The E3 demo of Pikmin 2 featured a two player battle mode and a one or two player challenge mode. I’ve only had a chance to play solo so far but my itch for more Pikmin has been at least temporarily scratched. The object of the challenges is to collect treasure and find the key (usually hidden inside an enemy) which opens another section of the challenge. There were five challenges, each with a specific number and assortment of pikmin. In a nice touch for a demo, as you complete each challenge you unlock a new one. I only had time to unlock three new levels, but there was space for about thirty of them.

The game plays just like the first with a couple of nice additions. The B button blows your whistle to corral your pikmin, A will launch them into the air and X will separate them by color. The new, purple pikmin were in the demo and they have the strength of 10 pikmin, although they’re slow. You also have your new companion, Louie, tagging along. By pressing the Y button you can switch between Louie and Olimar, making it easy to split up your forces and multi-task. Another nice touch is the ability to cycle through pikmin in order to throw a specific type. This time around you’re also equipped with a red and blue potion which you use with the d-pad. When Olimar or Louie throws the blue potion on an enemy it will petrify him allowing your pikmin to attack without fear. The red potion is used to power up your pikmin, giving them greater strength and making their stems glow.

Although it’s hard to tell at this point, it certainly seems the Pikmin 2 will fix the biggest problem with the original, namely the longevity while keeping the successful strategy elements in tact.