Pikmin: Distant Planet
Pikmin: Distant Planet is a non-canon game. The story happens long before Olimar ever met the Pikmin. At this time, the Pikmin are thriving. They established a certain dominance in areas around the Pikmin planet, forged areas where they could live safely in different colonies. However, another race of creatures views the rapidly-expanding Pikmin dominance as a threat and slowly begins not only retaliation, but general takeover of the Distant Planet. The different Pikmin colonies must unite against the threat, but unfortunately, each colony has been separated by a past of conflict and present egotistical motives.
Plot
A group of Yellow Pikmin attempted to take control of a distant desert island in the ocean far to the west of the Lightning Peninsula after their colony completed work on the first-ever water-traversing Pikmin vessel. It took them a few days to reach the island, but a storm at sea wrecked them on it. They spent many days repairing damages, and they were able to send no messages to their village, leading to doubts back home about whether or not the colonizers ever made it. On the desert island, more Yellow Pikmin were grown to hasten the repairs, one of which is the main character, a Yellow Pikmin that you name yourself. Unfortunately, a sandstorm picks up a few days after the ship is fixed, and finding nowhere else to take refuge, some Yellow Pikmin that couldn't reach the ship hide inside a cave in the desert. There, they stumble upon a vast underground complex and encounter a new, unheard-of monster. Only a few Pikmin escape the cave, and the remaining Pikmin get off the island in the ship and try to get as far away as possible. A second storm destroys the ship and wrecks the survivors on another island, a tropical one. After spending a few days here, a rescue ship which was built in case the colonizers ran into trouble stops by the island and takes the remaining Yellow Pikmin back to the village, which learns of the new threat. The Yellow Pikmin that survived the encounter are sent with a group of explorers and fighters to spread the word to the other Pikmin colonies and see if they can learn of any other sightings.
Gameplay
In the beginning, because you're just a regular Pikmin you'll be forced to follow the commands of others with far higher rank, but you'll get more freedom as you gain influence, which will be explained in further detail later. An important thing to note is that you'll rarely ever be on your own. Whether you're exploring, fighting, or just visiting Pikmin in a village, you'll have at least a couple other Pikmin nearby you. These Pikmin can hold their own when it comes to fighting, but sometimes in order for them to get a few good hits on the enemy, you'll have to cause a distraction. For instance, getting in front of an enemy and dodging/countering its attacks lets other Pikmin get behind it and strike a vulnerable spot. But you can't always be staying out of battles and not attacking enemies. The more fights you actively participate in, different attributes will be strengthened, such as speed, offensive power, endurance and influence.
Influence
Influence gradually increases alongside other attributes. It could be described as the gradual change between a Pikmin that dodges/counters and does minimal amounts of fighting to a Pikmin that can make all the difference in a battle, sometimes even using special abilities. Also, when you have enough influence, you can be trusted by the colonies to form your own party and make your own choices. Along the way, you'll get not just one playable character but five, each a different color of Pikmin. You can switch control between them at nearly any given moment.