Item from Pikmin by Nintendo / Shigeru Miyamoto
The first part recovered and the most essential — without it, the Dolphin cannot even stand upright, let alone fly.
The Main Engine is the narrative starting gun. Finding it on Day 1 — right there in the clearing, practically at Olimar's feet — is the moment the game transitions from despair to action. Without it, the Dolphin lies on its side, unable to lift off at sunset. With it, the ship rights itself, the other four areas become accessible, and the 30-day clock transforms from a death sentence into a deadline. Olimar's log entry when he finds it is pure relief: 'Amazing! There's no mistaking it! My ship's engine rests before my very eyes! By a stroke of pure luck, I have already stumbled upon the most important piece of my damaged craft! Fate has smiled upon me!' The exclamation marks are earned. Everything — every subsequent day, every Pikmin cultivated, every creature fought — is possible because this one part was close enough to carry home on the first day.
A heavy mechanical component weighing 20 Pikmin-units. Metallic and cylindrical with exhaust ports. It sits in the open at the Impact Site on Day 1, close enough to see from the crash site — fate's one act of mercy in a 30-day countdown.
Also known as: Main Engine, The Engine