Games - Pikmin

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	Games - Pikmin

Pikmin are a half-plant, half-animal species of fictional creatures from the video game series Pikmin
. Approximately 1 inch tall, they eat nectar (which matures them into flower Pikmin) and breathe oxygen.

During his journey, Captain Olimar finds these indigenous creatures in their dwellings, called Onions. Pikmin have 3 stages of growth: leaf, bud and flower, in order of strength, endurance, and speed. Pikmin left in the ground as seeds will gradually mature, though this process can be accelerated through the consumption up nectar found throughout the planet. Both Pikmin and Pikmin 2 feature rather lengthy descriptions of Olimar's discoveries regarding the creatures that he and the Pikmin find and defeat, sometimes in slightly humorous pseudo-scientific style.

Olimar uses the Pikmin to defeat enemies - notably their natural enemy, the bulborbs - carry objects, demolish walls, push large boxes, and to construct various objects to get around easier. The number of Pikmin in a field cannot exceed 100.

Original Pikmin

In the first game, the Pikmin come in red, blue, and yellow varieties, each with their own advantages and weaknesses. These Pikmin are bred by placing nutritious food pellets or slain animals in the beam of the Pikmin Onion, which will result in the Onion to produce more Pikmin seeds.

Red Pikmin

Red Pikmin (Pikminicus rufusia) are fire-resistant and, aside from purple Pikmin, the strongest fighters. They can defeat various fire-breathing creatures, as well as 'natural' flamethrowers.

Yellow Pikmin

Yellow Pikmin (Pikminicus aurumia) are the lightest Pikmin, able to be thrown up twice as high as the others. They are able to carry bomb rocks in the original Pikmin, though in Pikmin 2, they are instead immune to electricity. These are the only Pikmin with ears.

Blue Pikmin

Blue Pikmin, (Pikminicus cobaltium) are the only Pikmin able to cross bodies of water. The blue Pikmin can also act as lifeguards by grabbing and throwing drowning Pikmin out of water.

Other Pikmin

In the best ending of the original Pikmin, orange, pink, light blue, green, black, purple, white and silver Pikmin onions can be seen flying up into the atmosphere in addition to the colours listed above. As only purple and white Pikmin are introduced in Pikmin 2, the uses and purpose of the other Pikmin colours are yet to be known.

New species in Pikmin 2

In Pikmin 2, new species of Pikmin are introduced - purple Pikmin and white Pikmin. Not living in Onions of their own, they instead live inside Olimar's spaceship and are bred by throwing a Pikmin into a "Candypop Bud" of the correct colour (purple or white) to let it produce these new Pikmin seeds. They are only found underground.

Purple Pikmin

Purple Pikmin (Pikminicus puniceus) are 10 times as strong as other Pikmin. When thrown, they cause a thud, stunning enemies nearby and in some cases even squishing it. A purple Pikmin counts as 10 regular Pikmin for the purpose of carrying objects, yet takes only the space of a single one on the field. They are the strongest and the slowest of the Pikmin.

White Pikmin

White Pikmin (Pikminicus niveus) are immune to poison, and when eaten by an enemy, can poison their devourer. Various obstacles bellow out foul clouds of purple smoke, and white Pikmin are the only ones that can safely approach and destroy them. Additionally, they can uncover buried treasures. They are the fastest and the weakest of the Pikmin. They also carry objects faster than other types of Pikmin, and are the fastest of all Pikmin types.

Bulbmin

Bulbmin, Parasiticus pikminicus, are actually parasitic Pikmin that dwell inside of what look like Dwarf Red Bulborbs except for a leaf on their backs. Bulbmin are dungeon-only creatures found in caves. Although the mother will attack Pikmin, its children (usually ten) will not. Once the 'mother' Bulbmin is killed, its miniature Bulbmin children will follow Captain Olimar when he calls them. They cannot leave the cave, but can be transformed into regular Pikmin via multi-colored flowers (Candypop Buds). They are immune to fire, water, electricity, and poison. Aside from the immunities, they have no special abilities. They are particularly weak in battle, and thus should not be used while fighting bosses or large enemies. Despite the mother's smaller size compared to Bulborbs, they are just as quick and ferocious.

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