Preview: Pikmin 4 Feels Like a Return to Form

For years, we’ve known Pikmin 4 is in development. The series revels in combining the familiar and unfamiliar, with its humanoid characters constantly crash landing on planets that are home to mysterious, plant-like creatures eager to lend assistance. Now that we’re on the verge of its return, I had a chance to head back on another voyage. Even in its early hours, it feels like a revival of the series’ most familiar concepts.

After a bit of an introduction, Pikmin 4 puts players in something of a similar situation. Shipwrecks on a familiar planet result in us becoming Rescue Corps rookies saving the day. However, instead of immediately jumping to Pikmin helping to save the day, another creature comes in instead: Oatchi the Rescue Pup. The dog-like creature can function like a Pikmin in some ways. He’s able to carry items and was as strong as three Pikmin when I was going through the first area of the game. He can attack enemies, dealing damage to foes. Rather than immediately getting knocked out, he has a health bar that depletes when foes attack. You could use him to knock down items, so they can be collected. He’s also able to dig at buried objects or provide access to areas by pulling a plant from a pot to provide a new avenue.

Most importantly, Oatchi possessed a rush attack in my first adventures on the planet again. This is a charged attack, which can be used to break fragile objects or hit an enemy to deal damage. It feels like a little extra “oomph” right away, lending a sense of power early on that the more fragile Pikmin don’t possess.

This isn’t to say the Pikmin don’t seem as capable (and endearing) as ever. Given I was going through the first hour or so, I didn’t get to gather a massive army. But right away, I was able to send them to collect items like a Stone of Advancement to get the Sparklium to power the S.S. Shepherd. I ended up using them to flatten a paper bag, to act as a ramp, and destroy a wall, to create access to one of the missing Rescue Corp members stranded in the accident. The Red Pikmin were ready to provide any aid I needed.

I even got to meet the Ice Pikmin early on. This is the new species with traits focused on freezing. Which is what they came in handy for in two ways in these early expeditions. They could freeze an enemy they were attacking, providing an opportunity to take advantage of a situation. More interestingly is how they could also affect environmental objects. For example, if something had a “jelly” consistency with a high amount of water, a group of Ice Pikmin attacking it could freeze it. Oatchi could then rush into it to destroy it, providing access to a previously blocked off area.

But I think what I appreciated most were the two quality of life features I was able to see early on. One is the introduction of landing spots. When you are in an area on a mission, you can move the S.S. Beagle and Onion to a “hub.” This means less time wasted backtracking if you need to harvest more Pikmin or recall the ones you were using. The other is the Rewind Time option. During my first timed mission, I thought I had a bit more time for a quick retrieval, due to not knowing exactly how much time would be left once you get to the red part of the gauge warning you when the sun is about to set. So I didn’t have to lose some of those ten Pikmin, some of which were of the Ice variety, I was able to briefly rewind and make sure those little friends made it to safety.

Pikmin 4 will come to the Nintendo Switch on July 21, 2023. A demo will appear on June 28, 2023.

---