Pikmin 251 Review

Introduction
The first in the series of hacked ROM reviews is Pikmin 251! Why did I choose this hack ROM? Pikmin has always been a game I loved very much and I have played Pikmin 1,2 and 3 so many times I was wondering if this hacked ROM version could hold up to high Nintendo’s standards. The answer is very simple gameplay-wise this is just another Pikmin game but some things are harder. This hacked ROM will completely transform your Pikmin 2 into another game called Pikmin 251. This is still a strategic puzzle-solving game like Pikmin 1 and Pikmin 2.
The developer of Pikmin 251 made the whole ROM hack including the story, the story plays after the ending of Pikmin 2 thus not infringing on Nintendo copyrights. You will need to collect more treasures this time around, 252 to be exact.
This number really bothers me.
Yes, that is correct you will be scavenging all these treasures from the Pikmin planet. They will be items from other Nintendo games like the fire flower from Super Mario or the Nintendo 64 logo!
You will revisit some places with minor changes but there will also be completely new maps that are made by the developer. You will also encounter homemade Pikmin, the orange Pikmin with their own unique ability! You will also encounter new enemies like the freezing breadbug. There are so many changes and extras that it will feel like a new fresh experience. If you liked Pikmin 2 you will totally like this hacked ROM game.

What did I think of Pikmin 251 before playing?
I was researching for the list of ten GameCube ROM hacked games. This one popped out really fast! It seemed awesome, exploring new caves and finding a new kind of Pikmin. I quickly installed it barely bothering with the description.
Before I knew it I was sucked into Pikmin 251, exploring caves and finding the new Pikmin species. The graphics looked awesome and the soundtracks are from other Nintendo games. Believe me, you are going to love this game. If you like Pikmin you will absolutely love this. I won’t spoil too much of the story for you!

Story
Pikmin 251 starts off where Pikmin 2 ends. The president of Hocotate had problems paying off his debt. Not only was he unable to pay off the debt, now he needs to pay off even more! The president of Hocotate finds Olimar unworthy to be the captain anymore. He promotes Louie to be the new captain and orders both of them to go back to the Pikmin planet. Louie quickly enters the ship and gets ready for takeoff. Olimar decides to tag along and slams himself into the ship.
They travel once more to the planet where the Pikmin reside. Louie is unable to land safely and throws Olimar off the ship. Luckily Olimar survives.  With help from the Pikmin, they are able to reunite with each other.
Louie and Olimar manage to gather enough treasures to pay off the debt. Louie and Olimar quickly return to Hocotate, when Louie gets home he realizes he left Olimar behind. The president and Louie decide to make a controlled ship A.I that can help track down Olimar. Louie returns with the A.I controlled ship to find Olimar. When they arrive at the Pikmin planet Olimar is nowhere to be seen. After traveling through many caves they find a dweevil that has taken control of Olimar’s mind.
It is your job to defeat the titan dweevil and save Olimar. I won’t spoil the ending scene.

If you defeat the titan dweevil with all the treasures you get the secret ending.

Gameplay
In Pikmin 251 you will need to gather all the 252 treasures. Unlike Pikmin 1 there will be unlimited days to gather all the treasures. Pikmin 251 is more difficult as Pikmin 2 but the difficulty increase was not too big.
You will need to use the Pikmin to fight off the wildlife in Pikmin 251. The wildlife is stronger and different than in Pikmin 2. You will need to learn new techniques to fight them off. The enemy book gives you important notes on how to defeat some of the enemies. Bombs cannot be held by the yellow Pikmin but the bombs are much bigger! A good tip is to watch out for falling bombs from the sky randomly. Other threats include emperor Bulblax from Pikmin 1, they will return to bring you pain and eat your Pikmin. There are many other dangers you will need to face to gather all the treasures before you face off with the titan dweevil. For example You will need to face two emperor bulblaxes and one empress at the same time! And don’t forget the baby bulborbs that come out of the empress. They might seem like harmless larva but they will eat your Pikmin in a flash.
There are many different kinds of Pikmin in Pikmin 251 that you will need to use to solve the puzzles. This time around you will have two captains that you can switch on the go.  This means that there will be puzzles that involve two groups of Pikmin.

Red Pikmin
This time around you won’t find the red Pikmin first. There is not much change to the red Pikmin but they do seem stronger than before. They are still immune to fire and beat bulborbs senseless.

Blue Pikmin
The blue Pikmin are more useful this time around as there are way more water areas than in Pikmin 1. There are also many water caves that you will need to conquer using water Pikmin.
The blue Pikmin still love to swim around, they are harder to unlock this time around.

Yellow Pikmin
This time you will start out with the yellow Pikmin instead of the red Pikmin. They will not act very differently from Pikmin 1. They can be used to reach treasures that are hidden in high places.

White Pikmin
A new species of Pikmin available in Pikmin 2, thus they will also be available in Pikmin 251. They are fast and tiny, they will always be able to keep up with you. They are immune to poison, you will need them to clear the way in poison caves.
They are really rare to find but they can stay on the ship. Being careful with the white Pikmin is advised.

Purple Pikmin
You will unlock this Pikmin very late in the game, If you can imagine a bodybuilder Pikmin you are about right what a purple Pikmin looks like. They pack quite a punch and when they land they stun the enemies. One purple Pikmin can carry the same weight that one red Pikmin can carry. They are even rarer as the white Pikmin so being careful with them is advised. The purple Pikmin can be stored in the ship when they are not being used.

Orange Pikmin
The new Pikmin that is only available in Pikmin 251. They can only live in the caves which means you cannot store them in onions or on the ship. They are strong like red Pikmin and when there is an explosion hazard these are the Pikmin you will need. They have special safety caps equipped, this makes them immune to exploding. These caps are not able to withstand fire or water. It was really fun to play with the new Pikmin but it was to bad they could not come out of the caves. You can only get orange Pikmin from hidden candy pop buds in caves.

Bulbear Pikmin
This Pikmin is also only available in Pikmin 251, in Pikmin 2 they have the bulbmins. The bulbearmin as they are called are immune to all hazards except for exploding. They are strong and also look cute. There is only one way to get the new bulbearmins.
This might sound a bit cruel but you will need to find the mother bulbearmin and kill her. After you have killed here you can whistle her offspring and they will join your ranks. I always loved the idea of the bulbmins, when I read about the bulbearmins I was really excited. They cannot leave the caves, I always imagined they get burned by the sun like vampires.

Other gameplay elements
You will need to use all of the Pikmin to gather all the treasures on the Pikmin planet. You need to be careful with the Pikmin that you take with you in the cave. You won’t be able to gather more Pikmins in the cave unless you find a rare candy pop bud. After collecting some treasures you will get upgraded skills like the treasure radar. After collecting this item you will be able to keep track of all the items that you need to collect on the overworld level and the caves. You can upgrade the Pikmin to level three. The level of the Pikmin can be seen by looking at the Pikmins head. You can increase the level by waiting to pluck the Pikmin from the ground. If you wait too long the Pikmin will revert back to level one. The other way to level up your Pikmin is to find nectar in the field and let the Pikmins eat it. In Pikmin 251 the nectar is weaker which means the Pikmin will need to eat more nectar to reach level three.
A leaf on top of their head means that the Pikmin is level 1.
A flower bud on their head means that the Pikmin is level 2.
A flower on their head means that the Pikmin is level 3.

What did I Think of Pikmin 251 after playing?
The cut scene that started was made very bad but the developer did his best with the tools available. It made me laugh really hard so the developer did a good job. I never expected to see Olimar get slammed into a spaceship.
The new Pikmin were only able to be used in the caves but it was really cool when I encountered them. I did not think this game would be so different from Pikmin 2 but I am really glad I started this game.
The new enemies were nice to encounter, I had to learn all over how to play the game. I loved this game so much. My love for Pikmin combined with this new experience gave me tears of joy.
There was only one shortcoming that I can think of, the titan dweevil at the end of the game is very mean.

My personal rating is 9.7

graphics and soundtracks
If you don’t count the cutscenes the graphics are exactly the same as in the Nintendo version of Pikmin 2.
The soundtracks are insanely good. There are so many different soundtracks from other Nintendo games that you can recognize which is awesome.

Pros and cons

Pros
– A new Pikmin adventure is awaiting you.
– The new enemies are really amazing, there are new bulborbs to find.
– The soundtracks are the best you could ever think of in a game.
–  The new Pikmin will blow your mind!
– The developer has made completely new levels for you to explore.
– You won’t get the strongest Pikmin in the beginning of the game.

Cons
– The titan dweevil is very insane in difficulty.
– The orange Pikmin are only available in certain caves.
– The bulbearmin are also only available in certain caves.

The first game on the list of Gamecube ROM hacks, this was one awesome game. Everyone who loves Pikmin will enjoy this game. This game is recommended to many people that love puzzle games.
I give this game…drumroll…

9.1

I really liked writing this review, I hope you liked reading this review as much as I enjoyed writing it. Leave your own thoughts in the comments. Don’t forget to rate the game in the featured version of this review.
I hope to see you in the next review.