Hey! Pikmin

Hey! Pikmin consists of main character Captain Olimar leading a group of Pikmin through a series of 2D side-scrolling platforming levels while collecting items that contain "sparklium", the main source of fuel for Olimar's ship. Unlike other games of the Pikmin series, players do not choose what Pikmin to bring into levels. Instead, players enter a level and use whatever Pikmin they find while exploring.

Olimar is able to swim and use a jetpack to reach new areas. Winged Pikmin are able to carry Olimar while flying. Olimar is incapable of attacking on his own, instead relying on the Pikmin for defense. As players continue to collect more sparklium, Olimar is able to upgrade his space suit's capabilities, such as the amount of fuel the jetpack has or the number of hits it can take.

S. Dolphin II, when he hits an asteroid and crash-lands on an unknown planet. He learns that in order to bring his ship back in working order, he must collect 30,000 of the substance known as Sparklium. He soon re-encounters Red Pikmin, which he figures out he can use to carry Sparklium-rich treasures and acorn-like seeds.

These "treasures" are usually common household objects, such as glasses or toothpaste. As Olimar searches more sectors of the planet, he finds Yellow Pikmin, Blue Pikmin, Rock Pikmin, and Winged Pikmin, respectively. Once the player gathers up 30,000 Sparklium, Olimar learns he must retrieve an essential component needed to repair the ship, the Sparklium Converter. However, it is revealed that it was accidentally eaten by a Leech Hydroe and has turned into the Berserk Leech Hydroe, a giant plant-like monster, through the converter's power, which he must fight.

Hey! Pikmin was developed by Arzest and produced by Takashi Tezuka and Naoto Ohshima, Arzest's founder. On November 6, 2014, Shigeru Miyamoto stated during a Q&A of his recently released Pikmin short films that "Continually launching campaigns after the release of software will lay the groundwork for the next iteration of Pikmin in the future. And needless to say, we want it to be one of the motivations for potential consumers to purchase a Wii U. We are making a variety of different efforts."

Later, on January 6, 2015, Miyamoto gave further confirmation that the Pikmin franchise would be receiving more games in the future, stating, "I still have a lot of ideas about what I want to do with Pikmin, but nothing's decided yet in terms of anything else. But of course, we will continue to make Pikmin games."

The game received "mixed or average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received fair approval, being recommended by 38% of critics. In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a total score of 33 out of 40. The game was criticized for its simple puzzles and lack of depth.

Game Informer stated: "Puzzles are also extremely simple, and usually boil down to tossing Pikmin around obstacles... Nintendo's low-impact blend of strategy and action flounders between relaxing and boring." Areas praised in the game include the amiibo functions. Allegra Frank of Polygon said "Hey!