History VideoGame / Pikmin2001

''Pikmin'' proved extremely popular with both critics and audiences thanks to its original concept and gameplay. It received a sequel, ''VideoGame/Pikmin2'', which further produced [[VideoGame/Pikmin3 its own sequel]] and a handful of spinoff games.

* GameBreakingBug: One ship, the Libra, needs to be retrieved from a high location that's surrounded by bottomless pits. There's a rare chance that said ship part will bounce into the pit as your Pikmin attempt to retrieve it, never to be seen again unless you start from your last save (or if it happens to reappear somewhere else, but this is very rare). This ship part is required to escape the planet, so yeah, you're unable to progress without it.

* PlayerDeathIsDramatic: Used twice.

The game begins when Captain Olimar, a diminutive alien from the planet Hocotate, is traveling through space when his ship collides with a meteor, and he crash-lands on a mysterious planet. His ship's parts are scattered all over the region he finds himself in, but Olimar finds that he can command armies of Pikmin, the planet's strange plantlike natives, to [[TheGreatRepair get them back and make his ship spaceworthy once more]]. However, he has only thirty days to do this -- the planet's atmosphere is rich in toxic oxygen, and his breathable air reserves will only last a month; if he's still on-planet by then, he will perish.

* CaptainsLog: At the end of every day, Olimar will make an entry in his log, the contents of which depending on his accomplishments and discoveries during the day. The entries written for the 1st and 29th day are always the same, but all the others can range in topic, in part based on whatever happened that day. He may chronicle his observations about the characteristics of the different Pikmin types, describe the various hostile creatures encountered, reminisce and worry about his family back home, or even wax philosophical about the nature of the alien planet on which he's stranded. If nothing notable happens, Olimar will make idle comments and observations. Some of these are nearly impossible to see -- you need to go out of your way make no progress, staying at the Impact Site and ending each day immediately.

* CaptainsLog: At the end of every day, Olimar will make an entry in his log, the contents of which depending on his accomplishments and discoveries during the day. The entries written for the 1st and 29th day are always the same, but all the others can range in topic, in part based on whatever happened that day. He may chronicle his observations about the characteristics of the different Pikmin types, describe the various hostile creatures encountered, reminisce and worry about his family back home, or even wax philosophical about the nature of the alien planet on which he's stranded.

* CowTools: The scattered ship parts, since Olimar never explains how his ship is built or what the various parts do.

** This is the only game in the series who's final boss does not utilize elemental attacks, or encourages using all Pikmin types together against it.

* {{Superboss}}: You have to go out of your way to find and fight the Smoky Progg (and do so before the end of Day 15, [[PermanentlyMissableContent or else it'll disappear forever]]). It is only one of the most difficult foes in the game. Fought in the middle of your base, its' head is the only vulnerable part of the creature, while the smoke trail instantly kills any Pikmin nearby (and any Pikmin attacking the Progg will probably be thrown right into it if you don't recall them quick enough). Defeating it drops an object that produces 100 Pikmin.

** In 2023, a Switch port, based on ''New Play Control!'' was released, ironing out more bugs and having HD resolution and upscaled textures.

** Not counting the Wii U version of ''Pikmin 3'', this is the only game in the series that lacks the Piklopedia, meaning the enemy roll call at the end of the game is the only way to see the names of all of the game's creatures.

* EmergencyTransformation: In the [[MultipleEndings Bad Ending]] of the game, [[spoiler:Olimar does not repair his rocketship in time and his supply of whatever it is he breathes instead of oxygen runs out, so the Pikmin save him by transforming him into one of them]]. Interestingly, this is foreshadowed in one of the journal entries Olimar can write, where he muses that [[spoiler:becoming a Pikmin would be greatly preferrable to returning home and having to deal with his annoying boss. He immediately dismisses the thought however, reminding himself that he also has a loving family awaiting his return as well.

''Pikmin'' is the first game of [[VideoGame/{{Pikmin}} series of the same name]], released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube in October 26, 2001 in Japan, December 2, 2001 in North America, and June 14, 2002 in Europe and Australia. The game would later see two {{Updated Rerelease}}s: ''New Play Control! Pikmin'' on the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} in 2009[[note]]2012 in North America]] (which allowed for free aiming with the Wii's pointer controls); and a HD remaster on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in 2023 (based on the Wii version).

** This is the only game that lacks Pikmin types beyond the original three (most notably Purple and White Pikmin), and the only one that features Mushroom Pikmin.

''Pikmin'' is the first game of [[VideoGame/{{Pikmin}} series of the same name]], released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube in October 26, 2001 in Japan, December 2, 2001 in North America, and June 14, 2002 in Europe and Australia. The game would later see two {{Updated Rerelease}}s: ''New Play Control! Pikmin'' on the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} in 2008 in Japan and 2009 internationally (which allowed for free aiming with the Wii's pointer controls); and a HD remaster titled [[{{Retronym}} Pikmin 1]]'' on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in 2023 (based on the Wii version).

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: The first day does not have a time limit, which allows new players to take their time to get acquainted with the controls and mechanics.

* BossInMookClothing: The Beady Long Legs and Emperor Bulblax are the only "true" bosses in the game, but the three Burrowing Snagrets, Puffstool, Armored Cannon Beetles, and Smoky Progg are all powerful, dangerous, and often unique foes despite being classed as regular enemies. The Snagret gets promoted to full boss in the second game, then gets demoted to miniboss in the third.

* ButNowIMustGo: In Olimar's journal entries, it becomes clear that he's become quite attached to the pikmin and their strange, blue world. Unfortunately, he's got a family back on his home planet, and the toxic atmosphere just doesn't help anything. If you reach the happy ending, he gives the Pikmin one final glance before shaking his head and leaving them all behind.
* CaptainsLog: At the end of every day, Olimar will make an entry in his log, the contents of which depending on his accomplishments and discoveries during the day. He may chronicle his observations about the characteristics of the different Pikmin types, describe the various hostile creatures encountered, reminisce and worry about his family back home, or even wax philosophical about the nature of the alien planet on which he's stranded.
* ChaseStopsAtWater: The bug monsters will stop chasing you when you get in the water. Unfortunately, the non-Blue Pikmin can't swim and will drown in water.

** The game has a lonelier atmosphere than the sequels, primarily due to there only being one player character with no communication with other people.

** Yellow Pikmin have no affiliation with electricity, instead being used just to carry bomb rocks. In fact, electricity itself is absent in the first game as a hazard.
** Pikmin 1 is overall a much, ''[[NintendoHard much]]'' harder game than ''VideoGame/Pikmin2'' or ''VideoGame/Pikmin3''. Hazards are absurdly lethal, with some of them like fire only giving you an actual ''second'' to whistle your Pikmin back before they die, enemies are lot more durable HP wise, the day limit is static and can't be adjusted, and Olimar can only take a few hits before dying. It's not uncommon to hear people say they got the bad ending on their first several playthroughs.
** The original [=GameCube=] release uses a different display for item weight. The number of required Pikmin to carry an object is always in blue, with the number carrying it in red. In all future games, including the Wii and Switch rereleases of the first, the numbers will be gray if there are not enough Pikmin to lift an item, and change color depending on where they are carrying it to. [[AntiFrustrationFeatures This was done to avoid accidentally assigning Pikmin to carry something to an unintended Onion.]]

* EmergencyTransformation: In the [[MultipleEndings Bad Ending]] of the game, [[spoiler:Olimar does not repair his rocketship in time and his supply of whatever it is he breathes instead of oxygen runs out, so the Pikmin save him by transforming him into one of them]]. Especially interesting, since it is actually foreshadowed in the game: [[spoiler:One of Olimar's journal entries states that he would actually ''want'' to become a Pikmin, since his boss is not exactly a nice guy. He however suddenly changes his mind, when he remembers having a family waiting for him]].

* ExplosiveStupidity: Mishandled bomb rocks can inadvertently wipe out a good chunk of your troops if you're unlucky.

* FesteringFungus: The Puffstool is a walking fungus with tiny little legs. The Puffstool is liable to trip on them and tumble upside down, giving Olimar a quick chance to wail on it. But when it rights itself up it belches a cloud of spores turning Olimar's pikmin into Mushroom Pikmin that attack any Pikmin going for the Puffstool.
* GameBreakingBug: One ship part needs to be retrieved from a high place, surrounded by bottomless pits. There's a rare chance that said ship part will bounce into the pit, never to be seen again unless you start from your last save (or if it happens to reappear somewhere else, but this is very rare). This ship part is required to escape the planet, so yeah, you're unable to progress without it.

* GottaCatchThemAll: The game has thirty ship parts, of which you only need the twenty-five critical parts and can get five optional ones for the best ending.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The Smoky Progg is stated to be the direct result of your Pikmin attacking and breaking a normally peaceful Mamuta's egg before its time to hatch.
* NintendoHard: The game can be pretty brutal, especially with the thirty-day time limit that discourages exploration.

* SaveScumming: This trope is a crucial tactic. Saving at the end of a day is only ideal when the number of parts you've recovered is equal to or higher than the number of the day that just ended and you have an ideal population of Pikmin available at your command, ready for the next day's work. If something goes wrong during a day and you fail to get a part as you intended, you can always quit the game and go back to the last save point to try again.

** It's possible to goad Wollywogs into jumping on you while you're standing next to another enemy. If dodge in time, the Wollywog will land on the other enemy and crush them instead of you.
* SkippableBoss: The first Armored Cannon Beetle can be skipped by just taking the ship part it's guarding, but it requires an effective distraction so the Pikmin taking the part aren't attacked.
* {{Superboss}}: You have to go out of your way to find and fight the Smoky Progg (and do so before the end of Day 15, [[PermanentlyMissableContent or else it'll disappear forever]]) and it drops an object that produces 100 Pikmin when it dies. It has the difficulty to match as well: just touching its slime trail can kill several Pikmin at once, and any Pikmin attacking the Progg will probably be thrown right into it.

* Title1: The Switch port is titled "Pikmin 1".

* UnintentionallyUnwinnable: It's possible to drop the Libra down a bottomless pit, [[PermanentlyMissableContent losing it for the rest of the game]] and making it impossible to repair the ship and, thus, win the game.

** The game's only Breadbug wanders around the Forest Navel and won't respawn after it dies. Unlike other unique enemies, it isn't strong or dangerous enough to feasibly be called a mini-boss, though it has a unique defeat method.

* TooLongDidntDub: In the European translations of the Gamecube and Wii versions, the EnemyRollCall is left in untranslated English. The Switch release averts this by properly translating it.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The GoldenEnding has [[spoiler:a number of Onions in new colors flying into the planet's low orbit]]. The sequel drops this, as neither of the two new types of Pikmin have Onions. By the third game, the design of them is altered altogether, and [[spoiler:the new Onions]] never lead to anything aside from serving as a slight SequelHook.

''Pikmin'' is the first game of [[VideoGame/{{Pikmin}} series of the same name]], released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube in October 26, 2001 in Japan, December 2, 2001 in North America, and June 14, 2002 in Europe and Australia. The game would later see two UpdatedRereleases: ''New Play Control! Pikmin'' on the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} in 2008 in Japan and 2009 internationally (which allowed for free aiming with the Wii's pointer controls); and a HD remaster titled [[{{Retronym}} Pikmin 1]]'' on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in 2023 (based on the Wii version).

''Pikmin'' is the first game of [[VideoGame/{{Pikmin}} series of the same name]], released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube in October 26, 2001 in Japan, December 2, 2001 in North America, and June 14, 2002 in Europe and Australia. The game would later see two UpdatedReleases: ''New Play Control! Pikmin'' on the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} in 2008 in Japan and 2009 internationally (which allowed for free aiming with the Wii's pointer controls); and a HD remaster titled [[{{Retronym}} Pikmin 1]]'' on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in 2023 (based on the Wii version).

''Pikmin'' is the first game of [[VideoGame/{{Pikmin}} series of the same name]], released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube in October 26, 2001 in Japan, December 2, 2001 in North America, and June 14, 2002 in Europe and Australia. The game was then brought to the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} in 2008 and the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch ([[{{Retronym}} now titled]] ''Pikmin 1'') in 2023.

** This game lacks the trend of [[CallARabbitASmeerp giving mundane real world-objects unusual names]] and having them be collectables. Instead, the only collectables besides the Pellets and enemy corpses are [[NoodleImplements cartoony ship parts.]] ''2'' would introduce the idea of mundane items being considered "treasures," which would be followed up in ''Hey'' and ''4''. ''3'' had this present as well, narrowed down to fruit.

** Pikmin 1 is overall a much, ''[[NintendoHard much]]'' harder game than ''VideoGame/Pikmin2'' or ''VideoGame/Pikmin3''. Hazards are absurdly lethal, with some of them like fire only giving you an actual ''second'' to whistle your Pikmin back before they die, enemies are lot more durable HP wise, the day limit is static and can't be adjusted, and Olimar can only take a few hits before dying. It's not uncommon to hear people say they got the bad ending on their first several playthroughs. Notably, both sequels would tone down the difficulty significantly by making enemies slower and less powerful, introducing sprays and Purple Pikmin, and ditching the day limit entirely in ''2'', and streamlining the gameplay even more in ''3'' to the point where it's the easiest and most accessible game in the series thus far.

** This game lacks the trend of [[CallARabbitASmeerp giving mundane real world-objects unusual names]] and having them be collectables. Instead, the only collectables besides the Pellets and enemy corpses are [[NoodleImpliments cartoony ship parts.]] ''2'' would introduce the idea of mundane items being considered "treasures," which would be followed up in ''Hey'' and ''4''. ''3'' had this present as well, narrowed down to fruit.

** Pikmin turn a pale shade of their color when idle, something not repeated in either following game.

* UpdatedRerelease: ''New Play Control! Pikmin'', released for the Wii, irons out bugs, tweaks controls, and improves graphics, audio and other technical details.

* DisneyDeath: There's a glitch that can happen at sunset where Olimar will be teleported to the ship as the end of day cutscene plays, but the Pikmin following him will not. Though you won't lose the Pikmin, and if they're close enough you actually ''can'' see them racing towards the Onions in the last few seconds of the cutscene, it still can induce a massive OhCrap moment in many new players. It happened to {{LetsPlay/Chuggaaconroy}}, for example.

** The original [=GameCube=] release uses a different display for item weight. The number of required Pikmin to carry an object is always in blue, with the number carrying it in red. In all future games, including the Wii rerelease of the first, the numbers will be gray if there are not enough Pikmin to lift an item, and change color depending on where they are carrying it to. [[AntiFrustrationFeatures This was done to avoid accidentally assigning Pikmin to carry something to an unintended Onion.]]
** The [=GameCube=] version has different throwing mechanics than future games and releases. Rather than having the ability to swap Pikmin types, Olimar will simply throw whatever Pikmin is right behind him, with no ability to swap or control which type is being thrown. Future games and the Wii release of this game would thankfully introduce the ability to select between Pikmin types in your group, making throwing much less of a hassle.