The Pikmin games are typically hit-or-miss for me. I enjoy them and admire how they work, but the anxiety and stress tied to their guidelines often left me coming away from each play session rather stressed. Pikmin 4 is different. It’s an entry packed with quality-of-life changes, great set pieces, and a staggering amount of gameplay. It’s the sort of game when just when you think it might be over, it surprises you with even more to do.
Once again, Olimar is shipwrecked on another (strangely familiar) planet. However, rather than stepping into his shoes to find a way to gather resources and head home, the Rescue Corps fly in to save the day! They then, of course, also crash land. The last resort is a Rescue Corps newcomer players customize who heads to the planet to save the day. Accompanied by the space dog Rescue Pup Oatchi, you need to get used to the new environment, collect Pikmin, find the missing Rescue Corps members, deal with strange Leaflings’ challenges, and rescue Olimar and any other stranded folks along the way.
Image via Nintendo
There’s a fairly steady routine to fall into in Pikmin 4. The bulk of the game involves heading into maps with various locations, diving into cave stages to find castaways or treasures to restore the Rescue Corps ship, and fully exploring areas to build up your collection, get more Pikmin, and grow closer to finding the missing folks. Once you get through a day, you regroup at the hub, talking to people you rescued in case there are side quests, and prepare for another run. Your time in each of these spaces is limited to daylight hours, though the amount of time in each spot is fairly generous and you get a sufficient warning as it draws to a close to round up stray Pikmin and prepare for departure.
As usual, Pikmin possess different traits that make them better suited for some situations. The Red Pikmin are fire-proof. Yellow Pikmin can be tossed higher and are immune to electricity. Blue Pikmin can swim. Ice Pikmin can freeze water or enemies. Winged Pikmin can deal with airborne enemies easier or transport items over tricky terrain. Rock Pikmin can shatter certain barriers and deal more damage. Heavy Pikmin can carry larger loads and deal with a specific type of opponent that usually doesn’t take damage. White Pikmin are poisonous, which means they can deal with spores or poison enemies who eat them. So if you’re going to face enemies in an area? Ice, Red, and Rock types are handy. For exploration, Yellow, Blue, Ice, and Winged ones tend to be good buddies.
Image via Nintendo
Each main area map has a theme, such as a wooded area or beach, which means certain Pikmin are suited for their environments. The caves, on the other hand, are typically multi-floor experiences that can feel a bit more like puzzles. These are untimed areas, so you don’t need to worry about the pressure of time limits when facing challenges, getting through maze-like situations, and even facing minibosses. Also while you do bring in your own (recommended) Pikmin to most of the non-Dandori-related ones, they’ll also involve wild Pikmin and blossoms to change ones you currently have into other types like Heavy or White. They’re a genuine delight, and I only encountered one that felt unfair. But, to Nintendo’s credit, its instructions were trying to push me forward and I was being stubborn and insisting on accomplishing certain goals. That said, there were a few types of cave experiences that I wished appeared with additional variants, because there are a few fun one-off challenges that I feel could have been explored further.
That aside, the quality-of-life adjustments in Pikmin 4 are extraordinary, and I’d say Oatchi is among the best of them. Being able to hop on the Rescue Pup with all your Pikmin is such a timesaver and relief, since you know everyone is there and can ferry ones that can’t swim to other areas. It’s also a good way to direct attacks, firing off all Pikmin at once, or round up stray ones after they completed tasks. Oatchi can also eventually gain the strength of 100 Pikmin for recovering treasures. I sometimes even switched and controlled him alone to face some stronger enemies so I wouldn’t lose Pikmin. But we also have an ability to rewind time, in the event things go poorly in the overworld area or in a cave. Not to mention you can change where your base is, sending it to another spot on the map to save you time or get you in a better position for the next day. You can also purchase so many optional upgrades, like treasure trackers or bombs, or just pull up a menu to assign Oatchi a task, to make your life easier.
Image via Nintendo
This is all accompanied by additional gameplay modes. Night Expeditions come up as you unlock new maps and explore them. You’ll need to protect Luminolls alongside Oatchi and Glow Pikmin in what is essentially a timed horde mode. You get a brief amount of time to build up a Glow Pikmin army by grabbing konpeito, then attempt to survive until the night ends to collect the resources you need. There are varying difficulties, and being defeated lets you call in the Rescue Corps ally Dingo for an instant win.
Another mode is Dandori Battle, which involves getting more resources to your Onion than your opponent. As you go on, there are power-ups and sabotage abilities you can collect, as well as a bomb you can sneak over to your enemy’s Onion to cause them to lose their resources (which you can then steal away). Dandori can also be accessed via the main menu, in addition to AI matches in the campaign, in case you want to play competitively with friends. I didn’t get to test out the true multiplayer experience, but the matches against the in-game foes can be genuinely challenging. This is especially true when bonus point items change or the sneaky bomb appears.
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My one qualm? The final stretch, the last hour or so depending on how quickly or slowly you play, just… wasn’t much fun. This is due to the execution. You could think of it as a gauntlet of sorts. Considering how well-balanced everything is prior to this point, it’s an abrupt difficulty spike that almost deterred me from finishing the game.
Still, that aside, Pikmin 4 is an extraordinary experience. It’s the coziest installment in the series, especially since some of the new features eliminate the deadline pressure and other stressors from past installments. That said, it is still a thought-provoking entry that will require you to put thought into proceeding through areas and picking the proper Pikmin to solve problems. It’s a wonderful game about thinking things through and strategically managing resources, and the addition of Oatchi helps a player enjoy everything instead of stressing about so many tasks.
Pikmin 4 will come to the Nintendo Switch on July 21, 2023.
Guide pintsized creatures in a grand mission on a strange planet! Meet Pikmin, small, plantlike creatures you can grow, pluck, command, and overpower your enemies with! These curious helpers come in different types—fire is no sweat for Red Pikmin and the brand-new Ice Pikmin can freeze enemies and the environment. Use your Pikmin’s miniature might (and a bit of strategy) to explore this mysterious planet.
Pikmin 4 is a stunning, cozy game, and quality of life features like the addition of Oatchi help relieve any sources of stress.
- For much of the game, the only kinds of Onions you'll have are Blue, Red, and Yellow ones, so make a note of the caves where you can get other varieties.
- Always stack a few bombs from the lab in your items bag, as they can be handy when facing strong enemies or trying to get past certain overworld walls.
- There will be some exceptionally heavy Treasures, so making sure you have a fully-built-up Oatchi and a full army of Heavy Pikmin will help.
