Sunday, November 11, 2012

Mysteries of Modern Media: Who Cooks for the Pikmin?

The Pikmin franchise has been Nintendo's most successful "modern" franchise, and for good reason. It's creative, cute, and intuitive. But beneath that adorable bug-eyed exterior is a foreboding ominous feeling which pervades both the first game and its sequel, Pikmin 2. And while the first game may appear eerie at times, it's the second game that really dives into the grim realities of the Pikmin universe.

The main focus in Pikmin 2 is on treasure hunting. Protagonist Captain Olimar returns, added by new employee Louie, to find enough artifacts so the company he works for can clear its debt. What kind of treasures do Olimar and Louie dig up in this wacky adventure?


Duracell batteries...


Rubber duckies...


And donuts.

According to the game's producer, Shigeru Miyamoto, the planet on which the Pikmin live is actually a post-apocalyptic Earth where there are no longer any living humans. The animals on this version of Earth have evolved to utilize the artifacts and remnants left behind by human kind, meaning the planet hasn't been inhabited by humans for at least a few hundred years.

So the question is: if there aren't any people left on this planet, who, exactly, is making all those donuts?