What is Pikmin?

Pikmin is a franchise made by Nintendo in 2001. Most games are a mix of the adventure, action, and real-time strategy generas. It currently has four mainline games, two spin-off titles, and three short animations. And also three songs that never left Japan, except one got an official French cover.

In these games, you're responsible for the leadership and care of the titular pikmin. Do everything that you can for them, for they would do anything for you - even risk their own lives. In the main line gams, you're only given so much time within an in-game day to accomplish everything you want so make sure you plan well and make the most of your time! This is a huge reason why I adore the games, I find this gameplay loop to be so much fun. Plus it makes the games replayable as you try to get faster and faster with each run of the game.

Okay, But What is a Pikmin?

Pikmin are feral carrot toddlers with a taste for blood. I'm only partly joking when I say that. Pikmin are animal-like plants smaller than a coin. They have humanoid bodies, smooth skin, and a long stem at the top of their head which ends in either a leaf, bud, or flower. They come in a variety of types, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. They may be fairly weak when they act as individuals, but as a group they're able to do so much! That is, if you can keep tabs on their child-like curiosity and tendency to be distracted.

They live in a mothership called an Onion, which can fly for some reason despite its size and shape (the Onion, of course, flies anyways, because Onions doesn't care what humans think is impossible) to carry pikmin away from nocturnal predators. Also, pikmin are able to drag the corpses of their own prey to the onion so that it may grind the prey up, aborb the nutrients, and create Pikmin seeds from it. Thus, the circle of life continues. Isn't nature just beautiful? Huh? What do Pikmin eat? Uh, sunlight, probably. They are plants. Also nectar!

They're also incredibly cute and loyal, which makes it all the sadder when they get hurt just trying to help you.

Further Reading

As much infodumping as I'm doing here, shrines ultimently are not meant to be sources of information. This is nowhere near comprehensive. If you wish to learn more about pikmin, then your best best is the Pikipedia.