Nintendo has a healthy stable of blockbusting franchises wheeled out to deliver some unmissable Switch experiences. Mario, Zelda and Metroid have all graced Switch with system sellers. However, if look beyond these headliners you’ll find a sizable crowd just as excited for Pikmin 4.
Pik History
The original Pikmin adventure for GameCube served up a very Nintendo take on the real-time strategy genre back in 2001. 2004 saw a sequel, Pikmin 2, that removed the divisive time mechanic, added a bunch of dungeons, and improved the core experience.
Pikmin 3 was a bit of a wild child. It added many new moving parts to the mix and removed dungeons altogether. These decisions ultimately left fans in two minds on release in 2013.
Here and Now
Since then, the game’s devoted following has, nevertheless, begged for a follow-up. And finally, Pikmin 4 has landed.
The eight-year wait since Pikmin 4 was supposedly almost complete has paid off with interest, delivering the most rounded, most complete and most inviting adventure in the series to date.
Your mission is to rescue Captain Olimar after he crash lands on an earth-like planet PNF-404. You are The Rescue Corp’s newest and least-experienced member. Naturally, it’s up to you to save Captain Olimar and complete his mission in rescuing other missing Rescue Corps members.
Oatchi Support
The first thing that will hit fans is that you now play a fully customisable character, a first for the series. But, thankfully, you’re not alone in this epic undertaking. You have a two-legged Rescue Pup friend named Oatchi, a sort of space dog who is so more than just a faithful and unrelentingly adorable companion.
Oatchi is also a vehicle for some of the biggest changes to the core gameplay of the series. Oatchi helps your Pikimin army in battle if they are in a pinch. He also offers some logistical support, carrying and transporting items back to your ship. Stray Pikmin will also follow him like the Pied Piper of Cuteness that he is.
Perhaps most importantly, he’s a troop carrier that lets you navigate the game’s levels at speed. Oatchi can also traverse a number of different terrains that present obstacles to your troops, like bodies of water or high ledges.
‘Mins of Production
Given how packed the maps are this time around, this all means there is much less downtime between you completing tasks. Pikmin 4 constantly proffers something fun and worthwhile to do. Be it searching caves, finding treasures or just battling the local wildlife.
Core features have also changed this time out as well. For example, your onion doesn’t spawn 100 Pikimin from the start. You now have to search and find upgrades, bumping that number up by 10 as you go.
Pikmin 4 also features crafting items to gather. These resources works as currency to buy new/craft gear and kit. But they can also be used to overcome environmental challenges like building a bridge for example.
There is a great deal of compromise to be made around these scare or timed-delivery items that give you more dilemmas in play and offer more variables to work around.
Home to Victory
Upgrades have an appreciable impact on the flow of gameplay with your Pikmin and Oatchi. Buffs to Pikmin like resistance to elemental damage or the ability to see in the dark can be often a decisive factor.
Oatchi’s upgrade path can make him run or swim faster, carry more weight, heal more quickly or increase his pool of health.
As you save more of the crew, your home base will grow. Each saved crew member becomes a feature of your home base. And some come with their own little side quest that reward you with some extra goodies.
Another feature is you can now run night missions which change things into a sort of tower defence game. One where you have to defend resources until daybreak, although these start out easy and fairly ramp up over time.
Pikmin Dandori
New Dandori Battles dish up Pikmin in its most simple and purest form. Dandori is a Japanese word for efficient planning. And this a fitting name as you must secure as much resources and treasures in an arena before your opponent can. Both sides collect Pikmin to help them outmatch their opponent. They can even call on Oatchi.
Dandori Battles can also be played in co-op or in versus with another player, either working together against the AI, or against each other.
Easy Pikmins
If there was one issue we had with Pikimin 4, it’s that its single-player mode is a bit too easy-going at times. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it does mean that after a point there is no real challenge. That is, outside on the the Dandori Battles side of things.
Also, Pikmin 4 can be a bit heavy on the load screens. This is forgivable given the game runs so well even when though it pushes the Nintendo Switch hard at times.
Pikmin Perfect
The presentation of Pikimin 4 captures the series charm down to a T. It takes the ordinary world and flips it on its head with an art and style that lets you see every day mundane items from a whole new perspective.
And to top it off, Oatchi is so full of character that you can’t help but smile when you see him. His expressions and his gait bring so much joy to the table.
Pikmin 4 has been over a decade in coming and over that period grew some wild expectations from their fanbase. And Pikimin 4 delivers; moving the series forward in all areas and crafting another must-own title for Switch players.