Pikmin became the first title in Nintendo’s Pikmin series.
Nintendo released Pikmin for the GameCube in Japan in 2001 and in other regions in 2002. The player controls Captain Olimar, a tiny astronaut stranded on an unknown planet, and commands plant-like creatures called Pikmin to gather objects, defeat enemies, and repair his spacecraft.
The original game introduced the series’ central time-management structure. Olimar has a limited number of days to recover the required ship parts, while different Pikmin colors provide specialized abilities such as resistance to fire or water.
Pikmin 2 expanded the formula, and later entries added new areas and Pikmin types. Hey! Pikmin was a side-scrolling spin-off, not the beginning of the series.