Famine

Famine is a deceivingly difficult stage in Pikmin: Redemption Challenge Mode. The cave's name is a reference to the few Starving Bulborbs and many Dwarf Starving Bulborbs found within. Completing the stage without a single Pikmin dying is a challenge unto itself.

Sublevel 1

 * Treasures
 * Key
 * Enemies
 * Starving Bulborb
 * Dwarf Starving Bulborb

At a glance, this stage may seem extremely easy, as the key appears directly across the chamber from where the Pikmin and leaders land and the Research Pod is. However, next to the key is a ledge above a pit filled with many Dwarf Starving Bulborbs and two Starving Bulborbs and where the escape geyser appears once the key is collected. A ramp to the left of the Research Pod leads down into the lowered area, and a barrier that blocks it not only opens when the key is moved for the first time but keeps the bulborbs there. A bramble gate blocking the escape geyser's location necessitates bringing Pikmin down into the pit and massacring the starving bulborbs.

Because of the sheer amount of exceedingly dangerous bulborbs, Purple Pikmin are instrumental in completing the stage because of the stunning shockwaves they produce upon landing. As well, sprays can be a saving grace when attacks don't go as planned. Attacking every one of the bulborbs at once is unwise because they can devour Pikmin so quickly. Instead, lure a few Dwarf Starving Bulborbs away from the group at a time, leaving the Starving Bulborbs for last, and dispose of them before returning for more. If doing so is necessary, use an ultra-bitter spray on the Starving Bulborbs and destroy the petrified creatures before they can free themselves. Afterward, every bulborb should be dead, and the escape geyser can be opened in peace. The carcasses of the fallen bulborbs can be brought to the Research Pod for a moderate gain in Pokos.

Other strategies involving different tactics, Pikmin, and sprays can be employed if desired. For example, ultra-spicy spray can be used on Red Pikmin, which, in turn, can be used as part of a hit-and-run tactic to quickly dispose of many of the starving bulborbs before the effects of the spray expire. Alternatively, the enemies can simply be fed White Pikmin to poison them to death, an effective strategy considering Starving Bulborbs and Dwarf Starving Bulborbs alike die from eating even a single White Pikmin. If the White Pikmin strategy is used, however, be aware that, since Challenge Mode is accessed through Story Mode, Pikmin deaths in any Challenge Mode stage count as Story Mode deaths.