Pikmin: Connection of the Worlds

Pikmin: Connection of the Worlds, also referred to as PCW (codenamed Project: Connection), is an upcoming fanon game made by PikminFanatic23. It is planned to be released on the Wii, but was specially designed to have high-definition should it be played on the Wii's sucessor, the Wii U. The characters will sometime talk to each other in a bubble over their heads, and sometimes there are cutscenes with the text being on the bottom of the screen. It was originally going to be released in July-August of 2011, however it was delayed to February-March of 2012 due to programming issues, and further delayed to May 2013 with the discovery of an enormous bug. It is rated T by the ESRB for Mild Blood, Fantasy Violence, and Scary Images. It revolves around the plot that the public learns of the Planet of the Pikmin, however two evil people aim to seize control of it. There are also 350 Treasures (400 in Unknown Mode). A sequel is also currently in development (see section "Sequel").

Plot
Several years after the events of Pikmin 2, the President of Hocotate Freight told the public of Hocotate a surprise announcement: that an entirely new planet had been discovered and it was worth living on. Hocotate scientists were already working on a new type of ship to transport people to and from the planet.

Unfortunately, for the President, he got kidnapped by two people (whose names are Akou and Sasou) and demanded that they knew how he got so rich. The President had no other choice but to explain. He said that using the Pikmin's powers, he was able to lift treasures and salvage them. They released him, but decided to get the treasures for themselves. They will stop at nothing to get the treasures. The President knew he should tell Olimar and Louie.

They discussed the situation until they saw the S.S. Dolphin roar down to them. Then a government agent popped out. Bewildered and excited, Olimar rushed up to the government agent and asked why he was getting his Dolphin back. The agent said, during inspection, they found his secret stash of Pokos hidden inside it, then flew here. Olimar was asked if he wanted the Dolphin back, to which he gladly agreed. Olimar then noticed it had two cockpits, and its actual name was the S.S. Dolphin 2.0. The government agent then explained that the stash wasn't enough, but they could pay off a debt for the Dolphin, which is 5,000 Pokos.

Olimar went home to tell of what had happened, and that he was to return to the Pikmin Planet. Olimar's son, Sagittarius, wanted to come on the trip, and Olimar reluctantly agreed. The very next morning, they got into the Ship and the Dolphin 2.0, then blasted off, going to the Pikmin Planet.

And so their journey begins...

Please see this page for more information on the storyline.

Pikmin
All the Pikmin found in Pikmin 2 appear, along with many new ones.

Original Pikmin

 * Red Pikmin
 * Yellow Pikmin
 * Blue Pikmin
 * Purple Pikmin
 * White Pikmin
 * Bulbmin

New Pikmin

 * Tan Pikmin
 * Orange Pikmin
 * Green Pikmin
 * Cyan Pikmin
 * Burgundy Pikmin
 * Brown Pikmin
 * Silver Pikmin
 * Grey Pikmin
 * Ultima Pikmin

Characters

 * Captain Olimar
 * Louie
 * The President
 * Saggitarius
 * The S.S. Dolphin 2.0
 * The Hocotate Ship
 * Akou
 * Sasou

Areas/Caves

 * Snowy Mountain
 * Frosty Depths
 * Icicle Abyss
 * Icy Labyrinth
 * Frigid Cavern


 * The Garden
 * Peaceful Well
 * Subterranean Forest


 * Great Volcano
 * Magmatic Cavern
 * Fiery Furnace
 * Burning Gulch


 * Distant Desert
 * Sandy Hole
 * Grainy Realm
 * Subterranean Lake
 * Scorched Abyss
 * Isolated Room


 * Shimmering Lake
 * Murky Lair
 * Aquatic Fortress
 * Flooded Haven
 * Acidic Cavern


 * Ancient Valley
 * Rocky Fissure
 * Hole of Erosion
 * Forested Tunnels
 * Mossy World


 * The Portal
 * Chasm of Challenges


 * The Moon
 * Lunar Maze
 * Mechanical Complex

Timer and Night
The time system for this game is slightly different than other games. Instead of having a Sun Meter, there is a timer that indicates how many minutes (real-time) are left. The total amount of minutes provided is 15 minutes, and the last minute will have the familiar message (from Pikmin 2) "It is almost sunset. Hurry up!!" At the end of sunset, you have a choice: you can retire for the day normally, or you can stay an extra 5 minutes during the night. During this time, Spotty Bulbears in the area will go to sleep (because, as shown in Pikmin 2, they are diurnal) and nocturnal enemies (like Bulborbs/Sheargrub for example), will wake up and the area will be harder to walk through as there are more enemies, not to mention that it's very dark. The Ships will produce some light that extends all the way to the farthest Onion. Bomb-rocks, if they explode, will very briefly light up the immediate area. Also, the next day you land a little later than usual (3 minutes later).

Weather
There is also weather in this game. The climate for an area will depend on two variables:


 * The location of the area
 * The current season

When combined, these two factors can produce all sorts of weather. Weather-related disasters, like hurricanes/tornadoes/blizzards/droughts (save for floods) will not occur. However, there are normal kinds of weather, as listed below:


 * Sun (all year) The area is more bright.
 * Heatwaves (late spring, summer) Can decrease the effects of the Pikmin's performance (save for Red Pikmin and Burgundy Pikmin), small bodies of water may evaporate.


 * Clouds (all year) The area is more likely to receive rain/acid rain/snow.
 * Rain (spring, fall, winter) Currently existing bodies of water will swell to larger sizes, small basins may fill up.
 * Snow (winter, early spring) Can make it harder to traverse the area, ice/snow enemies have an advantage, but if snow occurs at a place where there's normally not any snow, enemies that aren't adapted to it will do something in response (Bulborbs may wake up and start patrolling the area).
 * Acid Rain (all year) Can pollute puddles, which can take anywhere from 10-50 days to be cleared of acid (depending on how large the body of water is). Only Green Pikmin can come outside.

These kinds of weather can greatly affect the gameplay, as noted above.
 * Wind (all year) Pikmin may be blown away from the group to a distance away, but Purple Pikmin will not be affected.
 * Thunderstorms (all year) It will heavily rain during this time, and can flood most of the area if it's flat. Thunder can scare Pikmin, causing them to panic at random (however Purple Pikmin won't be affected). Lightning may strike trees, but this will only cause a portion of the entire area to be burned.

Seasons
This new element gives a little more strategy to the game. Areas closer to the equator/polar regions will undergo major changes as the seasons change, and areas in between will receive normal weather change. The days will become longer/shorter, depending on the season. Each season lasts 60 days, which means a complete year is 240 days, but the seasons gradually change, like in real life.

Life Tracker
When obtained, the map on the menu screen will have a new feature added to it: you can track the movements of an enemy. There will be a button that says "Track Enemy" and when you open it up, there will be a list of alive creatures in the area. You can select one; but you can only select up to five. A small map will then appear in the upper-right corner of the screen, covering just under 1/9 of the total screen. The enemies will be represented by dots. Each dot will be a different color. When a tracked enemy dies, it will not be tracked anymore. It can also be used in caves, however if you go more than 10 floors down, it will be rendered inoperative.

Easy
This is the easy mode of the game. Enemies have 0.25 less health/attack/agility, upgrades are found at an easier difficulty, and sprays/nectar are very common to find. It can be unlocked by beating the Normal difficulty twice.

Normal
This is the default mode of the game. Enemies have standard health/attack/agility, upgrades are found at a standard difficulty, and sprays/nectar are commonly found.

Hard
This is the harder mode of the game. Enemies have 0.5 more health/attack/agility, upgrades are found at a harder difficulty (the "extensions" of the non-mandatory upgrades {like the Ultra Fist and the Giga Tweeter} aren't found), and sprays/nectar are ever-so-slightly less commonly found. It can be unlocked by beating the Normal difficulty once.

Unknown
This is the hardest mode of the game. Enemies have 1.5 more health/attack/agility (not 1.5 health added onto enemies' stats from Hard Mode, as they would be near-impossible to defeat), upgrades are found at a very hard difficulty (the upgrades that are non-mandatory {like the Pluckaphone and the Rocket Fist} aren't even found in this difficulty), and sprays/nectar aren't very commonly found. It can be unlocked by beating the Hard difficulty once. Beating this mode twice unlocks Hocotate Facts.

High Scores
Records the top 5 of the least amount of days you spent to finish each difficulty, how much time was spent, how many Pikmin died (how many total and one of each color), and how many Pikmin were born (how many total and one of each color).

Hocotate Facts
When you find the Universal Equilibrium in Unknown Mode, this special mode is unlocked. It reveals all the facts you want to know about Hocotate.

Upgrades
Many upgrades exist in the game, and all the upgrades from Pikmin 2 reappear (except for the Sphere Chart and Survey Chart, which are replaced by Mega Keys).

Canon Upgrades


 * Scorch Guard: Makes the captains resistant to fire hazards.
 * Anti-Electrifier: Makes the captains resistant to electrical hazards.
 * Metal Suit Z: Reduces the damage taken by enemies/boulders by 0.5 times.
 * Mega Tweeter: Increases the radius of the original whistle by 1.5 times.
 * Pluckaphone: Whistles planted Pikmin sprouts out of the ground.
 * Solar System: Brightens up dark areas.
 * Rush Boots: Allows the captains to run faster; unable to be blown over by Puffy/Withering Blowhogs.
 * Treasure Gauge: When near treasure, the gauge goes berserk.
 * Rocket Fist: After two rapid punches, the third one is more powerful. Works faster while running.
 * Napsack: Sleep with X (GameCube controller) or C (Nunchuck).

Fanon Upgrades


 * Ice Melter: Makes captains resistant to ice hazards.
 * Lava Freezer: Makes captains resistant to lava hazards.
 * Acid Repellent: Makes captains resistant to acid hazards.
 * Explosion Resister: Makes captains resistant to explosion hazards.
 * Giga Tweeter: Increases the radius of the original whistle by 2.5 times. Must have obtained the Mega Tweeter.
 * Instant Boots: Allows the captains to run even faster. Cannot sink while crossing quicksand. Must have obtained the Rush Boots.
 * Ultra Fist: After three rapid punches, the fourth one is even more powerful than the third. Must have obtained the Rocket Fist.
 * Diamond Suit DX: Reduces damage taken by enemies/boulders by 1.5 times. Must have obtained the Metal Suit Z.
 * Life Tracker: Can track the movements of an enemy. (See more info in the section "Life Tracker".)
 * Bronze Mega Key: Unlocks the Garden and the Great Volcano.
 * Silver Mega Key: Unlocks the Distant Desert.
 * Gold Mega Key: Unlocks the Shimmering Lake.
 * Platinum Mega Key: Unlocks the Ancient Valley.
 * Diamond Mega Key: Unlocks the Portal and the Moon.
 * Universal Equilibrium: When found in Hard Mode, this will unlock the Cave Creator, and when found in Unknown Mode, this will unlock Hocotate Facts.

Hazards
All the hazards appear from Pikmin 2, again, with new ones.

Original Hazards

 * Fire
 * Water
 * Electricity
 * Poison
 * Earth (or better known as boulders)
 * Explosions
 * Air (exhaled from Puffy Blowhogs/related species)
 * Enemies
 * Sunset
 * Abyss

New Hazards

 * Acid
 * Lava
 * Ice
 * Quicksand

Mixed Hazards
Sometimes hazards may mix, such as electrical water. Dual Buds are required to destroy/avoid these annoying obstacles. Combinations include:


 * Electrical water (as noted above, electricity + water)
 * Bomb-boulders (boulders + explosions)
 * Toxic water (poison + water)
 * Boiling water (fire + water)
 * Fire orb (fire + boulder)
 * Toxic orb (poison + boulder)
 * Cold water (ice + water)
 * Dirty water (earth + water)

The Dual Buds will remain even after you pluck the combined Pikmin so as you can revert the combined Pikmin into their original two Pikmin. Also, the "orbs" noted is actually super-dense, harmful material to your Pikmin. They act like hazardous boulders, but the dense material spreads out upon impact. The "orbs", due to their density, will crush any Pikmin standing beneath it (save Brown and Ultima Pikmin, but the Brown Pikmin may die).

Controls
Since this is for the Wii, Wii controls are used. However, if you plug in a GameCube controller the controls automatically switch to GameCube controls. The Classic Controller is not used in this game. It is also unknown how this will work with the Wii U.

Field Controls

 * A button: Throw Pikmin, punch (without Pikmin), pluck Pikmin
 * B button: Whistle
 * D-pad: Change angle of camera (up), zoom in/out (left or right; hold to zoom down to ground level), move Pikmin squad (down), lay down
 * + button: Menu
 * - button: Switch captains
 * 1 button: Press once to use Ultra-Bitter Spray, press twice (rapidly) to use Ultra-Scorching Spray
 * 2 button: Press once to use Ultra-Spicy Spray, press twice (rapidly) to use Ultra-Freezing Spray
 * Z button: Center the camera (in direction the cursor is pointing), cycle through Pikmin stages (while holding a Pikmin)
 * C button: Dismiss Pikmin, cycle through Pikmin colors (while holding a Pikmin), lay down (MUST have obtained the Napsack first
 * Analog stick: Move the captain
 * Pointer: Move cursor

Menu Controls

 * A button: Confirm options
 * B button: Exit options
 * + button: Exit menu
 * C button: Go to next menu
 * Z button: Go to previous menu
 * D-pad: Zoom in/out (only on the map menu; D-pad up/down)
 * Analog stick: Select options, pan (only on the map menu)

Field Controls

 * A button: Throw Pikmin, punch, pluck Pikmin
 * B button: Whistle
 * C-stick: Swarm Pikmin squad
 * L button: Center the camera
 * R button: Zoom in/out, hold to zoom down to ground level
 * Z button: Change angle of camera
 * Y button: Change leaders
 * X button: Dismiss Pikmin, hold to sleep
 * START/PAUSE button: Go to menu
 * D-pad: Press up once to use Ultra-Bitter Spray; press twice (rapidly) to use Ultra-Scorching Spray, press down once to use Ultra-Spicy Spray; press twice to use Ultra Freezing Spray, press left/right (while holding a Pikmin) to swap Pikmin colors, press up (while holding a Pikmin) to swap Pikmin stages
 * Analog stick: Tilt lightly to move cursor, tilt fully to move captain

Menu Controls

 * A button: Confirm options
 * B button: Exit options
 * START/PAUSE button: Exit menu
 * R button: Go to next menu
 * L button: Go to previous menu
 * C-stick: Zoom in/out (only on map menu)
 * Analog stick: Select options, pan (only on map menu)

Sequel
The sequel to Pikmin: Connection of the Worlds currently in development, and is currently known as Project: Impact. Not much is known about the game, all that is known is that a 27 mile-wide asteroid is on a collision course with the Planet of the Pikmin. The game creator of PCW has not been questioned about other details relating to the sequel, and does not plan on releasing more information publicly anytime soon. He also plans on working in cooperation with the creators of the popular Buildup Trilogy.

On April 28th, 2012, an online blog stated that the game is set to be released on the Nintendo 3DS. This rumor has been unconfirmed, however.

Re-release
There will be a re-release for the Nintendo 3DS shortly after the release date of the original copy titled Pikmin: Connection of the Worlds 3D. If activated, the StreetPass mode will automatically transfer another user's file to an empty file, and if there isn't an empty file, it will ask you if you want to erase a current file and replace it with the new one.

Release Exhibitions
These are the different editions of Pikmin: Connection of the Worlds.

Pre-ordered edition
Buying this costs less than buying the game at launch, and sometimes may come with the offical game guide, though only a certain amount of pre-ordered copies can be bought before people can't buy them anymore. Costs $24.99 (USD).

Normal edition
This comes with the disc, manual and disc case. Costs $39.99 at launch, downgrades to $29.99 over a period of 5 months.

Special edition
If you are a Club Nintendo member, you can get a game guide and a set of a couple of figurines (Olimar and Louie) for $49.99.

Collector's edition
This comes with the game and a soundtrack, all for $69.99. You must be a Club Nintendo member.

Ultimate collector's edition
This is the best out of all the other editions. Comes with the game, a game guide, soundtrack, Olimar/Louie figurines, a video showing the development/prototype parts of PCW, and a Wii (either black or white, and comes with two Wii Remotes [each a Wii Remote Plus] and Nunchucks) all for $274.99. This is only produced in Japan, so if you want it, you'll have to find it off of an online retailer.