Pikmin: Poko Palooza

Pikmin: Poko Palooza is the first game of the "Omega" series, and currently the only one. It is for the SteveBox 720. It started development on 5/3/2014, but was put on hold until 5/1/2019 for unknown reasons. It then came to a halt again, but later started development again on 1/27/2021. What is this? Pikmin 4?

Story
It was another ordinary day at Hocotate Freight. The President is looking at how the company is doing, and as it turns out, the company is at an all-time low. Freaking out, the President runs around the room hoping for a plan to come to his mind. Suddenly, he remembers a little planet called "PNF-404"...

Olimar and Louie are on break when the President barges in. "You slackers! We are having a financial crisis! We must hurry to that Pikmin Planet and harvest tons of treasure this instant! If we don't, we will go bankrupt before the end of the month!" Shoving the Captains into the now repaired Hocotate Ship, the President jumps into the pilot's seat, and prepares for take-off...

As the three captains zoom through space, they start to approach PNF-404. All is going smoothly until an object seems to be heading towards the Hocotate Ship. The ship attempts to dodge the object, until it notices that the object in question is a heat-seeking missile! The poor ship receives a radical hit, knocking the three Captains far far away...

At this point, gameplay starts, and Olimar has to get help from the Pikmin once again. Not only to repair the Hocotate Ship (who has lost a few major components allowing for long flights) and saving the other two Captains.

Along the way, you meet Mr. Palooza. Mr. Palooza is a billionaire who is interested in turning PNF-404 into a business venture. At first, he has no interest in whatever Olimar and Co. are up to, until he sees what the three are doing. Upon learning that they are collecting the treasures and selling them for profit, he threatens to make the three collect every treasure in the land, but the captains aren't having it. He leaves, for now...

Of course, at it turns out, Mr. Palooza has the final ship part that the Hocotate Ship needs for planetary travel. At first, Mr. Palooza tries to use this to trade with the Captains, but the Captains refuse. In the end, Mr. Palooza decides that a battle is the only way to decide what happens... This eventually leads to the final battle in Palooza's Domain, where Mr. Palooza is defeated, and decides that maybe, just maybe, this isn't worth all the effort. Mr. Palooza rockets into space, not to be seen any time soon.

After collecting all of the treasures and ship parts, the three finally head back home to Hocotate. "With this much treasure... surely I can finally let you two have a small break... How does a paid vacation sound?! Hohoho!"

If the player beats Mr. Palooza on Intense Mode, an extra cutscene is shown. It depicts Mr. Palooza trying to head back home, but is struck by an asteroid, causing his ship to shatter and for him to fall back onto the surface of PNF-404... when he wakes up, he finds himself submerged in dirt. He finds Pikmin all around him, and when he looks up... there is a Pikmin sprout upon his head.

Pikmin
There are 12 Pikmin types. 8 Pikmin types return from the official Pikmin games, as well as 4 new ones. The new ones are...


 * Black Pikmin - Mysterious Pikmin that are immune to oil. They also don't give in to being hypnotized.
 * Cyan Pikmin - Fluffy Pikmin that are immune to being frozen.
 * Robot Pikmin - Man-made Pikmin that can be made with scrap metal. They are the strongest and fastest Pikmin type, but they aren't immune to any hazards. On top of this, they will explode if killed, endangering nearby Pikmin. These Pikmin are entirely optional and are not required to complete the game.
 * Gold Pikmin - Comically powerful Pikmin that can't be killed. They can only be obtained either after beating the game, or while playing very easy mode.

Because there are so many types of Pikmin, the player really has to plan ahead what Pikmin the player has to bring with them when going into caves.

Areas
There are seven areas in the game, with a total of twenty caverns to explore. Each area is unlocked either by collecting a ship part, or collecting enough treasures, depending on the area.

Greenhorn Gully - The first area in the game. It's a desert-like area with an oasis and some cactus. There is some quicksand in the area, but it isn't fatal to Pikmin. It has three caverns.

Cave of Beginnings: This first cave in the game. It's the shortest and simplest cave, with no real theming other than "dirt". (There is no boss in this cave.) (Upgrade: Treasure Guage)

Quicksand Cavern: A cavern based around quicksand. Much like the quicksand aboveground, it isn't fatal, but can move Pikmin around in ways you might not want. (Boss: Quicksand Flyworm) (Upgrade: Dodge Whistle)

Nasty Nest: This cavern seems to be a breeding ground for many different creatures. Keep an eye on your Pikmin at all times. (Boss: Empress Bulblax) (Upgrade: Rush Boots)

Mechanized Junkyard - An area that seems to once be a metal building that has seemed to be torn apart. Lots of oil and electricity can be found here. It has three caverns.

Oil Abyss: A sewer that runs with oil instead of water. Other Pikmin can be taken in, but the Captains must be cautious. (Boss: Beady Long Legs) (Upgrade: The Key. This unlocks all other modes in the game.)

Concrete Castle: The walls are concrete. The floor is also concrete. The ceiling may or may not be concrete. (Boss: Burrowing Snagret) (Upgrade: Napsack)

Polluted Palace: An area where only Black Pikmin can be taken in, due to absurd amounts of oil. The place has an... eerie feeling. (Boss: Fossilized Waterwraith) (Suit Upgrade: Pluckaphone)

Lakeshore of Hope - A forest area with a lot of water. Mushrooms are plentiful here, giving the area a sort of "fairytale" feeling. It has four caverns.

-Mushroom Maze: This cavern is themed around mushrooms. Many mushrooms appear, whether they're an obstacle, or purely decorative. (Boss: Fungoid Webweaver) (Upgrade: Weather Warning. This upgrade only has the function of telling the player which area has which sort of weather. Weather has no real bearing on gameplay, so it is purely for fun. It can tell the player whether an area has clear skies, rain, snow, etc.)

-Moss Pit: A cavern that is covered in moss. Some mossy enemies appear here. (Boss: Emperor Bulblax) (Upgrade: Pain-Responsive Boots. These make it so Captains get up from getting hit faster, including getting stuck in the ground.)

-Playroom of the Past: A toy-themed cave with train tracks and wooden blocks. Despite its cutesy appearance, it's still filled with monsters. (Boss: Gluttonous Belchbord) (Upgrade: Anti-Electrifier)

-Tiled Temple: A dungeon with bathroom tiles, not unlike Shower Room. (Boss:Ranging Bloyster) (Upgrade: Mega Tweeter)

Frosted Forest - A snowy land, but not as snowy as the Valley of Repose. It can occasionally snow here, but it has no effect on gameplay. It has three caverns.

-Cold Chasm: A snowy cavern with icy obstacles. Cyan Pikmin will greatly help in this cavern. (Boss: Snowrolling Hydroe) (Upgrade: Solar System)

-Crystallized Cavern: An icy cavern with falling icicles as major obstacles. Thankfully, the icy floor has no impact on gameplay. (Boss: Sapphire Speardrid) (Upgrade: Heated Space Suit. Prevents the Captains from freezing.)

-Tunnel of Flames: A cavern with a lot of fire and lava. Lava is instant kill for any Pikmin that isn't Red. (Boss: Cataclysmic Slooch) (Upgrade: Scorch Guard)

Tangerine Treetops - This area takes place entirely on top of Autumn trees. If a Pikmin is thrown off the ledge, the Pikmin is considered dead. Be careful. It has two caverns.

-Wooded Tunnel: This cavern takes place entirely within a tree. Many insects can be found within. (Boss: Queen Shearwig) (Upgrade: Farming Kit. This allows auto-generation of sprays, however, the generation of sprays is random upon starting a day. The amount the game gives you varies depending on how many sprays you have currently, and the difficulty chosen.)

-Guarded Garden: This cavern takes place on several garden floors. The mysteries of this planet are plentiful... How are there gardens underground? (Boss: Quaggled Mireclops) (Upgrade: Rocket Fist)

Isolated Island - A small island with a couple of Palm Trees. The area is completely surrounded by water, but there is little water on the island itself. It has two caverns.

-Beachside Grotto: A cavern with sand and water. Although there is water present, it is entirely possible to beat the cavern without any Blue Pikmin. (Boss: Winged Blortoise) (Upgrade: Pocket Dimension. Allows the ship to bring treasure to the surface, even if the player gives up on a cavern, without using a geyser.)

-Cavern of Freezing Heat: A cavern with both fire and ice. Fire and Cyan Pikmin are recommended. (Boss: Rye Breadbug and Flatbreadbug) (Upgrade: Metal Suit Z)

Venerable Valley - The final area of the game. It is rocky and mountainous in nature, and it contains the final and most difficult caverns in the game. There are three caverns.

-Dangerous Den: A cave that has many themes from all of the previous caves. Candypop Buds will be a great help to master over all of the elements. (Boss: Corrupted Man-at-Legs) (No Suit Upgrade)

-Brawler's Realm: A cave that has every boss in the game (except for Corrupted Mat-at-Legs and Mr. Palooza). Make sure you know what you're doing before heading in. (Boss: Titan Dweevil. The fight is much shorter than its Pikmin 2 counterpart.) (No Suit Upgrade)

-Palooza's Domain: The final dungeon in the game. It cannot be accessed unless all other treasures have been found. It only has five sublevels, and only one treasure. (Boss: Mr. Palooza) (No Suit Upgrade)

Enemies
Many enemies return from the previous titles, only new enemies shall be listed.

Hypnotic Bolborb - A Bulborb with a purple back, and a scrunched up face. Its eyes are yellow and have spirals. Black Pikmin are immune to its hypnotic abilities, so they are recommended. They can still be eaten, however.

Polluted Bulblax - Much like the Fiery Bulblax, only instead of fire, its back is covered in dripping oil. Black Pikmin are recommended.

Oil Dumple - A Water Dumple that has adapted to living in pure oil. It leaves a trail of Oil behind it that only Black Pikmin are immune to.

Chilly Blowhog - Much like its fire and water counterparts, except that it shoots out a very cold liquid instead.

Tusked Blowboar - A much bigger and more dangerous variation of a Blowhog. It shoots out fire, but unlike regular Blowhogs, they can also charge into and stomp on Pikmin. Rock Pikmin may be the best choice.

Timid Blowhog - A purple variation of the Withering Blowhog. It isn't interested in attacking your Pikmin, and wants to avoid all conflict. If you managed to defeat it, you'll be rewarded greatly.

Dazed Wollywog - A pink frog that acts like other Wollywogs, but jumps in seemingly random directions. They can be a pain to defeat, but they also might not ever actually hurt your Pikmin.

Aggressive Snitchbug - A Snitchbug that will pick up either Captains or Pikmin.

Frigid Dweevil - A Dweevil that attacks with ice.

Banana Breadbug - A Breadbug that has a yellow hide and a yellow horn on its front. It moves erratically and quickly, compared to regular Breadbugs.

Mossy Mamuta - A Mamuta that has moss growing upon it. It is largely the same to regularly Mamutas, but it is more durable. Mamutas and Mossy Mamutas are actually the same creature, but are treated separately in the Piklopedia.

Dizzying Grecko - A lizard-like creature. Its eyes glow in the dark. It has an antenna comparable to an anglerfish that can hypnotize Pikmin. Black Pikmin are immune to being hypnotized, so they are recommended. Avoid its wicked bite!

Crimson Webweaver - A spider-like enemy. It leaves little web traps for Pikmin to get stuck in. It will only eat Pikmin that are stuck in webs, so it is no threat to Pikmin that aren't trapped. Take them out ASAP.

--BOSSES--

Quicksand Flyworm - The boss of Quicksand Cavern. A centipede-like monster with large pincers. This boss is a fairly simple fight as it is slow to attack. It will jump out of the sand, and will be stunned if it hits a wall. It has no armor, so a Pikmin will do damage no matter where it grabs on. Bomb rocks are very effective if available.

Fossilized Waterwraith - The boss of Polluted Palace. This creature is very similar to the regular Waterwraith, however, instead of being composed of water, it is entirely made of tar. Bones and skulls poke out of its body. Much like the Waterwraith, it will haunt players throughout the dungeon, but Polluted Palace is a fair bit easier than Submerged Castle. On the final floor, it is fought mostly the same, but Purple Pikmin cannot touch its body, making it a more stressful fight. They can still attack the grinders, but the actual body cannot be touched.

Fungoid Webweaver - The boss of Mushroom Maze. This arachnid is venomous, and seems to have adapted to look like a mushroom. It is a smaller boss that will try to camouflage with other mushrooms on the floor. If all mushrooms have been destroyed, it will become more aggressive, so try to only attack the Webweaver. Like other Webweavers, it will leave webs around the floor, trying to stick Pikmin to it. If a Pikmin gets stuck to a web, it will reveal itself and come towards the web. This can be used to your advantage if you play your cards right.

Gluttonous Belchbord - This mammalian like creature isn't capable of moving... much, anyway. As it lays on its back, it can jump slightly to crush Pikmin under it, and cause boulders to fall from above. This boss is to be more treated like an endurance test, as the Belchbord has a lot of health. Once you get into the rhythm however, it will quickly go down. Pikmin thrown directly onto its stomach will be batted off, so don't try it.

Sapphire Speardrid - A fluffy bird-like creature that can throw crystals like spears from above. It can also swoop in and eat any Pikmin type. If it swoops in and misses a Pikmin, it will be open to attacks. At 40% HP, it will gain a new attack where it tries to slam itself onto the ground very quickly.

Snowrolling Hydroe - A fun boss that resembles a Hydroe that has built itself for cold climates. The boss itself isn't the Hydroe, but instead is the "Snowman" the Hydroe is "controlling". It has two attacks, rolling along the ground, and throwing snowballs. Neither of these attacks can kill Pikmin, but you can't seem to do any damage to it either. Either way, after about a minute, the Snowman will fall apart, causing the Hydroe to flee.

Cataclysmic Slooch - A larger variation of the Pyroclasmic Slooch. It has gained the ability to belch out large amounts of molten lava. The lava is the largest hazard in this battle, as the Captains aren't immune to it until after the battle. When it reaches 50% HP, it will use a new ability where it can cause a large explosion harming everything around it. No Pikmin are immune to its explosion, so when it starts charging, run away! After the explosion, it will pass out for a few seconds, and its fire will go out, letting all Pikmin types attack it.

Queen Shearwig - Although it isn't technically a new enemy, it is new to this sort of gameplay. Queen Shearwig hovers above the battle arena and rarely summons Shearwig minions (only 1-2 times a battle). It can dig underground and then rise out as an attack, so cautions must be taken during battle.

Winged Blortoise - A turtle-like creature with bat-wings? It stays in the air to try to crash into your Pikmin, and its shell is immune to most damage (only being weak to explosions, and Purple Pikmin thuds). Its weakpoint is its tail, which can be hit after it crashes down to try and hit your Pikmin. It can also occasionally spit water out to try to drown your Pikmin, but this move is usually fairly easy to dodge.

Rye Breadbug and Flatbreadbug - Two different kinds of Breadbugs that you have to deal with at once. Rye Breadbug is fire-based, while Flatbreadbug is ice-based. This will remind players of the Giant Breadbug in Pikmin 2, but with 2 Giant Breadbugs with elemental abilities. Just stay patient, and it will all turn out alright.

Corrupted Man-at-Legs - A variation of the Man-at-Legs that has a few more tricks up its sleeve. It still fires bullets like before, but it also now has a strange mechanical oily arm that can come out instead of its gun. The arm won't specifically aim for any Pikmin or Captains, but instead will scratch the ground, leaving a trail of oil. 50% of the time, it will completely ignore any Pikmin or Captains while it's walking and will instead seem to be focusing on nothing. When defeated, it will surprise you by only having its legs break off. It will now drag itself along with its strange mechanical arm. It will drag itself around the arena and eventually explode, finally being defeated for real.

Mr. Palooza - Now fighting a rich man with an army of carrot people sounds funny, and that's because it is. But Mr. Palooza's battle is no laughting matter. He has bought himself a giant robot with flamethrowers, explosives, rocket-powered fists, electrical cords... and an oil leak. Mr. Palooza's robot is made entirely of metal, making it immune to most attacks. Its weak point is an electrical box on the back of the robot. The second phase of the battle removes most its limbs and cannons and such, and just becomes a Koopa Clown Car-like machine. The electrical box is still the weakness, but still beware the dripping oil and fire-based attacks. After the robots explosion, Mr. Palooza will freak out as he rides on top of his rocket chair. A single hit from any Pikmin will knock him down to the ground, and win the game. Mr. Palooza's robot does get a Piklopedia entry, just because.

Not all bosses are found in Story Mode, some are found in the game's other modes.

Extras and Modes
Difficulties - The game has 6 Difficulties. Very Easy - All Pikmin are Gold Pikmin. Good for very young children who want to play, but are still very new to video games. Also a good mode for crazy-looking speedruns.

Easy - Enemies have less HP, and are overall less aggressive.

Normal - The standard mode of play.

Hard - Enemies have more HP, and are slightly more aggressive. Nectar and Sprays are also harder to get a hold of.

Very Hard - Same as Hard, except only 60 Pikmin can be out at a time, instead of 100. You have to beat the game on Hard to unlock this mode.

Intense - Same as Very Hard, except there are no suit upgrades, days go by faster, and Captains have very little HP. You have to beat the game on Very Hard to unlock this mode.

Playable Characters - Although you can only play as Olimar, Louie, and the President in the main story, there are other characters available in the other modes, with some that can be unlocked. -Olimar (Available from start)

-Louie (Available from start)

-President (Available from start)

-Alph (Available from start)

-Brittany (Available from start)

-Charlie (Available from start)

-Oliver (Olimar's Son. Unlocked after collecting 50 Treasures in Story Mode)

-Olivia (Olimar's Wife. Unlocked after collecting 100 Treasures in Story Mode)

-Ollie (Olimar's Daughter. Unlocked after collecting 150 Treasures in Story Mode)

-Derek (The unused Koppaite from Pikmin 3. Unlocked after collect 200 Treasures in Story Mode)

-Mr. Palooza (Unlocked after completing Story Mode)

-President's Wife (Unlocked after completing Story Mode on Intense)

-Marlio (A Hocotation interpretation of Mario. Unlocked after completing Challenge Mode with all Platinum Medals)

-R.O.B. (Yes, THAT R.O.B. Unlocked after reaching 200 floors total in Endless Mode. You don't have to do in one go!)

-Pikmin Olimar (Olimar found in the bad ending of Pikmin 1. Unlocked after getting all achievements. Good luck!)

Bingo Battle - Bingo Battle returns from Pikmin 3. Although it has mostly new maps, a handful of maps return from both Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 3. Online matches are available. Playing this mode isn't needed for 100% completion.

Challenge Mode - A combination of Pikmin 1, 2, and 3's challenge modes. Each stage has an objective for you to reach. Here is a list of every objective seen in the various challenge stages: -Collect all Treasures! (Collect every bit of treasure before time is up!)

-Defeat all Enemies! (Defeat every enemy before the timer stops!)

-Grow __ Pikmin! (Grow so many Pikmin before the day ends!)

-Reach the end of the Cavern! (Rush to the end of the cave! It's a mad dash to the end!)

-Survive! (Don't let any Pikmin die in this crazy arena full of creatures!)

Endless Mode - A mode that goes on and on and on, until all three Captains go down, or a Pikmin Extinction happens. You can save and come back, but if you die, your save gets deleted on the spot, so do your best! The goal is to collect all the treasures before moving onto the next floor. You cannot progress until all treasures are found on a floor. Every fifth floor is a boss floor that gives you an upgrade, with the first one always being the Treasure Gauge. The further down you are, the more chaotic and absurd the cave layouts get. If you get REALLY REALLY far, you can expect things such as Waterwraiths becoming quite common, but also more and more treasure per floor. Things can get scary, but never let up! Just really try to make sure your Captains don't take too much damage, because there is no healing!

Cave Builder - Players can now create their own maps! Everything that the player has discovered in other modes, can be put into a stage in this mode (the only exception is Mr. Palooza's boss fight). The player can pick a theming for the dungeon, and then pick rooms to arrange, and then drag and drop enemies and treasures. The player can also make their own custom rooms using pre-determined parts.

Piklopedia - The Piklopedia can be viewed at the main menu or at the Story Mode's world map. The reason for this is that not all enemies and bosses are found in Story Mode (even though most are). The Piklopedia is shared between save files, so if one wants to have a fresh start on their Piklopedia, they have to start a new save via the console's user saves, or by deleting everything. Most enemies that can't be found in the Piklopedia in Story Mode, are bosses, such as the Waterwraith, Pileated Snagret, Giant Breadbug, etc. Enemies only need to be "defeated" to be marked in the Piklopedia.

Pikmin Park - An idle game mode that gets more and more Pikmin as you play. This mode has its own smaller Piklopedia and Treasure Hoard, and completing it is necessary for 100% Completion. You simply check this mode periodically as you play the other modes, and the Pikmin will be completing various tasks while you're gone. The more Pikmin you get, the faster tasks will be completed. Every time you clear a mode, the Pikmin you have that survive will be divided by five, and will be brought to Pikmin Park. (So if you beat a challenge mode stage with 50 Red Pikmin, 40 Yellow Pikmin, and 10 Purple Pikmin, there will be 10 Red Pikmin, 8 Yellow Pikmin, and 2 Purple Pikmin that join the park). Story Mode is the only exception, as every Pikmin obtained in Story Mode will be added 1:1. You unlock Pikmin Park via The Key (like all other modes), but you are given a few Pikmin in this mode to start out with, and Pikmin can be grown in this mode as well.

Gold Pikmin - After defeating Mr. Palooza, Palooza's Domain will be a little bit different. The first four floors will be largely the same as usual, but once you reach the final floor, Mr. Palooza won't be found. Instead, you will find Three Treasured Candypop Buds, which will turn any Pikmin thrown in into Gold Pikmin. Gold Pikmin are invincible, and cannot be killed. Even when thrown off a cliff, they will reappear on the next floor, or outside the dungeon. They also have the strength of 100 Pikmin, in battle and when carrying treasures.

Strange Area - This strange area appears in Lakeshore of Hope, and will not be accessible unless at least 200 treasures are collected. This area has no purpose unless it is day 8, 16, 32, 64, or 128. If it happens to be one of those days, the rare Ujadani from Pikmin 2 will appear, functioning the same as before. The Ujadani appear rarely in Endless Mode, so this isn't the only way to make it appear in the Piklopedia. However, if crazy enough, one may enter the area on Day 256. If this happens, no Ujadani appear, and instead a cave entrance takes their place. The cave can be entered but there is only a single floor. Upon entering, the player is greeted with a dirty CRT and GameCube, somewhat submerged in sand. The CRT is playing various demos of Pikmin 1. There is no point to this, and the player can simply exit. If the player *does* exit, the cave's entrance will disappear forever on that save file, so it may be worth copying the save file for trophy purposes. (Remember that the game saves between floors, including the first floor!)