Pikmin 2 builds upon the foundation of its predecessor, offering a larger, more strategic experience. You'll command hordes of colorful Pikmin to retrieve treasures, battle strange creatures, and solve environmental puzzles across a sprawling alien landscape. The removal of the original's strict time limit gives players more freedom to explore and experiment, and the addition of new Pikmin types adds tactical depth. However, the focus on underground cave exploration can occasionally feel repetitive and slow down the game's pace.

A bit disappointing.

I've heard a lot of people rank this as the best in the series but I just can't agree. The game is practically the same as the first with an introduction of two new pikmin types, white and purple. The purple ones didn't really have any use the entire game other than carrying a very heavy optional treasure thanks to their increased carry limit. Other than that I never used them as there was no need, they do have this ability to shock enemies for like half a second when you throw them since they're heavy but I don't think its worth carrying them for just that. I did find myself using white Pikmin here and there, and found them to be a cool addition. One of my favorite things about this game that wasn't in the first is how the Pikmin occasionally sing when you travel with them, pretty adorable ngl. The story is fitting, very simple involving repaying a debt through collecting treasures that resemble real life objects that were polluted. Overall the game is very similar to the first with less Pikmin related puzzles.

The main thing that brings this game down for me, and it's a big negative, is the only other addition which were the caves. I have no clue why they added dungeon crawling to this and made it the prime focus. The caves have some randomness to it where floors have the same enemies and loot but the layout is rearranged every time you reload it. In theory it sounds cool and games have done this but this game does not cap the bullshit. I would go into a cave and the game would give me a layout where they put a big black bulborb right beside me that would commit genocide on my Pikmin before I can even react, then I'd have to restart the game, load back in and hope for a better layout, this is all without a restart checkpoint or last save button so I would have to manually close the game, boot it up, and wait every time. There were some pretty cool bosses in these caves but all the bullshit with the random spawning really ruined it for me, it isn't even a skill issue just luck. Also some of them would take way way too long to finish with over 15 floors. I am very glad they took this out of Pikmin 3, I heard they do return in Pikmin 4, and I wouldnt mind this as long as they fixed this kind of thing.

Not a bad game but definitely has it's flaws, I should have stopped once I finished the main story rather than collecting every treasure. Still looking forward to Pikmin 4

Pikmin is beloved for a reason: its a timeless nintendo classic, able to express so much charm and wonder in a lot of its aspects.

But most importantly, Pikmin 2 is a game that... betrays you. It gives you multpile times a high sense of security, only to crush your hopes with an unexpected danger that will make you paranoid for the rest of the adventure. Feeling like the road is clear? Too bad, here's a spider with an exploding head that come sat you while a boulder falls from the sky.

Remember that enemy that felt really easy? She is back with an army of bloodlust fetuses that will not hesitate at destroy you.
Remember the enemies that only appear only in the toughest dungeons? They are outside your house now: have fun!

Feel like the caves are too easy and repetitive? Here's a castle in the middle of the lake.... don't worry about it, just jump in.

The amount of shocking and even horrific moments Pikmin 2 for me are able to outshine the flaws the game have in terms of gameplay, and mixes with a sense of discovery and wonder that leads to one of the most interesting experiences in a Nintendo title. An high recommendation for me.

Worst rogue-like know to man. Earns a lot of credit for its great character design and writing, but the game is a chore to play. Pikmin was not a game designed around combat, so it's weird Nintendo followed it up with an action rogue-like.
Caves are 75% of the game, and all you do in them is slowly fight one enemy at a time or wait for pikmin to carry items- the only way to play the game is slow, methodical, and tedious as hell. Caves aren't only boring, but they put a wrench in many things that work in the first game. A "day" in Pikmin 1 is a consistent unit of play time, and a major factor in how you plan your day. In Pikmin 2, a "day" is a 1-3 hour period that ends when you decide to leave a given hub world- the timer is still there, though.

Water Wraith is pretty cool, though.

Pikmin 2 is a very divisive game, with one side of the fanbase proclaiming it to be peak fiction and god's gift to Earth, and the other side claiming its ruined by atrocious dungeon design. While the first Pikmin is simple and basic by comparison, Pikmin 2 expands on the formula in odd and unexpected ways, and is nothing if not memorable.

I appreciate a goofy puzzle game like this making real effort on the exposition. Captain Olimar returns from his treacherous expedition of the first game only to find his employer in massive debt due to carelessness of his coworker, Louie. Olimar's prized S.S. Dolphin from the first game is sold to help pay off debt, and Olimar and Louie are sent back to the Pikmin Planet to recover treasure to be sold, Lethal Company style. Louie, despite almost never talking, works well as a foil to Olimar, and his presence allows for 2 playable captains, increases the capabilities of multitasking the Pikmin series is well-known for.

Two new types of Pikmin are found not long after arriving on the planet, the purple and white variants. However these Pikmin are subterranean, spawning only from Candypop Buds of the same color, unlike the Onions of the red, blue, and yellow Pikmin. The hefty purples are honestly overpowered, and the rest just boil down to "match this color to its element to solve puzzles", which is fine but nothing mind-blowing.

These caves are what makes Pikmin 2 such a conflicting game for so many people. The layout of each floor is procedurally generated, with the same floor potentially being very different upon a second visit. This can result in some seriously unfun and outright bullshit layouts, especially in the late-game caves that have as many as 15 floors. The early-game caves are generally much more forgiving, and each dungeon is complete with a boss at the end that often drops an upgrade for Olimar and Louie. These are mostly simple things like the ability to pluck Pikmin with the whistle, or an immunity to fire damage for the captains, but it's a cute little gameplay mechanic for each cave to feature a reward at the end, considering most of these dungeons aren't actually required to finish.

The subterranean dungeon crawling is downright hazardous, and the player is mostly limited to the squad of Pikmin they bring in, making losing large groups of Pikmin at once even more devastating here than it was in the first game. There are occasional flowers to produce more Pikmin or swap out for different colors, but for the most part spelunking is a difficult and unforgiving experience, for better or worse. Hazards such as enemies that scoop Olimar and Louie into the sky, enemies that shoot boulders capable of crushing entire legions of Pikmin, and even bomb rocks that literally fall from the sky with absolutely no warning are all commonplace in Pikmin 2. Some floors have enemies way too close to the starting point that can begin attacking immediately, leaving little time to relax in between. Speaking of relaxing, there fortunately are rest floors present in some dungeons.
These allow the player to chill, manage their Pikmin lineup with Candypop Buds, and weigh their options if they would rather use the geyser to escape with the treasure they have, or delve deeper for greater payoff and risk alike. The ambience on these floors is seriously beautiful to me, that rare sense of safety is much-needed and so welcome. The underground aesthetic is also at its best here, with the low light and dazzling flowers.

This peace is not to last however, as Pikmin 2's later dungeons love to spawn groups of enemies close to each other to the point it feels like spam. These layered attack patterns often feel like they require more precision to navigate than Pikmin 2's control scheme realistically allows, making losing Pikmin in these floors feel like an inevitability, not a dandori issue. The worst offender in dungeon design, to me, is sublevel 10 of The Dream Den. Enemies called Gattling Groinks love to lob bombs at the party mortar-style, and will revive themselves even after being defeated unless brought back to the Hocotate Pod. This level's layout frequently requires blue Pikmin to do this, but it's so deep in such a difficult dungeon that very realistically there won't even be enough blue Pikmin left. I could list off countless examples like this, but the point is there's scenarios like this one everywhere, with frustrating level design around every turn. Speaking of blue Pikmin, I'd be remiss to not mention The Submerged Castle and the horrifying Waterwraith dwelling within. The entrance to this cave is underwater and can only be accessed with blues, but as the party goes deeper they'll be chased by the Waterwraith if they linger on any floor for too long. Easily capable of running over the entire team, trying to escape from this guy is genuinely one of the most frightening things I've ever experienced in a video game outside of the horror genre, it's so unnerving.

The goal of collecting treasure instead of ship parts drives home the point harder that Olimar, Louie, and the Pikmin are very tiny, which always makes for a fun and charming setting. This treasure comes in the form of real-world everyday items such as bottlecaps, batteries, and marbles. It's very cute to know these apparently sell for serious money in the Pikmin world.

The game hits credits once 10,000 pokos have been collected and the debt has been paid off, but there is a sort of post-game afterwards involving Louie becoming stranded after being left behind. The President takes his place joining Olimar to go rescue him, but I admittedly wasn't enjoying this game the first time I played it and considered it "beaten" after hitting credits, never playing any of the Wistful Wild. This time I resolved to 100% the game and collect all treasure, which included rescuing Louie from the final boss. The dungeon design is at its worst in this area, leaving a bad last impression, but I'm happy to say I eventually did complete it 100%.

I've come to believe I was a fool for not appreciating Pikmin 2 the first time. It's vastly different from the game before and after it, and brutally difficult at times, but in a weird unexplainable way that's part of its charm. It feels similar to those cheap bottomless-pit deaths in NES platformers, or insta-kill spells in SMT games. They might not be well-designed difficulty, but there's a certain fun in knowing the odds are stacked against you and trying to persevere amidst all the bullshit. It's only a slight exaggeration/joke to say Pikmin 2 is a game about tragedy, there's just something strangely beautiful about this one, good and bad and all.

3.5/5.0

By far the most disappointing 6/10 I've ever played.

Without judging it against the other games in the series, Pikmin 2 is a pretty fun game with some frustrating moments and weird decisions. The story is still charming, the game is still beautiful, the music is still a vibe, and, during the overworld sections, it's fun to explore the world and see what you can do with 2 captains.

But as a sequel to Pikmin, it's mind-blowing why they would turn such a chill and well designed experience into a randomly generated and precise RTS experience for the majority of the gameplay.

6/10
Game #18 of 2024, March 20th

As a follow-up to Pikmin 1, Pikmin 2 makes an incredibly strong statement. And that statement is "we know that we're spreading ourselves thin between score attack-style survivalist gameplay and slow-burn exploration and worldbuilding, so we've destroyed the worldbuilding and put it in a little book and now the game is all about not dying in caves". It's a change that honestly the Pikmin series probably needed to take in one direction or the other, and the game commits to its more arcade-style gameplay fairly well! Without having to worry about navigating a more complex terrain in favor of labyrinths, control of the Pikmin generally feels a lot more consistent, combat challenges can be placed in a player's way methodically and deliberately, and overall the spikes in difficulty and memorable moments are a lot more controlled than in Pikmin 1. Unfortunately, the very limited exploration offered from seeing Pikmin 1 environments change does end up feeling very rote and obligatory by comparison, which makes a lot of the game's opening stretch seem pretty performatory; Pikmin 2 can't be mean enough in its opening to really grit its teeth due to needing to reteach Pikmin 1's mechanics and introduce its new ones. Additionally, returning bosses like the Burrowing Snagret, Beady Long Legs and Emperor Bulblax are shadows of their former selves due to appearing at the end of dungeons where a player can't be assured to have a full squad like Pikmin 1, creating this really unfortunate deflating feeling after clearing the first game. I'd cleared the debt and was ready to write the game off as a technically superior, but ultimately short-sighted version of Pikmin 1.

Then the Water Wraith happened.

I cannot tell you how wonderful of a turning point the Water Wraith is. Every cave up to that point (discounting backtracking to the first area's harder dungeons) could be handled with just a simple measure of patience, with taking things slowly, step by step, and throwing the right colored Pikmin at the thing they're good at stopping. Water Wraith takes every bit of that away from you, demands you scramble, puts you in the position to make mistakes, has no weaknesses for a majority of its dungeon. This is Pikmin 2 at its best: throwing you into cruel situations where one lapse in attention or assuming that your little guys will be fine will end up with a squad crushed, exploded, or eaten by a jumpscare of a bomb rock or bulbear. Where the first game had you try to figure out how to solve each creature individually, Pikmin 2 is glad to mingle its enemies together, forcing you into incredibly uncomfortable situations to try and keep your most precious fellas alive, cursing the name of the Dirigibug or anything that happens to shoot lightning as they attempt to one-shot your lil' boy army. Bosses take a significant step up, with Man-At-Legs being an especially fantastic upgrade of needing to figure out spacial awareness, positioning, and just how fast your Pikmin can duck into cover to avoid machine gun fire. The midgame of Pikmin 2 is absolutely exhilerating in attempting to expect its cruelty and react.

... and unfortunately the endgame is where Pikmin 2's flaws become most apparent. The caves that you delve into are somewhat randomly generated, with layouts tending to be similar, but a lot of enemy placements and exit placements in those rooms being random. This leads to a lot of scenarios that aren't so much difficult, but unfun, especially if something REAL dangerous like a groink or bulbear spawns directly outside your starting area and leaves you little time to react. I do think the game is significantly more fun not resetting or leaving caves, just trying to do your best with the limited resources you have (I actually managed to beat Submerged Castle on the back of seven total Pikmin remaining, and it was an absolute blast maneuvering that!), but I'll admit it's not the optimal way to play the game compared to resetting. Sitting there watching your 'min get blown over and over again because the blowy man is behind a wall you need to break while a snitchbug takes swipes every so often is hardly a fun time, and these kinds of scenarios are abundant the further you get into Pikmin 2. Add in things like bomb hitboxes extending through walls with no real indication, cutscenes for items interrupting gameplay, and treasures sometimes glitching out if at a bad angle, and Pikmin 2 ends up an experience as unintentionally frustrating as it is intentionally.

Overall, Pikmin 2 is my favored Pikmin game of the Gamecube duology. It's a wildly inconsistent game, but its peaks are utterly fantastic, its writing some of the best on the system even though it's tucked away in its own little section, and the moments it creates as you barely make it through a tough challenge or scenario are legendary. I will never forget sending my army of Pikmin to gank the Empress Bulblax while the President of Hotocate Freight personally punched out an army of her spawn with his bare hands until they could all mob her face and guarantee a win, or slowly tricking Dweevils into getting a stack up disc out of the water because I lost all my Blue Pikmin. It is not the ideal sequel to its original game, and has to sacrifice a lot to make its own fun, but what it does uniquely it does superbly, and there's a stretch of about eight hours of game in here that's utterly incredible. The other surrounding eight hour chunks on either side are still pretty good, too, just with their very obvious drawbacks!

Olimar should not dump his wife for a cool marble, though. That's weird, Olimar.

I think this game is a lot more ambitious than pikmin 1, it takes a lot of the core ideas and takes them to the extreme with some mixed results. Caves are really cool, having dungeons you have fight through, making sure you are prepared with the right pikmin and managing the resources so that you can carry out the treasure. my main criticism with the game is that some of the enemies feel like bullshit, so many times I was fully wiped out by a single attack and although there's a degree of "get good" some of the attacks are very unforgiving

I first played this game in 2010 as a gift from my eldest cousin, who after waiting patiently for me to finish investigating the manual, teenagerly sat behind me arms crossed as I studied the behaviors of the local pikmin ecology with a child biologist's eye, recommending me strategies with a war planner's attention to positioning and short vs long term cost calculation. Pikmin 2 feels living in a way rarely seen outside of dedicated simulation games. Each creature's disposition, personality, and mechanical quirks mesh with the delicate and playful level design, all perfectly scored by an organically dynamic yamaha keyboard filled soundtrack. Each graphical interface flourish, temperate rainforest ground texture, squash-stretching honey ball-bouncing animation, and gentle sway of digital foliage is humbly raised up to its just warmly burrowed living architecture-delving game player. This is a game I have played after every single major move I've made (which I habitually make each 6 month-2 year period, so thats often), since I moved out of my childhood home. Before this I had beaten Pikmin 2 twice already, once at age 12 (my initial playthrough was overly cautious, if I recall taking me 80 in-game days and multiple in-life months) and again at age 17. I will continue this ritual likely until I die, or lose access to any means of running this real time strategy ecology simulating dungeon delver, whichever comes first.

10th game I've completed in 2024
Pikmin 2: The Definitive Sequel

Pikmin 2, in my opinion, is the perfect example of what I call a "Definitive Sequal". Everything about Pikmin 2 is just better than anything done in Pikmin 1. Pikmin 1 was a great game, however, in contrast to Pikmin 2, Pikmin 1 just felt like somewhat of a tech demo compared to Pikmin 2. I'm glad as a newcomer to the Pikmin series that I played Pikmin 1 before Pikmin 2, I previously considered either trying out Pikmin 3 or 4 as my entry points into the series, but starting off with the first two games was the best choice I made. Pikmin 2 feels like a more, better-developed version of Pikmin 1, gameplay is expanded upon with the introduction of the Purple and White Pikmin, as well as the introduction of Louie as the second in command. Louie is kinda like the Luigi of Pikmin, while Olimar is the Mario of Pikmin, being the face of the series (outside of the Pikmin themselves).

Pikmin 2 does everything a sequel should do, improve on top of the first game, and introduce new inclusions. Pikmin 2's gameplay is the same at it's core compared to Pikmin 1, however, Pikmin 2 introduces two new Pikmin, The purple and white Pikmin, and they are fantastic additions, alongside the big three, Red, Blue, and Yellow. The purple Pikmin are heavier, compared to the other Pikmin in the game, they deal more damage to enemies and can carry items more easily than other Pikmin, but they are slower, and not immune to any hazards. White Pikmin can resist poison and can dig up treasures from the ground. I love the inclusion of these new Pikmin, the purple Pikmin quickly became my favorite Pikmin to have, due to it being one hell of a tank with damage onto enemies, as well as making it easier to carry treasures. However, I like the White Pikmin, but they were my least favorite Pikmin to use throughout my playthrough.

I didn't have a lot of them stored, so I limited my use of them, only bringing them out with I found a breakable wall with poison or needed to dig up a treasure underground. One of the differences between the two new Pikmin compared to the original three is the fact that getting new purple/white Pikmin in your party is quite limiting compared to getting any new Pikmin from the original three. You can get new Pikmin of the original three types by bringing items to each respective pod, but for the Purple/White Pikmin, you have to find rare flowers called Candypop Buds, and even then, you can only create 5 per flower, so it is quite limiting. I don't mind this, I found my supply of Purple Pikmin to be constant throughout my playthrough, but by the end of my playthrough, I had less than 10 White Pikmin. This would be a problem if Pikmin 2 kept Pikmin 1's limited day system, but thankful, Pikmin 2 has scrapped that feature from Pikmin 1, and you can now spend as much time, without worrying about wasting your day.

I love this, I liked the limited day system from Pikmin 1, and I think bringing it back, as some sort of optional game mode would have been cool to bring more of a challenge to Pikmin 2, but the exclusion for Pikmin 2's core gameplay was the best decision. Pikmin 2 has so much more replayability than Pikmin 1, even after beating the game, I want to go back and collect every single treasure, and replay it again. Of course, nobody plays Pikmin for the story, but there is a story here. After the events of Pikmin 1, Oilmar comes back home and meets with his boss, who tells Oilmar that the company is in massive debt, and now needs to pay $10,000 to get rid of it. Olimar has to go back on the planet from the first game, alongside Louie, to find treasure and repay the debt. The story doesn't do anything but serve as a reason for the gameplay to exist, and for this type of game, it works.

Olimar and Louie are charming characters to play as, and the Pikmin are cute as they were before. The OST continues the beautiful, nature-sounding OST from Pikmin 1, and it's as good as it was in Pikmin 1. Hajime Wakai's compositions add a scene of life to Pikmin 2, just as he did in Pikmin 1. Every song just sounds perfect within each area of the game they play in. As for any complaints, I found the Pikmin AI to be not too great sometimes, and this was also one of my complaints I had with Pikmin 1, but it's not as bad here as it was in Pikmin 1, so I'll give it that.

Overall, Pikmin 2 as a definitive sequel, it does everything better than Pikmin 1, improves on it, and adds new additions. I absolutely loved my time with Pikmin 2, and can't wait to play Pikmin 3 and 4 later on.

Stats:
Played on Nintendo Switch (played the HD remaster from Pikmin 1 + 2 and wrote my review here cuz backloggd's system for ports/remasters suck)
Hours into Game: 12 hours and 10 minutes
Score: 9/10 (4.5/5)
Last Statement: Pik(men)

This is a strong contender for my favorite game of all time. I spent countless hours on this game as a kid, and even replaying it found myself loving it again, and recently, I watched and helped a friend beat it all, and I have loved it once more. It's a special game to me, one with sentimental value. But not only is it one I love, it's a game I love to discuss due to how different it is from Pikmin 1.

There are a lot of types of video game sequels, and this one falls into the "experimental second game" category, where it takes what the first game did and completely spins it all around upside down. A lot of the things that defined Pikmin 1 - the anxiety-inducing day limit, the well-balanced Pikmin types, the loneliness of Olimar's situation, the time management of each day - ALL of this is absent from Pikmin 2.

The first thing to praise Pikmin 2 for is something of a "free point," something the game would have done regardless of direction, which is its stability and quality of life improvements. Pikmin 1 is both notoriously jank and has by far the worst Pikmin AI in the series (which are honestly charm points for the game IMO, but thank god it got better). Pikmin 2 has little to no debilitating glitches like the Crush Glitch; the most you'll see is a treasure (like the Unspeakable Wonder or Possessed Squash) get a little bit stuck, but you can get it out with a little effort. The only other one to come to mind is Pikmin can die out-of-bounds in caves if they go high enough past a wall (best place to do this is the Pileated Snagret fight). Furthermore, the Pikmin AI is VASTLY improved, they're so much more cooperative it's insane. Tripping has also been reduced in frequency and duration, which is highly appreciated. Not to mention the captains now have funny little idle animations and the Pikmin SING AND MAKE NOISES! It's such a small change, but it adds so much to the game, I love the little Pikmin songs they sing.

Additionally, this game has something truly remarkable: the Piklopedia. Pikmin 1's end-of-day journals and ending roll call are cool, but Pikmin 2's Piklopedia BLOWS it out of the water. Every enemy, every interactable object, all the bosses, even the fauna and grasses are recorded with Olimar's beautiful way of writing, with wording complex, yet without feeling convoluted or hard to understand. Every enemy has a funny little scientific name, and the new journal entries you get after getting every treasure are just delectable! AND YOU CAN THROW CARROTS AT THE ENEMIES! On the other end, you also have the treasure hoard, which you sadly can't throw carrots at, but is very entertaining nonetheless. Olimar has a ton of out-of-pocket stuff to say - things about hating his boss and corporations, talking about his (ungrateful) wife, his kids, the ship, Louie, and oftentimes talking about himself in the most ridiculous ways. Going through the Treasure Hoard is, well, like searching for treasure. Many of the entries aren't that notable, but some I genuinely couldn't believe what I was reading! Also, the way it scrolls through the list when you complete a set is satisfying. The treasure hoard also has Sales Pitches once you complete the set, but these are less interesting overall.

Alright, now into the meat and potatoes of the game. First off are the new Pikmin. Reds and Blues are exactly the same as the first game (although Reds got slightly indirectly nerfed since you can destroy Fire Geysers now), and Yellows have been repurposed to no longer wield bomb rocks but are now immune to the new Electricity hazard. The new Piks on the block are Purples, Whites, and Bulbmin. Bulbmin can only be obtained and used within dungeons, but in exchange are immune to every main element (Fire, Water, Electricity, and Poison). Good, solid, balanced, and reward a player for entering with less than 100 Pikmin, or help out a player who has lost a lot of their squad. Purple and White Pikmin can only be obtained via Candypop buds, which have been reworked to only convert 5 Pikmin before disappearing. White Pikmin are fast, small, can see buried treasures, are immune to poison, and will deal heavy poison damage to enemies that eat them. They're quite fun to use! You can sacrifice them to diffuse a strong enemy, they're great for carrying stuff back, and they're pretty naturally useful thanks to the Poison immunity. Good, balanced, solid.

And then there's Purples.

Full disclosure: I've never played Pikmin 4, and I've only played Pikmin 3 once, but I have no doubt in my mind that Purple Pikmin in Pikmin 2 are the strongest Pikmin type, ever. Good lord they're strong. They aren't immune to any element (they can't be knocked over by wind, but lose their flowers anyway, so it isn't worth much). But in exchange, they are VERY strong. They home in on enemies, meaning you don't have to aim that much. They deal heavy damage when they stomp on enemies, and deal a small stun in a nearby radius. Their actual melee attacks are way stronger than normal, and to top it all off, they have a decent chance to deal a LONG stun to an enemy, lasting around 7 seconds or so. They are MONSTERS. The game gives out very few of these for good reason, you only need about 20 to beat any enemy in the game without paying attention. They are obscenely strong. If I have 35 Red Pikmin versus a Red Bulborb, I'm not confident I'll beat it without losing anything. If I have 9 Purple Pikmin versus a Red Bulborb, it's going down guaranteed. Their strength is truly ridiculous.

So you just wreck everything in the game? What gives? Well, it's balanced by the fact that this game is actively vitriolic towards you. This game has "fuck you" level design. The first several dungeons in the game aren't anything too bad. Eventually you'll get to the Bulblax Kingdom, Glutton's Kitchen, and Snagret Hole and it's still nothing too crazy. The occasional bullshit but hey. But eventually the game really starts throwing curveballs at you. A Bulbear trap. Spawning in front of several Decorated Cannon Beetles. Dropping multiple Volatile Dweevils on you at once. Having to camp out next to the entrance to the next floor while Empress Bulblax's babies keep spawning while dodging falling rocks. This game has a lot. It will throw a floor at you with seemingly no respect for you and you'll lose 20 Pikmin, and you can choose to either reset the floor or hold the L. This game gets straight up evil, and that's not even mentioning bosses like the Man-at-Legs or Segmented Crawbster which are just diabolical. It almost paralyzes the player in fear, making them slowly take their time in a dungeon, not knowing when the game will throw something vicious at them. Or, alternatively, the player will just have to bite the bullet and run into something despite knowing it won't go well, like fighting a Fiery Bulblax while it's in water, or fighting a Gatling Groink on a pillar. Sometimes the game blindsides you with a Bumbling Snitchbug grabbing you as a bomb rock deploys on top of your now-dismissed Pikmin.

It's quite the dynamic! But what adds to the game's fun is outsmarting it at what it does. Activating the bomb rock traps you know will be on the floor, luring a Bulbear into a death pit, using White Pikmin to sneak by a pack of Careening Dirigibugs. And it's this very concept that gives the game some decent level of replayability (although the game's replayability is still weak due to its slow start and human capacity for bullshit).

What IS very replayable is Challenge Mode. The scoring system is pretty strange, but it's great fun to go through. Running around Red Chasm trying to get as much treasure as possible, or trying to just beat all 3 Bulbears in Subterranean Abyss, or 100%ing Cave of Pain, are all very fun, very tough challenges. Playing Bully Den on multiplayer is one of the funniest experiences I have ever had in a video game.

Back to dungeons in the main game, which are, after all, the main focus, it's certainly a strange design choice, isn't it? Time does not pass in dungeons at all, so you're able to go through and clear it as slowly as possible. If you really want to, you can even go with the captains alone and start punching most of the enemies on the floor. In fact, that's often the best play to not lose Pikmin. It may not be as strong of a setting as Pikmin 1, but it's still pretty cool, flawed and all. Pikmin 1's setting is based around the terrifying time limit and managing your days. Pikmin 2's is about going into the bowels of caves just for some extra treasure. It may not be a perfect fit for Pikmin, but I'll be damned if it isn't fun. Though I will say, the visuals can sometimes be lacking. Sometimes it looks nice, but the default dirt caves many floors have is very whatever to look at. Once you come back on the surface you realize how good everything looks. This game is actually very pretty graphically, and even has some nice touches, like sun flares on the camera or the heat warping the air around Fiery Bulblaxes, but there's a lot of times you can't really see that.

I still love it for what it is! Accept the game's bullshit into your heart, accept that it is trying to kill you, and just know you can repopulate your pikmin again. Sure, grinding purples at the Subterranean Complex (which you have to do for the Doomsday Appartus if you're going for 100%) is pretty boring, but just watch a movie or something in the meantime, get in a call with a friend. There's so many ways to make monotony in games bearable.

What can I say except the final boss of the game is fucking epic and the last cutscene is emotional. The game, despite me giving it full marks, is still deeply flawed. But that's what I love about it. The game really breaks the mold and delivers a unique experience. It treads new ground and does exactly what a sequel should do: expand out the ideas of the first game and see what happens. As an experimental, silly, occasionally bullshit game, I absolutely love Pikmin 2. It's totally unbalanced, Purples are way too strong, Sprays are too, and enemy placements can be downright unfair, and I love it to death. I hope I can play more games like it in the future.