Pikmin V

Pikmin V is a standalone Pikmin game created by En Passant. The game is intended to come directly after Pikmin 3 and would theoretically be released on the Wii U. The game attempts to create a balance between the style of the first two games and of Pikmin 3, incorporating elements from both throughout the game.

Controls
Pikmin V would be released on the Wii U if it were real, so it supports every control scheme the Wii U has to offer, with one exception: It does not support the Wii Remote as a standalone, as it lacks a sufficient amount of inputs.

Overhead Mode
By tapping the GamePad (Wii U) or pressing "-" (Wii/Classic/Pro), Select (3DS), or Z (GCN), the game will go into a bird's eye camera and pause the game just like in Pikmin 3. Hitting the pause button will toggle pause within Overhead Mode. Planning involves using a red pointer to select leaders and groups of Pikmin and trace routes for them to move on. However, Planning is a feature of Alph's KopPad, so he will need to be in the group for it to be used. Overhead Mode is disabled if there is more than one player-controlled character in Mission or Battle Modes.

Climates and Weather
A weather system has been added to make the game more realistic. Weather is chosen at the beginning of each day and can change after each quarter of the day to one of a number of related weathers. The weathers that can occur in an area are decided on that area's climate.

Important gameplay changes

 * Sprinting is introduced which allows leaders to move at 1.5x speed. It is toggled by pressing down on the D-Pad. In Story Mode, you need the Mobility Shoes upgrade to use it.
 * Pikmin are thrown like actual projectiles in an actual arc. The cursor still determines the end position, so what actually changes is the initial angle, not the power of the throw. This means that near throws go higher than far ones. Yellow Pikmin have a higher initial velocity and Purple Pikmin have a lower one.
 * Although the cursor has free movement when using the Wiimote, actions involving it are capped to the normal maximum distance, shown with the circle part of the cursor.
 * The four hazards from Pikmin 2 are all present (meaning that electricity and poison kill again), but they have been given extra detrimental effects to encourage using the right Pikmin type:
 * Electricity doesn't cause Pikmin to flail, as in Pikmin 3, but it kills in half of the time.
 * Poison and water droplets revert a Pikmin's maturity one stage per third of the time it can suffer before dying.
 * Fire causes Pikmin to panic, so they run around a bigger area and won't return to you immediately after getting put out.
 * Certain objects in the game will be carried with the group, similar to Pikmin carrying bomb rocks. Pikmin will choose to follow the active leader if he or she is nearby, or the closest one otherwise, and they will only change their minds if said leader becomes inaccessible or the object is dropped.
 * Using sprays requires having Brittany in the party. There are five sprays in the game, listed in the table below. Only one may be selected for use at a time.

Miscellaneous changes

 * A single dose of can flower 20 Pikmin instead of 10.
 * Grouped objects like no longer teleport back to their starting point if dropped. They will reset at the end of a day, though.
 * The material used in Fragments can vary. In Story Mode, it varies by region, and in other modes, it's map-specific. Fragment bridges can be made out of tiles (like 3 ' s bridges), cobblestone, sticks (similarly to the first two games), or small bricks.
 * are renamed to Burrows. Only 10 Pikmin can enter a burrow to dig, but this is compensated by taking much less time to remove its contents. The Orange Pikmin's improved digging also applies now.
 * Candypop Buds can convert 10 Pikmin before wilting instead of 5. They also won't revert thrown Pikmin into leaves if they match the type that it converts to already.
 * A Pikmin seed has to be sprouted before it can be plucked. Cancelling the pluck task will only complete the current pluck if the Pikmin is already emerging from the ground.
 * Internally, the damage system has been simplified by scaling all numbers down by 60%. For example, the base damage dealt by Pikmin is 4 instead of 10, and Puffy Blowhogs have 1200 health instead of 3000.

Characters

 * Olimar
 * Alph (after beating the Pitching Limbermole (Story Mode))
 * Brittany (after beating the Sandsifting Mawfish (Story Mode))
 * Louie (playable in Mission Mode and Battle Mode only)
 * The President (NPC)
 * Captain Charlie (Mentioned)

Pikmin
All seven main types of Pikmin appear in all modes, plus two new ones: Orange Pikmin and Clawed Pikmin.

Enemies
The Piklopedia has a total of 83 entries, including 9 mini bosses and 6 Story Mode-exclusive major bosses.

Treasures
There are 200 treasures to collect in the game, totaling ??? Pokos in value.

Story Mode
The main mode. Not much else to say about it.

Intro
The game starts with Olimar filling out some paperwork at Hocotate Freight. The paper he's looking at has a picture of Louie on it. He reminisces (recaps to the player) about the events of the first three games, over which time he has lost his ship, Louie (who he can't deny having grown sort of a bond with despite how ludicrous Louie is), and the President's trust from getting a company ship destroyed. Suddenly, he is called over the intercom by the President to come to the loading dock.

When he gets there, he is surprised to see Alph and Brittany there. Alph explains that he felt bad for losing Louie and for Olimar not having his ship, and that he wants to help. Brittany adds that she has become fascinated with PNF-404's wildlife and wants to study it thoroughly, and that Charlie will be staying on Koppai to oversee the growth of the seeds they brought back, which is going well. The President says that he will authorize Olimar to return to PNF-404 only if he dedicates his trip to finding treasure along with Louie to get the company out of debt, and that any profit outside of the cost of the Dolphin goes to the company. He then unveils the Hocotate Express, a new model of Hocotate ship that is slimmer than the standard model and only has one cockpit. He also comments that new equipment was part of that business venture that put them into debt again. Olimar gets in, Alph and Brittany board the S.S. Drake, and they blast off to PNF-404 once more.

However, upon reaching the planet, the Drake suffers a critical error and crashes down, ejecting Alph and Brittany in the process. Olimar has to make an emergency landing to go find them...

On the Planet
Shortly after landing on Overlook Hill, Olimar discovers a Red Onion. However, it is in hibernation mode; this concerns Olimar because hibernation mode only activates on Pikmin extinction. He soon finds Alph in the burrow of a Pitching Limbermole. Alph had communicated with Brittany and learned that she had fallen into a desert region, and he also reveals that he has taken a sample of a strange goop he found on landing. The two travel to the desert and find a Sandsifting Mawfish had taken residence outside of the cave Brittany was hiding in. She had also discovered the same goop, as well as a strange, bulbous, purple plant.

Having ascertained the safety of everyone, the trio set off to the third region to find the S.S. Drake. The President also sends them an urgent e-mail stating that Happy Hocotate Savings & Loan was bought out by the All-Devouring Black Hole Loan Sharks and that they need treasure, fast. When they find the ship, it has been ensnared by an Overgrowth Vydra. Alph enters the ship and finds a larger sample of the goop, and he decides to store it all there. Afterward, he inspects it for damages; he finds that it's missing its hydraulics system, which it needs to launch. He uses its tracking capabilities to locate the core in the same cave that Brittany was found in, as well as Louie, who is on top of what appears to be a snowy mountain. These two objectives can be completed in either order. Returning to the cave will reveal that the bulbous plant was actually a Violet Candypop Bud blooming into a Purple Onion, and the leaders use the Purple Pikmin to continue through the cave and fight a full-grown Emperor Bulblax, who had ingested the hydraulics system which is also covered in the goop, in its depths. Venturing up the mountain will lead to a fight with a Cometdust Magjay, who will spit out Louie, who is in stasis mode but otherwise unhurt, once defeated. Having secured Louie and repaired the Drake, Olimar, Alph, and Brittany prepare to leave the planet that night with the treasure they've collected.

However, as they're lifting off, the goop suddenly escapes confinement, envelops both ships, and forces them into crashing into Overlook Hill, meaning they can't leave. The region is being affected by a mysterious disturbance that is proliferating the goop and causing abnormal creatures to show up, though they don't venture near the ships at night. This also opens up an odd hole in the center of the Mystery Crater, into which the three head to figure out the true source of all of their troubles.

Conclusion
At the end of their adventure, the three inquire about all that they're seen before heading to their respective planets. The ending after returning to Hocotate is based on how many treasures were gathered:

Bad Ending (0-50% of debt): The President is infuriated at Olimar's failure to collect a necessary amount of treasure and is forced to hand over Hocotate Freight to the loan sharks, putting them all out of jobs.

Neutral Ending (51-100% of debt): The President is upset at the lack of profit but is thankful for having something to show the debt company.

Good Ending (>100% of debt as long as not all treasures are collected): The President is content with Olimar's work. The Dolphin is rebought.

Best Ending (all treasures): The President is overjoyed, and he promotes Olimar and gives him a month's vacation with his family. The Dolphin is rebought and given an upgrade. The exact numbers of Pokos will be figured out once the total value of the game's treasures is added up and an appropriate debt amount is decided.

Regions and Caves
There are four regions in the game that are each divided up into three areas. The areas in a region are for the most part all connected. Each area has its own landing site; however, you can only land in one by default and have to find the other two on your own. Going to a landing site of an area that you are not currently touched down in will allow you to move base over to the new site, and any Pikmin carrying objects will automatically redirect their paths. Areas are around Pikmin 2 size, and each one except for two has a Pikmin type somewhere in its midst. Somewhere in each region is a Pikmin 3-style boss, whose defeat will progress the story and unlock the next region.

Additionally, each area except the first has one cave in it, excluding standard underground areas. These caves are much different than those in 2: they are pre-designed maps that are an evolution of the, each having a series of themed puzzles (often utilizing Planning) that stand in the way of progress and treasure collection. Thanks to advanced processing power, the cave does not have to be loaded separately from the overworld, which means that time does not stop while inside of it and not all leaders have to enter the cave. However, a cave still cannot be walked out of once entered; instead, the head of the Hocotate Hauler will detach to collect any treasures within, which is not temporary this time around. The Hauler only has one intake, so entering a cave will prevent treasures from being collected at the landing site; the Pikmin will act as if their path is blocked once they reach the point where their treasure should be sucked up. When the S.S. Drake is recovered, this ceases to be an issue, as it takes over that duty while the Hauler Head is away.

Cave entry is still initiated with the prompt that shows the cave's name, the number of treasures within (and how many are collected), and which types of Pikmin are recommended for use. This happens once per day; the prompt is also viewable any time after the cave's discovery through Overhead Mode. Once inside of the cave, interacting with the Hauler Head will prompt escaping with the active squad, but only the active squad. The Head will return to the cave if there is still a leader inside, but stray Pikmin can be left behind. Unlike the Research Pod, the Hauler Head does refuse to store carcasses long-term: exiting the cave with anyone will cause it to spit out all collected spoils at the cave's entrance (despite taking the group to the landing site with it), and it will destroy them if an exit is not made by the end of the day. The Head also serves as a separate safe zone than its body when sunset arrives.

Lastly, at the end of each cave is a Pikmin 2-style mini-boss which contains a treasure that provides an upgrade (except for the Deep Palace, which contains a required story boss).

The exception to all the above is the final area, Mystery Crater, as well as its cave, Distortion Hole. The area itself is nothing but a big crater with a single entrance from Overlook Hill, and it has no Pikmin type. Distortion Hole is the game's final dungeon, so naturally it is required and contains the final boss. However, the cave does not appear until the end of the game when the plot opens it up.

Below is the list of regions, areas, and caves:

Upgrades
Each cave boss drops a treasure which also serves as an upgrade. Additionally, both Alph and Brittany's KopPads have functions which serve as upgrades, and finding the S.S. Drake also provides new functionality.
 * Planning: In Overhead Mode, leaders and active or nearby groups of Pikmin can be directed on a path. Serves as a replacement for the Go Here! function.
 * Available only when Alph is saved, as it is a feature of his KopPad.
 * Alph is saved from the Pitching Limbermole in Savannah Wilds.
 * Treasure Hunter: Equivalent to the Treasure Gauge, but with the addition of telling you if there's a treasure inside of whatever you're locked on to and if it's important.
 * Treasure is the ???.
 * Dropped by the Ballistic Rolyant in Rolyant Lane.
 * Mobility Shoes: Enables sprinting.
 * Treasure is the ???.
 * Dropped by the Obsidian Periscorp in Crevice Cave.
 * Scorch Guard: Identical to Pikmin 2.
 * Treasure is the ???.
 * Dropped by the Beady Long Legs in Stone Abode.
 * Spray Container: Allows the use of sprays.
 * Available only when Brittany is saved, as her KopPad has the extraction knowledge.
 * Brittany is saved from the Sandsifting Mawfish in Rusted Ravine.
 * Anti-Electrifier: Identical to Pikmin 2.
 * Treasure is the Circuit Voider.
 * Dropped by the Armored Cannon Beetle in Knothole Sanctum.
 * Mega Tweeter: Identical to Pikmin 2.
 * Treasure is the ???.
 * Dropped by the Grimy Bullwog in Bog Network.
 * Omega Fist: Punching damage is doubled, and the A Button can be held to charge a punch that is much stronger and hits an area in front of the leader.
 * Treasure is the Abstract Fist.
 * Found by defeating the Burrowing Snagrets in Ferocity Pit.
 * Twinned Holds: Allows for treasures to be collected in both the overworld and in a cave at the same time.
 * Linked to the S.S. Drake, as it will collect overworld treasures while the Hauler's pod is in the cave.
 * Reinforcement: Increases spacesuit health by 1.5x.
 * Treasure is the Immortal Fabric.
 * Dropped by the ??? in Ice Floe Canal.
 * Area Guide: Fills in all areas on the map and in Overhead Mode.
 * Treasure is the Topographical Cipher.
 * Dropped by the ??? in Drainage Shaft.
 * Pluckaphone: Same as Pikmin 2.
 * Treasure is the Sleepquaker.
 * Dropped by the ??? in Secret Shelter.

Mission Mode
Mission Mode contains side challenges for players, and it is available from the start. It is a timed collect-a-thon that features a few changes that make it a blend of the challenge modes from all three previous games. The objective of each level is dependent on the presence of a SPERO, for collecting treasure, and a Master Onion, for growing Pikmin; in some levels, both are available. Enemy corpses will always be brought to the Onion if it is present; only enemies brought to the SPERO will be worth Pokos. The final score is calculated based on time remaining, total Pikmin, and earned Pokos.

Another change is that collecting an upgrade treasure in a mission will bestow the upgrade to the party; this includes Planning and the Spray Container, which continue to be tied to the presence of Alph and Brittany, respectively, in the available lineup. Like in Pikmin 3, sometimes leaders must be found and collected to the SPERO to be unlocked as usable; in these cases, leader-tied upgrades will only become usable when they do.

Maps
Like in previous games, missions have their own maps. They can be either aboveground or in caves; the difference is purely aesthetic, as extreme weather is not present.

Battle Mode
Battle Mode is the multiplayer mode. Up to four players can play, with the fourth player playing as Louie. Free-for-alls and 2v2s are supported.

To be continued...