Editing Pikmin 4

|image      = Pikmin4boxart.png

|developer  = Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development

|genre      = Action / Adventure / Strategy

'''''Pikmin 4''''' is the fourth mainline installment in the {{ps}}, released in 2023 for the [[Nintendo Switch]]. The game sees [[Pikmin 4 player character|the newest recruit]] of the [[Rescue Corps]] on a mission to [[PNF-404]] to rescue both [[Captain Olimar]] and the members of the Rescue Corps after they crash-landed on the planet. Elements new to the series include [[Ice Pikmin]] and [[Glow Pikmin]], a companion character called [[Oatchi]], and a new gameplay mode known as the [[Night expeditions|night expedition]].

Having crash-landed on [[PNF-404]], [[Captain Olimar]] works together with some of the wildlife of the planet – [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]] and the space dog [[Moss]] – to retrieve [[S.S. Dolphin|his broken ship]]'s scattered [[ship part]]s. When he finds his [[Interstellar Radio]], he sends out a distress signal in hopes of getting rescued. After the signal reaches the [[Rescue Corps]], they depart on a rescue mission, however, they too crash land on the planet and become stranded. It is now up to [[Pikmin 4 player character|their newest recruit]] to rescue both Olimar and the Rescue Corps.

During the mission, the recruit encounters [[Leafling#Olimar|a mysterious individual]] who has Olimar's facial features and space suit, but is covered in red leaves and has the stem of a Pikmin; he is accompanied by Moss. The Leafling is later revealed to be Olimar himself, who was forced to return to the planet after repairing his ship when Moss stowed away and became dangerously ill. His life support failed soon after crashing a second time upon his return, and the Pikmin transformed him into a Leafling by bringing him to the Onion.  

The Rescue Corps is successful in rescuing and curing Olimar but is forced to return to the planet when [[Oatchi]] begins to sicken in the same way that Moss did. Noticing the leaf that had been growing from Oatchi's tail, Olimar suspects that any organism with leaves like that of a Pikmin is unable to survive away from PNF-404. Soon afterward, the Rescue Corps receives a list of the remaining castaways and notes that a famous veterinarian from Koppai is among them. They decide to search for the veterinarian in the hopes that she might be able to cure Oatchi.

Arriving at the Giant's Hearth, they see Olimar's coworker [[Louie]] and Moss departing with one of the Koppaites, who is not transformed into a leafling despite being taken into an Onion on account of the glow sap the Koppaites were using as rations. After beating Louie in a Dandori Battle, the two of them are able to rescue the Koppaite as well as a second Koppaite, who directs them deeper into the forest. They confront and defeat Louie in one final Dandori Battle within the Primordial Thicket, Louie runs away, leaving Nelle, the veterinarian, and Moss behind.

 

Nelle informs the crew that they will need to find cells from a non-leafling dog in order to cure Oatchi. Louie’s voyage log reveals that he found some kind of large dog called the [[Ancient Sirehound]], whose den is at the very back of the [[Primordial Thicket]], and the crew decides to follow him there. At the very bottom of its den, the [[Cavern for a King]], Louie climbs on top of the very large dog, who attacks. Defeating the dog yields its collar, which has enough hair on it to extract cells to create a cure. Securing it and Louie, the Rescue Corps returns to base.

 

The cure is successful, and Oatchi returns to normal. However, Moss does not respond to the treatment, and Olimar decides to leave her behind, as this is where she was born and raised. The Rescue Corps, accompanied by Olimar, depart the planet for the final time, as the Pikmin follow Moss as their new leader.

 

If the game is ended without rescuing all castaways or collecting everything, returning to the save file will reveal that the crew was uncomfortable with leaving castaways or treasure behind, and have decided to delay the launch. Returning to a save file where all castaways and treasures have been collected will have Collin mention that the Rescue Corps HQ has asked them to delay their departure until they've finished preparing to receive all the castaways.

[[File:Pikmin 4 Reveal Fight.png|thumb|250px|Combat with a [[Bulborb]].]]

The gameplay at its core is the same as in the previous main titles of the franchise, though with some additions.

In the game's reveal trailer, ''Pikmin'' series creator Shigeru Miyamoto said after the trailer that the [[Nintendo Switch]]'s controls have made controlling the game simpler, allowing the player to focus more on strategic planning, or "[[dandori]]" ({{j|段取り|dandori}}) as the developers refer to it.{{cite youtube|UJ9Iz7HhU-I|h=0|m=30|s=28|of Miyamoto talking a bit about the game's new features|published={{date|13|September|2022}}|retrieved={{date|13|September|2022}}}} The word dandori appears multiple times in the game proper.

The most prominent change that doesn't involve a new game mode is the addition of [[Oatchi]], a space dog that accompanies the player and can act both as a Pikmin when helping out with tasks, as well as a playable [[leader]] to help divide work.

Some locations and tasks that take place in [[Story Mode]] involve different gameplay rules despite being a part of the story, effectively replacing the side game modes encountered in previous games for the most part. The title screen has a mode dedicated entirely to [[Dandori Battle]]s, one of the "game modes" encountered in Story Mode, but is more focused toward two-player competitive gameplay.

At any point in Story Mode, a second player can join in for [[Co-op Mode]].

==== Dandori Challenge and Dandori Battle ====

Dandori Challenges and Dandori Battles are new challenges in ''Pikmin 4'', serving as successors to [[Mission Mode]] and [[Bingo Battle]] respectively.

==== Night expeditions ====

A new type of gameplay in ''Pikmin 4'' is night expeditions. This marks the first time in the {{ps}} that areas can be explored at nighttime. Night expeditions feature tower defense-like gameplay, where the goal is to protect [[Lumiknoll]]s, tall mounds of dirt with holes in them, revealing a glowing interior. Lumiknolls contain a substance known as [[glow sap]], which is necessary to cure [[leafling]]s.

 

=== Olimar's Shipwreck Tale ===

Olimar's Shipwreck Tale is a game mode in ''Pikmin 4''. As the name implies, it involves the shipwreck of [[Captain Olimar]], and his quest to recover the [[S.S Dolphin]]'s 30 [[ship part]]s in 15 [[day]]s. It features altered versions of the first four [[area]]s of the main campaign, no caves, and only [[Red Pikmin]], [[Yellow Pikmin]], and [[Blue Pikmin]]. It is a reference to {{p1}}.

 

=== Pikmin types ===

All Pikmin types except for [[Bulbmin]] return in ''Pikmin 4''. In addition, there are two new types, [[Ice Pikmin]] and [[Glow Pikmin]].

 

* [[Red Pikmin]]

* [[Yellow Pikmin]]

* [[Blue Pikmin]]

* [[Purple Pikmin]]

* [[White Pikmin]]

* [[Rock Pikmin]]

* [[Winged Pikmin]]

 

Ice Pikmin are a new type of [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]]. They are cyan, with bodies that look like they are composed of two chunks of ice. They leave small snow and water vapor particles around them as they move, and they have yellow flowers. They have the ability to freeze [[enemies]] and bodies of [[water]], they are also immune to ice itself.

 

 

Glow Pikmin are a new type of Pikmin that can only be used at night, in [[caves]], [[Dandori Battle]]s, or  during [[night expeditions]]. Glow Pikmin have bright green, bioluminescent bodies. They have no legs, and their bodies instead end in a tapered, ghost-like tail. Because of this, they have the ability to float. They have blue eyes, though one of them appears to be larger than the other and has a light blue pupil. Their flowers are also slightly differently shaped, with pointed petals instead of the normal rounded ones. They also appear to be slightly smaller than other Pikmin types.

 

After completing a night expedition, the remaining Glow Pikmin will transform into a certain amount of glow seeds. Glow seeds allow Glow Pikmin to be summoned in subsequent night expeditions and caves; like [[Bulbmin]], they are immune to all hazard types but cannot be taken out of the cave.

 

''Pikmin 4'' has six main areas and one hub area.

* '''[[Rescue Command Post]]''': The [[S.S. Shepherd]]'s base, which takes place in a small plantation garden.

* '''[[Sun-Speckled Terrace]]''': The first area, which takes place in a small public park.

* '''[[Blossoming Arcadia]]''': The second area, which takes place in a children's playground.

* '''[[Unnamed desert area|Serene Shores]]'''. The third area. Takes place across a tide pool with an enormous sand castle as a key location.

* '''[[Unnamed house area|Hero's Hideaway]]'''. The fourth area and the last before the game's credits. Takes place inside a modern human household.

* '''[[Unnamed campground area|Giant's Hearth]]'''. The fifth area. Takes place near a campsite around a large brickwork grill.

* '''[[Primordial Thicket]]'''. The sixth and final area. Takes place deep in an autumnal and muddy forest .

 

 

[[Caves]] return in ''Pikmin 4'' but aren't [[Randomization|randomly generated]] like in {{p2}}. In addition, there are the [[Dandori Challenge]] and [[Dandori Battle]] caves.

{{Main|List of Pikmin 4 treasures}}

[[Treasure]]s are the main collectible item in ''Pikmin 4''. Each treasure is worth some amount of [[Sparklium]] when collected, and collecting enough Sparklium can power up the [[S.S. Shepherd]] and unlock the next area. Treasures in this game have sparkle effects around them. When collected, a simple notification appears on-screen saying "New treasure collected!", with the icon of the corresponding treasure appearing above it and some dots below indicating where the treasure fits in its [[series]]. In this game, when a treasure is being carried, it rotates as the Pikmin change direction in their path. Collected treasures can be viewed in the [[Treasure Catalog]].

 

''Pikmin 4'' features several characters. Most of these are members of the Rescue Corps (referred to as Rescue Officers), a group of 6 humanoid characters, 1 space dog, and the player character, who are sent to the planet to rescue [[Captain Olimar]]. The six members of the Rescue Corps and the civilian castaways all appear to be named after a dog breed, likely thematic in reference to [[Oatchi]], who is described as a space dog and is introduced as a main mechanic in this game.

 

 

The main character of the game is a customizable character. Their name and appearance can be customized in a character creator at the start of the game. They are the player's main playable [[leader]]. They are the newest recruit to the Rescue Corps, sent to rescue them from a crash landing after trying to rescue [[Captain Olimar]] for the same reason. Their ID card states they are from the planet Karut.

 

 

Collin is the Comms Operator of the crew. He has a square head with a pointy nose, large green eyes, and large rosy cheeks. His mouth is similar to that of [[the President]]. He has close-cut gray hair with a spiraling tuft at the top. He has the same pointy ears as the player character. His name alludes to {{w|Collie}}s. He is from the planet Giya.

 

[[File:P4 ID Badge Shepherd.png|thumb|Shepherd's ID badge.]]

Erma Shepherd is the captain of the crew. She has a pear-shaped head, long ears, dark skin, and blonde hair styled in a bun with a long curl on the side. She also wears a bandana and has white grease paint under her eyes. She has the same pointy ears as the main leader. She is the captain of the S.S. Shepherd. Her name alludes to {{w|German Shepherd}}s. She is also from the planet Giya. Shepherd is able to teach Oatchi new skills by training him. Training Oatchi subtracts from Oatchi's "Pup Drive", which increases from rescuing castaways.

 

 

Russ is the Material Engineer and inventor of the crew. He can be seen conversing with the others. He appears to be bald and have a pear-shaped head, a long nose, and appear to wear glasses. He has the same pointy ears as the main leader. His head shape bears a resemblance to [[Mail#After Louie is found, before all treasures are collected|the spammer that advertises Hocotate Whiz]] in ''Pikmin 2''. Russ runs "The Lab", a shop where the player is able to spend materials they've collected on [[gear]] for themselves or Oatchi, as well as helpful items. His name alludes to {{w|Jack Russell Terrier}}s. Like Collin and Shepherd, he is from the planet Giya.

 

Dingo has a triangle-shaped head, light skin, pointy ears, a large pinkish nose, and red hair spiking upwards. He wears a dark blue headband. His name alludes to {{w|dingo}}es. He is a ranger from the planet Ohri who excels at solo missions. Once Dingo has been rescued, the player can have him complete [[Dandori Battle]]s, [[Dandori Challenge]]s and [[Night expedition]]s. To do this, the player must first fail the battle, challenge or night and then select the "Help" option on the retry screen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oatchi is a Rescue Pup that assists the Rescue Corps. In gameplay, he acts as an assistant to the player's character, as well as a secondary leader if separated from the [[Pikmin 4 player character|player character]].

 

 

 

 

Moss is a space dog that Captain Olimar finds on his travels and quickly befriends. She resembles Oatchi, both in appearance and mechanically, although she's larger, green, has half-closed eyes, a calmer temperament, barks like an adult dog, and has a leaf at the tip of her tail.

 

{{main|Leafling}}

Mysterious plant-like lifeforms, seemingly transformed from castaways of the planet through the Onions. In this form, they can survive the toxic atmosphere of PNF-404, and have a unnatural obsession with the art of dandori. Within them is a red leafling whose appearance strongly resembles that of Olimar's, and is accompanied by Moss. Unlike most of the other leaflings, he actively drags castaways into caves to transform them into leaflings.

 

{{see|Enemy#In Pikmin 4|t1=Enemies in ''Pikmin 4''}}

 

=== Gear and items ===

{{see|Gear}}

{{see|Pack}}

 

=== Obstacles ===

Many [[obstacles]], [[tools]], and [[hazards]] exist in the game.

 

* [[Paper bag]] – Some seem to have golden handles, a golden seal, and some golden logo on them. Others are blue and have the word "puppies" written on them.

Pikmin 4 dirt wall.jpg|Pikmin taking down a dirt wall.

Pikmin 4 dirt wall breaking.jpg|The dirt wall breaking.

==== Potted plants ====

{{main|Potted plant}}

==== Clay objects ====

{{see|Clay}}

==== Ceramic jars ====

{{see|Jar}}

==== Hydro jelly ====

{{see|Hydro jelly}}

=== Plants and fungi ===

{{Main|Vegetation}}

=== Others ===

Some other content can be spotted from the footage. In addition, some of the established content in the franchise underwent changes in ''Pikmin 4''.

*** When [[lock-on|locking-on manually]] it looks like a thick ring split into four equal arcs, with a thinner inner ring close to it that is also segmented in the same way. The intervals between each arc pair each have a triangle facing the center of the cursor. Finally, the center point of the cursor resembles a plus sign with a hole in the middle.

** Pikmin that get knocked down in combat have a chance of decreasing one level of [[maturity]], like in {{p1}}.

 

== Dandori ==

{{Main|Dandori}}

Dandori is, as the game puts it, the ability to "organize tasks strategically and working effectively to execute plans". It is a key concept of the {{ps}} as a whole, but is more stressed in ''Pikmin 4'', with characters referring specifically to it, and there being two game modes featuring it, [[Dandori Challenge]]s and [[Dandori Battle]]s.

{{todo|1=Add info from [https://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/ask-the-developer-vol-10-pikmin-4-part-1/ Ask the Developer Vol. 10 - Part 1].}}

 

On {{date|7|September|2015}}, Eurogamer unveiled that, in an exclusive interview, Miyamoto had confirmed the development of ''Pikmin 4'', and claimed that {{transcript|it's actually very close to completion. Pikmin teams are always working on the next one.}}{{cite web|http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-20-pikmin-4-in-development-and-very-close-to-completion|Pikmin 4 in development and "very close to completion"|Eurogamer|published={{date|7|September|2015}}}} In the same article, Eurogamer also revealed a separate statement from a Nintendo representative, which said {{transcript|We can confirm that Pikmin 4 is in development but that is all we can confirm at present.}} It is not known if the "''Pikmin 4''" mentioned in that quote is the actual name for the game that Nintendo used, whether it's a placeholder name or not, or if it's just the result of the quote's English translation.<ref group="note">Of note is the fact that the URL for the Eurogamer interview's page starts with "2014-07-20". Since the URLs of all news article pages on eurogamer.net begin with the article's publication date, this could possibly mean that the article was meant to be revealed shortly after the interview, but was held until September of 2015. The article for the second Eurogamer interview states that this interview took place in July 2015.</ref><ref group="note">Also of note is that ''Pikmin 4'' is programmed in Unreal Engine 4. However, at the approximate time that this statement was said - in 2015 - Nintendo did not have access to Unreal Engine 4 on any of their console hardware, as Unreal Engine 4 support would only start in 2017. It's unknown if this indicates a development reset happened during development, ''Pikmin 4'' was ported from a different engine to Unreal Engine 4, or ''"Pikmin 4"'' in this context referred to a different game, such as ''Hey! Pikmin'' or a cancelled spinoff.</ref>{{cite web|https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/blog/unreal-engine-4-15-released|the Unreal Engine official website|published={{date|15|February|2017}}}}

On {{date|8|February|2023}}, a Nintendo Direct presentation announced the release date for the game in a new trailer.{{cite youtube|UJ9Iz7HhU-I|of the Nintendo Direct on {{date|8|February|2023}}|published={{date|8|February|2023}}|retrieved={{date|8|February|2023}}}} This trailer showed various short clips of gameplay and cutscenes. A new type of Pikmin was revealed, [[Ice Pikmin]], demonstrating the ability to freeze enemies when eaten and freeze small bodies of water when enough are thrown into them. The trailer then revealed [[Oatchi]], a dog-like creature shown assisting the group in a variety of ways, including finding other characters referred to as "castaways", breaking down certain obstacles, dragging a Bulborb corpse, and carrying the leader and a group of Pikmin on its back. The trailer showed [[treasure]]s to be the main collectible, and hinted at the return of [[cave]]s from {{p2}}. The end of the trailer gave a first view of night gameplay.

On {{date|6|June|2023}}, a third trailer was published on YouTube that revealed the basic plot of the game: [[Captain Olimar]] had crashed once again, and the Rescue Corps sent to retrieve him also crashed, leaving the player to rescue them all. This trailer showed the player character to be customizable, a first for the ''Pikmin'' series.{{cite youtube|6ixnXjtQ7f8|of the character creator trailer|published={{date|6|June|2023}}|retrieved={{date|6|June|2023}}}} Accompanying this trailer was a major update to the game's Japanese website, which included some plot information and new screenshots.

On {{date|20|June|2023}}, ''Pikmin 4'' download cards were released in Japan. These cards featured new screenshots, including one that appears to take place inside of a house, and one that seems to show the game's battle mode.{{cite web|https://twitter.com/TokyoGameLife/status/1670999728098803713|Tweet by Tokyo Game Life|Twitter|published={{date|20|June|2023}}|retrieved={{date|20|June|2023}}|rname=japanesedownloadcard}}{{cite web|https://twitter.com/Genki_JPN/status/1671010320679071745|Tweet by Genki✨|Twitter|published={{date|20|June|2023}}|retrieved={{date|20|June|2023}}|rname=japanesedownloadcard2}}

On {{date|21|June|2023}}, another trailer was released as part of a Nintendo Direct presentation.{{cite youtube|WtY29lvEup8|of the Nintendo Direct on {{date|21|June|2023}}|published={{date|21|June|2023}}}}. This trailer featured a more detailed look at the gameplay, and explained some of the game's new features. The goal of the game was revealed to be to collect treasures to power the Rescue Corps' ship, the S.S. Shepherd. The trailer showed the indoor area first seen on the download card. It also featured a closer look at caves, revealing their larger size and emphasis on puzzles. A new multiplayer mode, known as "Dandori Battle," was revealed. These battles can also occur in the story mode, with the player facing off against a mysterious, Olimar-like humanoid with his own Oatchi-like dog in order to rescue castaways they've kidnapped. It then showed off the hub area, the Rescue Command Post, where the player can obtain gear before starting their day. Finally, the night gameplay was revealed to be an tower defense-style challenge using a brand new type of Pikmin, the Glow Pikmin. This trailer was accompanied by the launch of the US and EU websites for the game, the "Pikmin Garden" Japanese website, as well as brand new websites for each region that focus on the series as a whole, which include the [[Pikmin comic]].

On June 28th, a demo for the game was released. In it, players can play part of Story Mode with one or two players. This allows them to explore the [[Sun-Speckled Terrace]] and its seven caves. Once the player has accumulated {{sparklium|p4|1500}} and the day ends, they are shown a notification telling them of the end of the demo, and then taken to a screen advertising the final game, with a button to return to the title screen, and another to access the eShop. If the player selects their saved game file again, they can still explore the [[Rescue Command Post]] and use its features, but will be prevented from continuing to the next area or landing in the previous one. It is still possible to select a different saved game file or even delete that demo-end file.

=== Development ===

After {{p3}} has returned more to the roots of the original {{p1}}, for ''Pikmin 4'' the developers wanted to combine ''Pikmin'' and {{p2}} so fans of both game's varying playstyles would be satisfied.

Due to Pikmin games not selling well in the past, the developers were looking for a selling point. For both gameplay, but also being eye catching. At first they wanted to add the ability to control a [[Bulborb|bulborb]]. The idea later progressed to being able to ride and control many of the [[Enemy|creatures]] found in the game. However, they had difficulty tying it all up in one coherent game. So instead, the new [[Oatchi|rescue pup Oatchi]] was added, which would be the players partner on their mission.

The goal for ''Pikmin 4'' was to make the entry point easier for new players, as well as letting the fun of [[Dandori]] sink in naturally. To lower the entry point many things were added and specifically designed to make the game easier. Like [[Oatchi]], [[Ice Pikmin]], [[Glow Pikmin]], [[Rewind Time|Rewinding Time]] and more. Another method to promote Dandori, the developers made sure to incorporate the other modes &ndash; [[Challenge Mode (disambiguation)|Challenge mode]] and Versus mode &ndash; into the [[Story Mode]] rather than as separate modes on the main menu. These would eventually develop into [[Dandori Challenge]] and [[Dandori Battle]] respectively.

Pikmin 4 Logo.jpg|''Pikmin 4'''s logo.

Pikmin 4 Direct Logo.png|''Pikmin 4'''s logo with transparent background.

* ''Pikmin 4'' is the first mainline ''Pikmin'' game to be available in Brazilian Portuguese and Dutch.

* ''Pikmin 4'' is the first to have multiple versions of the same colored Onion outside of the first game's ending cutscene.

* ''Pikmin 4'''s file size is over 10GB<ref>[https://www.inverse.com/gaming/pikmin-4-launch-time-file-size-pre-order-bonuses Post on Inverse], published July 19, 2023</ref>, making it the largest game in the series.

** Additionally it has the highest number of collectible [[Treasure]]s being 239, beating {{p2}}<nowiki>'</nowiki>s 201 and {{hp}}<nowiki>'</nowiki>s 166.

*''Pikmin 4'' is the first original mainline game in the series since [[Pikmin 3]] 10 years earlier, making it the longest gap between release dates of any mainline game.