In anticipation of the release of Pikmin 4, I purchased the remasters of the first two games on Switch and powered through as much of both of those and the Pikmin 3 demo as I could before release. I’m really glad I did because it gives me a good impression of how the game series has changed in the last 20 years to become the dungeon-crawling RTS it is today.
As someone who was never introduced to it when I was younger, I never really knew much about Olimar and the Pikmin outside of the Smash Bros. series. The games leading up to Pikmin 4 are wonderful and macabre at the same time in a way that’s really appealing to me. This world is somewhat familiar while still managing to constantly surprise you.
Pikmin 4 does an amazing job of evolving this feeling, adding new depth and options to the search for Olimar and the rest of the lost Castaways across the land. There’s so much to explore and do, players will likely have no issue taking their time in finding their crewmate. They’ll do so with the help of Oatchi and the most diverse group of Pikmin ever assembled.
Patience is a virtue
Something I really appreciated about the first two Pikmin games is how quickly you got into the action, with the gameplay being so simple that you just needed to get your Pikmin and get collecting. However, in the third game, and even more so in Pikmin 4, you are constantly being bombarded by tutorial pages and cutscenes that explain every tiniest detail about the world as opposed to giving the player freedom.
This would be forgivable to me if it were just in the beginning or only happened when you encounter a new feature, but there are frequent camera pulls. This often took me out of what I was doing, like solving a puzzle, when I was really starting to flow and enjoy it. After playing games, even Pikmin games, with more freedom, I felt like this entry was afraid to let go of my hand and let me shine on my own.
Other than that, the departure from following Olimar and other specific aliens is great and the character customization gave me Splatoon vibes. It’s simple, but there’s enough there that I felt like I could still make something that showed my personality and allowed me to feel represented in the game. Being a new entry into the team also serves as a good reason to revisit all the basics of the series too, which works admittedly well.
Oatchi is also everything you expect him to be and more, with Nintendo using the partner system much better than in Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 3. He can basically do everything that the Pikmin do, albeit with more strength, but Oatchi also fits into smaller spaces and can be used as a vehicle to get you and your Pikmin around each area quickly. Oatchi is likely the best implementation of a partner in a game I’ve ever seen.
In fact, many of the complaints I had with the story and its simplicity from the first three Pikmin games are largely absent from Pikmin 4, seeing as it evolves on that aspect in a large way. While the introduction of dozens of new characters, items, and creatures is really exciting, it almost feels like the developers are worried they made too large of a jump. To compensate, there are countless tutorials and dialogues to get through.
Exploration at its finest
Pikmin 4‘s exploration largely feels to me what many seem to have gotten from the two most recent Legend of Zelda games. While I immensely enjoyed those titles, I also found much of the exploration to be frustrating or hard to decipher at times. In Pikmin 4, I felt like I was seamlessly gliding from treasure to treasure, occasionally having to stop and think about how to solve a puzzle, but otherwise moving forward.
This led me to explore multiple areas completely before I moved on to the next, endlessly curious about the solution I realized just before the sun went down. I saw some commenting on the removal of the limited amount of time on the planet thing and I was skeptical myself. However, I get it with the additions of new night ventures and the non-linear progression Pikmin 4 adopts. Thankfully, it all works together very well.
It’s pretty interesting to watch your little settlement of Castaways grow, each offering unique new options like catalogs for your discoveries, new inventions, or the ability to change your appearance. Missions and new items can be bought or reward the player a new ore that turns into clay. This is another great mechanic because it adds a new layer of resource management that can be used to upgrade your equipment or reach new areas.
Each level is much larger than previous games and about 120 percent easier to explore, with pathways being more open and the ability to summon your ship to multiple places. These locations will later serve as your night expedition locations, which is its own kind of intense game mode added alongside more than a few others.
In addition to each unique dungeon, I was always excited to find a new cover leading downward. There was usually some kind of untold treasure or new discovery to be made alongside engaging puzzles. While I lost many good Pikmin in those dungeons, I also learned a lot about how to best play the game and applied it to situations on the surface.
The Final Word
While it does try its best to pull your attention away, the core gameplay and added depth in Pikmin 4 will leave it remembered as the best in the series to date. It takes any repetitive gameplay and throws it out the window with new Pikmin, dungeons, mini-games, Oatchi, and more. There always seems like there is something new to discover in Pikmin 4 until the very end. However, Nintendo has made a game that is so engaging that players will take as long as they can to get there.
9
Try Hard Guides was provided with a Nintendo Switch review copy of this game. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles in the Game Reviews section of our website!