Broken Bulbmin

From Pikmin Fanon
Pikmin 251
This article or section presents information pertaining to Pikmin 251, a Pikmin 2 ROM hack created by PikHacker.
Stage preview. Note the presentation of ordinary Bulbmin as opposed to the in-game Bulbearmin.

Broken Bulbmin is the second stage in Pikmin 251's 2-Player Battle Mode. Unlike the Bulbearmin seen in story mode, the creatures featured here behave strangely. Juveniles will attack any Pikmin type but remain loyal to their leader, and if any die, the game will crash. Players who accept these consequences will have three, simple soil layouts to play on.

Overview

The Onions are located in a small, circular room with one exit. From the home base, there are one or more wide spaces where resources can be collected. This section will have some sort of feature differing from the dry soil which everything else is carved from. Two Bulbearmin wander freely until finding a target. The linear design of each layout may make it difficult to shake off these creatures, especially in some narrow tunnels.

Variations

Layout A

Instead of being on opposite ends of the stage, the Onions are next to each other and the resources are as far as can be. While three gyro blocks appear right by the base, the rest can not be secured as quickly. If one were to venture out for these other gyro blocks, they would first have to cripple their opponent severely. Else, they open themselves to having their own gyro block stolen. A player who leaves their base will find that the bottleneck leading to both Onions will connect to a room containing a stump. This structure will have a gyro block, but swarming must be used to get it. Further out, there is another room with a spiraling stump that the player can climb. Three more gyro blocks can be found here. As with other layouts, Bulbearmin will always pose a threat, regardless of whether the adults are alive.

Layout B

Though irregular in shape, this layout provides the fairest arena in Broken Bulbmin. That being said, gyro block placement will always benefit one player more than the other. The two Onions are located in rooms with differing features: one will have a stump as a vantage point and two gyro blocks, and the other will be featureless. Past the home base, there is a room with a concrete block and three gyros to collect. The players’ bases meet in a room with a concrete block and a lot of resources to collect. Adjacent to this room is another otherwise featureless space with an equal amount of resources.

Layout C

From the Onion, a path will make a sharp turn towards a massive room. This expanse has tree roots on one end, and water on the other. Blue Pikmin can still swim in 2-Player Battle, giving player two a clear advantage and exclusive access to some resources.

Strategies

Players will want to avoid Bulbearmin because of their hostile, crash-inducing young. They can be used as Pikmin in theory, but they are hostile towards other Pikmin and may even carry objects to the wrong destination. One can instead use the enemies as distractions; this goes for both adult and juvenile Bulbearmin, though it is up to the players to decide if instigating a crash counts as a loss. If these enemies are somehow defeated and their young moved off to some safe corner, one can exploit other parts of their surroundings to get ahead of their opponent. The first two layouts have narrow tunnels that are easily controlled, and the third has water for player two to hide in.

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