Cave
Caves are the underground areas in Pikmin 2, of which 14 exist in all. Although there is a large overworld, most treasures are found in these caves, so most of the time playing the game is spent down them. All enemies, including bosses, respawn between visits - the only exceptions to this are Violet Candypop Buds and Ivory Candypop Buds, which, in some caves such as Frontier Cavern and Hole of Beasts, do not appear once the player has 20 or more Purple Pikmin or White Pikmin already; this is to stop the player from gathering large numbers of Purples and Whites with too much ease.
Time does not pass while the player is in a cave, and their floors are generated randomly each time, but follow a specific layout scheme. According to earlier versions of the game, this is because the space-time continuum was warped due to the cave's geomagnetic radiation field. [1] The final version's instruction manual simplifies this and simply calls it "a powerful magnetic field".[2] [3]
The holes through which the player enters the caves are round, rocky mounds, with a small hole in them with wisps of steam coming out. To enter one, the player must simply press A. Any Pikmin under their control will jump down with them, and any that are idle or working will return safely to their Onions. Once the player enters a cave, there is no way to increase Pikmin population save for Bulbmin and/or Queen Candypop Buds.
Sublevels
The caves are split into several sublevels. The shortest cave has two sublevels and the longest has fifteen. Each sublevel usually has at least one treasure for the player to find, and almost always one or more enemies. Sublevels can be roughly categorized into three types. Every time a sublevel is entered, the game is saved. So if the player turns the game off and then back on, they'll start over in the same sublevel, but with a different layout, if it's not fixed.
Normal levels usually have a few harmful enemies, and sometimes don't have any treasure.
Rest levels either lack enemies or only have harmless enemies (exceptions being Doodlebugs and Bulbmin). Rest levels have Pikmin-supporting items, such as nectar, Ultra-bitter Spray, Ultra-spicy spray, or Candypop Buds.
Boss levels are usually the final level of a cave. The only cave without a boss level is the Emergence Cave, and the one with the most is the Hole of Heroes. They hold one large boss enemy (although in some rare circumstances there may be up to three) and maybe a few normal enemies, and this enemy, when defeated, often drops an item which upgrades the leaders' space suits or ship.
Floor designs
Each cave floor is comprised of several units, organized in a random fashion, but commonly following a theme. The following is a list of existing themes.
- Concrete walls
- This design features plants, sandy floors, and concrete walls. Eggs and Bomb-rocks will occasionally fall from the cave ceiling.
- Garden
- This type of design appears as if the party is outside. These type of designs always have harmful enemies in them, save Mitites, and can be found in caves such as the Snagret Hole and in Challenge Mode. The second to last level in Challenge mode, the Sniper Room, is the only nighttime garden level.
- Metal
- This design has metal floors and low walls, making it possible to throw Pikmin and ward some enemies out of bounds. It frequently contains Careening Dirigibugs, Gatling Groinks, or Lithopods, with bomb-rocks appearing on occasion. The first area with a floor like this is the 1st sublevel of the White Flower Garden.
- Snow
- A common sublevel design in the Valley of Repose, these sublevels are blanketed with snow, and have stone – and occasionally brick – walls. The floors are commonly littered with dying Figworts. Hairy Bulborbs and Snow Bulborbs are often present here.
- Soil
- This theme represents a very basic type of cave, with soil floors and stone walls.
- Toybox
- These cave designs are in caves such as Glutton's Kitchen and the Dream Den. These levels are often filled with giant toys and treasures that are used for food, entertainment, and office supplies. The borders of the sublevels are smaller toys that Pikmin and enemies can cross, but not captains. They sometimes can be covered with a large carpet that stretch for the entirety of the floor.
- Tiles
- Tiles cover nearly the whole sub-level and many hazards are found on these types of design. Wogpoles will sometimes fall from the cave ceiling.
List of caves
Valley of Repose
Awakening Wood
Perplexing Pool
Wistful Wild
References
- ^ "A geomagnetic radiation field underground must have warped the space-time continuum." "Even my record of the terrain has been erased." - Early dialog in the prototype version of Pikmin 2.
- ^ "Because of a powerful magnetic field deep under the surface, time does not pass underground." - Explanation of the time passage in page 25 of the manual.
- ^ "The powerful magnetic field between the surface and underground can have peculiar, unexpected results. You can't rely merely on your memory, as familiar areas can often appear foreign." - Explanation of the caves' random generation in page 26 of the manual.