Pikmin: Distant Planet

Pikmin: Distant Planet is a non-canon Pikmin game for Wii, released two years after Pikmin: Sinister Incinerator. Much of what didn't make the cut in the production of PSI will make an appearance in DP. It is not part of the Buildup Trilogy and does not at any point mention elements of the trilogy's plot, nor anything about Pikmin: Ultimate Doom. It was presumably another adventure Olimar and Louie had embarked on at some point after the events of Pikmin 2. Major differences from PSI include better graphics, weather conditions, underground areas where time passes at half speed and dungeons can be found, dungeons that aren't randomly generated, and multiplayer available for all game modes. It is compatible with the Classic Controller and Classic Controller PRO, although GCN controllers work just as they used to in PSI.

Story
Olimar, having reclaimed the Dolphin from the Government Pods at some point, decided to cautiously fly above the surface of the Distant Planet, having memorized its location. As he flew past a coast he saw what looked like a gigantic metal structure slowly sink into the water as a hurricane raged. The Dolphin got caught up in the hurricane before Olimar could react. Even so, he managed to pilot it steadily so that it didn't plummet into the ocean and sink. A few days after the storm subsided, Olimar still had not woken from his coma in the fortunately unharmed Dolphin. Louie had been sent by the President of Hocotate Freight to ensure that no harm had come to his most valuable employee in the Hocotate Ship with the Research Pod. The same day he arrived nearby where the Dolphin had landed, Olimar woke back up. After reuniting and discovering a strange mechanism (and meeting some Red Pikmin) they sent back a message to the President that they would investigate the mystery of the potentially deadly "metal phantom ship" and additionally return with a haul of new and scientifically valuable artifacts, showing him a picture of the odd mechanism. That meant treasure to him, so he agreed to let Olimar and Louie stay on the Distant Planet for the time being. And so, a new adventure began.

Controls
This game uses the Classic Controller/Classic Controller PRO (the latter of which is recommended.) Because of the similarities in the controller, the interface remains largely the same as the canon GCN Pikmin titles. In fact, using GCN controllers is also an option- same controls as PSI.
 * Left Analog Stick: Moves Olimar and Louie.
 * Right Analog Stick: Swarms Pikmin under your control in a general direction.
 * A Button: Pluck nearby Pikmin sprouts. If there are Pikmin with you, you can throw them. If there are none with you, you'll punch.
 * B Button: Whistles Pikmin back to you. Hold down the button for a wider whistle radius.
 * X Button: Dismisses Pikmin into different-colored groups.
 * Y Button: Switch control from Olimar to Louie and vice versa. In multiplayer, this button does nothing.
 * L Button: Hold this button while moving Olimar or Louie to swivel the camera around 360 degrees.
 * R Button: Gives you different viewpoints: close up, average distance, wide range.
 * ZL Button: Optional ground view.
 * ZR Button: Tilts camera from top-down to an angled view.
 * D-Pad (L/R): While holding the A Button to throw a Pikmin, press left and right to switch between different Pikmin colors to throw.
 * D-Pad (Up/Down): Here you can use the sprays you have equipped from the Pause Screen.
 * Start Button: Pauses so you can view the map and your current status. In addition, you can equip or put away different sprays for use with the D-Pad. Lastly, you usually have choices presented here like "Go to Sunset," "Give Up and Escape" and others.
 * Select Button: Same as the Start Button to avoid confusion.
 * Home Button: Brings up the Home Menu so you can sync controllers or return to the Wii Menu. Save first, though!

Gameplay
It's different this time around. You have a World Map with Areas that can be entered. However, the Areas also have an Underground portion where time passes at half the speed. In the Underground, you'll find the entrances to time-free Dungeons.

The World Map
After the Tutorial on Day One, you'll be at the World Map. All the locations where your ship can land will be made visible as you progress through the game. From here you can view your Piklopedia and Treasure Hoard with the L and R Buttons, as well as an area to spend the day in. Before you go, check the Weather Gauge once you obtain it from somewhere before landing in an area. It will give you a good idea as to what the weather will be during your day spent there. This is very important- don't forget it!

Above-Ground
You'll land in an above ground place where a sun timer ticks away the time. Be sure that your Pikmin are either in their onions, at the landing site or buried in the ground by sundown, otherwise they'll be left behind when you take for the sky at night. Anyhow, during the day you can do things like grow Pikmin, navigate around or destroy obstacles, search for treasure, battle enemies, harvest berries to make helpful sprays or find entrances to underground territories. In addition to this, be wary of the effect Weather can have on a region. It can be both beneficial and dangerous.

Underground
If you find an underground entrance, you can enter the underground of that area with your Pikmin party. Pikmin not with you will all return to their onions, or if they are buried in the ground they will stay there. The underground tends to be more dangerous and certainly darker than the surface, with more confusing passages. Time passes at half the speed down here, but be sure all your Pikmin leave the tunnels before sundown! Otherwise, they'll all be eaten, even if they are buried in the ground. It's that dangerous. Your Research Pod will help you gather treasure here, but no Pikmin can be grown down here. There are still enemies and obstacles of all sorts to be dealt with. There are multiple entrances and exits to the underground scattered about an area, so you'll oftentimes have to use this tactic to get around areas. Lastly, there are dungeon entrances underground that can be entered!

Dungeon
Dungeons are deep enough below the surface that no time passes while you're exploring them. There's one problem though: dungeons are super-dangerous because there are more treasures there. You'll enter with the Pikmin squad you approached the entrance with. These dungeons have multiple tiers which can get quite huge and difficult. In addition, the game NO LONGER SAVES when you travel between sublevels, making it more of a challenge to get continuous victories. However, they are also NO LONGER RANDOMLY GENERATED, so you'll have a better idea of what you're up against. At the bottom you'll usually face off against a really dangerous boss enemy for the last treasure. Geysers may be found in the dungeon to help you escape with the treasures you got from it. If your pilots lose their energy or all your Pikmin die, you'll lose all the treasure you found in that dungeon and the Research Pod will drag you back to the surface where the day will promptly end.

World Map
Now that you know the gameplay, these are the actual places you'll explore.

Areas

 * Impact Island
 * Cloaking Field
 * Shallow Land
 * Lost Paradise
 * Relentless Wild
 * The Tempest

Dungeons

 * Petrified Temple
 * Cold Necropolis
 * Enigmatic Aquarium
 * Deadwood Depths
 * Hole of Champions
 * Rustic Sanctuary
 * Murder Hole Citadel
 * Temple of Plants
 * Metalwork Maze
 * Ominous Oven
 * Fuming Cavern
 * Black Canyon
 * Fountain Cave
 * Shady Sluice
 * Phantom Vault
 * Mystic Abyss
 * Primal Fortress
 * Pit of Death
 * Magnet Void
 * Sea of Light
 * Tower of Utopia

Wildlife
You'll encounter allies and enemies during your expedition in the form of many strange inhabitants.

Pikmin Varieties

 * Red Pikmin
 * Yellow Pikmin
 * Blue Pikmin
 * White Pikmin
 * Purple Pikmin
 * Cyan Pikmin

Enemies
Enemies from the canon Pikmin games return, and there are some of the enemies encountered in Pikmin: Sinister Incinerator as well. Distant Planet has new enemies too. You can learn about them in the Pikmin: Distant Planet Piklopedia.

Item Types
There are two types of "items," Artifacts and Sprays.

Artifacts
Monetary value is not a factor in this game. Anyways, artifacts are what you'll be collecting this time around. They're all kinds of strange machinery that serve unknown purposes. One may wonder not only who built them, but if they really serve any purpose at all! They're supposedly of great scientific importance, but only a few of them actually have functions. Find out about them in the Pikmin: Distant Planet Artifact Hoard.

Sprays
One thing that wasn't focused on so much in PSI was the equipping of sprays. There are more than two kinds of sprays to be found in DP, which means lots of new effects. You can learn about each individual spray from the Pikmin: Distant Planet Spray Guide.

Five Modes
There's the Main Story (the bulk of the game) the Battle Mode, Classic Challenge, Dungeon Challenge, and Survival Mode. All of them are multiplayer compatible, and you can't play Battle Mode without two players. You'll gradually unlock these modes as you progress through the Main Story.

Main Story
This is what the rest of the page has been describing so far. You unlock three of the other modes by progressing further here.

Battle Mode
Available from the start of the game. It is the same as the 2-Player Battle in Pikmin 2.

Classic Challenge
Based off of Challenge Mode from the first canon Pikmin game, this secret mode lands you in the game's above-ground areas (excluding The Tempest and challenges you to grow as many Pikmin as you can before the day is done. The areas have been modified with different types of obstacles, pellets and enemies placed all over the place, so they're like totally different places than their Main Story counterparts.

Dungeon Challenge
Based off of Challenge Mode from the second canon Pikmin game, this secret mode has 30 arenas which may have multiple tiers, in which you are given a set of Pikmin and required to gather as many treasures as possible on each floor, using keys to open the pathways downwards and the escape route. But be careful- you're always timed, so even though you're in dungeons you'll be working against the clock.

Survival Mode
The final secret mode. There are 5 different Survival Arenas which consist of many floors. You have to defeat all the enemies on each floor to progress further until you finally escape. However, run out of Pikmin and you lose. After a survival arena is complete, the next one will be unlocked, similar to Dungeon Challenge. You can set records like "least Pikmin lost," "least time," and "least sprays used" for each!

Portal- Kombat  *Sysop*