Pikmin: Connection of the Worlds
Gameplay Mechanics
Time System
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.
- 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.
These kinds of weather can greatly affect the gameplay, as noted above.
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.
Stars
Stars represent the progress of the player's game. There are a total of five stars obtainable. Players can also make their stars sparkly if they complete an additional requirement.
- Star 1: Discover every Pikmin type (before the final boss).
- Star 2: Defeat the final boss.
- Star 3: Complete the Chasm of Challenges at least once.
- Star 4: Collect all treasures.
- Star 5: Discover the Ultima Pikmin.
- Sparkling stars: Absolutely no Pikmin have died.
Sprays
Pikmin: Connection of the Worlds introduces three new sprays. They are listed below:
- Ultra-Scorching Spray - Creates a small flame. Can burn enemies, can evaporate bodies of water.
- Ultra-Freezing Spray - Creates a small cloud of very cold air. Can freeze enemies, can freeze bodies of water, can extinguish flames.
- Ultra-Sweet Spray - Will heal 50% of max health to the captains.
Because there are now five sprays, an inventory system has been created to compensate. Sprays are swappable; players can switch out one spray for another to suit their needs. The buttons the player uses to trigger the sprays are now known as spray buttons. The inventory will be created when the player has discovered their third spray, and has a menu of its own (called the "Spray Menu").
Bomb-rocks
To avoid confusion, the game has several bomb-rock types. Each bomb-rock has a different explosion radii (with the normal bomb-rock having a radius of one).
Small bomb-rock: the original bomb-rocks from Pikmin that Yellow Pikmin could carry. This adds more challenges to the game. The explosion's radius is 0.5.
Normal bomb-rock: the bomb-rocks from Pikmin 2 that captains cannot carry. The explosion's radius is one.
Giant bomb-rock: enlarged bomb-rocks that are rarer and more dangerous. The explosion's radius is two.
Nuclear bomb-rock: extremely rare and dangerous bomb-rocks that have the power to destroy entire caves. The explosion's radius is 10,000.
Confetti bomb-rock: harmless bomb-rocks that deflower Pikmin and stun enemies. They even have a giant counterpart. The normal type's explosion radius is one and the giant type's explosion radius is two.
Environmental Gauge
In two areas, the Distant Desert and the Moon, a special gauge known as the Environmental Gauge will appear on the right side of the screen. Its purpose is to inform the player about the Pikmin's hydration (in the Distant Desert) or their air (on the Moon). It has eight different levels; Full being the best and Critical being the worst. An arrow will point to which level it is currently in (it is based on the lowest Pikmin's stats). In the Distant Desert, cacti will rehydrate your Pikmin and on the Moon, air supply stations will supply your Grey Pikmin with air.