Ranking My Favorite Pikmin 2 Caves Using Tangentially Related Games
I will not explain the games I picked unless specifically asked.
I love Pikmin 2 and I love almost all of the caves, so I figured that, since no one would ever want to hear me describe my personal rankings of them, I'd slap it all here instead for a more voluntary experience. My opinion of course and also obviously this spoils the whole game so keep that in mind.
Also don't feel too bad if your favorite cave is at the bottom. Even in the worst caves, I still have a lot of fun because the game itself is just inherently fun to play, though I don't know many others who are passionate about these caves anyway so I doubt it'll be a problem.
I love Pikmin 2 and I love almost all of the caves, so I figured that, since no one would ever want to hear me describe my personal rankings of them, I'd slap it all here instead for a more voluntary experience. My opinion of course and also obviously this spoils the whole game so keep that in mind.
Also don't feel too bad if your favorite cave is at the bottom. Even in the worst caves, I still have a lot of fun because the game itself is just inherently fun to play, though I don't know many others who are passionate about these caves anyway so I doubt it'll be a problem.
14 Games
Submerged Castle
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It could be no other. This is where Pikmin 2 peaks, and may be one of the highest highs of the entire franchise.
It's only five sublevels, but this cave does so much to instill a feeling of dread even before you reach the entrance. Limiting players to use Blue Pikmin, arguably one of the weakest Pikmin types out there, really helps to build up this helplessness, and the music is so uncharacteristically dreary that you could almost predict that something awful is going to happen.
Every sublevel brings something completely new for you to worry about, and makes the pit in your stomach grow ever so deeper. Whether it's the Fiery Bulblax in sublevel one, the electricity in sublevel three, or the many bomb rocks in sublevel four, you will never face the same hazard twice. Not even the small village worth of Bulbmin is enough to make you feel like you've got your shit together.
Oh yeah by the way if you take too long a water monster descends from the ceiling and chases you trying to crush all your Pikmin but I mean who cares about that honestly I want to talk more about how great the blue sand on the floor feels in setting up a mood.
No OK the Waterwraith is one of the best Pikmin creatures to exist, made even better by how much we don't know about it, and even when you kill it with Purple Pikmin, you don't ever feel like it's truly gone. A specter of every Pikmin crushed under the weight of its steamrollers.
Everything about this cave is perfect, made even more amazing due to how benign the other caves were. Such dread and fear mixed with the urgency of possible Pikmin Extinction all lead to one hell of a time.
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It could be no other. This is where Pikmin 2 peaks, and may be one of the highest highs of the entire franchise.
It's only five sublevels, but this cave does so much to instill a feeling of dread even before you reach the entrance. Limiting players to use Blue Pikmin, arguably one of the weakest Pikmin types out there, really helps to build up this helplessness, and the music is so uncharacteristically dreary that you could almost predict that something awful is going to happen.
Every sublevel brings something completely new for you to worry about, and makes the pit in your stomach grow ever so deeper. Whether it's the Fiery Bulblax in sublevel one, the electricity in sublevel three, or the many bomb rocks in sublevel four, you will never face the same hazard twice. Not even the small village worth of Bulbmin is enough to make you feel like you've got your shit together.
Oh yeah by the way if you take too long a water monster descends from the ceiling and chases you trying to crush all your Pikmin but I mean who cares about that honestly I want to talk more about how great the blue sand on the floor feels in setting up a mood.
No OK the Waterwraith is one of the best Pikmin creatures to exist, made even better by how much we don't know about it, and even when you kill it with Purple Pikmin, you don't ever feel like it's truly gone. A specter of every Pikmin crushed under the weight of its steamrollers.
Everything about this cave is perfect, made even more amazing due to how benign the other caves were. Such dread and fear mixed with the urgency of possible Pikmin Extinction all lead to one hell of a time.
1
Subterranean Complex
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It honestly baffles me how much I look forward to visiting this cave every time I replay Pikmin 2. Maybe some of this has to do with my fascination for robots and all things mechanized, but I do genuinely believe my love for this cave supersedes my prior bias.
What makes this cave so great is a combination of a very strong, consistent theme, and incredibly varied and distinct sublevels. You will endure many obstacles traveling through the rusted steel corridors of this cave, most of which blow up. You will have so many close encounters with explosions that your captains will get shell-shocked, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
One sublevel is a zig-zagging gauntlet of bombs and Volatile Dweevils that will make you shit bricks, one features a ton of Armored Cannon Beetle Larva hiding in holes waiting to strike, one floor has the audacity to include Gatling Groinks in such a way that they aren't an abomination to all of mankind, especially since you can lead one of them off a cliff, and all the other sublevels are still super fun.
This is all topped off with a fight against the Man-at-Legs, my favorite boss in the entire Pikmin franchise. A spider with a gun is such a fun idea, and needing to hide behind cover to dodge its attacks is so interesting and fun. What a cool design for an amazing boss fight.
It must also be noted that this cave is infamous for being the best place to farm for Purple Pikmin to carry the stupid blue dumbbell treasure, and some people may use this as a point against it. I, personally, thank the Subterranean Complex for giving us a consistent way to get Purples in the first place, because it could've been much worse.
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It honestly baffles me how much I look forward to visiting this cave every time I replay Pikmin 2. Maybe some of this has to do with my fascination for robots and all things mechanized, but I do genuinely believe my love for this cave supersedes my prior bias.
What makes this cave so great is a combination of a very strong, consistent theme, and incredibly varied and distinct sublevels. You will endure many obstacles traveling through the rusted steel corridors of this cave, most of which blow up. You will have so many close encounters with explosions that your captains will get shell-shocked, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
One sublevel is a zig-zagging gauntlet of bombs and Volatile Dweevils that will make you shit bricks, one features a ton of Armored Cannon Beetle Larva hiding in holes waiting to strike, one floor has the audacity to include Gatling Groinks in such a way that they aren't an abomination to all of mankind, especially since you can lead one of them off a cliff, and all the other sublevels are still super fun.
This is all topped off with a fight against the Man-at-Legs, my favorite boss in the entire Pikmin franchise. A spider with a gun is such a fun idea, and needing to hide behind cover to dodge its attacks is so interesting and fun. What a cool design for an amazing boss fight.
It must also be noted that this cave is infamous for being the best place to farm for Purple Pikmin to carry the stupid blue dumbbell treasure, and some people may use this as a point against it. I, personally, thank the Subterranean Complex for giving us a consistent way to get Purples in the first place, because it could've been much worse.
2
Glutton's Kitchen
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Easily childhood me's favorite cave with no competition. I would sometimes skip the cave that was five inches away from the landing site just so I could get to this cave faster.
It helps so much that this cave has an indoor theme to it, as each floor sticks out so much to me because they look so cool and fun. Need I even mention the second sublevel, where you can walk your Pikmin through an entire train set just for fun, all the while you have funny choo-choo music playing in the background. What makes this even better is that there are multiple variations of this indoor theme, some being mostly wooden while others having this paper-like texture for the floor, further differentiating each challenge.
Speaking of challenge, this cave may prove to be a worthy adversary when tackled very early. There's a lot of instant kill electricity, and you will have a chance encounter with a very hungry Spotty Bulbear, and all of this helps to keep you enthused as well as entertained. Glutton's Kitchen is both fun and satisfying.
I love how a majority of the treasures are just food items, I love the upgrade that you get at the end to make your captains immune to electricity, and above all else, I adore the Giant Breadbug. This stupid bread-shaped individual is everything I love about creature design, and I have dreamed on countless occasions having one as a pet.
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Easily childhood me's favorite cave with no competition. I would sometimes skip the cave that was five inches away from the landing site just so I could get to this cave faster.
It helps so much that this cave has an indoor theme to it, as each floor sticks out so much to me because they look so cool and fun. Need I even mention the second sublevel, where you can walk your Pikmin through an entire train set just for fun, all the while you have funny choo-choo music playing in the background. What makes this even better is that there are multiple variations of this indoor theme, some being mostly wooden while others having this paper-like texture for the floor, further differentiating each challenge.
Speaking of challenge, this cave may prove to be a worthy adversary when tackled very early. There's a lot of instant kill electricity, and you will have a chance encounter with a very hungry Spotty Bulbear, and all of this helps to keep you enthused as well as entertained. Glutton's Kitchen is both fun and satisfying.
I love how a majority of the treasures are just food items, I love the upgrade that you get at the end to make your captains immune to electricity, and above all else, I adore the Giant Breadbug. This stupid bread-shaped individual is everything I love about creature design, and I have dreamed on countless occasions having one as a pet.
3
Snagret Hole
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I love the Snagrets. They may have scarred me for life in the first game, but I have never not been fascinated and entertained by their appearence. It's as if Nintendo read my mind when they decided to make an entire cave about them.
No false advertising here, you will encounter quite a few Snagrets, some of which in very awkward places that force you to re-assess how you even fight this boss, but on top of that I find there are just so many great set pieces here. The bird house in the first level is such a fun layout and almost adds a menacing flair as you await the first Snagret appearances. This will be your first exposure to the outdoor theme which is awesome, and even sublevels with returning themes are just so dang memorable. The arenas with the Snagrets steal the show obviously, but I will not let anyone make fun of the Antennae Beetle he is a cheeky little guy.
Giving a Burrowing Snagret a foot is just such an obvious decision because it is the correct decision, instantly rocketing the Pileated Snagret to the top of my boss rankings.
Random anecdote, this is the only cave in the entire game where I ever got Pikmin Extinction. My last two Pikmin were white and I was really hoping I could poison the one-footed menace to death. I was unsuccessful.
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I love the Snagrets. They may have scarred me for life in the first game, but I have never not been fascinated and entertained by their appearence. It's as if Nintendo read my mind when they decided to make an entire cave about them.
No false advertising here, you will encounter quite a few Snagrets, some of which in very awkward places that force you to re-assess how you even fight this boss, but on top of that I find there are just so many great set pieces here. The bird house in the first level is such a fun layout and almost adds a menacing flair as you await the first Snagret appearances. This will be your first exposure to the outdoor theme which is awesome, and even sublevels with returning themes are just so dang memorable. The arenas with the Snagrets steal the show obviously, but I will not let anyone make fun of the Antennae Beetle he is a cheeky little guy.
Giving a Burrowing Snagret a foot is just such an obvious decision because it is the correct decision, instantly rocketing the Pileated Snagret to the top of my boss rankings.
Random anecdote, this is the only cave in the entire game where I ever got Pikmin Extinction. My last two Pikmin were white and I was really hoping I could poison the one-footed menace to death. I was unsuccessful.
4
Bulblax Kingdom
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What a grand name befitting for a cave that may stand as an average player's first true challenge. The music that permeates each floor is regal and menacing, making you feel like you are trespassing on heavily guarded soil. This is even further supported by the introduction of the Orange Bulborb, a new member of the species who is arguably the most dangerous of its kind, awakening after even the slightest motion towards it.
This is not an easy trek, as this will also be a lot of people's first exposure to the trap system, as shit will fall from the sky quite frequently. My opinions on traps differ from most, as I actually find them to be quite manageable, but holy hell does the constant bombardment get your blood pumping, almost as if the Kingdom itself is catapulting hazards at you.
It makes sense that the Emperor Bulblax would be the boss at the end, and even though he is so pathetic that I once killed him with one Red Pikmin, the area after the fight is super unique as it immediately requires you use your newly founded Scorch Guard to traverse fire and find an extra treasure. Very cool way to show the player the power they now possess.
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What a grand name befitting for a cave that may stand as an average player's first true challenge. The music that permeates each floor is regal and menacing, making you feel like you are trespassing on heavily guarded soil. This is even further supported by the introduction of the Orange Bulborb, a new member of the species who is arguably the most dangerous of its kind, awakening after even the slightest motion towards it.
This is not an easy trek, as this will also be a lot of people's first exposure to the trap system, as shit will fall from the sky quite frequently. My opinions on traps differ from most, as I actually find them to be quite manageable, but holy hell does the constant bombardment get your blood pumping, almost as if the Kingdom itself is catapulting hazards at you.
It makes sense that the Emperor Bulblax would be the boss at the end, and even though he is so pathetic that I once killed him with one Red Pikmin, the area after the fight is super unique as it immediately requires you use your newly founded Scorch Guard to traverse fire and find an extra treasure. Very cool way to show the player the power they now possess.
5
Shower Room
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This cave has one of the strongest commitments to its theme out of any cave in the whole game. We want this place to feel like you're traversing a bath house, and goddammit do they hit it right out of the park.
It's great seeing Blue Pikmin achieve a level of usefulness here, and another batch of my favorite enemies are introduced as well, those being the Jellyfloats. They're not dangerous at all, but they're so cool and have a unique design and attack, I just find them to be awfully mesmerizing.
What I find most notable about this cave, though, is its one and only rest sublevel. It is a completely unique design that never appears again, and lets you walk through this tranquil garden connected by tiny metal pipes. I love all of the rest sublevels for their atmosphere and levity from the game's usual chaos, but this one in particular is a hidden gem and simply exploring it has the capability to instantly relax me.
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This cave has one of the strongest commitments to its theme out of any cave in the whole game. We want this place to feel like you're traversing a bath house, and goddammit do they hit it right out of the park.
It's great seeing Blue Pikmin achieve a level of usefulness here, and another batch of my favorite enemies are introduced as well, those being the Jellyfloats. They're not dangerous at all, but they're so cool and have a unique design and attack, I just find them to be awfully mesmerizing.
What I find most notable about this cave, though, is its one and only rest sublevel. It is a completely unique design that never appears again, and lets you walk through this tranquil garden connected by tiny metal pipes. I love all of the rest sublevels for their atmosphere and levity from the game's usual chaos, but this one in particular is a hidden gem and simply exploring it has the capability to instantly relax me.
6
Citadel of Spiders
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Probably my favorite of the really early game caves, and you would be surprised that there's really only one notable spider in the entire dungeon, but this lack of arachnids doesn't detract from the fun.
I really love how this cave starts off as a really fine, sandy area with harmless enemies, before transgressing into a concrete maze aesthetic slowly as you go deeper. It's this kind of subtle theme progression that makes the caves so much more memorable to me, and it's why most of the Wistful Wild caves that abandon all semblance of theming kind of miss the point.
Some of my favorite enemies are introduced here, most notably the Anode Beetles, who are my precious babies and I will stab anyone who says anything mean about them, and the Beady Long Legs who I encountered here before finding his much deadlier counterpart in the first game. I think almost all of the monster designs that I've made up until now have been inspired by the Long Legs and his cousins, so saying that this cave was an inspiration for me would be an understatement.
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Probably my favorite of the really early game caves, and you would be surprised that there's really only one notable spider in the entire dungeon, but this lack of arachnids doesn't detract from the fun.
I really love how this cave starts off as a really fine, sandy area with harmless enemies, before transgressing into a concrete maze aesthetic slowly as you go deeper. It's this kind of subtle theme progression that makes the caves so much more memorable to me, and it's why most of the Wistful Wild caves that abandon all semblance of theming kind of miss the point.
Some of my favorite enemies are introduced here, most notably the Anode Beetles, who are my precious babies and I will stab anyone who says anything mean about them, and the Beady Long Legs who I encountered here before finding his much deadlier counterpart in the first game. I think almost all of the monster designs that I've made up until now have been inspired by the Long Legs and his cousins, so saying that this cave was an inspiration for me would be an understatement.
7
Frontier Cavern
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I find that of all the caves you visit in Pikmin 2, this is the one that I remember the least about. Yet every time I'm reminded of what's in store here, it's always a pleasant surprise.
This is a very well-rounded cave with a cool theme of snow melting away to dirt, and a slight Christmas flair with the earlier treasures that you find. The most oppressive thing you'll encounter in this cave is a dangerous bout against a Spotty Bulbear, and the rest is more of a chill expedition through a winter wonderland. You even have the only instance of a rest sublevel which gives you a treasure, an upgrade to your arsenal no less.
This is the only cave that gives you two upgrades, both of which are amazing boosts to the captains with combat and running speed massively improved. While the rematch against the furiously birthing Empress Bulblax is grotesque and surprisingly challenging, it stands out as one of the most unique fights in the game and is easily the part of this cave that I remember the strongest.
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I find that of all the caves you visit in Pikmin 2, this is the one that I remember the least about. Yet every time I'm reminded of what's in store here, it's always a pleasant surprise.
This is a very well-rounded cave with a cool theme of snow melting away to dirt, and a slight Christmas flair with the earlier treasures that you find. The most oppressive thing you'll encounter in this cave is a dangerous bout against a Spotty Bulbear, and the rest is more of a chill expedition through a winter wonderland. You even have the only instance of a rest sublevel which gives you a treasure, an upgrade to your arsenal no less.
This is the only cave that gives you two upgrades, both of which are amazing boosts to the captains with combat and running speed massively improved. While the rematch against the furiously birthing Empress Bulblax is grotesque and surprisingly challenging, it stands out as one of the most unique fights in the game and is easily the part of this cave that I remember the strongest.
8
White Flower Garden
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Very similar to its early-game counterpart right down the road, however I always found this one in particular to be super cozy. No difficult enemies, new themes that litter the floor with flowers, and some sublevels whose looks are never replicated for the rest of the game.
This was the introduction of White Pikmin, one of my all-time favorite Pikmin types, and it was my personal introduction to the Burrowing Snagret, which ended up being one of my favorite creatures in the Pikmin universe. A really fun time all around.
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Very similar to its early-game counterpart right down the road, however I always found this one in particular to be super cozy. No difficult enemies, new themes that litter the floor with flowers, and some sublevels whose looks are never replicated for the rest of the game.
This was the introduction of White Pikmin, one of my all-time favorite Pikmin types, and it was my personal introduction to the Burrowing Snagret, which ended up being one of my favorite creatures in the Pikmin universe. A really fun time all around.
9
Hole of Beasts
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Despite being ranked so low, I find this and other early game caves to be a very fun time. The only reason they're not ranked higher is simply because they're short and easy, but that doesn't make them bad in the slightest.
This cave is defined by fire and the color red, as it feels like every hazard and enemy conforms to this theme. Some sublevels have set layouts that have been burned into my memory forever, such as level three with the tiny cave and the wide-open level four and its silly little Red Bulborb.
The boss of this cave was an emotional milestone for me, because it's appearance scared the shit out of me so much that I didn't actually fight it until several hours later. I can cite this moment as the exact point where I fell in love with Pikmin 2.
I also didn't notice this until very recently but this cave, along with a few others, has a running theme with its treasures. Here, every single one is game-themed, from playing cards to Famicom Disks, and I just think that's really neat.
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Despite being ranked so low, I find this and other early game caves to be a very fun time. The only reason they're not ranked higher is simply because they're short and easy, but that doesn't make them bad in the slightest.
This cave is defined by fire and the color red, as it feels like every hazard and enemy conforms to this theme. Some sublevels have set layouts that have been burned into my memory forever, such as level three with the tiny cave and the wide-open level four and its silly little Red Bulborb.
The boss of this cave was an emotional milestone for me, because it's appearance scared the shit out of me so much that I didn't actually fight it until several hours later. I can cite this moment as the exact point where I fell in love with Pikmin 2.
I also didn't notice this until very recently but this cave, along with a few others, has a running theme with its treasures. Here, every single one is game-themed, from playing cards to Famicom Disks, and I just think that's really neat.
10
Hole of Heroes
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The best of the Wistful Wild caves, only avoiding the dead last position due to it being a pretty neat boss rush. There are some really obnoxious floors here, don't get me wrong, but when you're fighting the bosses, it's like a remix of all the actually good moments you've had with the game thus far.
Sadly the Waterwraith and Segmented Crawbster slept through their alarms, but with brand new arenas for each boss, you can experience these fights in new ways. Fighting both Snagrets with a dangerous sinkhole is perilous, a large arena makes the Ranging Bloyster an actual fight instead of a stupid joke, Emperor Bulblaxes always worked best in pairs anyway, and the Empress Bulblax is now in prime form dropping boulders on your face. My favorite change is probably to the Man-at-Legs, who is now surrounded by a ring of water stopping you from vaporizing half of its health bar with Purples.
I also love how this cave is sort of organized into segments, with a few floors dedicated to the Grub Dog Family, and the last three focusing on the Arachnorbs, which is also a really cool way to build up to the unique spider boss at the end.
This isn't anything to write home about, but it does combine a lot of the greatest moments from this game and for that I can't say that I didn't enjoy my time.
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The best of the Wistful Wild caves, only avoiding the dead last position due to it being a pretty neat boss rush. There are some really obnoxious floors here, don't get me wrong, but when you're fighting the bosses, it's like a remix of all the actually good moments you've had with the game thus far.
Sadly the Waterwraith and Segmented Crawbster slept through their alarms, but with brand new arenas for each boss, you can experience these fights in new ways. Fighting both Snagrets with a dangerous sinkhole is perilous, a large arena makes the Ranging Bloyster an actual fight instead of a stupid joke, Emperor Bulblaxes always worked best in pairs anyway, and the Empress Bulblax is now in prime form dropping boulders on your face. My favorite change is probably to the Man-at-Legs, who is now surrounded by a ring of water stopping you from vaporizing half of its health bar with Purples.
I also love how this cave is sort of organized into segments, with a few floors dedicated to the Grub Dog Family, and the last three focusing on the Arachnorbs, which is also a really cool way to build up to the unique spider boss at the end.
This isn't anything to write home about, but it does combine a lot of the greatest moments from this game and for that I can't say that I didn't enjoy my time.
11
Cavern of Chaos
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It seems that after a recent playthrough, I've changed my mind on this cave a bit. By that I mean, I don't hate it anymore, it's actually kind of neat.
At first, I had felt like this cave's lack of aesthetic or musical theme left it as this mish-mash of difficult floors for difficulty sake, and while some of this still absolutely applies, it almost seems like there is an overarching theme to this cave after all, chaos.
This is a cave with no rules whatsoever, and this shows so clearly in the incredibly varied and unique sublevels you visit. You may go from carefully traversing a dark grotto full of killer flowers in one floor, to force feeding bombs to Emperor Bulblaxes in another floor, and maybe you'll take a swim in the deepest pool in the game on another sublevel. Need I even dare mention the sublevel which shan't not be described, also known as Dwarf Bulbord Hell. All topped off with one of the strangest boss fights in the whole game against a creature who I challenge you to describe to someone who knows nothing about Pikmin and watch their expression slowly change into horror and confusion.
Are all of these stages fun? No, in fact I can't say that almost any of them are well designed, but I had a blast managing my team through this hellscape and conquering some of the most insane nonsense Pikmin 2 had to offer. It's too bad the last cave in the game did the exact same thing but way worse because it made this one look worse in my eyes and I'm glad on a replay that I was able to appreciate it more.
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It seems that after a recent playthrough, I've changed my mind on this cave a bit. By that I mean, I don't hate it anymore, it's actually kind of neat.
At first, I had felt like this cave's lack of aesthetic or musical theme left it as this mish-mash of difficult floors for difficulty sake, and while some of this still absolutely applies, it almost seems like there is an overarching theme to this cave after all, chaos.
This is a cave with no rules whatsoever, and this shows so clearly in the incredibly varied and unique sublevels you visit. You may go from carefully traversing a dark grotto full of killer flowers in one floor, to force feeding bombs to Emperor Bulblaxes in another floor, and maybe you'll take a swim in the deepest pool in the game on another sublevel. Need I even dare mention the sublevel which shan't not be described, also known as Dwarf Bulbord Hell. All topped off with one of the strangest boss fights in the whole game against a creature who I challenge you to describe to someone who knows nothing about Pikmin and watch their expression slowly change into horror and confusion.
Are all of these stages fun? No, in fact I can't say that almost any of them are well designed, but I had a blast managing my team through this hellscape and conquering some of the most insane nonsense Pikmin 2 had to offer. It's too bad the last cave in the game did the exact same thing but way worse because it made this one look worse in my eyes and I'm glad on a replay that I was able to appreciate it more.
12
Emergence Cave
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Not much to say. I think it's impressive that the bottom entry is so bad that the two-floor tutorial cave ended up being better, but this is a neat introduction to how caves work and I always love the subtle snow theme shown in some of these places.
Need I mention this is the introduction of Purple Pikmin. My beautiful boys, the lads in purple, the heavy artillery, the ten-in-one, the crazed lunatics, the-
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Not much to say. I think it's impressive that the bottom entry is so bad that the two-floor tutorial cave ended up being better, but this is a neat introduction to how caves work and I always love the subtle snow theme shown in some of these places.
Need I mention this is the introduction of Purple Pikmin. My beautiful boys, the lads in purple, the heavy artillery, the ten-in-one, the crazed lunatics, the-
13
Dream Den
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Well the game certainly goes out with a bang. A cave with no particular theme other than throwing the most heinous floor layouts imaginable. I think the best way to describe why this endgame gauntlet doesn't work is by just cherry-picking a few sublevels that are capable of human harm.
Sublevel 4: You have this incredibly long, zig-zag passageway filled to the brim with Armored Cannon Beetle Larva, Anode Beetles, and poison pipes. Cannon Beetle Larva have quite a bit of health and can crush your entire squad, so ten of them is already bad enough, but you can't even use the boulders to speed up the process because the Anode Beetles block the way, and using purples is a death sentence because of said electric beetles and poison pipes. Have fun crawling your way through the worst sublevel in the entire game without getting your army flattened or thrown off the edge of the map.
Sublevel 7: This is also a runner-up for worst sublevel in the game. Imagine being cramped into a tiny broom closet while five other people wave leaf blowers everywhere and drop cherry bombs on the floor. Impossible to navigate without disaster.
Sublevel 8: Let's have 14 really annoying enemies with tiny hit-boxes and high lethality scattered across the floor, requiring you to kill all of them to get anything done.
Sublevel 10: It's the second and last use of the swamp layout, which is an awful theme that combines water with tiny passageways and islands. There's no threat of an impossible-to-reach treasure, but there is a Gatling Groink who will always, without fail, spawn kill you immediately. This sublevel also points out one of the biggest problems with the Dream Den, that being the lack of Candypop Buds. If you don't have at least 15 Blue Pikmin and the treasure here falls in a lake, tough shit reset or move on without it. Absolutely ridiculous.
Look at how long it took me to cover all the terrible design choices this cave made. The only part of this entire experience that I like is the final boss fight against the Titan Dweevil, but other than that, this is a miserable time all around.
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Well the game certainly goes out with a bang. A cave with no particular theme other than throwing the most heinous floor layouts imaginable. I think the best way to describe why this endgame gauntlet doesn't work is by just cherry-picking a few sublevels that are capable of human harm.
Sublevel 4: You have this incredibly long, zig-zag passageway filled to the brim with Armored Cannon Beetle Larva, Anode Beetles, and poison pipes. Cannon Beetle Larva have quite a bit of health and can crush your entire squad, so ten of them is already bad enough, but you can't even use the boulders to speed up the process because the Anode Beetles block the way, and using purples is a death sentence because of said electric beetles and poison pipes. Have fun crawling your way through the worst sublevel in the entire game without getting your army flattened or thrown off the edge of the map.
Sublevel 7: This is also a runner-up for worst sublevel in the game. Imagine being cramped into a tiny broom closet while five other people wave leaf blowers everywhere and drop cherry bombs on the floor. Impossible to navigate without disaster.
Sublevel 8: Let's have 14 really annoying enemies with tiny hit-boxes and high lethality scattered across the floor, requiring you to kill all of them to get anything done.
Sublevel 10: It's the second and last use of the swamp layout, which is an awful theme that combines water with tiny passageways and islands. There's no threat of an impossible-to-reach treasure, but there is a Gatling Groink who will always, without fail, spawn kill you immediately. This sublevel also points out one of the biggest problems with the Dream Den, that being the lack of Candypop Buds. If you don't have at least 15 Blue Pikmin and the treasure here falls in a lake, tough shit reset or move on without it. Absolutely ridiculous.
Look at how long it took me to cover all the terrible design choices this cave made. The only part of this entire experience that I like is the final boss fight against the Titan Dweevil, but other than that, this is a miserable time all around.
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