Day 18: Pikmin 2
I'm not a huge fan of strategy games, but if I ever feel like playing one I can guarantee you that 99% of the time that the strategy game I'll be playing is Pikmin 2.
Set immediately after the first game, Pikmin 2 follows Olimar and newcomer Louie as they try and solve Hocotate Freight's debt problems by going back to the Pikmin Planet and collecting items that they believe will net them loads of money, or Pokos as this game calls it. However, halfway through the game, Louie and Olimar end up getting separated and now the President of Hocotate Freight has to join the mission to save Louie. Will Hocoate Freight get rid of its horrendous debt? Will Louie be saved from dangers that the Pikmin Planet possesses? The answer to both is yes.
One unique aspect I like about the four locations you visit is how they're all based on each of the four seasons. Valley of Repose captures the cold and desolate feeling of winter. Awakening Wood captures the beauty and color of spring. Perplexing Pool captures the lively atmosphere of summer. And the Wistful Wild captures the crisp atmosphere and color of autumn.
In each overworld you can harvest more Pikmin by collecting Pellet Posies or defeating enemies, open the way for new objectives, or create the new Purple or Red Potions which you get from berries growing out of Burgeoning Spiderworts. The red potion makes your Pikmin move faster and hit harder while the purple potion stuns enemies and may even drop more potions or nectar to flower your Pikmin if they are defeated when stunned.
On that note let's talk about the Pikmin. Much like last game, you want to flower as many of these little buggers as you can because that's how they move faster and hit harder without the use of a red potion. Also, the A.I of the Pikmin in this game I feel is much more reliable than in the previous entry.
The Red, Yellow, and Blue Pikmin return from the last game. Red Pikmin hit hard and can withstand fire attacks. Yellow Pikmin can be thrown higher and can withstand electric attacks. Blue Pikmin are able to breath underwater and withstand water attacks. And then there's the two new Pikmin introduced: The Purple and White Pikmin. The Purple Pikmin hit even harder than Red Pikmin, even having a homing attack when you throw them, and they're able to stun larger enemies at the cost of being slower than the rest of the Pikmin. White Pikmin are super agile, can withstand poison attacks, are able to see buried items, and if they're eaten then they actually do damage to the enemy that ate them. It's nice to see the Yellow Pikmin get more use and the two new Pikmin species also add variety to the gameplay.
As stated before, you are tasked with gathering items scattered around these four locations of the Pikmin Planet, and you can get them by solving puzzles (some of which really require strategy and thinking skills), finding them hidden in hard to reach areas, or by defeating enemies. All of these items all mirror real life items in some way like brand name bottle caps or snacks, and they usually have some quirky or funny name given to them that adds to this game's overall charm.
Treasures can also be found in this game's new mechanic: The dungeons. These are small levels found in each hubworld that are separated into multiple sublevels and they are riddled with tons of obstacles and enemies. Some of the combinations that these enemies and obstacles are in as well as the overall layout of the sublevel will really test your strategy skills, especially in the dungeons later in the game. These dungeons even go out of their way to test your reflexes and quick thinking skills as they throw traps your way. These traps range from rock slides, enemy spawns, or bombs.
At the end of each dungeon, you get a new ability for Olimar, Louie, and the President to use on the field. These abilities can range from better tolerance to fire and electric attacks. Higher defense, the ability to light up dark areas, increase the range of your whistle to call Pikmin, the ability to call Pikmin that are in the ground, and more. These items are just another way to spice up Pikmin 2's already fun gameplay.
One last thing I like about this game's gameplay is what it does with the time limit. In most Pikmin games, you have about 15 minutes to do whatever you need to do in the overworlds before the sun goes down and the day ends. In Pikmin 1 and 3, you are on a 30 day time limit and food supply limit respectively. In Pikmin 2, there is no such thing meaning you can take your sweet time to do whatever you need to do, so this game is a bit more forgiving than its sequel and predecessor when it comes to the time limit.
And if you thought the main story didn't have too much to do, this game also offers a challenge mode where you go in with a certain number and type of Pikmin, and you have to beat the dungeon and collect the treasures before time runs out. Some of these challenge levels can get really hard and they really test your skills with this game.
In conclusion, Pikmin 2 is an amazing strategy game that I can recommend to anyone who is a fan of the genre. I may not be a fan of the genre myself, and I am aware I'm missing out on some of the great series of this genre, but I say give me Pikmin 2 and that's all I'll need to get my strategic fix.
