This icon represents Hey! Pikmin on Pikipedia. It is based off of the game's logo.

Hey! Pikmin

From Pikipedia, the Pikmin wiki
Revision as of 15:34, October 8, 2017 by Espyo (talk | contribs) (Dance trivia.)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Hey! Pikmin
The box art for Hey! Pikmin.
North American boxart
Japanese name Hey! ピクミン?
Rating ESRB rating: E 10+ PEGI rating: 3
Console Nintendo 3DS
Developer Arzest
Publisher Nintendo
Genre Action, puzzle, platformer
Players 1
Release date
Japan July 13th, 2017
North America July 28th, 2017
Europe July 28th, 2017
Australia July 29th, 2017
South Korea N/A

This article or section is about an upcoming or recently released game.
The content here is subject to change as more information is discovered.
All information added here must be verifiable and not speculative.

For information about an upcoming Pikmin game titled Pikmin 4, see Pikmin 4.

Hey! Pikmin is a Pikmin spin-off game for the Nintendo 3DS. Unlike the main games in the series, which are 3D real-time strategy and action games, this is a 2.5D puzzle platformer. Players take control of Captain Olimar in an unknown planet, with the goal of gathering enough Sparklium to fuel the ship back into working condition. Olimar can throw Pikmin at enemies, obstacles, treasures, or puzzle elements to have them work on them. Organizing the Pikmin, multi-tasking, and strategy are not important in this game, but rather, the focus is on reflexes, a good aim, and maneuverability.

It was released on July 13th, 2017 in Japan, July 28th, 2017 for North America and Europe, and July 29th, 2017 for Australia. A demo was released for the European eShop on June 22nd, 2017, and for the Australian eShop on July 5th, 2017. Despite being a 3DS title, Hey! Pikmin does not support stereoscopic 3D.

Gameplay

To do: Move verbose information about a mechanic from this article into that mechanic's article.
Care to do so?

Gameplay happens on the bottom screen, although both screens show the action. The player controls Olimar left or right on the ground and also vertically when climbing a vine or underwater. Small ledges can be climbed up by simply walking in their direction. Captain Olimar can also deploy his jetpack, which makes him dismiss grounded Pikmin temporarily, raises him off the ground, and allows the player to control him in midair left or right. Olimar can only stay afloat for a limited amount of time, though; this limit gets reset when Olimar lands again.

The player can whistle Pikmin from anywhere on the screen, which makes them run to Olimar's side, although worker Pikmin will continue working. When the whistle is used, a voice going "Hey!" can be heard, although it doesn't seem to match Captain Olimar's, and the whistle itself is only used a split-second after the voice. Given unknown circumstances, the whistle will sound higher pitched. This might happen when Pikmin in danger are whistled. Once in Olimar's group, they can be thrown by him in the direction the player taps. Unlike the main Pikmin games, the Pikmin cannot be told to idle as normal – throwing a Pikmin away to an enemy or no task in particular will just make the Pikmin walk back to Olimar. This casual walk can be ordered into a run by simply whistling. Using the jetpack will however dismiss non-Winged Pikmin on the spot, until they are called back. Entering a doorway while some Pikmin are busy carrying or fighting will also leave them idling, although they can still hold on to whatever item they are holding.

Pikmin that are thrown at branches from below go up through them and land on top of them. Pikmin that land close to a task like a pile of bridge fragments will automatically walk towards it and begin working on it. Enemy health is represented with a horizontal bar, unlike the pie chart of previous games. Blue Pikmin thrown while underwater are tossed in a straight line instead of an arc, and swim back to Olimar right away. Other Pikmin will either bounce off the enemy or, if possible, latch on to it and attack repeatedly. Unlike the previous games, that show a fraction to represent how many Pikmin are needed to pick something up, some bubbles appear on top of the object, matching the number of Pikmin necessary. As Pikmin are added, the bubbles become filled one by one.

Pikmin cannot be grown in this game, but rather, they're found in the wild by Olimar, either behind foliage or obtained in short cutscenes.[1] Because of this, enemies do not drop corpses (although they still release spirits), and just fade away shortly after being taken down. Pikmin hiding behind something will occasionally pop in and out of their hiding spot.

Captain Olimar lands on the stage after being beamed down by a blue ship that highly resembles the Research Pod. Treasure and objects are collected by having Olimar himself touch them. Treasures involve a small cutscene that shows Olimar summoning a portal of sorts to beam up the object; after the cutscene, there's a small pause showing the treasure's name and value. After collecting a treasure, it is replaced by Rainbow Sparklium seeds if the player replays the level. The value of a new treasure isn't added to the total of Sparklium yet, but collecting the Rainbow Sparklium seed equivalent to that treasure adds the value right away – the Rainbow Sparklium seems to be worth less than the treasure it replaces. There are two, three, or four treasures per stage, and collecting one adds its icon to the set of bubbles on the top screen's HUD.

There are more elements on the top screen's HUD. At the top-left is an icon for Olimar and some green bars, that represent his current health. This also temporarily appears next to Olimar himself every time he gets hurt, which can happen by simply touching enemies, as opposed to the main games, where leaders can only get hurt by enemy attacks. In some levels, Olimar is seen with three bars, but on others, he has up to six. At the middle is a counter of Pikmin. This indicates the number of Pikmin alive that belong to Olimar's arsenal. If the number is white, that means all Pikmin are currently following the captain, but if the number is gray, that means some Pikmin are working or otherwise not following Olimar. If the number is flashing red, that means some Pikmin that used to be long to Olimar's group are out of reach, possibly because they got dismissed by the jetpack function. Right next to the Pikmin counter is the Sparklium counter, indicating how many points of Sparklium have been collected in the level. Finally, as mentioned before, the top-right has icons for the treasures in the level.

At times, the Research Pod-like entity will interrupt gameplay to alert Captain Olimar of something, like when Pikmin are being left behind – if they are left behind for too long, they perish. Due to the game's side-scrolling perspective, there may be paths hidden behind walls.

The icon on the bottom-left corner of the screen indicates the current type of Pikmin, or a red cross if there are no Pikmin ready to be thrown. It can be noted that Pikmin are never on Olimar's group with mixed maturities. As all Pikmin in the current group will mature into the bud stage when 8 Pikmin or above are collected, the Pikmin will then mature again into the flower stage upon collecting 16

If all Pikmin are gone, the pod tells Olimar to whistle around parts of the stage that might contain Pikmin. Sure enough, if the player goes back to a section of the area that had hiding Pikmin, some more Pikmin will be there, and can be whistled to add to the group. This can be done any number of times. If Olimar loses all of his health or gets crushed by a rock, a cutscene showing the ship taking the unconscious captain away will be shown.

The pod awaits for Captain Olimar at the end of the stage, who, after a triumphant pose, gets beamed up inside the pod. In some stages, the Pikmin with Olimar also get beamed up, like 1-A, but in others, like the tutorial stage, they stay behind. If all treasures in the stage are collected, the results screen at the end will say "Treasures Found!", but if not, it'll say "Area Explored!"

Carriable objects no longer have extra carrying slots. Once the minimum Pikmin strength is met, the object begins moving, and no more Pikmin can be added. Pikmin will carry objects down ledges, but if the fall is too great, they might refuse. If they have nowhere to go, they simply shuffle back and forth, like in the main games. Pikmin that are carrying cannot be whistled, even if they are stuck, but Pikmin that are holding on to an object without taking it anywhere can be whistled. If Pikmin are carrying something, whether they can move it or not, but Olimar walks away from them, they will eventually drop the object and start running after the captain. Carrier Pikmin trying to take an item to Olimar may turn back if they bump against a ledge down or a bridge, even if built.

Long drops down will cause him to start teetering at the edge if the player pushes against the edge. Letting go off that direction and pressing again will bypass this teetering and force Captain Olimar to fall down. This can be used to fall into the pit.

Area skipping

If Captain Olimar is killed too many times in a row when exploring a new area, the game gives the player the opportunity to skip the area and try the next one instead. Boss battle areas cannot be skipped.

When Captain Olimar is killed, the S.S. Dolphin II's pod beams him up, and the game asks the player if they want to try the area again. By dying five times and picking the retry option each time, when the area finishes loading for the sixth try, the pod will interrupt and inform Olimar that it found a new area for them to explore. If the player ever wishes to skip the current area and try the next one, the pause menu will replace the usual "Return to Area Select" option with a pink "Go to the next area" button. This button triggers the area completion results screen, and acts as if the player reached the standard end of the area, with nothing collected and no Pikmin gathered.

Interestingly, skipping First Expedition will give the player the jetpack anyway. The game keeps track of the number of deaths in a row the player has suffered, but if the player returns to the area selection screen, the counter is reset. The gameplay section that takes place after the introduction cutscene cannot be skipped, as it is not an area, and has no way for Olimar to die. Areas that have already been explored (whether they were skipped or not) cannot be skipped.

Plot

The game's intro cinematic is as follows:

  • [The S.S. Dolphin 2 is seen flying through space.]
  • "Hocotate Freight Intergalactic Courier Vessel"
  • "S.S. Dolphin II"
  • "Veteran Pilot, Captain Olimar"
  • "After a hard day's work, Olimar heads towards home."
  • ""Engaging warp in 5.""
  • ""3!""
  • ""2!""
  • ""1!""
  • [The ship zooms off.]
  • ""Finally! A day off to spend time with the kids.""
  • "No sooner has Olimar sighed these words..."
  • "...than he comes out of warp to a terrifying sight."
  • "This isn't Hocotate! Something has gone wrong."
  • "Olimar scrambles to avoid the asteroids...but to no avail."
  • [The ship, seen from a first-person perspective, impacts against two asteroids.]
  • "Controls unresponsive. Engine offline."
  • [The ship plummets towards "an alien planet", as a second object detaches from it.]
  • "His ship plunges towards the surface of an alien planet."
  • [Scene changes to some Pikmin frolicking around the master Onion.]
  • [The S.S. Dolphin 2 comes crashing down like a comet, terrorizing the Pikmin.]
  • [The ship crashes against the ground, knocking some Pikmin into the air.]

After this, Captain Olimar wakes up from the crash landing as the ship's pod assesses his and the ship's situation. After doing so, it concludes that the ship's fuel (Sparklium) supply is completely empty. The pod picks up Sparklium signals and sends the captain onward, where the two stumble upon a wild Red Pikmin. After it being scared off, and the two continue going forward, Captain Olimar uses his whistle to bring out the Pikmin hiding in the weeds, only to realize there's actually four of them hiding, not just one. Moving forward a bit, the group discovers some Sparklium seeds. It is at this point that the pod confirms that each seed contains one Sparklium, but Olimar needs 30 thousand to be able to escape. After the ship reassures the demoralized captain, everyone moves further onward, find some more seeds, and the tutorial level is completed.

Throughout the rest of the adventure, Olimar explores different areas, one at a time, gathering Sparklium Seeds and treasures along the way. There are two primary goals: the first is obtaining 30,000 Sparklium in order to fully power the ship again. The second is searching for a missing key component of the S.S. Dolphin II, which is needed in order to return home. This final piece can be obtained from the final sector, The Final Stretch.

Content

Pikmin

The Onion in the Pikmin Park. Purple and white liquids can be seen. This game introduces no new Pikmin types, instead using the same types as Pikmin 3.

  • Red Pikmin – The first type found. They are resistant to fire, and if thrown onto a pit of fire, they stomp out the flames.
  • Yellow Pikmin – resistant to electricity, are able to activate electric currents, and are thrown higher.
  • Blue Pikmin – can survive and swim underwater. When thrown underwater, they are launched and return in a straight line.
  • Rock Pikmin – have rock-hard bodies and can smash through crystals. They are not immune to crushing.
  • Winged Pikmin – can fly over hazards like water. Can be used to help Olimar fly around, and when thrown, they are shot and return in a straight line. Winged Pikmin can also lift some obstacles that stand in the way.

Purple Pikmin and White Pikmin are not present in Hey Pikmin, but oddly enough, the Onion has some purple and white liquid inside it (along with red, yellow, gray, and pink), indicating that it has Purple and White Pikmin inside.

Areas

See: Sector

Areas in this game are organized into groups called "sectors". When an area is entered, the ship's pod drops Captain Olimar at the starting point, and then picks him up again on the other end of the area. Some areas have a secondary exit, and taking this one will instead lead to an extra area, as opposed to the next standard area in the sector.

Treasures

Some Red Pikmin carrying a trophy in Hey! Pikmin.
Some flower Red Pikmin carrying a trophy.
See: Treasure#Treasures in Hey! Pikmin

Treasures are the main collectible in Hey! Pikmin. They provide a lot of Sparklium, much more than Sparklium Seeds, and as such, are vital to Olimar's mission. Treasures are collected by having Olimar touch them. Since he can't always go up to the treasure directly, he'll sometimes need the Pikmin to bring it to him.

Enemies

To do: Move the information and images from this section to the respective enemy articles.
Care to do so?

See: Enemy#Enemies in Hey! Pikmin

The enemies in Hey! Pikmin are the natural wildlife in the planet. Most of them want to eat the Pikmin, and others just want to kill them, but a handful of them are harmless. Almost all enemies in this game can kill Pikmin or damage Olimar simply by touching them. Larger enemies, referred to as bosses, appear on the final area of each sector.

Muggonfly

A Muggonfly in Hey! Pikmin.
A Muggonfly.

A large, green, vaguely dragonfly-like creature can be seen slowly moving across the top of the screen during the Nintendo Direct trailer. It's currently unknown if the creature is flying on its own or if it is getting dragged by something. The creature exhibits some scarpanid-like traits, sporting a plump, green, multiple segmented torso and a small, lime green head with large red and yellow eyes. In addition to these features, the creature seems to have small, horizontal insect-like wings and an elongated, brown segmented abdomen similar to dragonflies. The creature carries several sparklium seeds objects under its abdomen and the player can throw Pikmin at them to break them into smaller parts that can be carried.

Spiny Coppeller

Spiny Coppellers in Hey! Pikmin.
The flying purple bug.

A purple flying enemy that has wings that look like petals, 6 legs, and a spiky body. It seems to fly in small swarms.

Electripede

A Electripede seen in the April 2017 Nintendo Direct.
An unnamed orange bug.

Two burrowing creatures can be seen near the bottom left corner of the game's box art. They have six legs and three body segments. They are later seen in some gameplay patrolling a platform. They can be used as light source to light up dark areas by throwing Yellow Pikmin at them, presumably because they're electric as seen by the sparks they emit after being hit by one. In the gameplay shown, a Yellow Pikmin is thrown at it and a flower nearby opens up, similar to the Bloominous Stemple from Pikmin 3.[2]

White Spectralid

An enemy very similar to a White Spectralid can be seen on the Japanese trailer. It is idling on a rock, until two Red Pikmin try to pounce on it and fail, resulting in the creature flying away.

Stony Flint Beetle

A Stony Flint Beetle in Hey! Pikmin.
An enemy resembling a dung beetle.

An enemy can be seen in the Japanese trailer pushing a crystal block against Olimar and his leaders. It looks like a beetle, but the way it pushes the block, with its hind legs, is very reminiscent of the real world dung beetle. If Olimar and the Pikmin push back, they are able to drag the obstacle in the opposite direction.

Yellow Wollywog

File:Hey! Pikmin Yellow Wollywog.jpg
A Yellow Wollywog and a youngling.

The Japanese trailer briefly shows a Yellow Wollywog, a bit larger than usual, next to what can only be its young. It still has some characteristics of a Wogpole, like its short body, and a bit of a tail.

Fiery Dwarf Bulblax

A Fiery Dwarf Bulblax in Hey! Pikmin.
A Fiery Bulblax.

In the Japanese trailer, a Fiery Bulblax briefly appears, eating Pikmin. It is considerably shorter, and the only part of its body that looks like it's melting is the upper lips.

Fiery Blowlet

A Fiery Blowlet in Hey! Pikmin.
An enemy that appears to be a young Fiery Blowhog.

A smaller version of the Fiery Blowhog appears on a ledge in the Red Pikmin video on the official Hey! Pikmin website. This smaller version attacks by spitting smaller fireballs out that can be destroyed by tossing Red Pikmin at them.

Flying Spotted Jellyfloat

A Flying Spotted Jellyfloat in Hey! Pikmin.
A render of a blue Jellyfloat.

On the official Hey! Pikmin website, an image of an apparently small, blue Jellyfloat appears under the "Look out for big baddies" section of the site, it is currently unknown whether this is supposed to be an updated Lesser Spotted Jellyfloat or a different species.


Red Bulborb

A cutscene with a Red Bulborb in Hey! Pikmin.
A cutscene with a Red Bulborb.

During the game reveal's Nintendo Direct, the Red Bulborb is shown to return via cutscene akin to boss battles in Pikmin 3, suggesting an important role. In accordance with the game's overall art style, the Red Bulborb appears much less detailed and more cartoony than in the main games. Its legs are more curved, its size is considerably larger and most notably, its face is much flatter with the eye stalks being placed much closer to the tip of the snout. During its respective battle, the Red Bulborb will slowly walk towards the player, constantly biting with its head lowered and jump out of the grass in the background. At certain points during the battle, the Red Bulborb will glance down. This is the player's opportunity to throw Pikmin at its eyes to make it reel back in pain and pass through its legs.

Fiery Blowhog

The Fiery Blowhog is also confirmed to make an appearance, but this time as a boss. Like the Red Bulborb, it appears much larger than it is usually shown as in other games. The Fiery Blowhog sits at the top of the stage and blows fire onto the Pikmin.

Long Water Dumple

Unknown eel-like boss.
An eel-like enemy.

This boss is similar in design to the unnamed lamprey enemies previously seen. However, it seems to target the Pikmin rather than randomly shooting upwards. It is shown lunging towards Olimar and his group of Blue Pikmin in an attempt to eat them. Its body is purple with yellow spots on top. It has big lips, two escas and its head is covered in barbels. It has no visible eyes.

Emperor Bulblax

An Emperor Bulblax in Hey! Pikmin.
An Emperor Bulblax.

In the Japanese trailer, an Emperor Bulblax can be seen, with a design similar to Pikmin and Pikmin 2. It appears from behind some grass and growls. Nothing else is known about it.

Interactive objects

The following article or section is in need of assistance from someone who plays Hey! Pikmin.
Particularly: Are the "Sparklium seeds" ever named in-game? If not, the article needs to be changed as to just call them "seeds".

  • Clovers: these clovers are seen rustling, and when Olimar whistles in range of them, Pikmin are released from behind.
  • Bridge fragments: bridge fragments return in this game, and can be carried by Pikmin in order for them to form a bridge. Sometimes, the Pikmin must pull on a fragment for a bit before it's wedged free.[3]
  • Fire: fire can be stomped out by Red Pikmin to allow safe passage.
  • Water: Olimar and Blue Pikmin are able to freely swim in bodies of water in any direction.
  • Pressure blocks: these blocks can be weighed down by Pikmin in order to allow passage. The number of Pikmin required to push it down is shown as circles below the top of the block, which fill in for each Pikmin the player places on it.
  • Loose wire: loose wire can be connected together with a line of Yellow Pikmin. This allows nearby flowers to bloom and the area to be lit up. It is unknown yet how this benefits the player.
  • Pushable rock object: this object can be pushed by Pikmin in order to use it as a platform or free a passage. It is unknown how many Pikmin are required to push it, but the more Pikmin the player has pushing it, the faster it is moved.
  • Vine: vines can be climbed by Olimar to reach higher or lower ground.
  • Doorway: there is a door that Olimar can enter. It is assumed that this either brings Olimar to a new room, or brings him out another doorway in the same room.
  • Hearts: small heart-like objects that can be picked up by the Pikmin. They have stems, so they are somehow related to plants. Olimar can collect these, but their purpose is unknown – they likely regenerate health. They can sometimes be found floating in the air.
  • Sparklium seed: an item which seems to be a golden seed like-object that can be collected by Olimar. Pikmin can also pick up these seeds and bring them to Olimar. Seeds that are not collected after some seconds begin flashing, and some more time afterwards, they disappear. They can also be found floating in the air sometimes.
  • Golden flower: this large golden flower can be hit by Pikmin to release multiple Sparklium seeds. Once hit it begins to wither away until it vanishes, so the player needs to hit it several times quickly to get the most out of it.
  • Big Sparklium seed: these larger seeds can be broken to release multiple smaller seeds, and red seeds.
  • Red Sparklium seed: this seed is slightly larger than the golden seed, bears a shiny red color, and is worth 5 Sparklium.
  • Rainbow Sparklium seed: a large rainbow-colored Sparklium seed worth 50 Sparklium. They replace already collected treasures.
  • Sand blocks: blocks of sand can be crumbled simply by having a single Pikmin thrown at them. Most Pikmin bounce back after hitting one, but Rock Pikmin continue flying, and can smash more sand blocks this way.
  • Trowel: a gardening trowel with its blade buried in the ground. Throwing several Pikmin at it will make it topple forward, creating a path. A yellow progress bar similar to an enemy's health appears on top of it to indicate topple progress.
  • Elevator platforms: elevator platforms return in this game, looking similar to how they do in Pikmin 3.
  • Vine rock: a large stone with vines entwined around it. Winged Pikmin can grab onto the top of the object and lift it to clear the way, or to give Olimar himself a lift.
  • Crystal: crystals return, and serve to block the way forward. Like in Pikmin 3, they can be broken by tossed Rock Pikmin.
  • Electric gate: electric gates return, and keep their Pikmin 3 appearance, except they are much larger than in Pikmin 3.
  • Sea urchin: a sea urchin-like object appears in one underwater scene. It is not clear if this is an enemy or not, but its simplicity indicates that it's simply an obstacle. It moves right at a steady pace.
  • Bouncy Mushroom: Bouncy Mushrooms return, but are much smaller.

Vegetation

Possible Bloominous Stemple redesign

A plant that acts similar to the Bloominous Stemple shown off in the HP trailer(note that only half the plant is shown; I've taken the half of it and flipped it horizontally, creating the current image).
A plant that acts similar to the Bloominous Stemple.

A plant shown in the April 2017 Nintendo direct acts similar to the Bloominous Stemple, blooming when there's light nearby.

Characters

Controls

Captain Olimar can be moved about using 3DS Stick.png, 3DS Pad.png, or 3DS A.png/3DS B.png/3DS X.png/3DS Y.png.[3] Unlike most games where an analog stick controls the character, holding the stick farther away or closer to the center will not make Olimar move faster or slower. Pikmin are thrown by tapping at the bottom screen – the Pikmin is thrown in the direction of the tap, and the farther the tap is from Olimar, the farther the Pikmin is thrown. When the stylus is on the screen, the Pikmin is held, and a crosshair appears under the stylus that can be dragged around, so it's the release that effectively throws the Pikmin, much like the "throw" button in the main games. The whistle and the jetpack are activated by tapping on-screen buttons present on the bottom of the touch screen. To go inside a doorway, the player must place Olimar in front of it and input "up" on one of the movement buttons or sticks.

3DS L.png or 3DS R.png can be used to toggle the radar, which is not available from the start of the game. The game reminds the player of this on the top screen if Olimar stands still for a few seconds. Dialog is advanced by tapping on the screen, but tapping the screen while the text is being written out will cause it to write out all at once.

It is still possible to grab Pikmin that Olimar should not be able to reach, as long as they are considered in the group. This can be seen by letting the Pikmin fall to a lower level right at the start of 3-A, but keeping Olimar on an upper level. A held Pikmin can be released if the player drags the stylus to one of the buttons on the bottom. This will activate the button, but since the button that represents the standby Pikmin's type does not do anything, moving the stylus there makes it possible to release the Pikmin without doing anything else.

Lists

Glitches

See: Glitches in Hey! Pikmin

Pikmin Park

In the Japanese trailer, some cutscenes of sorts play, showing Pikmin roaming around a garden-like area, where the S.S. Dolphin 2 and the master Onion are. During these scenes, the trailer has a note on the corner saying ひろば? (lit.: "open space"). The promotional fact sheet calls it "Pikmin Park", and claims it can be used to level up the Pikmin amiibo, which in turn, will make even more Pikmin appear when the amiibo is used mid-area. In one of the scenes, Pikmin can be seen plucking blades of grass from a patch and carrying it somewhere off-screen. The next scene shows Pikmin gathered around Sparklium seeds, some blades of grass, and unknown red objects. In another scene, several Pikmin of different types are carrying and moving in well-defined lines, much like marching ants, and are interacting with some obstacles. Yet another scene shows Pikmin gathering around a green, plastic clothespin on the floor.

At the Pikmin Park, players have a number of Pikmin of each type. This number reflects the number of Pikmin that safely make it to the pod at the end of a level with Olimar. A map on the right side of the screen shows an overhead view of the park, with icons representing different types of obstacles. If the player taps a Pikmin type and then a section of the park, the Pikmin of that type will then tidy up that section. In doing so, they might unearth useful objects. At the bottom-right is the amiibo button, which allows players to level up their Pikmin amiibo. For this, a lot of Pikmin are needed.

amiibo compatibility

The Pikmin amiibo in its box.
The Pikmin amiibo.

Some amiibo will be usable with Hey! Pikmin. Scanning a compatible amiibo while on the area selection screen will make it appear on one of the world map's secret spots. That secret spot can then be entered, and somewhere in that area, the amiibo can be recovered and collected, like a treasure. The following amiibo work for this: the Olimar Smash series amiibo, the Pikmin amiibo, the amiibo from the Mario series (waves 1 and 2, including the Gold and Silver editions of Mario), the amiibo from the Animal Crossing series, and the amiibo from the Splatoon series (waves 1 and 2).

In-game, if the player pauses and uses the amiibo option, they can scan the Pikmin amiibo or the Olimar amiibo to summon a number of Pikmin directly to Olimar's side. In the case of Olimar's amiibo, only four appear, but for the Pikmin amiibo, the number of Pikmin summoned is related to the amiibo's level, which can be increased in the Pikmin Park. This summoning feature can only be used once per area, and leaving the area or retrying will allow players to summon again.

Scanning any other amiibo will give the player some Sparklium. This can only be done once per day. The list of compatible amiibo can be found here.

Other content

Modes where it's possible to see collected treasures and encountered enemies, similar to the Treasure Hoard and Piklopedia, return. The bottom screen shows the model of the object in question, which can be rotated by the player, and the top screen shows a description of the item. The bottom screen also has a silhouette of a Pikmin, used to compare the treasure's size to a standard Pikmin.

One scene in the trailer shows several Sparklium seeds and large ruby-like objects falling from the sky, where Olimar and the Pikmin grab them. Another scene shows Olimar and Pikmin falling down a shaft, and sliding off of crystals pointing downwards diagonally stuck in the walls.

Bomb rocks return, as proven by the Fiery Blowhog fight, and can be wielded by, at least, Red Pikmin. Pikmin holding one will be considered a different standby option for throwing. Nothing else is known about these explosives.

The title screen randomly shows Pikmin, Olimar, and/or some enemies walking around left and right, and doing some simple activities. After idling for too long, the game will show the intro cutscene.[4]

The area selection screen shows a background themed around the current sector, and overlaid on top is one bubble per area. These bubbles are connected by dotted lines. Tapping an area will take the player there. Smaller, purple bubbles represent Secret Spots, areas in which the player can collect items like pellets. Similar bubbles but with an amiibo logo in them are ammibo Secret Spots. Blue small bubbles represent Sparklium Springs, where the player can gather a lot of Sparklium. After entering and exiting one of these, it becomes unavailable for a certain amount of time. The button on the top-right of the screen allows players to go to the Pikmin Park. On the bottom-left, there is a button to take the player to the sector selection screen. To the right of that one is a button that opens the Logs menu, which log information about the enemies, treasures, and Pikmin encountered. On the bottom-right, there is the options button, in which the player can change some of the game's settings. Finally, on the top-left, the amiibo button allows players to scan amiibo, in order to add amiibo Secret Spots.

The player can have more than one saved game, and the game is saved automatically every time a level is finished. There are some form of upgrades available throughout the game, since it is known that the radar is unlocked at some point in story mode, and that in the Japanese TV trailer, a golden jetpack icon can be seen[5].

According to the eShop demo's manual, Hey! Pikmin can periodically send gameplay analytic data to Nintendo via SpotPass. This can be disabled in the area selection screen's option menu. It also supports Nintendo Network.

History

Development

The game was first revealed in a Nintendo Direct on September 1st, 2016, where it was given the working name Pikmin for Nintendo 3DS. The video showed some gameplay footage and information.[6]

More information about the game was shown on the April 12th, 2017 Nintendo Direct, where its name was confirmed to be Hey! Pikmin, and where it was given its July 28th, 2017 release date.[7]

On May 5th, 2017, a few different gaming news representatives managed to play Hey! Pikmin in a hands-on event. This version of the game features 3 areas: a basic one focusing on the Red Pikmin, a cave area focusing on the Yellow Pikmin and their throw height, and a mostly underwater area focusing on the Blue Pikmin and multidirectional movement.

On June 7th, 2017, a Japanese trailer was released, explaining a bit of the game's plot, and showcasing new enemies, treasures, and other content.[8]

The game's official website, http://heypikmin.nintendo.com, was launched on June 29th, 2017.

Nintendo Summer of Play

During the 2017 Nintendo Summer of Play event, Hey! Pikmin was one of the games available to try out. Players could get their hands on a Nintendo 3DS with the game's demo and play it.[9] This demo is slightly different from the eShop demo – which was released some days after – in that it has different introduction text, no limit on the number of times it can be opened, and no button to open the full game's eShop page.

The intro's text in this version is as follows:

  • [The S.S. Dolphin 2, Olimar's ship, is seen flying through space.]
  • "A typical day for a space shipment pilot..."
  • "Hocotate Freight's own..."
  • "Captain Olimar!"
  • "Here we see him heading home to Planet Hocotate after finishing a delivery."
  • ""Engaging warp in 5.""
  • "3!"
  • "2!"
  • "1!"
  • [The ship zooms off.]
  • "Olimar couldn't wait to get home to spend time with his family."
  • "But fate had other plans for our intrepid captain."
  • "A terrible sight snapped him out of his daydream..."
  • "Something had gone wrong with the warp."
  • "Olimar dodged left and right to get to safety..."
  • [The ship, seen from a first-person perspective, impacts against two asteroids.]
  • "But the engines took a hit and he lost control."
  • [The ship plummets towards, presumably, PNF-404, as a second object detaches from it.]
  • ""Brace for a crash landing!""
  • [Scene changes to some Pikmin frolicking around the master Onion.]
  • [The S.S. Dolphin 2 comes crashing down like a comet, terrorizing the Pikmin.]
  • [The ship crashes against the ground, knocking some Pikmin into the air.]

Release

The game released in Japan on July 13th, 2017.

eShop demo

A demo of the game was launched before the game's release, on the European eShop, on June 22nd, 2017, on the Australian eShop on July 5th, 2017, and on the US eShop on July 13th, 2017. At the title screen, players can choose which "file" they want to play: "(A) Intro & Tutorial", "(B) 1-A: First Expedition", and "(C) 3-A: Crystal Tunnels". Players can only open it 30 times, but completing a stage allows the player to return to the title screen. Pressing 3DS Select.png or 3DS Start.png during gameplay has no effect.

At least in the demo, the Sparklium counter on the HUD caps at 999, which can be seen by constantly defeating the bird enemies that come out of the hole in 1-A.[10] This makes it presumably impossible to reach the 30,000 Sparklium goal in the demo.

Connections to other games

See also: Canon.

Hey! Pikmin is an isolated game, in that it barely connects to the other games in the series. Olimar's first encounter with the Pikmin from Pikmin is mentioned, but not much else.

Media

Trailers

Gallery

See more: Hey! Pikmin images category.

Trivia

  • This is the first Pikmin game in which Olimar is able to swim freely in water, as well as climb up vines.
  • This is the first Pikmin game to be released in Dutch.
  • This game shares Japanese anniversary days with Pikmin 3.
  • The dance Captain Olimar makes at the end of each area is the same as the one at the end of Occupational Hazards, although with fewer spins.

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ YouTube video Gameplay video of Hey! Pikmin by GameXplain (at 01:33)
  2. ^ YouTube video The same Nintendo Direct from April 2017, albeit shortened. Here, you can see a second of gameplay of these enemies and the Bloominous Stemple-like plant. (at 00:24)
  3. ^ a b YouTube video of Kotaku's hands-on playthrough
  4. ^ YouTube video of the Nintendo Summer of Play demo's title screen
  5. ^ YouTube video of the Japanese TV trailer, with a golden jetpack icon on the HUD (at 00:12)
  6. ^ YouTube video of the Nintendo Direct where the game is revealed (at 31:25)
  7. ^ YouTube video of the Nintendo Direct where the game title and released dates were announced (at 00:38)
  8. ^ YouTube video of the Japanese trailer
  9. ^ YouTube video of the Nintendo Summer of Play demo's intro and tutorial
  10. ^ YouTube video showing the Sparklium counter capping at 999