Challenge Mode (Pikmin 2)
The Challenge Mode in Pikmin 2 is very different from the one in the first game. To unlock it, the player needs to collect The Key from the final floor of the Citadel of Spiders in the Perplexing Pool. Challenge Mode takes place in many cave areas and the player will need to collect The Key in each to advance through sublevels, and so complete the level. Challenge mode starts with 5 levels unlocked, and for every level completed, another level is unlocked. There are 30 levels in all, each with a specific amount of starting Pikmin, sprays, time limits, etc.
All levels have a time limit (in units that do not represent seconds), within which one must advance to the next sublevel or fail the challenge. Every sublevel, some more units of time are added to the existing amount. Being awarded a white flower upon completion means that one or more Pikmin have died, while a no-death completion earns a pink flower. A widely held misconception is that in order to beat Challenge Mode, one must collect all the treasures and have no Pikmin losses, but only the key on each level is required. To unlock a special cutscene with Louie, the player must complete the Challenge Mode with all pink flowers.
Co-op
Co-op is a variation of Challenge Mode with two players, as the name implies. As with 2-Player battle, player one controls Olimar on the top screen, and player two controls Louie on the bottom one. Other than this, Co-op is completely identical to regular Challenge Mode.
Because the multitasking in co-op mode increases efficiency, scores between single-player mode and co-op mode are kept separately.
Levels
Trivia
- There is a minor glitch, in which a leader will remain on the ground, when the player gives up.
- The game's files can be edited to change the number of starting Pikmin on any given level. There are settings for seven Pikmin types, and setting the "seventh" type's number to non-zero makes pikpik carrots join the player's party, and act as Pikmin.