Pikmin consists of main character Captain Olimar leading a group of Pikmin through a series of 2D side-scrolling platforming levels while collecting items that contain "sparklium", the main source of fuel for Olimar's ship.

By finding colored pellets, the amount of Pikmin in the park can be increased.

[2] Olimar is flying in space on his new ship, the S.S. Dolphin II, when he hits an asteroid and crash-lands on an unknown planet.

He soon re-encounters Red Pikmin, which he figures out he can use to carry Sparklium-rich treasures and acorn-like seeds.

However, it is revealed that it was accidentally eaten by a Leech Hydroe and has turned into the Berserk Leech Hydroe, a giant plant-like monster, through the converter's power, which he must fight.

On November 6, 2014, Shigeru Miyamoto stated during a Q&A of his recently released Pikmin short films that "Continually launching campaigns after the release of software will lay the groundwork for the next iteration of Pikmin in the future.

"[4] Furthermore, on September 7, 2015, Miyamoto confirmed in an interview with Eurogamer that the next Pikmin game was in development, and was "very close to completion.

Game Informer stated: "Puzzles are also extremely simple, and usually boil down to tossing Pikmin around obstacles... Nintendo's low-impact blend of strategy and action flounders between relaxing and boring."