retrieved on December 1st, 2020
  2. ^ Twitter video on Twitter, published on October 17th, 2020, retrieved on December 1st, 2020
  3. ^ For Pikmin 3 deluxe on the switch, Movement gets stuck when going straight forward. Makes game near unplayable at times and i hate freezing and losing pikmin because I can’t move. Anyone else having this problem? on Reddit, published on October 31st, 2020, retrieved on December 1st, 2020
  4. ^ Pikmin 3 Deluxe issue on Reddit, published on November 1st, 2020, retrieved on December 1st, 2020
  5. ^ Pikmin 3: Deluxe unplayable with joycon controller? Can't walk down on Reddit, published on November 3rd, 2020, retrieved on December 1st, 2020
  6. ^ Walking broken in Deluxe? (Pro controller) on Reddit, published on October 30th, 2020, retrieved on December 1st, 2020
  7. ^ Issue with Control Sticks- Massive Dead Zones on Reddit, published on November 3rd, 2020, retrieved on December 1st, 2020
  8. ^ Weird movement issues on Reddit, published on October 31st, 2020, retrieved on December 1st, 2020
  9. ^ Are you guys getting the bug where the captain randomly stops moving? on Reddit, published on November 5th, 2020, retrieved on December 1st, 2020
  10. ^ Controls on Reddit, published on November 3rd, 2020, retrieved on December 1st, 2020
  11. ^ Pikmin 3 Deluxe Stop Moving Bug on Reddit, published on November 5th, 2020, retrieved on December 1st, 2020
  12. ^ Nintendo Responds To Sufferers Of Joy-Con Drift on Kotaku, published on July 22nd, 2019, retrieved on December 1st, 2020