I really love how cruel Pikmin 2 can be. If the player isn't paying attention, the majority of your squad can die in an instant. It's downright hilarious at points. I remember one cave's gimmick, where the entire challenge was dodging a seemingly endless onslaught of bomb rocks.

However, I think Pikmin 2 is split between two different identities. On the surface, the game is about multitasking, using the new second captain to split your work more effectively. The caves in contrast limit your Pikmin and turn up the heat on the challenge. This made the game feel dissonant, where the development in one half felt irrelevant in the other. I never split work between Olimar and Louie underground, and the above ground segments were never very challenging.

That being said, Pikmin 2 has stuck in my mind ever since I beat it. Despite it's flaws, I found the game consistently engaging and I'm excited to play the game again sometime in the future.