Location from Pikmin by Nintendo / Shigeru Miyamoto
An underground labyrinth lit by bioluminescent mushrooms — the belly button of the world, where Blue Pikmin wait in the dark and fire geysers line every path worth taking.
The Forest Navel is the first area that feels genuinely hostile. The uniform brown palette offers no landmarks — players get lost in its maze of crests and gullies, and the Glowcaps that provide the only light also make every shadow deeper. Fire geysers block the southwestern paths, demanding Red Pikmin. Water pools block the lower sections, demanding Blue Pikmin. The area is a type-management puzzle wrapped in claustrophobia. This is where Blue Pikmin are found — the last of the three types, discovered in a small pond near the Automatic Gear. Their arrival unlocks not just the Forest Navel's water sections but retroactively unlocks water areas in every previous map. The moment of discovering them is the moment the entire game opens up. Two bosses wait in the depths: the Puffstool in a Glowcap-lit southeastern arena, and Beady Long Legs in an eastern chamber. The Breadbug roams the middle sections, stealing anything that is not nailed down. Nine ship parts are hidden here — the highest count in the game — making it the most rewarding area to explore and the most punishing to navigate.
A cave system entered through a hole that resembles a navel from above. Uniformly brown terrain of dirt and stone walls winding through maze-like passages. Rimstone pools at varying elevations. A large southwestern lake. Common Glowcaps — luminescent mushrooms emitting blue-cyan light through a compound called Hocotatium 111 — illuminate the deepest sections with an eerie bioluminescent glow. Fire geysers jet orange flame along the southwestern path. A Ramune bottle sits half-submerged in the lake.
Also known as: The Forest Navel, Forest Navel, The Navel