Pikmin 2 is a sequel that goes a long way in fleshing out the ideas of its predecessor, often criticized as a promising yet short proof-of-concept; its brief intrigue hampered by a stressful deadline to escape an uninhabitable planet. The expansive return adventure is easily thrice as long and provides unlimited days to explore. In the same instance, all new issues revolve around the original's problem: time. Before, there wasn't enough. Now, far too much is wasted.
On the game's literal surface, improvements are noticed everywhere though more detailed textures, vivid colors and water, and the immersive effect of snow, pedals, leaves and particulate matter dancing in the wind. With two captains directing the action, you can more intricately strategize over the four new areas' puzzles and generous variety of fascinating, often grotesque new enemies. Other welcome changes include snappier controls, new Pikmin types harnessing potent poison and earthshaking sumo, hundreds of collectable treasures, and a rudimentary yet appreciable inventory and upgrade system.
Often lampooning unfettered capitalism, Olimar is tasked with once again risking death merely to bail out his indebted employer. Then, more outrageously, continue pillaging for the sake of pure profit. When your troublesome partner, Louie, goes missing, the CEO steps up to help lead from the front. That's a sight more unrealistic than a mechanized and weaponized giant arachnid boss. Along with the 12+ hour main quest, there's a 2-player mode, brilliant, humorous writing packed within the treasure and enemy tomes and a Challenge Mode offering dozens of shorter, score focused missions.
Not all is sunshine and rainbows, as the game's bulk consists of trudging through exasperatingly dangerous multi-floored subterranean caves. While experiencing a different variant of each floor upon loading makes for an engaging challenge, such variety results in dull, low geometry environments and some layouts being disproportionally easy or difficult. You're often presented with deadly surprises and scenarios requiring lengthy backtracking or a cumbersome reboot in order to advance with little or no Pikmin deaths. Defying the game's central delegation mechanic by having your captains slowly punch out the less predictable enemies is a wise, yet unsatisfying move. With a fearsome boss waiting at the bottom, you'll want to arrive packing a complete centuria of Pikmin. Enhancing the unsettling and mysterious caves, the sub-world music skews towards minimalism and ambience that's no less engaging than that above ground.
Despite repeatedly enjoying a 100% completion in the 2000s, the game's faults became increasingly apparent after the improvements offered in the sequels. Best to play the toughest Pikmin using an 'underground' method that bypasses long restarts with the press of a keyboard and features more interesting treasures which were replaced on the Switch, due to licensing difficulties and cannabis confused controversies. As the series flourishes and Pikmin 2 morphs into somewhat the black sheep, enduring all the annoyances and occasional terror of the underworld will remain a badge of honor amongst dedicated fans. To quote Biggie: "A foolish pleasure, whatever. I had to find the buried treasure."
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