Olimar
Olimar | |
---|---|
Pikmin character | |
File:Captain Olimar.png Olimar and the Pikmin as they appear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | |
First appearance | Pikmin (2001) |
Created by | Shigeru Miyamoto |
Voiced by | Kazumi Totaka (Japanese) (Pikmin 2)[1] |
Information | |
Species | Hocotatian |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | Veteran spacefarer |
Family |
|
Home | Hocotate |
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Captain Olimar (Japanese: キャプテン・オリマー Hepburn: kyaputen Orimā) is a character from Nintendo's Pikmin video game series created by Shigeru Miyamoto. He first appeared in Pikmin (2001) as its main player character and has appeared in all subsequent Pikmin games. In many of these games, Olimar explores the surface of a distant planet resembling Earth with the goals of either repairing his damaged spaceship or locating treasures by means of leading and commanding the native Pikmin creatures.[3]
Olimar also appears in other Nintendo games, notably as a playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series since Brawl.
Creation and design[edit]
Olimar was named after Mario; in Japanese, the name "Olimar" (オリマー Orimā) is almost "Mario" (マリオ) spelled backwards.[3] Captain Olimar was a late addition in Pikmin: Shigeru Miyamoto said that since, during the initial development of the game, the Pikmin would be utilized as weapons to be shot by the player themselves, "it wouldn't be interesting enough" to have a player character.[4] Although Olimar himself was a late addition to Pikmin, Olimar's role as the leader of the Pikmin was included since the original conception of the game. Miyamoto stated that he "started thinking about a game about lots of small people carrying things in a line, following a leader, with everyone going in the same direction."[5] This "leader" would eventually become Olimar.
Appearances[edit]
Pikmin[edit]
This article needs to be updated.July 2023) ( |
Captain Olimar was introduced in the first installment of the series, Pikmin (2001), where he is a pilot who works for Hocotate Freight.[3] While on vacation, his cargo transport spacecraft, the S.S. Dolphin collides with a meteor and crash-lands onto the surface of an unknown planet. In order to escape and go home, he directs the native species of anthropomorphic plants, the titular Pikmin, to help him find the 30 parts of his ship in the 30 days his life support system has left to function.[6][7] In Pikmin 2 (2004), he returns to his home planet learn that Hocotate Freight is in severe debt. After discovering that some things he has brought back from the unknown planet are extremely valuable, his boss sends him and a co-worker, Louie, back to the planet to find more.[8] Olimar is not the main character in Pikmin 3 (2013),[9] but he appears in the game through his journal entries that instruct the player how to use the Pikmin as well as the game mechanics,[10][11] and in the multiplayer mode "Bingo Battle".[10] Player characters Alph, Brittany, and Charlie, who crash-landed on the planet shortly after Olimar, seek to locate him in order to retrieve a crucial piece of their ship, which he took mistaking it for treasure. The final level has the player characters attempt to rescue Olimar from the game's final boss, the Plasm Wraith. In the game's Nintendo Switch port, Pikmin 3 Deluxe (2020), Olimar appears as a playable character alongside Louie in an additional story campaign. Olimar reappears as the only playable character in the spin-off game Hey! Pikmin (2017), where he crash-lands on an unknown planet in his new ship, the S.S. Dolphin II. He learns that in order to bring his ship back in working order, he must collect 30,000 of a substance known as sparklium. He soon encounters the Pikmin, which he figures out can be used to carry sparklium-rich treasures and seeds. Once the player gathers 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 eaten by the Beserk Leech Hydroe, a giant plant-like creature which he must fight. After defeating it and obtaining the converter, Olimar heads back to his home planet, Hocotate.
Olimar returned in Pikmin 4, which released on July 21, 2023. In Pikmin 4, Olimar has once again crashed onto a mysterious planet, and a group of characters comprising the Rescue Corps are sent to find him.[12]
Other appearances[edit]
Olimar has been featured in four Super Smash Bros. games; he appears in Melee as a trophy,[13] and in Brawl as a playable character, commanding his Pikmin to fight.[14] He reappears as a playable character in both Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U[15] and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[16] Although not a playable character, five Miis can reenact Olimar and four Pikmin (blue, red, yellow, and white, in that order of players) in Pikmin Adventure, a minigame in Nintendo Land.[17] Olimar also appears in Super Mario Maker as a Mystery Mushroom costume.
Reception[edit]
Writing for The Observer, Tom Chatfield listed Olimar as one of his favorite 10 video game characters, describing him as "an intriguing character."[18] GameDaily ranked him as fifteenth out of their top 20 anti-heroes, noting that despite the fact that he is "a good-natured spaceman", he also enslaves a race of aliens and forces them to work.[19] They later featured him in a list of characters they most wanted to see on the Wii.[20]
The portrayal of Olimar in the Super Smash Bros. series has also been praised. His announcement as a playable character was described by GamesRadar as "Best. Playable. Character. Announcement. Ever." [sic][21] UGO Networks remarked that he is "cool" because he "doesn't actually fight, instead using Pikmin to do the dirty work."[22] IGN commented that "Olimar alone is a pretty wimpy little sucker, but together with his Pikmin, they're a force to be reckoned with."[3] Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell also noted his fighting style, saying he is "particularly eye-catching", and that Olimar's Final Smash is his favorite in the game.[23] On the other hand, Thomas East from Official Nintendo Magazine ranked him fifth on his list of "Smash Bros. characters who need to be dropped for Wii U and 3DS", stating he "is a bit useless" since he uses the Pikmin to fight for him.[24]
His replacement as the main character in Pikmin 3 has received both criticism and praise. Neoseeker described it as a "sad day indeed for Pikmin fans".[25] On the other hand, it was called "a welcome change after two games of Olimar's blank canvas" by Edge.[26] Jeremy Parish of Polygon ranked 73 fighters from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate "from garbage to glorious", listing Olimar as 32nd.[27] Gavin Jasper of Den of Geek ranked Captain Olimar as 67th on his list of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate characters, stating that "I’ve never played any of the Pikmin games, but something about the design of Olimar, the Pikmin themselves, and their Smash stage just rubs me the wrong way."[28]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1-2 開発スタッフインタビュー (in 日本語). Nintendo. Archived from the original on September 12, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ "The original Japanese booklet for pikmins and Olimar's official size". Reddit. 25 November 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2022-11-25. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Captain Olimar". IGN. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2012-11-09. Retrieved July 31, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ East, Thomas (December 17, 2012). "Miyamoto explains the origins of Pikmin". Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Collin, Robbie (2014-11-10). "Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto: 'What can games learn from film? Nothing'". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2020-04-06. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Vincent, Brittany (July 3, 2013). "9. Pikmin (2001) — The Best Gamecube Games of All Time". Complex. Archived from the original on July 6, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Liu, Johnny (December 1, 2001). "Pikmin Review". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on September 23, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Prescott, Sam (May 19, 2009). "Pikmin 2 (New Play Control!)". NZGamer. Archived from the original on May 16, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ "Nintendo Direct - 5.17.13". Nintendo. Archived from the original on 2019-11-20. Retrieved 2016-07-22.
Satoru Iwata: Next, I'd like to discuss more on Pikmin 3 for Wii U. In this game, instead of Olimar, who was the main character in the previous Pikmin titles, there are three new characters.
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ignored (help) - ↑ 10.0 10.1 Koopman, Daan (July 22, 2013). "Pikmin 3 Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on July 25, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Martin, Liam (July 22, 2013). "Pikmin 3 review (Wii U): The return of a treasured Nintendo franchise". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on July 27, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Hagues, Alana (June 6, 2023). "Pikmin 4 Will 'Rise To The Occasion' In Brand New Trailer". Nintendo Life. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ↑ Thomas, Lucas M. (August 15, 2007). "Smash It Up! - Fresh Franchises". IGN. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ "Pikmin & Olimar". Smash Bros. Dojo!!. Nintendo. January 9, 2008. Archived from the original on March 16, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Karmali, Luke (July 12, 2013). "Pikmin & Olimar Join New Smash Bros. Roster". IGN. Archived from the original on July 15, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ "Olimar". Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Official Website. Nintendo. Archived from the original on 2018-06-15. Retrieved 2020-11-07. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ ""Metroid" and "Pikmin" Come to NintendoLand — Nintendo's Wii U Blowout: The Full Rundown". Complex. September 15, 2013. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Chatfield, Tom (August 8, 2010). "The 10 best video-game characters". The Observer. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ "Top 25 Anti-Heroes". GameDaily. p. 12. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
- ↑ Schedeen, Jesse (April 20, 2009). "What Say You: Who Deserves A Shot on Wii?". IGN. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ NGamer_UK (June 23, 2012). "Super Smash Bros A-Z". GamesRadar+. GamesRadar. Archived from the original on September 23, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ "Pikmin and Olimar — Super Smash Bros. Brawl Characters". UGO Networks. February 12, 2008. Archived from the original on September 23, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Bramwell, Tom (March 27, 2008). "Super Smash Bros. Brawl Review". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 24, 2008. Retrieved July 31, 2013. Unknown parameter
|url-status=
ignored (help) - ↑ East, Thomas. "Smash Bros characters who need to be dropped for Wii U and 3DS". Nintendo Official Magazine. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Young, Rory (May 17, 2013). "Pikmin 3 replaces Olimar with Alph, Brittany and Captain Charlie, fresh and fruity details". Neoseeker. Archived from the original on June 10, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Edge Staff (July 22, 2013). "Pikmin 3 review". Edge. Future Publishing Limited. Archived from the original on July 25, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2013. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ Parish, Jeremy (2018-12-03). "We rank the Smash Bros. (and friends)". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2020-11-05. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help) - ↑ "Super Smash Bros. Characters Ranked". 7 March 2019. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021. Unknown parameter
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ignored (help)
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