Pikmin 4 review: A delightful starting point for new explorers Pikmin 4 is an incredibly satisfying resource management game cloaked in adorable visuals and a morbid sense of humor. It\u2019s also the perfect opportunity for newcomers to jump into the series for the first time. 10 years after the last proper Pikmin game was released, one of Nintendo\u2019s strangest and most under-appreciated franchises is making a long-awaited comeback. Rather than shaking things up completely, Nintendo has opted to finetune the existing Pikmin format with great new features, improved visuals, and a scene-stealing Rescue Pup called Oatchi. Pikmin 4 \u2013 Key Details Price: $59.99 – Developer: Nintendo – Release Date: July 21, 2023 – Platforms: Nintendo Switch – Pikmin 4 trailer Making the most of each day There are three overarching objectives in Pikmin 4. Repair your spaceship, locate your missing crewmates, and eventually rescue Captain Olimar. That\u2019s right \u2013 unlike every other main series Pikmin, you won\u2019t be playing as Olimar this time around. Instead, you\u2019re a rookie member of the Rescue Corps, a team of rescuers who\u2019ve crash-landed on a mysterious planet after responding to Olimar\u2019s distress signals. It\u2019s a solid setup to introduce (or reintroduce) people to the Pikmin franchise, as there\u2019s a reason for your character to be learning about these tiny creatures and the world around them for the first time. There\u2019s even a cute \u2013 albeit fairly basic \u2013 character creator to make your own custom hero for that personal touch. As someone who\u2019s never connected with a Pikmin game before, it didn\u2019t take long for me to figure out what I was doing and get stuck into the surprisingly satisfying gameplay loop. Each day you\u2019ll blast off on a short expedition to one of four lovingly-detailed stages, where you\u2019ll have a limited time to do as much exploring as you can. This is where the game\u2019s strategy elements come into play. With so much to discover, where do you spend your resources? It\u2019s far too easy to get distracted by a big pile of gold or a far-off treasure, so planning your day effectively is key to making it back to your ship in one piece. Helping hands Of course, you\u2019ll have an army of Pikmin to help you. These plant-like beings can be commanded to defeat enemies or transport items back to your ship, but they\u2019re vulnerable and easily distracted. It\u2019s up to you to keep them safe. There are now nine variations of these cute little creatures to collect, ranging from the classic Red Pikmin to the new Ice Pikmin. Each type has its own quirks and resistances, so this adds a team-building strategy element to each expedition. The real star of the show in Pikmin 4 is Oatchi, your adorable Rescue Pup companion. He can carry you on his back, swim, smash obstacles, and help you transport objects. As you progress through the game, you\u2019ll be able to upgrade his skills using Pup Drive points. You can even take control of him directly to explore tunnels or solve switch-based puzzles. Oatchi isn\u2019t just a cute gimmick, he\u2019s an essential part of the experience, so much so that I can\u2019t imagine playing a Pikmin game without him. Look at this stuff, isn\u2019t it neat? While the game\u2019s four stages initially feel quite small in comparison to the open-world games of today, they\u2019re all incredibly dense with a surprising amount of things to discover. I\u2019m a firm believer in quality over quantity, and that\u2019s something that Pikmin 4 absolutely gets right. Whether you\u2019re growing your Pikmin army, plundering underground caves, or collecting treasures like a Game Boy Advance, it\u2019ll take you hours to fully explore every stage. Like previous Pikmin games, your character is roughly the size of a bug, so everything from the flowers to the gardening tools are oversized and exaggerated. I\u2019ve always thought Pikmin games looked uninspired, but there\u2019ve been some pretty major visual improvements this time around. It\u2019s lovely to look at, with vibrant environments and colors that pop \u2013 especially on an OLED Switch screen. Aside from the layouts and visual differences, each stage has its own mechanics that make them unique. At the beachy Serene Shores, the water level will drop halfway through the day so you can access new areas. Over in Hero\u2019s Hideaway, a green space pup stalks you and your Pikmin unless you temporarily knock him out. Think of Resident Evil\u2019s Mr. X, only cuter and cuddlier. The Pik of destiny There\u2019s no limit on how many times you can return to each stage. It makes it easy to take a more relaxed approach if you prefer. There\u2019s also the ability to reverse time, which is primarily used to save Pikmin that have met an untimely end. I confidently told myself that I wouldn\u2019t need to use this, but just a few hours in I\u2019d already caved on that promise after half of my beloved Pikmin were sent flying off the edge of a cliff. Death plays a big role in Pikmin 4. Despite its cutesy visuals, you\u2019re going to have to get used to the sight and sounds of your Pikmin burning, drowning, or being gobbled up by an angry Bulborb. Watching your army of Pikmin murder a wild creature and then transport it to your ship to be converted to more Pikmin seeds feels a little grim too. All of this is done with a morbid sense of humor though. It\u2019s easily one of my favorite things about the game. Alongside the main campaign, there are also several night expeditions. These turn each stage into a game of base defense, as you fend off waves of enemies who become enraged once the sun sets. Then there are Dandori Battles. These require you to battle against a leafy opponent to see who can collect the most treasure before time is up. That\u2019s not to mention the hefty chunk of post-credits content, including some nice surprises for longtime Pikmin fans. The Verdict \u2013 5\/5 Pikmin 4 is an absolute delight. It\u2019s packed full of humor and charm and never failed to put a smile on my face. Whether you\u2019re a hardened fan or a newcomer to the franchise, there\u2019s plenty to love in this imaginative, morbid, satisfying sequel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Pikmin 4 review: A delightful starting point for new explorers Pikmin 4 is an incredibly satisfying resource management game cloaked in adorable visuals and a morbid sense of humor. It\u2019s also the perfect opportunity for newcomers to jump into the series for the first time. 10 years after the last proper Pikmin game was released, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84138\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}