Pikmin 2 OST - Submerged Castle [Complete]

Game: Pikmin 2
Track: Submerged Castle
Composer: Kazumi Totaka
Caves: Submerged Castle sublevels 1, 2, 3, and 4
Challenge Mode levels: none

This mix includes all portions of the music used in-game. I would normally list these below, but this track is unique in that it has no dynamic elements. Some say that this aids in the eeriness of the track and cave.

[danyx]

I love how an entire new generation is now exposed to the wonders of submerged castle from Pikmin 2

[AndrewChumKaser]

It's not just creepy, it's broken. It's like the audio equivalent of a smashed pot glued back together with half the pieces missing.

[Acanofalconpunch]

The blue pikmin has a face of horror because its the only pikmin that can be played in this level.

[triforcewill]

Hearing this slowly creep in during the Engulfed Castle as he who shall not be named gets closer to spawning was amazing.

[Real_RUBBR]

The thing I find most unsettling about this theme isn't the music, but rather the lack of alternate versions of it for Olimar and Louie. Normally every other theme in the game has different versions of the theme, depending on if you're currently controlling Olimar or Louie. Louie's themes are usually in a swing rhythm compared to the normal rhythm of Olimar's. You could think of it like Olimar and Louie having different outlooks on the situation when commanding Pikmin in the field, with Olimar having a more serious view and Louie being a bit more carefree.
Submerged Castle is the one area in the game where the themes are the same regardless of who you're controlling, so even Louie is unsettled.

[cstick]

As a kid, the Water Wraith was so terrifying it kept me up at night

As an adult, I recognize the Submerged Castle as probably one of the best designed levels in all of gaming

[BPakadrakesoficalson]

I like how for this theme theres NO other variations of it, its just... this unsettling song..

[BeatingBros]

The grin and laugh I had when this slowly played its way in the engulfed castle, they really knew what they were doing and I am so happy about that

[arbie]

If you want to not feel alone anymore then put on this music in a dark room! It wont feel like your alone!

[Yuti]

I love how the Waterwraith basically is the submerged castle, when you go in there, the final floor isn’t the Waterwraith’s domain, the entire cave is

[angryredjuicebox]

The Submerged Castle is honestly one of the best designed levels in any game EVER. Right from the get go they nail the "off" feeling before you even enter the cave- you can only bring Blues, yet there's all 4 hazards. Oh, and if you somehow did manage to get other colours over, the game outright denies you. You are playing by the Submerged Castle's rules now.

Right from the first sublevel, the sense of dread kicks in- sheer darkness, fire everywhere, traps everywhere, and you have to kill one of the toughest enemies in the game without the type that beats it- a Fiery Bulblax. The *first* sublevel has an exit Geyser, like even the game itself is telling you to run while you still can.

Do I even need to mention the music you're hearing right now? That dreary hum, the distorted piano noise, the sounds of despair... it's like the song is building up to something, but then it just stops. It leaves you in constant suspense of an approaching danger.

Now, most people probably get through the first floor without seeing it. It takes longer for it to spawn, and it's a small floor. You might even get some slight hope: "Okay, dealing with all the hazards will be tricky, but as long as I *go slow and take my time, * I should be okay!"

The second floor is basically crafted so that you HAVE to encounter the Waterwraith. Two areas, both far apart, both blocked off by walls, and both take time to get the treasures. It doesn't help that the Dweevils will stall you by taking the treasures over and over. Of course, your first time in, time is the least of your worries. You have infinite time in caves, just play it safe.

Then down it comes. The Waterwraith. The only enemy in the game to get an entire cutscene dedicated to it, and not one but two unique themes. The ship warns you that this isn't a regular enemy- it can't be killed. But it can instantly kill you. Suddenly, everything changes. That alarming music plays as you realise all you can do is run. Pikmin deaths, traps, enemies, treasure, none of it matters anymore. All that matters is running as fast you can and getting out of this place.

The final floor is the perfect way to end the Submerged Castle- this time, IT plays by YOUR rules. Finally, you can take your revenge on the Waterwraith for terrorising you for 3 floors straight, and do what it did to you.

There's a reason this cave is the most famous out of them all in Pikmin 2, and the fact that it returned in Pikmin 4, right down to the music and layout of the Sublevels, is a testament to one of the greatest levels in gaming.

[cannonbeetle]

When I jumped down the cave in Pikmin 4 and read the name "engulfed castle" I nearly shit my pants.

[Noah-zzuw]

If the word "unsettling" had it's own soundtrack.

[theyoshigang]

That humming sound makes me think of all the souls that have been killed here

[SuitcaseTheInnocent]

"OK, Bob! I wish..."
"I wiiiish..."



*"I wish we could all escape from here."*

[SuperPwnageBoi]

I think undeniably the scariest part about the submerged castle is that the black fade to the waterwraith spawning is the same as when it cuts to a treasure being collected in a cave, meaning new players will see the screen fade thinking “oh the pikmin just got back to the ship” until 2 strange cylinder shadows suddenly appear…

[ld]

you can easily use this as exercise music!
everytime you hear it, you gotta *run*

[sonicrunnr]

It's truly amazing how seeing the words “word for something being underwater” and castle together can give anyone shivers, huh?

[Bob-ombProductions]

It’s on switch. The waterwraith can scar a whole new generation for life.

[liljon]

God this song is just super unsettling. Even with the other cave songs that can get a little unsettling it's more of a "fear of the unknown". Submerged Castle sounds like you just walked into someone's domain and you KNOW you fucked up but you have to keep going regardless. Like something is constantly behind your back, ready to eat you alive, not unlike the Water Wraith. Honestly so much can be told in this song alone and that's what I love about the pikmin soundtrack