Pikmin 4

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(Regarding the changes made in the previous edit to this article; I'm pretty sure "autumnal" is the more correct word to use in this sentence.)
 
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|esrb        = E 10+
|esrb        = E 10+
|pegi        = 3
|pegi        = 3
|rating      = TBA
|console    = Nintendo Switch
|console    = Nintendo Switch
|developer  = TBA
|developer  = {{w|Nintendo EPD}}
|publisher  = [[Nintendo]]
|publisher  = [[Nintendo]]
|genre      = TBA
|genre      = Action/Adventure/Strategy
|players    = 1-2 players
|players    = 1-2 players
|release    = {{date|21|July|2023}}
|release    = {{date|21|July|2023}}
|predecessor = [[Pikmin 3]]
}}
}}
{{futuregame}}
'''''Pikmin 4''''' is the fourth main-series game in the {{ps}}, released in 2023 for the [[Nintendo Switch]]. The game sees the [[rookie Rescue Officer|newest recruit]] of the [[Rescue Corps]] exploring the planet [[PNF-404]], with the goal of rescuing [[Captain Olimar]], the rest of the Rescue Corps, and other civilian [[castaway]]s, while also collecting [[treasure]]s and completing other missions. Elements new to the series include [[night expedition]]s, a companion character called [[Oatchi]], and building structures along with purchasing [[gear]] with [[raw material]]s.
'''''Pikmin 4''''' is the upcoming fourth mainline installment in the {{ps}}, planned for release on {{date|21|July|2023}} for the [[Nintendo Switch]]. Many details of the game are currently unknown, but it is known that it introduces [[#Ice Pikmin|Ice Pikmin]] and [[#Glow Pikmin|Glow Pikmin]], a companion character called [[#Oatchi|Oatchi]], customizable player characters, and [[#Night expeditions|night expeditions]] to the series.


== Plot ==
== Plot ==
Having once again crash-landed on a distant planet, [[Captain Olimar]] sends out a distress signal to the Rescue Corps for aid. However, the Rescue Corps also crash-land on the planet. It is now up to their newest recruit to save Olimar and the castaway members of the Rescue Corps, and repair the Rescue Corps' ship, the S.S. Shepherd. The S.S. Shepherd is based off the famous dog breed, the German Shorthaired Pointer.
{{see also|Completion}}
{{spoiler}}
In the prologue, [[Captain Olimar]], captain of the [[S.S. Dolphin]], crash-lands on planet [[PNF-404]]. He discovers the [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]], and also the space dog [[Moss]], who help him to recover the [[Ship part|missing parts]] of his ship. In a playable section of the prologue, he finds the [[Interstellar Radio]], which allows him to send out an {{w|SOS}} signal, in the hope that people on other planets receive the signal and are able to help.


== Gameplay ==
The [[Rescue Corps]], an organization dedicated to rescuing people, receives the signal, but their ship, the [[S.S. Shepherd]], also crashes, scattering the 7 members of the mission in different locations. As a result, their newest recruit, a [[Rookie Rescue Officer|customizable player character]], is sent in the [[S.S. Beagle]] to rescue the Rescue Corps, and doesn't crash. They find the space dog [[Oatchi]] and the communications operator [[Collin]], then go into the [[Burrow of Beginnings]] to rescue the captain [[Shepherd]]. After this, they find the Pikmin and repair the S.S. Shepherd by collecting 3 nearby [[treasure]]s, completing the first day on the planet.
[[File:Pikmin 4 Reveal Fight.png|thumb|250px|Combat with a [[Bulborb]].]]
So far, the gameplay seems to be the same as in the previous main titles of the franchise, though with some subtle changes. The [[cursor]] looks less like something to point towards an exact spot with, and more like a simple indicator of the general direction the aim is. This can be in part due to the lower [[camera]] angle. On top of standard Pikmin management and ordering, the player also has [[#Oatchi|Oatchi]] with them, which they can command in different ways than the Pikmin.


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.
After the first day, the rookie visits various [[area]]s of the planet to collect treasures and find [[castaway]]s, finding that there are civilian castaways as well as members of the Rescue Corps. They also encounter [[leafling]]s, strange creatures with leaves on their heads who always talk about [[Dandori]], and who challenge the rookie with [[Dandori Challenge]]s. One particular leafling with red leaves challenges the rookie to [[Dandori Battle]]s. Collecting treasures gives the rookie [[Sparklium]], and collecting enough of it allows access to more areas. After rescuing the Rescue Corps doctor [[Yonny]], the rookie unlocks [[night expedition]]s, where they can get [[glow sap]] which has the ability to cure leaflings and also the ability to prevent turning into one. After collecting enough Sparklium and rescuing the entire Rescue Corps, the rookie gains access to the [[Hero's Hideaway]], where the red leafling waits in a bunker for a final battle. Defeating it reveals that the leafing is in fact Olimar, and after curing him, the Rescue Corps completes their mission and is able to leave the planet, reaching the game's first ending.


=== Game modes ===
Upon trying to leave the planet, they find that Oatchi does not like being in space, because of the leaf that sprouted on his tail halfway through the first part of the story. They return to the planet with the new goal of curing Oatchi, and hear that a veterinarian from the planet [[Koppai]] called [[Nelle]] is stranded on the planet. Upon landing in a new area, they see [[Louie]] and Moss run away with another Koppaite, [[Yorke]]. After rescuing Yorke by defeating Louie in a Dandori Battle, and rescuing [[Don Bergman]] elsewhere in the area, the rookie can visit the final area, where after defeating Louie in a final Dandori Battle and rescuing Nelle, they can access the final cave, the [[Cavern for a King]], where Louie can be found riding the final [[boss]], the [[Ancient Sirehound]]. When defeated, the boss drops its collar, the [[Gift of Friendship]], which contains enough hair on it to create a cure for Oatchi, reaching the game's second ending.
Currently, the only game modes known to be in the game are the main [[Story Mode]], where the player must find and rescue members of the Rescue Corps, and a 2-player battle mode known as Dandori Battle.


==== Dandori Battle ====
== Gameplay ==
Dandori Battles are a new challenge in ''Pikmin 4'', serving as a successor to [[2-Player Battle]] and [[Bingo Battle]] from previous games. In Dandori Battles, you and an unknown Olimar-looking creature compete against each other to collect as much treasure as possible. Collecting treasures earns a player points; the player with the most points when the timer runs out is declared the winner. Dandori Battles may be available as a 2 player challenge mode, similar to 2-player battle and Bingo Battle from the previous games.
''Pikmin 4'' is a 3D real-time strategy game, with gameplay divided into blocks of time called [[day]]s. Each day is 15 minutes long and allows the player to explore 1 [[area]]. Within each area there are several [[cave]]s, which are divided into multiple sublevels which are explored sequentially. While in a cave, the time of in-game day progresses at 1/6th the normal speed. Caves contain the majority of collectibles in the game. The player directly controls 2 characters, the [[rookie Rescue Officer]] and [[Oatchi]], and can use these characters to indirectly control [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]]. The rookie and Oatchi have slightly different abilities. Both of them can have a [[squad]] of Pikmin, and can [[throw]] and [[whistle]] the Pikmin. The rookie also has the ability to [[charge]] Pikmin and give them other commands (after a certain point), while Oatchi has the ability to [[rush]] at objects and [[jump]] over small ledges (after a certain point). The rookie can also ride Oatchi, or have Oatchi in their squad. The Pikmin have the ability to [[carry]] collectibles and to [[Combat|fight]] hostile [[Enemy|enemies]]. Pikmin can be killed by enemies, and the rookie and Oatchi have a [[health]] bar which can be depleted by enemy attacks.


When playing Dandori Battles, Player 1 plays as the main leader, while an Olimar-like  creature competes with you.In this context, they are known as "Dandori Challenges".
There are 3 primary types of collectibles:
* [[Treasure]]s are common real-world objects, and are worth some amount of [[Sparklium]]. To unlock additional areas, a certain amount of Sparklium must be collected.
* Rescues are alien characters, some of which are found as [[castaway]]s and some of which are found as [[leafling]]s. Rescuing a castaway or curing a leafling will reveal who that character is and give some biographical information about them. While castaways and leaflings are found in specific locations, the character assigned to each one is not fixed, such that the order castaways are found and leaflings are cured will always be the same. Finding certain characters is necessary to advance the story to beat the game, so a certain number of castaways and leaflings must be found and cured.
* [[Onion]]s allow the player to grow Pikmin more easily. They include Onions for different Pikmin types, as well as [[Flarlic]] which increases the amount of Pikmin that can be outside at a time.


=== Night expeditions ===
Structurally, ''Pikmin 4'' is mostly non-linear, letting the player visit caves and collect treasures in any order. While the order of areas is fixed, the things a player does in an area to unlock the next one are mostly not fixed. Uniquely for a ''Pikmin'' game, there is no set order of unlocking Pikmin types, as they can be unlocked in multiple orders. Wild Pikmin can be found in caves, allowing a player to unlock a type before finding its Onion. However, the player cannot grow more of a type using the Onion until they have found that type's Onion. Areas and caves have various [[obstacle]]s in them, some of which require a specific Pikmin type to clear, but the Pikmin type needed to destroy an obstacle can always be found somewhere in that area. Only 3 Pikmin types can be outside in an area at a time, and only 3 can be brought into a cave, though finding Wild Pikmin can increase the number of types the player can use in a cave. Each area and cave has a set of recommended types for the player to use.
A new type of gameplay in ''Pikmin 4'' are "night expeditions". This marks the first time in the ''Pikmin'' series that areas can be explored at nighttime. At the end of each [[day]], the player has the option to either end the day like normal, or choose to remain on the planet for the night. Night expeditions feature tower defense-like gameplay. The goal of night expeditions is to protect "Lumiknolls", tall mounds of dirt with holes in them, revealing a glowing interior. Lumiknolls contain a substance known as "glow sap", which is described as being very valuable.


At nighttime, standard enemies will become frenzied, which is indicated by their eyes glowing a bright red. In this state, these enemies will seek out and attack Lumiknolls. The Lumiknolls' health is indicated by a health bar at the top of the screen, but each hit it takes will also cause one of the glowing holes to darken. At night, the only Pikmin type available are a new type of Pikmin called [[Glow Pikmin]]. Completing night expeditions rewards the player with glow seeds, used to summon Glow Pikmin in caves, and glow sap, used to cure Leaflings.  
In between days, the player visits the [[Rescue Command Post]], a special hub area with no enemies or time limit. Here the characters rescued over the story appear, and can be talked to. Most characters can give the player [[Mission (Pikmin 4)|missions]], which challenge the player to do a specific task, and upon completing the mission, they get a reward. These rewards are usually [[raw material]]s, which are a special collectible. Primarily found in areas and caves, raw materials can be used to build [[clay]] structures, and can be used to buy [[gear]] to upgrade the rookie's abilities. The rookie has a [[tablet]], which displays various information about the story and the current state of the game.


<gallery>
''Pikmin 4'' is primarily a single-player game, but a second player can assist the main player in [[Co-op Mode]], where they can throw items into areas using a reticle called the Pebble Pitcher.
P4 Glow Pikmin and Luminol.jpg|A group of Glow Pikmin standing in front of a Lumiknoll.
P4 Night Gameplay.jpg|The player traveling the planet at night, showing enemies with glowing red eyes.
</gallery>


{{clear}}
===Dandori Challenge===
{{main|Dandori Challenge}}
Dandori Challenges are a special type of cave that feature a standalone treasure-collecting mission, with the goal being to collect all the treasures in the stage by the end of the time limit. They function similarly to [[Challenge Mode (Pikmin 2)|Challenge Mode]] from {{p2}} and [[Mission Mode]] from {{p3}}, but are incorporated into the main story.


== Content ==
===Dandori Battle===
=== Pikmin types ===
{{main|Dandori Battle}}
All Pikmin types except for [[Bulbmin]] are known to return in ''Pikmin 4''. In addition there will be two new types, [[#Ice Pikmin|Ice Pikmin]] and [[#Glow Pikmin|Glow Pikmin]].
Dandori Battles are a special type of cave that feature a 1-on-1 battle between the rookie Rescue Officer and a computer-controlled opponent, with the goal being to score more Dandori points (which are gained by inserting things into your onion) than the opponent by the end of the time limit. They are incorporated into the main story and completing them is required to beat the game, but there is also a standalone Dandori Battle mode accessed from the title screen, which allows battles between 2 players.


==== Returning types ====
===Night expedition===
The following Pikmin types introduced in previous ''Pikmin'' games are in ''Pikmin 4'':
{{main|Night expedition}}
* [[Red Pikmin]]
Night expeditions are a special activity the player can do, where they visit an area at night instead of during the day. During the night, there are different enemies and they are more aggressive. These expeditions have a tower-defense style of gameplay, where the player must use [[Glow Pikmin]] to defend a [[Lumiknoll]] from the enemies. There are multiple night expeditions that can be attempted in each area.
* [[Yellow Pikmin]]
* [[Blue Pikmin]]
* [[White Pikmin]]
* [[Purple Pikmin]]
* [[Rock Pikmin]]
* [[Winged Pikmin]]


==== Ice Pikmin ====
===Olimar's Shipwreck Tale===
[[File:Ice Pikmin.png|thumb|An Ice Pikmin.]]
{{main|Olimar's Shipwreck Tale}}
{{main|Ice Pikmin}}
Olimar's Shipwreck Tale is an alternate story mode that is unlocked after rescuing [[Captain Olimar]]. In this mode, the player controls Olimar and the space dog [[Moss]] to collect the 30 [[ship part]]s of the [[S.S. Dolphin]] within a 15-day limit, where each day is 11 minutes long. The mode is a reference to {{p1}}, and only the original 3 Pikmin types from that game appear.
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 inmune to ice itself.


They freeze enemies by filling up a circular gauge around the enemy's [[health wheel]] via attacks or being consumed. While attacks only increment the gauge slightly, when an Ice Pikmin is swallowed the gauge increases by a lot &ndash; around 40% when fighting a Bulborb. Once the gauge is full, the enemy freezes entirely, can no longer act, and gains an ice-coated look. Defeating a frozen enemy will make it shatter into chunks of ice without leaving a corpse, but it will drop [[nectar]], similar to how [[ultra-bitter spray]] functions. After a few seconds, the enemy will begin shaking and eventually become unfrozen.
== Content ==
 
=== Pikmin ===
Ice Pikmin can be thrown into bodies of water to freeze them, making them the second type next to [[Blue Pikmin]] to be able to physically interact with water without suffering any harm; however, they lack the gills that Blue Pikmin possess and appear to only be able to float in the water, meaning they can neither breathe under or swim/explore the water as Blue Pikmin can. The place they are thrown onto makes the cursor take on the lock-on shape, indicating these Pikmin need to be thrown at a specific spot. When around 18 are thrown, the entire body of water instantly turns to ice after a second. This transformation instantly makes the water flash white and then quickly return to normal gradually as a puff of water vapor appears near the Pikmin. Any enemies in the water at that moment receive the same animation, sound, effects, and status as enemies frozen with Ice Pikmin attacks. With the water frozen, the Ice Pikmin that were thrown in get stuck with their upper bodies poking out of the ice's surface. Afterwards, leaders and Pikmin can safely walk on top of the ice.
''Pikmin 4'' has 9 [[Pikmin family|Pikmin]] types, including 7 returning types from previous games, and 2 new types: [[Ice Pikmin]] and [[Glow Pikmin]].
 
* [[Red Pikmin]] are the first type obtained and are resistant to [[fire]] and have a higher attack power.
Ice Pikmin are first discovered in a [[cave]] called "Last-Frost Cavern", where they are seen fighting a [[Blowhog family|Blowhog]] that shoots ice. In their introduction cutscene, they spin around and slide on their lower bodies, meaning they are at least slightly slippery. They don't appear to have an [[Onion]], as when carrying enemy corpses or Pellets, the carrying number changes colors to one of the Pikmin colors available in the Onion, similar to Purple and White Pikmin in ''Pikmin 2''.
* [[Yellow Pikmin]] are resistant to [[electricity]], can be thrown higher and dig faster than other pikmin.
 
* [[Blue Pikmin]] can survive in [[water]], which other types cannot.
<gallery>
* [[Ice Pikmin]], one of the new types, are resistant to [[ice]], are able to freeze enemies and water bodies and can float throught water zones.
Pikmin 4 ice pikmin vs bulborb.jpg|Ice Pikmin fighting against a [[Bulborb]].
* [[Rock Pikmin]] can break [[crystal]] obstacles, have a powerful attack when thrown directly at an enemy and they are inmune to spikes and being crushed.
Pikmin 4 Bulborb Frozen.png|A successfully frozen Bulborb.
* [[Winged Pikmin]] can fly over gaps and reach high-up items.
Pikmin 4 ice pikmin introduction.jpg|Introduction [[cutscene]].
* [[Purple Pikmin]] can carry the strength of 10 Pikmin and are powerful in combat, but are slow.
Pikmin 4 ice pikmin freezing water 1.jpg|Ice Pikmin being thrown at a body of water to freeze it.
* [[White Pikmin]] are resistant to [[poison]] and are faster than other types.
Pikmin 4 ice pikmin freezing water 2.jpg|The same body of water in the process of freezing.
* [[Glow Pikmin]], one of the new types, can only be used in night expeditions or caves, are resistant to all elemental hazards, they teleport to the leader when they aren't fighting or transporting anything and they can fuse into a light ball that stunts any near enemy.
Pikmin 4 frozen water.jpg|A leader and their Pikmin walking on top of the now-frozen water.
Ice Pikmin.jpg|Artwork of an Ice Pikmin.
</gallery>
 
{{clear}}
 
==== Glow Pikmin ====
[[File:Glow Pikmin Trailer.png|thumb|A Glow Pikmin.]]
Glow Pikmin are a new type of Pikmin that can only be used at night, during [[#Night expeditions|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.
 
Glow Pikmin are the only Pikmin that can be used during night expeditions. They can be thrown and commanded like other Pikmin; however, they have a unique "charge" mechanic. The player is able to charge up their squad of Glow Pikmin, causing them to coalesce into a single, glowing ball, which then charges forward when the charge is released. If this glowing ball comes into contact with an enemy, it will burst and the enemy will be stunned; this also causes the Glow Pikmin to de-merge from the glowing ball and float to the enemy, attacking it.
 
Glow Pikmin are not [[pluck]]ed from the ground; instead, they appear to be created by the Luminols the player is tasked with protecting. Glow Pikmin do not have Onions or Candypop Buds like most Pikmin; instead, to produce more Glow Pikmin, the player must collect glowing rocks that resemble {{w|konpeitō}}. The Glow Pikmin will bring these to Luminols, generating more Glow Pikmin. Glow seeds can be used to summon Glow Pikmin in caves. It should also be noted they are immune to fire, water, ice, electricity, and poison.
 
<gallery>
Glow Pikmin Merging.png|A group of Glow Pikmin merging together.
Glow Pikmin Burst.png|The merged Glow Pikmin bursting into a flash of light.
</gallery>
 
{{clear}}


=== Areas ===
=== Areas ===
''Pikmin 4'' has several distinct [[area]]s. It's possible to separate the overworld scenes seen in footage into five distinct locations: one that takes place in a playground near a house, one that takes place in a worksite near a different house, one that takes place in a vegetable garden, one that takes place in a desert, and one that takes place inside of a house. The first area has been confirmed as "Sun-Speckled Terrace", and the second as "Blossoming Arcadia".
''Pikmin 4'' has 6 main [[area]]s, plus a special tutorial and hub area, the [[Rescue Command Post]]. Within each area, there are multiple [[cave]]s.
 
* '''[[Sun-Speckled Terrace]]''': A small garden with scattered equipment.
The following notable features can be seen in each of the five locations:
* '''[[Blossoming Arcadia]]''': A lush playground.
 
* '''[[Serene Shores]]''': A beach with tidal pools and a large sandcastle.
* Playground:
* '''[[Hero's Hideaway]]''': The interior of a house.
** As part of the playable terrain:
* '''[[Giant's Hearth]]''': A campsite with a fire pit in the center.
*** Various sandy and dirt terrain.
* '''[[Primordial Thicket]]''': A muddy autumnal forest.
*** Blue fences, some of them with drawings of colored fish and algae.
*** Azure tubes or a hose along the floor.
*** An upturned yellow bucket.
*** A small wooden model house.
*** A landing spot identified as "Fragrant Ravine".
** As part of the background:
*** A very large house, with a pink roof and a front porch awning.
*** Large car tires, in red, yellow, and blue colors.
*** A cyan playground slide styled like an elephant.
*** Playground castles.
*** Cherry blossom trees.
* Sun-Speckled Terrace:
** As part of the playable terrain:
*** Various grassy and dirt terrain.
*** A wooden park bench with metal legs and armrests, though the top of the armrests have a wood slab attached.
*** A gray stepladder with a beige toolbox on top.
*** A slab of wood with a water tap coming out of it.
*** Various walls made of piled-up bricks.
*** Various colored planks of wood poking up from the ground, arranged together to form walls.
*** Pool tiles, alternating in a checkerboard pattern between white and blue.
*** A landing spot identified as "Rugged Scaffold".
*** A landing spot identified as "Ancient Arches".
** As part of the background:
*** A large iron gate.
*** Surrounding the large gate are decorated stone walls with brick tops.
*** Stairs leading from the gate to the playable area.
*** Shelves with vases and potted plants on them.
*** A wheelbarrow wheel.
*** A tall house in the distance with a grey roof.
* Rescue Command Post:
** Various grassy and dirt terrain.
** Large-leafed vegetation in the out-of-bounds area.
** Tipped broken vases with rooted plants coming out.
** Plantations with a sign indicating what plant it is, although with no text.
* Desert:
** Sandy and rocky terrain.
** Low-lying vegetation.
** Palm trees in the distance.
* House:
** A kitchen countertop with pots, a sink, and a burning stovetop.
** A living room with a loveseat and armchair.
** Wooden building blocks.
** A large wooden table.
** A staircase with potted plants on it.
** Childish crayon drawings.
** A safe with three knobs.
** A structure made up of various books.
** A kitchen area with barstools.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 house area.jpg|The playground area.
Pikmin 4 area screenshot.jpg|[[Sun-Speckled Terrace]]
P4 Reveal Garden 1.jpg|[[Rescue Command Post]]
Pikmin 4 desert prerelease.jpg|The desert area.
P4 House Area.png|The house area.
</gallery>
 
=== Caves ===
[[Caves]] are shown to return in ''Pikmin 4''. But they aren't [[Randomization|randomly generated]] like in {{p2}}. Caves are accessed via black tubes with blue lids on the surface. On footage from the Japanese website, one can be seen with a red flag attached to it, presumably meaning that it's been completed, similar to ''Pikmin 2''. Some [[cave units]] originally from ''Pikmin 2'' such as <code>room_hitode4x4_3_metal</code> and <code>room_dan4x4i_3_conc</code> are known to return with an updated design. Currently, we know of Six caves: "Burrow of Beginnings", the first cave entered, "Last-Frost Cavern", where Ice Pikmin are discovered, "Industrial Maze", "Crackling Cauldron", “Aquiferous Summit” and “Hectic Hollows”.
 
These caves have large puzzle-oriented floors. They can be seen with a myriad of hazards, including fans, rails, [[Bouncy Mushroom]]s, [[conveyor belt]]s, floating platforms, and more.
 
Four distinct types of cave floors can be seen in the February and June trailers: one that looks like a standard dirt cave, another that's themed around metal and seems to take place inside of a shed, one with a muddy floor and brick walls, one taking place over metal platforms in a dark void, one taking place in an enclosed area with blue tiles on the walls and floor, and one that appears to take place inside what is presumably either a display terrarium in an aquarium/a pet store or a science museum's water table. Notable content that can be seen includes:
 
* Dirt cave:
** Muddy floors.
** Dirt walls.
** Tiny fungi.
** Dead leaves scattered about.
* Shed:
** Metal rings and dirt on the floor.
** An LED {{w|dot matrix}} display, showing a number. All trailer footage just shows the number "01".
** In the cave's background, what is either the sunlight shining from the slits on the door of the shed, or some {{w|fluorescent lamps}} that are on.
** Support beams in the background, possibly made of wood.
* Brick cave:
** Muddy floor.
** Brick walls.
** Green mold.
* Display area:
** Sandy floors.
** Rocks and fake plants.
** Lit up by lamps.
** A wall with an ocean painted on it.
** Glass walls.
** Fake logs with what appears to be {{w|astroturf}} on top of them.
** In the background, cylindrical aquariums built into pillars can be seen, along with blurry visages of soda fountains behind them. What appears to be a blurry exit sign and a vending machine can also be briefly seen.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 oatchi sniffing 2.jpg|Dirt cave.
Pikmin 4 arachnorb.jpg|Shed.
Pikmin 4 Empress Bulblax Behind.png|Brick cave.
P4 Display Area Cave.png|Display area.
</gallery>


=== Treasures ===
=== Treasures ===
[[Treasure]]s appear to be the main collectible item in ''Pikmin 4''. Treasures 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. In this game, when a treasure is being carried, it rotates as the Pikmin change direction in their path. Like in {{hp}}, treasures in this game are filled with [[Sparklium]], which is used to power the S.S. Shepherd.
{{see|List of Pikmin 4 treasures}}
 
''Pikmin 4'' has a large number of treasures, forming most of the collectibles in the game. There is a [[Treasure Catalog]] which lists all the treasures and has notes on them from multiple characters. Unlike in {{p2}}, there can be multiple instances of a single type of treasure.
Treasures seen in prerelease footage include:
*A pair of binoculars.
*A [[Sunseed Berry|strawberry]].
*A pumpkin.
*A toy boat.
*A golden analog clock.
*A [[Harmonic Synthesizer|castanet]].
*Something resembling the [[S.S. Dolphin]].
*A baseball.
*The top and bottom halves of a matryoshka doll. The bottom half is called "Mama Doll Head," and the bottom half is called "Empty Vase".
*A [[Quantum Traveler|kendama]].
*Another kendama without the ball, called the "Aspiration-Ritual Pole".
*A beach ball.
*A fidget spinner.
*Origami cranes.
*A craft resembling a flatfish.
*A [[Fire-Breathing Feast|dragonfruit]].
*A {{w|Game Boy Advance SP}}.
*A tako sausage.
*A [[Portable Sunset|persimmon]].
*[[Love Nugget|Tomatoes]].
*[[Dusk Pustules|Purple grapes]].
*A mechanism for a music box.
*A chalkboard eraser.
*Macaroons.
*An [[Insect Condo|apple]].
*A red ball.
*A round green object, possibly a [[Zest Bomb|lime]].
*A horned object that resembles a screw.
*A calculator.
*A kitchen sponge.
*A {{w|Ring Pop}}.
*A compass (confirmed to be the [[Director of Destiny]]).
*A tube of acrylic paint, called the "Refreshing Goo".
*A puzzle piece.
*A magnifying glass.
*Weights of different sizes.
*A button.
*A wooden toy train.
*An emblem with the design of a planet and a satellite.
*2 watches.
*A banana. Unlike the [[Slapstick Crescent]], this one has a sticker on it.
*A [[Mock Bottom|peach]].
*A wedding ring in a ring box. Only the ring sparkles, which may mean that the box itself is not part of the treasure.
*A [[Stellar Extrusion|starfruit]].
*A jar of jam.
*A waffle.
*An éclair.
*A kabuki mask.
*An industrial remote of some kind.
*A pair of 3D glasses.
*A [[Crimson Banquet|watermelon]].
*Nigiri sushi.
*Dice of several different types: four-sided, [[Chance Totem|six-sided]], ten-sided, and twenty-sided.
*{{w|Hanafuda}} cards.
*[[Nuggets]].
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 binoculars treasure.jpg|Pikmin retrieving a pair of binoculars.
Pikmin 4 binoculars treasure 2.jpg|Pikmin carrying a pair of binoculars.
Pikmin 4 baseball treasure.png|Pikmin carrying a baseball.
Pikmin 4 toy boat treasure.png|Pikmin and Oatchi carrying a toy boat.
Pikmin 4 pumpkin treasure.png|A pumpkin seen in the February 2023 trailer.
Pikmin 4 castanet treasure.png|A castanet seen in the February 2023 trailer.
P4 Matryoshka Treasure.jpg|A matryoshka doll seen in the June 2023 trailer.
Pikmin 4 Treasures.jpg|Several different treasures from the Japanese download card.
P4 Grapes Treasure.jpg|Pikmin carrying purple grapes.
P4 Ring Pop Treasure.png|A Ring Pop treasure.
</gallery>
 
==== Other collectibles ====
Outside of treasures, the player can also collect "raw materials"; these appear as light blue pebbles. They can be found in piles around the world, and they also drop from broken walls and jars, and some enemies when they are killed. These materials are used to craft [[upgrade]]s for the [[spacesuit]] or Oatchi's collar. They can also be turned into lumps of clay, which can be used to build things like bridges and climbable walls.
 
<gallery>
P4 Collecting Raw Materials.jpg|Pikmin carrying raw materials back to the S.S. Beagle.
P4 Collecting Dirt.jpg|Pikmin bringing lumps of clay from the S.S. Beagle.
P4 Building Dirt Bridge.jpg|The same lumps of clay being used to build a clay bridge.
</gallery>
 
{{clear}}
 
=== Characters ===
[[File:Pikmin 4 oatchi cutscene english.jpg|thumb|Various leaders discussing Oatchi.]]
''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 and 1 dog who are sent to the planet to rescue [[Captain Olimar]], the only confirmed returning character. There is another character who is customizable and appears to be the only playable character. Of the four members of the Rescue Corps currently named, Collin, Shepherd, Russ, Dingo, and Yonny, 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.
 
{{clear}}
 
==== Player character ====
The main character of the game is a customizable character, referred to in promotional material as "You". Promotional gameplay screenshots feature the names "Lisa" and "Emma". Their name and appearance can be customized in a [[#Character creator|character creator]]. They are the only one seen being controlled in gameplay, which could imply they are the only [[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.
 
The default design of this character (shown in trailers and promotion art) has a full head of unkempt red hair, one long eyelash atop each eye, rosy cheeks, a small spherical nose, a small circular open mouth, an orange antenna light, as well as a full red [[spacesuit]] with white gloves and boots. Their ID card on the Japanese website states they are from the planet Karut.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 oatchi in puddle.jpg|Close-up of the character's front in their default appearance.
Pikmin 4 new leader.jpg|Close-up of the character's back in their default appearance.
</gallery>
 
==== Collin ====
Collin 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 may be a reference to {{w|Collie}}s and {{w|Michael Collins (astronaut)|Michael Collins}}. He is from the planet Giya.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 unknown character 2.jpg|Collin talking about the castaway.
</gallery>
 
==== Shepherd ====
Shepherd 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 red 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 may allude to {{w|German Shepherd}}s and {{w|Alan Shepard}}. She is also from the planet Giya. Shepherd is able to [[upgrade]] Oatchi by training him. Training Oatchi subtracts from Oatchi's "Pup Drive". It's currently unknown how to increase this number.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 oatchi cutscene english.jpg|Shepherd talking about Oatchi.
</gallery>
 
==== Russ ====
Russ 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 [[upgrades]] for themselves or Oatchi. His name may allude to {{w|Jack Russell Terrier}}s. Like Collin and Shepherd, he is from the planet Giya.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 oatchi cutscene english.jpg|Russ, top-left, admiring Oatchi.
Russ.png|Russ's name being revealed in the IGN preview video.
</gallery>
 
==== Dingo ====
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 may allude to {{w|dingo}}es. He is from the planet Ohri. He is a ranger who excels at solo missions.
 
==== Yonny ====
Yonny has a pear-shaped head, long ears, dark skin, and a green bowl cut. They wear a headlamp and have beady eyes, a red spacesuit and the same pointy ears as the main leader. Their name may allude to {{w|Papillon dog|Papillon}}s. In the {{date|21|June|2023}} Nintendo Direct trailer, they can be seen talking with the player about night expeditions, meaning that the player may have to talk to them to begin one.
 
<gallery>
P4 Talking to Yonny.png|The player talking with Yonny.
</gallery>
 
==== Oatchi ====
[[File:Pikmin 4 oatchi screenshot.jpg|thumb|Oatchi.]]
Oatchi ({{j|オッチン|Otchin}}) is a dog-like creature that assists the Rescue Corps. He has yellow fur, with orange spots on his back, a thin tail that ends in a white tuft, two legs in total, two floppy ears, a red collar, blue eyes, and no nose. Despite his alien look, he barks like a dog in the trailer, and is referred to as a space dog in some promotional material. He has long served the Shepherd family and he was obeying only Shepherd, the captain of the Rescue Corps, until the protagonist appears. Like his owner Shepherd, he is from the planet Giya.
 
The player can order Oatchi to perform something like a [[charge]]. An icon appears on-screen near the leader with Oatchi's face, and a circular gauge around it that fills with time. A large arrow pointing to the direction of the charge also appears, much like the one used in ''Pikmin 3''{{'s}} charge. When the gauge is full, the icon and arrow flash, and when the charge starts, Oatchi barks, runs in the direction of the order as the leader points their finger there with a hop. In the trailer, this charge is used to destroy some [[#Unknown jar obstacle|jars]] that block the way. After the charge, the gauge turns gray and starts decreasing instead, presumably indicating a cooldown before the charge can be used again. The charge can also be used to affect the environment somewhat; for example, Oatchi can charge into a wall to knock down a treasure attached to it.
 
Oatchi can also be ordered carry objects, after which he will bark, grab onto the object, and apply the carrying strength of several Pikmin. The way he carries objects resembles a [[Breadbug]]. He can also carry objects being carried by other Pikmin.
 
The player can order their leader and Pikmin to all hop on top of Oatchi, after which the player can move Oatchi around. While the leader jumps on Oatchi's back, the Pikmin grab onto his hips. When directed towards a body of water in this state, Oatchi hops in, and starts swimming around, keeping the leader and Pikmin afloat. When brought out of the water, the same hop happens. Both hops seem to increase the same gauge seen when ordering a charge. While riding Oatchi, the leader can still grab Pikmin and throw them.
 
Oatchi has the ability to sniff out certain scents. He can sniff out castaways, as seen in the February 2022 trailer, or he can be commanded to sniff out treasure, functioning as a [[Treasure Gauge]]. If the player gets stuck, they can also command Oatchi to "Pick Up a Scent", which will guide the player towards where they should go next. This is highlighted in the game world as blue clouds of smoke, as seen in the June 2023 trailer. Other options in the command menu have icons for an Onion, a pile of raw materials, or an Ice Pikmin. It's unknown what these commands do.
 
Oatchi can be controlled independently, as if he was a separate leader. While being controlled, Oatchi can jump and throw Pikmin. He also has his own health bar, meaning he can be damaged and incapacitated. Unlike leaders, however, Oatchi is affected by [[hazards]] in much the same way Pikmin are; for example, when hit by [[fire]], his tail will catch on fire and he will run around in a panic. He will also take damage from these hazards.
 
Oatchi's abilities can be enhanced at the Rescue Command Post in exchange for a resource called "Pup Drive". Enhancements that have been seen include increasing his carrying strength to 10 (like a [[Purple Pikmin]]), as well as what appears to be an attack power increase. Some of the upgrades available at the Lab can be applied to Oatchi as well.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 puddle.jpg|The player and their group of Pikmin approaching a puddle, alongside Oatchi.
Pikmin 4 riding oatchi near pond.jpg|The group jumping on Oatchi to get ready to board.
Pikmin 4 riding oatchi.jpg|The group crossing the lake on Oatchi's back.
Pikmin 4 oatchi in puddle.jpg|Another angle of the lake being crossed.
Pikmin 4 oatchi sniffing 1.jpg|Oatchi sniffing the ground.
Pikmin 4 oatchi sniffing 2.jpg|Oatchi thinking about a castaway.
Pikmin 4 dead bulborb.jpg|Oatchi dragging a Bulborb corpse.
Pikmin 4 oatchi charge.jpg|Oatchi charging through some jars.
Pikmin 4 oatchi cutscene japanese.jpg|Some characters discussing Oatchi in the Japanese version.
Oatchirender.png|Artwork of Oatchi staring.|alt=A staring, yellow-orange dog-like alien creature with a rotund body, 2 legs, bulging eyes and a fluffy tail that resembles a seeding dandelion flower. It also features a red collar and brown spots on its torso along with a lack of a nose on its snout.
Oatchi You and Pikmin.png|Artwork of Oatchi with the player character and Pikmin riding on his back.
</gallery>
 
{{clear}}
 
==== Leafling and Moss ====
A red humanoid creature, who has Captain Olimar's suit and face, but has a head covered with red fur and with the stem of a Pikmin, is seen kidnapping a castaway and is accompanied by Moss, a Rescue Pup. Moss's tail has been replaced by a Pikmin stem and leaf. This look-alike is also used in Dandori Battles for the second player. The red humanoid is simply named "???" in their dialog and talks in a similar manner to Captain Olimar. The duo kidnaps a castaway, and hops into an orange pipe. Inside, the mysterious duo challenges the player to a round of [[#Dandori Battle|"Dandori"]], only returning the castaway when they lose. It should be noted that the castaway was put into the onion by Moss, removing their helmet and giving them a Pikmin-like appearance with purple fur and a stem on their head. In this state, they are called a Leafling. When recovering them, their ID is unreadable and they also are dubbed “???”.
 
<gallery>
P4 Olimar Lookalike.png|The Olimar-like character and Moss standing next to a castaway.
P4 Olimar Lookalike Closeup.png|A close-up of the Olimar-like character.
</gallery>
 
{{clear}}
 
==== Other Rescue Corps members ====
According to a screenshot from the Japanese website, the Rescue Corps is made up of six members, not including the player character. Alongside Shepherd, Collin, Russ, Dingo, and Yonny, there is only one as-of-yet unrevealed member that presumably must be rescued as well.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 Rescue Corps.png|The Rescue Corps' silhouettes.
</gallery>
 
==== Unknown ====
A group of characters can be seen left behind at night.
 
<gallery>
Space explorer group prelease Pikmin 4.png|The group of unidentified characters.
</gallery>
 
{{clear}}
 
==== Castaways ====
"Castaways" are members of the Rescue Corps that need to be recovered and rescued. In this form, their [[spacesuit]] is monochrome and their antenna light is cyan. The position is very similar to when leaders [[lie down]] or the multiple times [[Olimar]] and [[Louie]] can be carried in {{p3}}.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 unknown character 1.jpg|Approaching the unconscious castaway.
Pikmin 4 unknown character 2.jpg|Close-up of the castaway.
</gallery>
 
==== Captain Olimar ====
[[Captain Olimar]] returns in ''Pikmin 4''. At some unknown point in time relative to the other ''Pikmin'' games, he crash-landed on the planet of ''Pikmin 4''. The Rescue Corps set out to rescue him, but also crash-landed. At the time his distress signal reached the Rescue Corps, he had been on the planet for one month.{{cite web|https://www.nintendo.co.jp/switch/ampya/index.html|official Japanese ''Pikmin 4'' website|Nintendo|retrieved={{date|7|June|2023}}}} Similar to [[Data file|data files]] in ''Pikmin 3'', Olimar has left behind a "Voyage Log" containing useful information about the planet.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 Olimar.png|Olimar's profile, as seen on the Japanese website.
</gallery>
{{clear}}


=== Enemies ===
=== Enemies ===
Various new and returning enemies have been shown in trailers.
{{see|Enemy#In Pikmin 4|t1=Enemies in Pikmin 4}}
 
''Pikmin 4'' has more types of enemies than any other Pikmin game. There is a [[Piklopedia (Pikmin 4)|Piklopedia]] that has notes on all the enemy species from multiple characters. Every type of enemy has a unique musical layer that is played on top of the area music when the leader is close to it, a feature unique to this game.
==== Returning enemies ====
The following returning enemies can be spotted in the trailers, gameplay videos, and screenshots shown so far:
* [[Armored Cannon Beetle]]
* [[Armored Cannon Larva]]
* [[Bulborb]]
* [[Bulborb Larva]]
* [[Dwarf Bulborb]]
* [[Empress Bulblax]]
* [[Female Sheargrub]]
* [[Fiery Blowhog]]
* [[Giant Breadbug]]
* [[Joustmite]]
* [[Male Sheargrub]]
* [[Mamuta]]
* [[Man-at-Legs]]
* [[Mitite]]
* [[Pearly Clamclamp]]
* [[Peckish Aristocrab]]
* [[Puckering Blinnow]]
* [[Puffy Blowhog]]
* [[Pyroclasmic Slooch]]
* [[Shearwig]]
* [[Skeeterskate]]
* [[Skitter Leaf]]
* [[Skutterchuck]]
* [[Swooping Snitchbug]]
* [[Toady Bloyster]]
* [[White Spectralids]]
* [[Wogpole]]
* [[Yellow Spectralids]]
* [[Yellow Wollywog]]
 
The following enemies can be seen in the Piklopedia in the overview trailer:
* [[Anode Beetle]]
* [[Bulbear]]
* [[Dwarf Bulbear]]
* [[Dwarf Orange Bulborb]]
* [[Emperor Bulblax]]
* [[Orange Bulborb]]
* [[Whiptongue Bulborb]]
 
In addition, the Japanese "Pikmin Garden" website{{cite web|https://www.nintendo.com/jp/character/pikmin/index.html|Japanese "Pikmin Garden" website|Nintendo|retrieved={{date|21|June|2023}}}} features artwork and renders of several more enemies:
* [[Baldy Long Legs]]
* [[Bearded Amprat]]
* [[Breadbug]]
* [[Burrowing Snagret]]
* [[Doodlebug]]
* [[Greater Spotted Jellyfloat]]
* [[Honeywisp]]
* [[Iridescent Flint Beetle]]
* [[Red Spectralids]]
* [[Waddlepus]]
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 empress bulblax.jpg|An Empress Bulblax rolling over some Pikmin. Bulborb Larvae can also be seen.
Pikmin 4 empress bulblax 2.jpg|The Empress Bulblax under attack.
Pikmin 4 Empress Bulblax Behind.png|The Empress Bulblax seen from behind.
Pikmin 4 fiery blowhog.jpg|A Fiery Blowhog attacking Red Pikmin.
Pikmin 4 Joustmites Buried.png|Two Joustmites, buried.
Pikmin 4 Mitites and You.png|Several Mitites, seen underground with the player character.
</gallery>
 
==== Downy Snagret ====
An enemy known as a Downy Snagret{{cite web|https://pikmin.nintendo.com/en/comics/#!/fools-for-fuzz|Fools for Fuzz|Pikmin comic|retrieved={{date|27|June|2023}}}} resembling an infant [[Burrowing Snagret]] can be seen at one point in the February 2023 trailer, and is present in the key art. They hop around on their one leg, and look around and chirp when idling.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 house area.jpg|Two Downy Snagrets hopping around.
</gallery>
 
==== Unknown arachnorb-like enemy ====
{{image}}
An unknown [[Arachnorb family|arachnorb]]-like enemy can be seen at one point in the February 2023 trailer. Its head is black and resembles a disco ball, with several circular lights dotted throughout. Its legs appear to be covered by tightly-wrapped strands of a dark unknown material, which dangle from the upper segments of its legs. The bottom half of two of its legs are bare, exposing an ivory bony endoskeleton of some kind underneath. Several holes can be seen on the interior of its bottommost joints.
 
At the start it appears to be hanging from the ceiling, with the spots on its head glowing a cyan color. After being attacked by several Yellow Pikmin, it drops down onto the floor with a thud that shoves away Pikmin, the leader, and Oatchi. Right afterwards it spins on its head as its legs come down. When attacking, the lights on its body turn yellow and it stomps around, crushing Pikmin with its large feet. Many Pikmin can be seen underneath it when the lights are yellow, unable to do much other than jump in place with some pink smoke coming out of their heads. This status effect is similar in appearance to [[poison]], or the dust that the [[Vehemoth Phosbat]] sprays which causes the Pikmin to [[panic]], but it is unknown if this is the result of the arachnorb enemy itself or another hazard.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 arachnorb.jpg|The creature stomping around.
</gallery>
 
==== Unknown Mockiwi-like enemy ====
An unknown [[Mockiwi family|Mockiwi]]-like enemy with a trumpet-shaped beak can be seen at one point in the February 2023 trailer. The top of its head and back of its body are a dim yellow color, while the bottom of the head and the stomach are white. They have small wings on each side of their body, and two small paws with white legs and red toes. Their sclerae are black, their irises are white, and their pupils are black. Their most prominent feature is the trumpet-shaped magenta beak. The fact that it looks like a Mockiwi, has a yellow torso, a dark-colored face, and a long snout makes it resemble an unused enemy in {{hp}} known only as "[[Unused content in Hey! Pikmin#Peromakky|Peromakky]]".
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 Trumpet Bird Enemy.png|The creature looking around.
</gallery>
 
==== Unknown Chrysanthemum-like enemy ====
An unknown green creature with eyestalks disguised as flowers, similar to the [[Creeping Chrysanthemum]], is seen in a scrolling ribbon of pictures on the official Japanese website.{{cite web|https://www.nintendo.co.jp/switch/ampya/index.html|official Japanese ''Pikmin 4'' website|Nintendo|retrieved={{date|7|June|2023}}}} It has a large mouth and round cheeks. It seems to use its spiked tongue to attack and create significant saliva (possibly being a water hazard). Given its plant-like appearance, it likely will camouflage with its surroundings in an attempt to surprise nearby prey, just as the Creeping Chrysanthemum does.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 Chrysanthemum Enemy.png|The enemy near the player's squad.
</gallery>
 
==== Unknown fish-like enemy ====
An unknown fish-like enemy with small bumps on its head can be seen swimming in an underwater area in the June 2023 Nintendo Direct trailer.
 
<gallery>
Unkown brown fish enemy Pikmin 4.png|The fish-like enemy.
</gallery>
 
==== Unknown elephant-like enemy ====
An unknown enemy covered in a type of armor with a long trunk can be seen in the house area in the June 2023 Nintendo Direct trailer. It somewhat resembles members of the [[blowhog family]].
 
<gallery>
Unknown green elephant enemy.png|The elephant-like enemy.
</gallery>
 
==== Unknown Dweevil ====
A light blue [[Dweevil family|Dweevil]] can be seen in a kitchen in the June 2023 Nintendo Direct trailer. It has a similar color to Ice Pikmin, suggesting that it may attack with ice.
 
<gallery>
Ice dweevil Pikmin 4.png|The Dweevil.
</gallery>
 
==== Dwarf Bulborb-like enemy ====
An enemy resembling a [[Dwarf Bulborb]], but with the white abdomen of a [[Bulborb Larva]], can be seen at nighttime in the June 2023 Nintendo Direct trailer. According to the Pikmin Garden's Piklopedia,{{cite web|https://www.nintendo.com/jp/character/pikmin/book/bulborb.html|Japanese "Pikmin Garden" website Piklopedia|Nintendo|retrieved={{date|22|June|2023}}}} it is a Bulborb in a life stage between the Bulborb Larva and the adult Bulborb, and its Japanese nickname is {{j|コチャッピーモドキ|Ko Chappī Modoki|Pseudo [[Dwarf Bulborb|Small Chappy]]|f=tp}}.
 
<gallery>
Legged Bulborb Larva Pikmin 4.png|The Dwarf Bulborb-like enemy.
</gallery>
 
==== Unknown scorpion-like enemy ====
A large unknown enemy resembling a scorpion, with a flower-like tail, is seen battling the player character in the June 2023 Nintendo Direct trailer. It may be a boss, as it is fought alone in an arena-like location. Its head somewhat resembles that of a [[Widemouthed Anode Beetle]].
 
<gallery>
Unknown red scorpion enemy Pikmin 4.png|The scorpion-like enemy.
</gallery>
 
==== Unknown ice moth enemy ====
A large moth-like enemy, possessing the ability to shoot out a blast of freezing wind with its wings, is seen battling the player character in the June 2023 Nintendo Direct trailer.
 
<gallery>
Unknown ice moth enemy Pikmin 4.png|The ice moth enemy.
</gallery>
 
==== Porquillion ====
The Porquillion is an enemy that appears in the beginning sequence and atop a hill in the [[Sun-Speckled Terrace]]. In both fights, it serves the role of a mini-boss and the music correspondingly changes. It attacks by shooting out the spikes on its body, though this leaves it vulnerable until it grows them back. After its defeat, it drops the [[Interstellar Radio]].
 
<gallery>
Spiky enemy closeup.jpg|The enemy as seen in the demo.
Spiky enemy no spikes.jpg|The enemy with no spikes.
Dead spiky enemy.jpg|The enemy's corpse.
pikminmotherbrain.png|The enemy as seen on the website.
Mothertwo.png|The enemy as seen in the trailer.
</gallery>
 
==== Giant Yellow Wollywog ====
An abnormally large [[Yellow Wollywog]] can be briefly seen in what appears to be a water table or a pet shop terrarium. Although it looks identical to the Yellow Wollywog, it is extremely large, being just as 5 times as tall as a Pikmin when members of the species are usually twice as tall as a Pikmin, and this massive size allows it to actually depress sand that it lands on, forming new pools. It is unclear if this size difference makes it of a different species compared to Yellow Wollywogs, or they are still considered the same species.
 
<gallery>
P4 Display Area Cave.png|The giant Wollywog.
</gallery>
 
==== Snowy Blowhog ====
The Snowy Blowhog is a grounded Blowhog that can shoot an icy mist that can freeze Pikmin. They are first seen fighting Ice Pikmin, which are invulnerable to the chilling attack.
 
<gallery>
Icehog.png|The blowhog shooting its mist.
Icehogfront.png|The blowhog from the front.
</gallery>
 
==== Unknown Slug-like Enemy ====
A pair of slug-like enemies can be seen in the overview trailer.
 
<gallery>
P4 Unknown Slug Enemies.png|The slug-like enemy.
</gallery>
 
==== Unknown Icy Bulborb Enemy====
One of the screenshots at the end of the game's demo appears to show a light blue Bulborb covered in ice crystals. Dwarf variants of said bulborbs also exist.
 
==== Tusked Blowhog ====
The Tusked Blowhog is a species in the new "Tusked Blowhog" family. It does not blow out of its snout like other Blowhogs, instead preferring to charge into Pikmin, similar to Oatchi's Rush attack.
 
==== Scorchcake ====
The Schorchcake is a species in the Pikmin 4 demo that belongs to the Shellcake family. It has a short cylindrical rocky body and a pair of blue eyes on stalks. Its main attack is flipping over, crushing Pikmin underneath its hard body, revealing its burning underbelly.
 
==== Unknown Goolix-like Enemy ====
An enemy resembling the [[Goolix]] appears in footage on the Japanese website. It appears to be fought by pulling on a tongue-like tendril until it bursts.
<gallery>
P4 Goolix Enemy.png|The Goolix-like enemy.
P4 Goolix Burst.png|The enemy after bursting.
</gallery>
 
{{clear}}
 
=== Gear and Items ===
Like in previous games, the player can obtain [[upgrades]] (known in this game as Gear) for their space suit. The same upgrades can also be bought for Oatchi. The player can also purchase items that they can use in the field. Gear and Items require raw meterials and can be purchased from Russ at The Lab.
 
==== Returning gear ====
* Anti-Electrifier
* Scorch Guard
* Rush Boots
 
==== Survey Drone ====
The Survey Drone is an piece of gear that allows the player to freely view their surroundings.
 
==== Charging Horn ====
This gear unlocks the [[charge]] ability for your Pikmin.
 
==== Other new gear ====
* Headlamp+
* Thermal Defense
* Lineup Trumpet
 
==== Scrummy Bone ====
This item will completely heal Oatchi. If Oatchi eats it when his health is full, then he will get a boost in health.
 
==== Pikpik Carrots ====
This item can be thrown to distract enemies, similar to the [[Piklopedia (Pikmin 2)|Piklopedia]] in ''Pikmin 2''.
 
=== Obstacles ===
Many [[obstacles]], [[tools]], and [[hazards]] can be seen in the trailers.
 
==== Returning obstacles ====
The following obstacles and tools are known to return from previous games:
* [[Water]]
* [[Geyser]] (shooting wind)
* [[Dirt wall]]
* [[Electric gate]]
* [[Bridge]] (made of clay [[fragment]]s)
* [[Paper bag]] &ndash; 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.
* [[Crystal wall]]
* [[Boulder]] &ndash; Unlike in ''Pikmin 2'', these roll down hills and can [[crush]] Pikmin.
* [[Cardboard box]]
* [[Bouncy Mushroom]]
* [[Conveyor belt]]
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 dirt wall.jpg|Pikmin taking down a dirt wall.
Pikmin 4 dirt wall breaking.jpg|The dirt wall breaking.
</gallery>
 
==== Potted plants ====
Large mounds of dirt with roots on them can be seen in the February 2023 trailer. These mounds represent potted plants whose pots fell over and broke, tipping the plant sideways. The plant is just a generic plant ending with a large green leaf, not unlike the leaf seen atop a Pikmin's head. The plant's roots are all around the dirt mound. Pikmin grab onto the plant's stem and start pulling sideways. The dirt pile and plant stretch out more and more until eventually the dirt collapses, the roots are freed, and the Pikmin are knocked onto the floor, slightly throwing the plant with them. The small chunks of dirt the obstacle breaks into simply disappear into the floor as they fall, while the plant smoothly vanishes shortly after being uprooted.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 pulling roots 1.jpg|The potted plant being pulled.
Pikmin 4 pulling roots 2.jpg|The potted plant, now destroyed after being pulled.
</gallery>
 
==== Unknown climbable wall ====
Walls that can be made climbable through unknown means can be seen at one point in the February 2023 trailer. These walls have a base made of dirt, like a pile of dirt leaning on the wall making a small ramp. Atop the wall is also another base of dirt. Before the wall becomes climbable, Pikmin or Oatchi must drag pieces of **raw material** to the wall. These, along with the bases above and below start glowing, and after a bit transform into the final climbable wall, with a puff of smoke. The wall then resembles a {{w|climbing wall}}, with small pebbles protruding. Both leaders and Pikmin can use these walls. Leaders can move up the wall, but seem to also be able to move sideways diagonally. Oatchi is unable to scale walls.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 Climbing Wall Unbroken.png|A wall before being made climbable.
Pikmin 4 Climbing Wall Breaking.png|A wall's covering being broken by unknown means.
Pikmin 4 Climbing Wall.png|The player and their Pikmin climbing up the wall.
</gallery>
 
==== Clay bridge ====
Clay bridges are a new type of [[bridge]]. When Pikmin are thrown onto this bridge, a number similar to a carrying number appears, showing how many lumps of clay are required to build the bridge. The Pikmin will then return to the S.S. Beagle and retrieve the clay before bringing it back to the bridge and building onto it, similar to the way [[fragments]] are used to build bridges in ''Pikmin 3''.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 dirt bridge.png|An unfinished clay bridge.
P4 Building Clay Bridge.png|Pikmin building the clay bridge.
</gallery>
 
==== Unknown jar obstacle ====
Jars that can be smashed by having Oatchi [[charge]] at them can be seen at one point in the February 2023 trailer. They seem to be made of ceramic, and have cracks on their sides, near the base. Some of them appear to contain [[nectar]], as seen in the IGN preview. Others may contain wild Pikmin.
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 jar obstacle.png|The jar obstacle.
Pikmin 4 jar obstacle Oatchi.png|The jar obstacle while getting destroyed by Oatchi.
Pikmin 4 jar obstacle destroyed.png|The jar obstacle after it's destroyed.
</gallery>
 
==== Unknown wall obstacle ====
A wall obstacle made of a crystalline material can be seen at one point in the February 2023 trailer. In the June 2023 trailer it can be seen being destroyed by Rock Pikmin.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 Unknown Obstacle.png|The unknown wall obstacle.
</gallery>
 
==== Hydro jelly ====
Hydro jelly is a new type of obstacle. It resembles a glob of translucent blue gelatinous material, and can be found in mounds of different sizes. These obstacles require Ice Pikmin to clear; first, the player must freeze the hydro jelly with Ice Pikmin. Once it is frozen, other Pikmin types will be able to destroy it.
 
<gallery>
Hydro Jelly Screen.png|Hydro jelly.
Frozen Hydro Jelly Screen.png|Hydro jelly after being frozen.
</gallery>


=== Plants and fungi ===
=== Plants and fungi ===
{{stub|section=y}}
{{see|Vegetation#Pikmin 4|t1=Vegetation in Pikmin 4}}
The areas seen in footage appear to be filled with a high density of plants, most of which are decorative. Various sizes of [[Pellet Posy|Pellet Posies]] and a [[Burgeoning Spiderwort]] are present. Other recognizable plants include:
''Pikmin 4'' features a wide variety of decorative vegetation.


* {{icon|Clover|y}}
=== Characters ===
* {{icon|Figwort|y}} (blue)
{{see|Castaway}}
* {{icon|Horsetail|y}}
{{see|Leafling}}
* {{icon|Dandelion|y}}
''Pikmin 4'' features a large number of characters, more than any other game in the series. Almost all of the characters are non-playable. The [[rookie Rescue Officer]] and [[Oatchi]] are the only ones the player controls in the main story, the former being a customizable character.
* {{icon|Common Glowcap|y}}
* {{icon|Lapis Lazuli Candypop Bud|y}}
* {{icon|Violet Candypop Bud|y}} (Pikmin Garden)
* {{icon|Ivory Candypop Bud|y}} (Pikmin Garden)
* [[Vegetation#Common ivy|Common ivy]]
* [[Vegetation#Fern|Fern]]
* [[Vegetation#Tulip|Tulip]]
* [[Vegetation#Duckweed|Duckweed]]
* [[Vegetation#Yellow wood sorrel|Yellow woodsorrel]]
* [[Vegetation#Morning-glory|Morning-glory]] (2:00)
* {{w|Anemone coronaria|Anemone blue poppy}} (box art)
* {{w|Petasites japonicus|Giant butterbur}}
* {{w|Caladium bicolor}}
* {{w|Potentilla indica|Mock strawberry}} (1:04)
* {{w|Geranium|Cranesbill}} (close-up in reveal trailer)
* {{w|Helianthus angustifolius|Perennial sunflower}} (close-up in reveal trailer)
* {{w|Crepis|False dandelion}} (key art)
* {{w|Crocus}}
* {{w|Lythrum salicaria|Lythrum}} (2:42)
{{clear}}
 
=== Character creator ===
The character creator [[menu]] shown in its reveal trailer consists of a series of options on the left side, and a preview of the final character on the right side. In the list of options there is a {{w|breadcrumb navigation|breadcrumb}} list detailing the pages that exist and which page the player is on. As the player highlights an option in the current page, the character preview on the right updates accordingly. {{button|switch|a}} confirms an option, and {{button|switch|b}} cancels. A disclaimer also exists on the bottom informing that it is possible to change the look and name later.
 
The following pages exist:
 
;Skin color
* Icon: A featureless head.
* Options:
*# <div style="width: 24px; height: 24px; display: inline-block; border: solid gray 1px; background-color: #f1cccb;"></div>
*# <div style="width: 24px; height: 24px; display: inline-block; border: solid gray 1px; background-color: #f5c5b0;"></div>
*# <div style="width: 24px; height: 24px; display: inline-block; border: solid gray 1px; background-color: #f7b1a3;"></div>
*# <div style="width: 24px; height: 24px; display: inline-block; border: solid gray 1px; background-color: #e08d67;"></div>
*# <div style="width: 24px; height: 24px; display: inline-block; border: solid gray 1px; background-color: #c76957;"></div>
*# <div style="width: 24px; height: 24px; display: inline-block; border: solid gray 1px; background-color: #914e37;"></div>
*# <div style="width: 24px; height: 24px; display: inline-block; border: solid gray 1px; background-color: #6b3d3f;"></div>
*# <div style="width: 24px; height: 24px; display: inline-block; border: solid gray 1px; background-color: #44282f;"></div>


;Body and head shape
== Controls ==
* Icon: A body.
{{see|Controls#Pikmin 4|t1=Controls in Pikmin 4}}
* Options:
In single-player mode, the player can either use a pair of Joy-Con, or a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. In 2-player mode, either player can use a pair of Joy-Con or a Pro Controller, or player 1 can use a single horizontal Joy-Con and player 2 can use a single vertical Joy-Con.
*# Small body, horizontally elliptical head.
*# Normal body, triangle-shaped head.
*# Tall body, pear-shaped head.
*# Bulky body, rectangular head.


;Face
== Lists ==
* Icon: A face with noticeable eyes and mouth.
=== Quotes ===
* Options:
{{see|Rescue Journal}}
*# Eyes with a singular eyelash each, small elliptical nose, very rosy cheeks.
{{see|Pikmin 4 voyage log|t1=Voyage Log}}
*# Eyes with no sclera and a shine, small eyebrows above them, large elliptical nose, slightly rosy cheeks.
{{see|Piklopedia (Pikmin 4)|t1=Piklopedia}}
*# Eyes with no sclera and only the top eyelid visible, small circular nose.
{{see|Treasure Catalog}}
*# Pupil-only eyes, glasses, rectangular nose, freckles.
*# Frowning eyes, a few bottom eyelashes, small elliptical nose, slightly rosy cheeks.
*# Eyes looking to the middle, rosy eyelids, small protruding nose.
*# Eyes with no sclera and a long eyelash on the corner each, triangular nose, slightly rosy cheeks.
*# Half-closed eyes with pink eyelids, teardrop nose, slightly rosy cheeks.
*# Eyes with no sclera, small elliptical nose, slightly rosy cheeks.
*# Star-shaped eyes with no sclera, elliptical nose, very rosy cheeks.


;Hair style
=== Soundtrack ===
* Icon: A head with the outline of hair.
{{see|Music in Pikmin 4}}
* Options:
*# Normal hairdo with a tuft of hair in front of the forehead.
*# Hair up, swaying to the side.
*# Bowl cut.
*# Twin buns.
*# Three tufts of hair spiking upward on the forehead.
*# Long layer swaying to the side.


;Hair color
=== References to other series ===
* Icon: A head with the hair filled in.
{{see|Reference#Pikmin 4|t1=References to other series in Pikmin 4}}
* Options:
*# Red
*# Yellow
*# Green
*# Blue
*# Purple
*# Pink


;Suit color
=== Easter eggs and secrets ===
* Icon: A [[spacesuit]] without a helmet.
{{see|Easter egg#Pikmin 4|t1=Easter eggs in Pikmin 4}}
* Options:
*# Red
*# Orange
*# Green
*# Blue
*# Purple
*# Pink


;Name
=== Mistakes ===
* Icon: A pencil.
{{see|Mistake#Pikmin 4|t1=Mistakes in Pikmin 4}}
* Options: The naming of the leader is automatically filled in from the creator's Nintendo account name, but changing the name is optional.


<gallery>
=== Glitches ===
Pikmin 4 Character Creator.png|The character creator's menu for skin tone selection.
{{see|Glitches in Pikmin 4}}
Pikmin 4 Character Creator Body Type.jpg|The character creator's menu for body type selection.
Pikmin 4 Character Creator Face Selection Menu.png|The character creator's menu for face selection.
Pikmin 4 Character Creator Hairstyle.jpg|The character creator's menu for hairstyle selection.
Swiperyou01.png|Some possible combinations from the character creator, revealing options for hairstyles and faces not seen in the 6/6/23 story trailer.
Swiperyou02.png|More combinations from the character creator, revealing even more options for hairstyles and faces not seen in the 6/6/23 story trailer.
</gallery>


=== Others ===
=== Unused content ===
Some other content can be spotted from the footage. In addition, some of the established content in the franchise suffered changes in ''Pikmin 4''.
{{see|Unused content in Pikmin 4}}
 
* New content:
** The player's ship is a small pod called the S.S. Beagle. It somewhat resembles a [[SPERO]].
*** It has a white color with accents that are the same color as the color of the space suit that the player chooses for their character to wear.
*** It has the ability to fly and warp through space.
*** It has some [[Koppaite text]] on it, reading {{kt|H|T|C|U}} (HTCU or HTOU).
*** This pod is how the leader and Oatchi travel. They are expelled and sucked in by the beam below the pod.
** The Rescue Corps' ship, the S.S. Shepherd, can be seen crashed at one of the landing sites.
*** It follows the color scheme of the S.S. Beagle.
*** It also has Koppaite text on it, reading {{kt|H|T|C|U|G|N}} (HTCUGN or HTOUGN).
*** There is a component at the top that can only be seen on the second-to-last scene of the trailer. In the first scene in which it appears, this component is missing.
** Some pink pebbles surround the Red Onion and the pod. These bases; if the player comes across an empty base, they have the option to move the Onion and S.S. Beagle there.
*** Some bases are guarded by enemies; the player will only be able to move to these bases if they defeat these enemies beforehand.
** [[Bomb rock]]s appear in Dandori Battles. They are much larger than the Pikmin, like in ''Pikmin 2'', and appear to be on small platforms, allowing them to be picked up and carried like treasures. The Pikmin will carry them to the opposing player's Onion, where it will be absorbed and explode, causing the Onion to expel some of its treasures.
** There is a new feature called "Rewind Time", which allows the player to go back a set amount of time if they make a mistake or lose lots of Pikmin. It's currently unknown how to activate this feature.
** Before starting a new day, the player can check in with members of the Rescue Corps at a location known as the Rescue Command Post. Here, they can purchase upgrades or train Oatchi.
** Whenever Pikmin accomplish something like breaking down a wall, a notification will appear on the screen informing the player about it.
** Wild Pikmin can appear in caves. They will stay in the Onion that the player possesses and cannot produce more of its kind until its own Onion is retrieved.
** When fighting an enemy for the first time, a notification reading "New creature discovered!" will appear. It's unknown what this is for.
** There are now dialogue options. For example, when Russ is telling the main leader about raw materials, the player has the option of responding with either "Cool." or "Huh?"
* Changed content:
** [[Onion]]s now look more like a fruit with a speckled texture similar to apples. Their petals are smaller and point downwards like the original design. The base of the Onion is now yellow and plastic-like in appearance, and its legs are now green instead of yellow. Like in ''Pikmin 3'', Onions fuse together upon meeting a new type of Pikmin; however, the Onion now becomes segmented like a gourd, with each segment bearing the color of a Pikmin type.
** Pikmin sound slightly different, as does the plucking and whistle sounds.
** The [[cursor]] changed appearance and behavior.
*** It is now followed by an indicator, which consists of an icon with an optional number below it. The icon is that of the Pikmin type in standby, or Oatchi, and the number is the number of Pikmin in the group of that type. Regardless of how the cursor itself is displayed, the icon and number are always facing the screen as part of the game [[HUD]].
*** When pointing at the floor, the cursor is flush with the floor in the game world's geometry. In this state it looks like a ring with a dot in the center, and the standby indicator appears above it.
*** When pointing at an enemy, the cursor locks on to its center automatically and faces the game screen as part of the HUD. In this state it looks like a ring split into four equal arcs, and the standby indicator appears below it.
*** When fighting the Bulborb, and when fighting the first stage of the arachnorb-like enemy, the cursor faces the game screen as part of the HUD and takes on a unique shape, whilst locked-on to the creatures. 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.
** The text boxes that pop up when a character is speaking have a different design to the previous games, most notably adding the character's name above their portrait and having the text align left rather than center.
** Pikmin that get knocked down in combat have a chance of decreasing one level of [[maturity]], like in {{p1}}.
** The [[camera]] rotates horizontally as the player moves left and right on the screen.
** The [[Sun Meter]] is now a circular gauge in the top left corner of the screen. The far right side of the gauge is colored red, possibly meaning that this is when the end-of-day period begins.
** The player can only have three Pikmin types on the field at one time.
** The player's [[100-Pikmin limit|Pikmin limit]] starts at 20. The way to increase it is with the new Flarlic, an object resembling a cross between an Onion and garlic. Each Flarlic that the Onion consumes increase the amount of Pikmin allowed outside by 10.
** The [[action menu]] from ''Pikmin 3 Deluxe'' returns. The four options are to [[dismiss]] (now renamed "disband") the player's Pikmin, switch to Oatchi, command Oatchi to do something, or open the player's Pack.
** Unlike ''Pikmin 2'', time still passes while in caves, albeit at a slower rate.
** The [[Treasure Gauge]] is now a small bar below the Sun Meter. Instead of being unlocked with a treasure, it is instead a command that can be given to Oatchi.
** When collecting a treasure, the HUD will show the player how many treasures are left in the current area/sublevel.
** Some Onions can be discovered in caves.
** Gates can be different sizes. Some are very long, while others are narrow.
** When entering a cave, the player has the option to go straight to a specific sublevel if they have reached it before, as well as take out or return Pikmin to the Onion without returning to the base first.
*** Also, when entering a new sublevel, the player's Pikmin will already be in their party and no longer have to be whistled.
 
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 intro 1.jpg|Intro [[cutscene]] with the S.S. Beagle.
Pikmin 4 intro 2.jpg|The S.S. Beagle heading towards the planet.
Pikmin 4 onion.jpg|The landing site.
Pikmin 4 new ship.jpg|Close-up of the S.S. Beagle.
Pikmin 4 Multicolored Onion.png|Close-up of the Master Onion with Red Pikmin, Yellow Pikmin, and Blue Pikmin inside.
Pikmin 4 Multicolored Onion Flying.png|The Master Onion's top, as seen when it is flying away.
Pikmin 4 pluck.jpg|[[Pluck]]ing a [[Red Pikmin]] near the Red Onion.
Pikmin 4 Red Onion.png|Close-up of the Red Onion.
P4 Sun Meter.png|The new Sun Meter.
P4 Rewind Time Menu.jpg|The Rewind Time menu.
P4 Treasure Gauge.png|The new Treasure Gauge.
</gallery>


== Other information ==
== Other information ==
Line 868: Line 133:
* Supported controllers: two Joy-Cons, single Joy-Con (only when playing in multiplayer), and Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. When playing in multiplayer with single Joy-Cons, player 1 holds the controller horizontally and player 2 holds the controller vertically.{{cite web|https://www.nintendo.co.jp/switch/ampya/products/soft.html|Product information for ''Pikmin 4''|the Japanese ''Pikmin 4'' website|retrieved={{date|11|April|2023}}}}
* Supported controllers: two Joy-Cons, single Joy-Con (only when playing in multiplayer), and Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. When playing in multiplayer with single Joy-Cons, player 1 holds the controller horizontally and player 2 holds the controller vertically.{{cite web|https://www.nintendo.co.jp/switch/ampya/products/soft.html|Product information for ''Pikmin 4''|the Japanese ''Pikmin 4'' website|retrieved={{date|11|April|2023}}}}
* Supported languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese.{{cite web|https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/pikmin-4-switch/|Pikmin 4 for Nintendo Switch|Nintendo Official Site|published={{date|8|February|2023}}|retrieved={{date|9|February|2023}}}}
* Supported languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese.{{cite web|https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/pikmin-4-switch/|Pikmin 4 for Nintendo Switch|Nintendo Official Site|published={{date|8|February|2023}}|retrieved={{date|9|February|2023}}}}
== Demo ==
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 (one being a Dandori Challenge and another being a Dandori Battle). Once the player has accumulated 1500 [[Sparklium|sparklium]] 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 file, they can still explore the [[Rescue Command Post]] (and access the Piklopedia and Treasure Hoard if the corresponding castaways are saved), but will be prevented from continuing to the next area or landing in the previous one.
The title screen naturally includes the word "Demo" under the logo, and has an extra option, "Nintendo eShop", that when pressed, prompts the player to open the eShop's page for Pikmin 4. The  Dandori Battle option exist, but choosing it will simply inform the player of their availability in the full version.
Any progress made in the demo can carry over to the final game. Collecting 1500 sparklium also gives the player some bonuses: they will obtain 1500 raw materials and a [[Mii#Mii_apparel|Oatchi-Rider outfit for their Mii]] in {{pb}} through [[My Nintendo]].


== History ==
== History ==
[[File:Pikmin 4 Reveal Fight.png|thumb|The first released image of the game, shown in the September 2022 Nintendo Direct.]]
=== Pre-announcement ===
=== Pre-announcement ===
Before ''Pikmin 4''{{'s}} official announcement in 2022, various pieces of information about the game were shared by ''Pikmin'' series creator [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]. This information was sparse and sometimes contradictory, and the lack of official statements by Nintendo made it difficult to work out what was actually happening with ''Pikmin 4''. It is possible that some of these statements were referring to {{hp}}.
Before ''Pikmin 4''{{'s}} official announcement in 2022, various pieces of information about the game were shared by ''Pikmin'' series creator [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]. This information was sparse and sometimes contradictory, and the lack of official statements by Nintendo made it difficult to work out what was actually happening with ''Pikmin 4''. It is possible that some of these statements were referring to {{hp}}.
Line 882: Line 141:
The first of these mentions was on {{date|6|November|2014}}, when Miyamoto was being interviewed on the recently-released {{psm}}, during which he said {{transcript|Continually launching campaigns after the release of software will lay the groundwork for the next iteration of "Pikmin" in the future. And needless to say, we want it to be one of the motivations for potential consumers to purchase Wii U. We are making a variety of different efforts.}}, indicating the possibility of another ''Pikmin'' game on the [[Wii U]].{{cite web|https://mynintendonews.com/2014/11/06/miyamoto-hints-that-pikmin-4-could-be-in-development/|Miyamoto Hints That Pikmin 4 Could Be In Development|My Nintendo News|published={{date|6|November|2014}}}} Not long after, Miyamoto also mentioned wanting to make more ''Pikmin'' games in an interview with Smosh Games.{{cite youtube|untLD6z6aqI|of the interview with Smosh Games in which Shigeru Miyamoto talks about developing ''Pikmin'' games|m=4|s=35|published={{date|6|January|2015}}}}
The first of these mentions was on {{date|6|November|2014}}, when Miyamoto was being interviewed on the recently-released {{psm}}, during which he said {{transcript|Continually launching campaigns after the release of software will lay the groundwork for the next iteration of "Pikmin" in the future. And needless to say, we want it to be one of the motivations for potential consumers to purchase Wii U. We are making a variety of different efforts.}}, indicating the possibility of another ''Pikmin'' game on the [[Wii U]].{{cite web|https://mynintendonews.com/2014/11/06/miyamoto-hints-that-pikmin-4-could-be-in-development/|Miyamoto Hints That Pikmin 4 Could Be In Development|My Nintendo News|published={{date|6|November|2014}}}} Not long after, Miyamoto also mentioned wanting to make more ''Pikmin'' games in an interview with Smosh Games.{{cite youtube|untLD6z6aqI|of the interview with Smosh Games in which Shigeru Miyamoto talks about developing ''Pikmin'' games|m=4|s=35|published={{date|6|January|2015}}}}


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>
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'' uses the game engine Unreal Engine 4. However, in 2015, Nintendo did not have access to Unreal Engine 4 on any of their console hardware, as support for the engine only started 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 if "''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|Unreal Engine 4.15 Released|the Unreal Engine official website|published={{date|15|February|2017}}}}


In interviews in 2015 and 2016, Miyamoto mentioned wanting to make more ''Pikmin'' and ''Star Fox'' games.{{cite youtube|9B1nyq-5i6g|of an interview of Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka by YOGSCAST Kim|m=11|s=55|published={{date|8|September|2015}}}} When asked about characters he wanted to develop further at an Apple Store event, he said {{transcript|Yeah, I always wanted Fox McCloud to be a bit more popular than he is. But I think one more would be Pikmin. So I think these two, I'll need to put some more energy into.}}{{cite web|https://gamersplash.com/2016/12/11/miyamoto-confirms-star-fox-and-pikmin-will-continue/|Miyamoto Confirms Star Fox and Pikmin Will Continue|Gamer Splash!|published={{date|11|December|2016}}}}
In interviews in 2015 and 2016, Miyamoto mentioned wanting to make more ''Pikmin'' and ''Star Fox'' games.{{cite youtube|9B1nyq-5i6g|of an interview of Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka by YOGSCAST Kim|m=11|s=55|published={{date|8|September|2015}}}} When asked about characters he wanted to develop further at an Apple Store event, he said {{transcript|Yeah, I always wanted Fox McCloud to be a bit more popular than he is. But I think one more would be Pikmin. So I think these two, I'll need to put some more energy into.}}{{cite web|https://gamersplash.com/2016/12/11/miyamoto-confirms-star-fox-and-pikmin-will-continue/|Miyamoto Confirms Star Fox and Pikmin Will Continue|Gamer Splash!|published={{date|11|December|2016}}}}
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''Pikmin 4'' was officially announced in a Nintendo Direct presentation on {{date|13|September|2022}}.{{cite youtube|UJ9Iz7HhU-I|of the Nintendo Direct on {{date|13|September|2022}}|published={{date|13|September|2022}}|retrieved={{date|14|September|2022}}}} This announcement was in a section presented by Shigeru Miyamoto, which also promoted {{pb}} and the [[mariowiki:The Super Mario Bros. Movie|upcoming ''Mario'' movie]]. A short trailer was shown, featuring a few scenes in a garden-like area and announcing a release window of 2023. Miyamoto provided some more basic details of the game after the trailer, and also showed off a new Pikmin T-shirt design based on the game's logo, which was made available to buy shortly afterwards.
''Pikmin 4'' was officially announced in a Nintendo Direct presentation on {{date|13|September|2022}}.{{cite youtube|UJ9Iz7HhU-I|of the Nintendo Direct on {{date|13|September|2022}}|published={{date|13|September|2022}}|retrieved={{date|14|September|2022}}}} This announcement was in a section presented by Shigeru Miyamoto, which also promoted {{pb}} and the [[mariowiki:The Super Mario Bros. Movie|upcoming ''Mario'' movie]]. A short trailer was shown, featuring a few scenes in a garden-like area and announcing a release window of 2023. Miyamoto provided some more basic details of the game after the trailer, and also showed off a new Pikmin T-shirt design based on the game's logo, which was made available to buy shortly afterwards.


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|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]], 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|2|June|2023}}, a news article was published on the Nintendo News channel on the Nintendo Switch news application in some regions, which described the plot of the game as "On a distant planet, the Rescue Corps needs a new hero - you!".{{source needed}}
On {{date|2|June|2023}}, a news article was published on the Nintendo News channel on the Nintendo Switch news application in some regions, which described the plot of the game as "On a distant planet, the Rescue Corps needs a new hero - you!".{{source needed}}


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|6|June|2023}}, a third trailer was published 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|20|June|2023}}, ''Pikmin 4'' download cards were released in Japan. These cards featured new screenshots, including one that took place inside a house, and one that seemed 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 upgrades 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 {{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. Dandori Battle mode was shown, as well as the Rescue Command Post. Finally, the night gameplay was revealed to be a 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 {{date|26|June|2023}}, various video game journalists and news sites like IGN{{cite youtube|fwDXHpKaEgY|of IGN playing a preview build of the game|published={{date|26|June|2023}}}} and Hobby Consolas{{cite youtube|nj4R2nDXZ8o|of Hobby Consolas playing a preview build of the game|published={{date|26|June|2023}}}} published videos showcasing gameplay of the game, giving firsthand accounts of how the game played and its new mechanics. Nintendo also published a short trailer for the game introducing viewers to the Pikmin on the Play Nintendo YouTube channel.{{cite youtube|yR_LngjVIjM|of the "Pikmin on Nintendo Switch" trailer|published={{date|26|June|2023}}}}
On {{date|26|June|2023}}, various video game journalists and news sites like IGN{{cite youtube|fwDXHpKaEgY|of IGN playing a preview build of the game|published={{date|26|June|2023}}}} and Hobby Consolas{{cite youtube|nj4R2nDXZ8o|of Hobby Consolas playing a preview build of the game|published={{date|26|June|2023}}}} published videos showcasing gameplay of the game, giving firsthand accounts of how the game played and its new mechanics. Nintendo also published a short trailer for the game introducing viewers to the Pikmin on the Play Nintendo YouTube channel.{{cite youtube|yR_LngjVIjM|of the "Pikmin on Nintendo Switch" trailer|published={{date|26|June|2023}}}}
Just before the game's release, some of the developers of ''Pikmin 4'' gave a series of 3 interviews about the development of the game and the series.{{cite web|https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/ask-the-developer-vol-10-pikmin-4-part-1/|Ask the Developer Vol. 10, Pikmin 4—Part 1|Nintendo News|published={{date|18|July|2023}}}}{{cite web|https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/ask-the-developer-vol-10-pikmin-4-part-2/|Ask the Developer Vol. 10, Pikmin 4—Part 2|Nintendo News|published={{date|19|July|2023}}}}{{cite web|https://www.nintendo.com/us/whatsnew/ask-the-developer-vol-10-pikmin-4-part-3/|Ask the Developer Vol. 10, Pikmin 4—Part 3|Nintendo News|published={{date|20|July|2023}}}} In these interviews, they talked about how they attempted to combine elements of {{p1}} and {{p2}} to create a better ''Pikmin'' game. Initially they experimented with the idea of controlling a [[Bulborb]], or being able to ride various creatures, but it became difficult to make a coherent game from that idea. Instead, [[Oatchi]] was added, as a character the player could ride that had the abilities of a leader and a Pikmin. The concept of [[Dandori]] was a major focus of development, with the game being designed to allow for different playstyles, and the [[Rewind Time]] feature was added to make it easier to retry after making mistakes. They decided to incorporate the [[Mission Mode]] and versus modes from previous games into the main story, in the form of [[Dandori Challenge]]s and [[Dandori Battle]]s, to let the player clear these as they progress. Another change from previous games was bringing the [[camera]] closer to the ground, to create a better sense of scale for the world.
=== Demo ===
On {{date|28|June|2023}}, a demo for the game was released. In it, players can play the first part of Story Mode with one or two players. The demo contains the tutorial and the first area, the [[Sun-Speckled Terrace]]. 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.
The title screen naturally includes the word "Demo" under the logo, and has an extra option, "Nintendo eShop", that when pressed, prompts the player to open the eShop's page for ''Pikmin 4''. The Dandori Battle option exists, but choosing it will simply inform the player of their availability in the full version.
Any progress made in the demo can carry over to the final game. Collecting {{sparklium|1500}} also gives the player some bonuses: they will obtain 5 Bomb Rocks in the full game and an [[Mii#Mii apparel|Oatchi-Rider outfit for their Mii]] in {{pb}} through [[My Nintendo]]. For the latter, a "Send Confirmation" button will appear on the title screen.
Due to it being a demo, a lot of the final content is absent from the game's files entirely. With some Sparklium-farming techniques, it is possible to see the game react to some of the missing content, since the developers never expected a player to be able to reach it from within the demo's limits. This applies to the demonstration video for the [[Rush Boots]] in [[Russ]]'s lab.{{cite youtube|wVsDTc6H7kY|of a player completing the demo with over {{sparklium|p4|5000}}|published={{date|8|July|2023}}|retrieved={{date|8|July|2023}}}}
=== Post-release ===
A minor [[update]] to the game was released on {{date|27|September|2023}}, which fixed some bugs and added a [[loading screen]] progress bar.
At {{w|The Game Awards 2023}}, ''Pikmin 4'' was nominated for the "Best Family" award,{{cite web|https://thegameawards.com/nominees/best-family|Best Family 2023|The Game Awards|retrieved={{date|12|December|2023}}}} and won the "Best Sim / Strategy" award.{{cite web|https://thegameawards.com/nominees/best-sim-strategy|Best Sim / Strategy 2023|The Game Awards|retrieved={{date|12|December|2023}}}}
== Connections to other games ==
{{see|Canon}}
''Pikmin 4'' does not fit neatly into the timeline established by the previous 3 games, as its story contradicts several major details from {{p1}}, {{p2}}, and {{p3}}. [[Olimar's Shipwreck Tale]] is a retelling of the story of ''Pikmin'', though with many details changed. Events from ''Pikmin 2'' and ''Pikmin 3'' are referenced as if they are hypothetical future events.
== Credits ==
{{see|Credits#Pikmin 4|t1=Pikmin 4 credits}}


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
<gallery>
<gallery>
Pikmin 4 Logo.jpg|''Pikmin 4'''s logo.
Pikmin 4 Logo with background.jpg|''Pikmin 4'''s logo.
Pikmin 4 Direct Logo.png|''Pikmin 4'''s logo with transparent background.
Pikmin 4 Logo.png|''Pikmin 4'''s logo with a transparent background.
Pikmin4boxart.png|North American box art with a transparent background.
Pikmin 4 Rating Pending Box Art.png|Early North American box art.
Pikmin 4 Key Art.png|Key art.
Pikmin 4 Key Art.png|Key art.
Pikmin 4 key art jp.jpg|Japanese key art.
Pikmin 4 key art jp.jpg|Japanese key art.
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== Trivia ==
== Trivia ==
* ''Pikmin 4'' is the first mainline ''Pikmin'' game to be available in Brazilian Portuguese and Dutch.
* ''Pikmin 4'' is the first main-series ''Pikmin'' game to be available in Brazilian, Portuguese, and Dutch.
* ''Pikmin 4'' uses the {{w|Unreal Engine}}.{{cite web|rname=japanesedownloadcard}}{{cite web|rname=japanesedownloadcard2}}
* ''Pikmin 4'' uses the {{w|Unreal Engine}}.{{cite web|rname=japanesedownloadcard}}{{cite web|rname=japanesedownloadcard2}}
* The gap between the releases of {{p3}} and ''Pikmin 4'' was 10 years, the longest gap between release dates of any consecutive main-series ''Pikmin'' games.
* ''Pikmin 4'' was the first game to reintroduce enemies that hadn’t appeared in a previous game.


== Names in other languages ==
== Names in other languages ==
''' ''Pikmin 4'' '''
{{foreignname
{{foreignname
|Jap=ピクミン４
|Jap=ピクミン４
Line 951: Line 236:
|Por=Pikmin 4
|Por=Pikmin 4
|PorM=-
|PorM=-
|PorB=Pikmin 4
|PorBM=-
|Spa=Pikmin 4
|Spa=Pikmin 4
|SpaM=-
|SpaM=-
}}
'''Ice Pikmin'''
{{foreignname
|Jap=氷ピクミン
|JapR=Kōri Pikumin
|JapM=Ice Pikmin
|ChiTrad=冰凍皮克敏
|ChiTradR=Bīngdòng Píkèmǐn
|ChiTradM=Ice Pikmin
|Dut=IJs-Pikmin
|DutM=Ice Pikmin
|Fra=Pikmin glace
|FraM=Ice Pikmin
|Ger=Eis-Pikmin
|GerM=Ice Pikmin
|Ita=Pikmin gelato
|ItaM=Ice Pikmin
|Kor=얼음피크민
|KorR=eol-eum pikeumin
|KorM=Ice Pikmin
|Por=Pikmin gelo
|PorM=Ice Pikmin
|PorB=Pikmin gelo
|PorBM=Ice Pikmin
|Spa=Pikmin gélido
|SpaM=Icy Pikmin
}}
'''Glow Pikmin'''
{{Foreignname
|Jap=ヒカリピクミン
|JapR=Hikari Pikumin
|JapM=Light Pikmin
|ChiTrad=發光皮克敏
|ChiTradR=Fāguāng Píkèmǐn
|ChiTradM=Glowing Pikmin
|Dut=Gloei-Pikmin
|DutM=Glow Pikmin
|Fra=Pikmin luisant
|FraM=Glowing Pikmin
|Ger=Leucht-Pikmin
|GerM=Glowing Pikmin
|Ita=Pikmin iridescente
|ItaM=Iridescent Pikmin
|Kor=반짝피크민
|KorR=banjjag pikeumin
|KorM=Glowing Pikmin
|Spa=Pikmin luminoso
|SpaM=Glowing Pikmin
|Por=Pikmin pirilampo
|PorM=Firefly Pikmin
|PorB=Pikmin pirilampo
|PorBM=Firefly Pikmin
}}
'''Lumiknoll'''
{{foreignname
|Jap=ヒカリヅカ
|JapR=Hikarizuka
|JapM=From {{j|ヒカリ|hikari|light|f=tp}} and {{j|アリ塚|arizuka|anthill|f=tp}}
|ChiTrad=發光巢穴
|ChiTradR=Fāguāng Cháoxué
|ChiTradM=Glowing Nest
|Dut=Gloeikolonie
|DutM=Glow colony
|FraE=Lumilière
|FraEM=From "lumineux" (glowing) and "fourmilière" (anthill)
|Ger=Leuchtbau
|GerM=Glowing building
|Ita=Luminotana
|ItaM=From "luminosa" (glowing) and "tana" (den)
|SpaE=Lumiloma
|SpaEM=From "luminosa" (glowing) and "loma" (hill)
|Por=Lampireiro
|PorM=From "pirilampo" (firefly) and "formigueiro" (anthill)
|Kor=빛둑
|KorR=bitduk
|KorM=From「{{tt|빛|bich}}」(light) and「{{tt|개밋둑|gaemisdug}}」(anthill)
}}
'''Glow sap'''
{{Foreignname
|Dut=Gloeinectar
|DutM=Glow nectar
|FraE=Nectar luisant
|FraEM=Glowing nectar
|Ger=Leuchtsaft
|GerM=Glowing sap
|Ita=Nettare iridescente
|ItaM=Iridescent nectar
|SpaE=Néctar luminoso
|SpaEM=Glowing nectar
|Por=Seiva pirilâmpica
|PorM=Firefly sap
}}
;"You"
{{foreignname
|Jap=あなた
|JapR=Anata
|JapM=You
|ChiTrad=你
|ChiTradR=Nǐ
|ChiTradM=You
|Dut=Jij
|DutM=You
|Fra=Vous
|FraM=You
|Ger=Du
|GerM=You
|Ita=Tu
|ItaM=You
|Kor=당신
|KorR=dangsin
|KorM=You
|Spa=Tú
|SpaM=You
|Por=Você
|PorM=You
|PorB=Você
|PorBM=You
}}
;Collin
{{foreignname
|Jap  = コリー
|JapR = Corī
|JapM = Collie
|FraA= Collin
|FraAM= -
|Spa = Collin
|SpaM = -
|PorB = Collin
|PorBM = -
}}
;Shepherd
{{foreignname
|Jap  = シェパード
|JapR = Shepādo
|JapM = Shepherd
|FraA= Shepherd
|FraAM= -
|Spa = Shepherd
|SpaM = -
|PorB = Shepherd
|PorBM = -
}}
;Russ
{{foreignname
|FraA= Russ
|FraAM= -
|SpaA=Russell
|SpaAM=From English name
|PorB=Jakirrucel
|PorBM=From English name
}}
;Yonny
{{foreignname
|Jap  = パピヨン
|JapR = Papiyon
|JapM = Papillon
}}
'''Oatchi'''
{{foreignname
|Jap=オッチン
|JapR=Otchin
|JapM=-
|ChiTrad=歐慶
|ChiTradR=Ōuqìng
|ChiTradM=From Japanese name.
|Dut=Otsjin
|DutM=From Japanese name.
|Fra=Otchin
|FraM=From Japanese name.
|Ger=Otschin
|GerM=From Japanese name.
|Ita=Occin
|ItaM=From Japanese name.
|Kor=와치
|KorR=wachi
|KorM=-
|Por=Otchin
|PorM=From Japanese name.
|PorB=Otchin
|PorBM=From Japanese name.
|Spa=Ochin
|SpaM=From Japanese name.
}}
'''Moss'''
{{foreignname
|SpaA=Moss
|SpaAM=-
}}
'''Castaway'''
{{Foreignname
|Jap=遭難者
|JapR=Sōnan-Sha
|JapM=Castaway
|ChiTrad=落難者
|ChiTradR=Luònàn Zhě
|ChiTradM=Castaway
|Dut=Schipbreukeling
|DutM=Castaway
|Fra=Naufragé
|FraM=Castaway
|Ger=Gestrandeter
|GerM=Castaway
|Ita=Naufrago
|ItaM=Castaway
|Kor=조난자
|KorR=jonanja
|KorM=Castaway
|SpaA=Náufrago
|SpaAM=Castaway
|SpaE=Persona desaparecida
|SpaEM=Missing person
|Por=Sobrevivente
|PorM=Survivor
}}
'''Rescue Corps'''
{{foreignname
|Jap=レスキュー隊
|JapR=Resukyū-Tai
|JapM=Rescue Team
|ChiTrad=救援隊
|ChiTradR=Jiùyuán Duì
|ChiTradM=Rescue Team
|Dut=Reddingsteam
|DutM=Rescue team
|Fra=Équipe de secours
|FraM=Rescue team
|Ger=Rettungscrew
|GerM=Rescue crew
|Ita=Squadra di soccorso
|ItaM=Rescue team
|Kor=구조대
|KorR=gujodae
|KorM=Rescue Team
|Spa=Brigada de Rescate
|SpaM=Rescue Brigade
|Por=Brigada de Resgate
|PorM=Rescue Brigade
|Por=Brigada de Resgate
|PorM=Rescue Brigade
}}
'''S.S. Shepherd'''
{{foreignname
|Jap=
|JapR=
|JapM=
|ChiTrad=
|ChiTradR=
|ChiTradM=
|ChiSimp=
|ChiSimpR=
|ChiSimpM=
|Dut=
|DutM=
|FraA=Shepherd
|FraAM=-
|Ger=
|GerM=
|Ita=
|ItaM=
|Kor=
|KorR=
|KorM=
|SpaA=Shepherd
|SpaAM=-
|Por=S.S. Shepherd
|PorM=-
|PorB=S.S. Shepherd
|PorBM=-
}}
'''S.S. Beagle'''
{{foreignname
|Jap=
|JapR=
|JapM=
|ChiTrad=
|ChiTradR=
|ChiTradM=
|ChiSimp=
|ChiSimpR=
|ChiSimpM=
|Dut=
|DutM=
|FraA=Beagle
|FraAM=-
|Ger=
|GerM=
|Ita=
|ItaM=
|Kor=
|KorR=
|KorM=
|SpaA=Beagle
|SpaAM=-
|Por=S.S. Beagle
|PorM=-
|PorB=S.S. Beagle
|PorBM=-
}}
'''Karut'''
{{foreignname
|Jap=カルタ
|JapR=Karuta
|JapM=Karuta
}}
'''Giya'''
{{foreignname
|Jap=カギヤ
|JapR=Kagiya
|JapM=Kagiya
|SpaA=Giya
|SpaAM=-
|Por=Giya
|PorM=-
|PorB=Giya
|PorBM=-
}}
'''Sun-Speckled Terrace'''
{{foreignname
|SpaA=Patio soleado
|SpaAM=Sunny yard
|Por=Pátio ensolarado
|PorM=Sunny courtyard
|PorB=Pátio ensolarado
|PorBM=Sunny courtyard
}}
'''Dandori Battle'''
{{foreignname
|Jap=ダンドリバトル
|JapR=Dandori Batoru
|JapM=Dandori Battle
|Dut=Dandori-duel
|DutM=Dandori duel
|Fra=Duel Dandori
|FraM=Dandori duel
|Ger=Dandori-Duell
|GerM=Dandori Duel
|Ita=Battaglia Dandori
|ItaM=Dandori battle
|Spa=Batalla Dandori
|SpaM=Dandori battle
|Por=Batalha Dandori
|PorM=Dandori Battle
|PorB=Batalha Dandori
|PorBM=Dandori Battle
|ChiTrad=
|ChiTradR=
|ChiTradM=
|ChiSimp=
|ChiSimpR=
|ChiSimpM=
|Kor=
|KorR=
|KorM=
}}
'''Dandori Challenge'''
{{foreignname
|Jap=
|JapR=
|JapM=
|ChiTrad=
|ChiTradR=
|ChiTradM=
|ChiSimp=
|ChiSimpR=
|ChiSimpM=
|Dut=
|DutM=
|FraA=Défi Dandori
|FraAM=Dandori challenge
|Ger=
|GerM=
|Ita=
|ItaM=
|Kor=
|KorR=
|KorM=
|SpaA=Desafío Dandori
|SpaAM=Dandori challenge
|Por=Desafio Dandori
|PorM=Dandori challenge
|PorB=Batalha Dandori
|PorBM=Dandori challenge
}}
'''Night expedition'''
{{Foreignname
|Jap=夜の探索
|JapR=Yoru no Tansaku
|JapM=Night Search
|ChiTrad=晚上的探索
|ChiTradR=Wǎnshàng de Tànsuǒ
|ChiTradM=Night Search
|Dut=Nachtexpeditie
|DutM=Night expedition
|Fra=Expédition de nuit
|FraM=Night expedition
|Ger=Nachtexpedition
|GerM=Night expedition
|Ita=Esplorazione notturna
|ItaM=Nocturnal exploration
|Kor=야간 탐색
|KorR=yagan tamsaeg
|KorM=Night Search
|Spa=Expedición nocturna
|SpaM=Nocturnal expedition
|Por=Expedição noturna
|PorM=Nocturnal expedition
|PorB=Expedição noturna
|PorBM=Nocturnal expedition
}}
}}


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{{games}}
{{games}}
[[Category:Prerelease]]
[[Category:Main series]]
[[Category:Main series]]

Latest revision as of 19:09, December 1, 2024

Pikmin 4
The North American boxart for Pikmin 4.
North American game cover.
Japanese name ピクミン 4?
Rating ESRB rating: E 10+ PEGI rating: 3
Console Nintendo Switch
Developer Nintendo EPD
Publisher Nintendo
Genre Action/Adventure/Strategy
Players 1-2 players
Worldwide release date July 21st, 2023
Related games
Predecessor Pikmin 3

Pikmin 4 is the fourth main-series game in the Pikmin series, released in 2023 for the Nintendo Switch. The game sees the newest recruit of the Rescue Corps exploring the planet PNF-404, with the goal of rescuing Captain Olimar, the rest of the Rescue Corps, and other civilian castaways, while also collecting treasures and completing other missions. Elements new to the series include night expeditions, a companion character called Oatchi, and building structures along with purchasing gear with raw materials.

Plot[edit]

See also: Completion.
Warning: the following article or section contains major spoilers.

In the prologue, Captain Olimar, captain of the S.S. Dolphin, crash-lands on planet PNF-404. He discovers the Pikmin, and also the space dog Moss, who help him to recover the missing parts of his ship. In a playable section of the prologue, he finds the Interstellar Radio, which allows him to send out an SOS signal, in the hope that people on other planets receive the signal and are able to help.

The Rescue Corps, an organization dedicated to rescuing people, receives the signal, but their ship, the S.S. Shepherd, also crashes, scattering the 7 members of the mission in different locations. As a result, their newest recruit, a customizable player character, is sent in the S.S. Beagle to rescue the Rescue Corps, and doesn't crash. They find the space dog Oatchi and the communications operator Collin, then go into the Burrow of Beginnings to rescue the captain Shepherd. After this, they find the Pikmin and repair the S.S. Shepherd by collecting 3 nearby treasures, completing the first day on the planet.

After the first day, the rookie visits various areas of the planet to collect treasures and find castaways, finding that there are civilian castaways as well as members of the Rescue Corps. They also encounter leaflings, strange creatures with leaves on their heads who always talk about Dandori, and who challenge the rookie with Dandori Challenges. One particular leafling with red leaves challenges the rookie to Dandori Battles. Collecting treasures gives the rookie Sparklium, and collecting enough of it allows access to more areas. After rescuing the Rescue Corps doctor Yonny, the rookie unlocks night expeditions, where they can get glow sap which has the ability to cure leaflings and also the ability to prevent turning into one. After collecting enough Sparklium and rescuing the entire Rescue Corps, the rookie gains access to the Hero's Hideaway, where the red leafling waits in a bunker for a final battle. Defeating it reveals that the leafing is in fact Olimar, and after curing him, the Rescue Corps completes their mission and is able to leave the planet, reaching the game's first ending.

Upon trying to leave the planet, they find that Oatchi does not like being in space, because of the leaf that sprouted on his tail halfway through the first part of the story. They return to the planet with the new goal of curing Oatchi, and hear that a veterinarian from the planet Koppai called Nelle is stranded on the planet. Upon landing in a new area, they see Louie and Moss run away with another Koppaite, Yorke. After rescuing Yorke by defeating Louie in a Dandori Battle, and rescuing Don Bergman elsewhere in the area, the rookie can visit the final area, where after defeating Louie in a final Dandori Battle and rescuing Nelle, they can access the final cave, the Cavern for a King, where Louie can be found riding the final boss, the Ancient Sirehound. When defeated, the boss drops its collar, the Gift of Friendship, which contains enough hair on it to create a cure for Oatchi, reaching the game's second ending.

Gameplay[edit]

Pikmin 4 is a 3D real-time strategy game, with gameplay divided into blocks of time called days. Each day is 15 minutes long and allows the player to explore 1 area. Within each area there are several caves, which are divided into multiple sublevels which are explored sequentially. While in a cave, the time of in-game day progresses at 1/6th the normal speed. Caves contain the majority of collectibles in the game. The player directly controls 2 characters, the rookie Rescue Officer and Oatchi, and can use these characters to indirectly control Pikmin. The rookie and Oatchi have slightly different abilities. Both of them can have a squad of Pikmin, and can throw and whistle the Pikmin. The rookie also has the ability to charge Pikmin and give them other commands (after a certain point), while Oatchi has the ability to rush at objects and jump over small ledges (after a certain point). The rookie can also ride Oatchi, or have Oatchi in their squad. The Pikmin have the ability to carry collectibles and to fight hostile enemies. Pikmin can be killed by enemies, and the rookie and Oatchi have a health bar which can be depleted by enemy attacks.

There are 3 primary types of collectibles:

  • Treasures are common real-world objects, and are worth some amount of Sparklium. To unlock additional areas, a certain amount of Sparklium must be collected.
  • Rescues are alien characters, some of which are found as castaways and some of which are found as leaflings. Rescuing a castaway or curing a leafling will reveal who that character is and give some biographical information about them. While castaways and leaflings are found in specific locations, the character assigned to each one is not fixed, such that the order castaways are found and leaflings are cured will always be the same. Finding certain characters is necessary to advance the story to beat the game, so a certain number of castaways and leaflings must be found and cured.
  • Onions allow the player to grow Pikmin more easily. They include Onions for different Pikmin types, as well as Flarlic which increases the amount of Pikmin that can be outside at a time.

Structurally, Pikmin 4 is mostly non-linear, letting the player visit caves and collect treasures in any order. While the order of areas is fixed, the things a player does in an area to unlock the next one are mostly not fixed. Uniquely for a Pikmin game, there is no set order of unlocking Pikmin types, as they can be unlocked in multiple orders. Wild Pikmin can be found in caves, allowing a player to unlock a type before finding its Onion. However, the player cannot grow more of a type using the Onion until they have found that type's Onion. Areas and caves have various obstacles in them, some of which require a specific Pikmin type to clear, but the Pikmin type needed to destroy an obstacle can always be found somewhere in that area. Only 3 Pikmin types can be outside in an area at a time, and only 3 can be brought into a cave, though finding Wild Pikmin can increase the number of types the player can use in a cave. Each area and cave has a set of recommended types for the player to use.

In between days, the player visits the Rescue Command Post, a special hub area with no enemies or time limit. Here the characters rescued over the story appear, and can be talked to. Most characters can give the player missions, which challenge the player to do a specific task, and upon completing the mission, they get a reward. These rewards are usually raw materials, which are a special collectible. Primarily found in areas and caves, raw materials can be used to build clay structures, and can be used to buy gear to upgrade the rookie's abilities. The rookie has a tablet, which displays various information about the story and the current state of the game.

Pikmin 4 is primarily a single-player game, but a second player can assist the main player in Co-op Mode, where they can throw items into areas using a reticle called the Pebble Pitcher.

Dandori Challenge[edit]

Main article: Dandori Challenge.

Dandori Challenges are a special type of cave that feature a standalone treasure-collecting mission, with the goal being to collect all the treasures in the stage by the end of the time limit. They function similarly to Challenge Mode from Pikmin 2 and Mission Mode from Pikmin 3, but are incorporated into the main story.

Dandori Battle[edit]

Main article: Dandori Battle.

Dandori Battles are a special type of cave that feature a 1-on-1 battle between the rookie Rescue Officer and a computer-controlled opponent, with the goal being to score more Dandori points (which are gained by inserting things into your onion) than the opponent by the end of the time limit. They are incorporated into the main story and completing them is required to beat the game, but there is also a standalone Dandori Battle mode accessed from the title screen, which allows battles between 2 players.

Night expedition[edit]

Main article: Night expedition.

Night expeditions are a special activity the player can do, where they visit an area at night instead of during the day. During the night, there are different enemies and they are more aggressive. These expeditions have a tower-defense style of gameplay, where the player must use Glow Pikmin to defend a Lumiknoll from the enemies. There are multiple night expeditions that can be attempted in each area.

Olimar's Shipwreck Tale[edit]

Main article: Olimar's Shipwreck Tale.

Olimar's Shipwreck Tale is an alternate story mode that is unlocked after rescuing Captain Olimar. In this mode, the player controls Olimar and the space dog Moss to collect the 30 ship parts of the S.S. Dolphin within a 15-day limit, where each day is 11 minutes long. The mode is a reference to Pikmin, and only the original 3 Pikmin types from that game appear.

Content[edit]

Pikmin[edit]

Pikmin 4 has 9 Pikmin types, including 7 returning types from previous games, and 2 new types: Ice Pikmin and Glow Pikmin.

  • Red Pikmin are the first type obtained and are resistant to fire and have a higher attack power.
  • Yellow Pikmin are resistant to electricity, can be thrown higher and dig faster than other pikmin.
  • Blue Pikmin can survive in water, which other types cannot.
  • Ice Pikmin, one of the new types, are resistant to ice, are able to freeze enemies and water bodies and can float throught water zones.
  • Rock Pikmin can break crystal obstacles, have a powerful attack when thrown directly at an enemy and they are inmune to spikes and being crushed.
  • Winged Pikmin can fly over gaps and reach high-up items.
  • Purple Pikmin can carry the strength of 10 Pikmin and are powerful in combat, but are slow.
  • White Pikmin are resistant to poison and are faster than other types.
  • Glow Pikmin, one of the new types, can only be used in night expeditions or caves, are resistant to all elemental hazards, they teleport to the leader when they aren't fighting or transporting anything and they can fuse into a light ball that stunts any near enemy.

Areas[edit]

Pikmin 4 has 6 main areas, plus a special tutorial and hub area, the Rescue Command Post. Within each area, there are multiple caves.

Treasures[edit]

See: List of Pikmin 4 treasures

Pikmin 4 has a large number of treasures, forming most of the collectibles in the game. There is a Treasure Catalog which lists all the treasures and has notes on them from multiple characters. Unlike in Pikmin 2, there can be multiple instances of a single type of treasure.

Enemies[edit]

See: Enemies in Pikmin 4

Pikmin 4 has more types of enemies than any other Pikmin game. There is a Piklopedia that has notes on all the enemy species from multiple characters. Every type of enemy has a unique musical layer that is played on top of the area music when the leader is close to it, a feature unique to this game.

Plants and fungi[edit]

See: Vegetation in Pikmin 4

Pikmin 4 features a wide variety of decorative vegetation.

Characters[edit]

See: Castaway
See: Leafling

Pikmin 4 features a large number of characters, more than any other game in the series. Almost all of the characters are non-playable. The rookie Rescue Officer and Oatchi are the only ones the player controls in the main story, the former being a customizable character.

Controls[edit]

See: Controls in Pikmin 4

In single-player mode, the player can either use a pair of Joy-Con, or a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. In 2-player mode, either player can use a pair of Joy-Con or a Pro Controller, or player 1 can use a single horizontal Joy-Con and player 2 can use a single vertical Joy-Con.

Lists[edit]

Quotes[edit]

See: Rescue Journal
See: Voyage Log
See: Piklopedia
See: Treasure Catalog

Soundtrack[edit]

See: Music in Pikmin 4

References to other series[edit]

See: References to other series in Pikmin 4

Easter eggs and secrets[edit]

See: Easter eggs in Pikmin 4

Mistakes[edit]

See: Mistakes in Pikmin 4

Glitches[edit]

See: Glitches in Pikmin 4

Unused content[edit]

See: Unused content in Pikmin 4

Other information[edit]

  • Game size: 10.36 GB.
  • Supported play modes: TV (1 or 2 players), tabletop (1 or 2 players), and handheld (1 player).
  • Supported controllers: two Joy-Cons, single Joy-Con (only when playing in multiplayer), and Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. When playing in multiplayer with single Joy-Cons, player 1 holds the controller horizontally and player 2 holds the controller vertically.[1]
  • Supported languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese.[2]

History[edit]

The image shown after the Pikmin 4 announcement trailer in the 9.13.2022 Nintendo Direct.
The first released image of the game, shown in the September 2022 Nintendo Direct.

Pre-announcement[edit]

Before Pikmin 4's official announcement in 2022, various pieces of information about the game were shared by Pikmin series creator Shigeru Miyamoto. This information was sparse and sometimes contradictory, and the lack of official statements by Nintendo made it difficult to work out what was actually happening with Pikmin 4. It is possible that some of these statements were referring to Hey! Pikmin.

The first of these mentions was on November 6th, 2014, when Miyamoto was being interviewed on the recently-released Pikmin Short Movies, during which he said “Continually launching campaigns after the release of software will lay the groundwork for the next iteration of "Pikmin" in the future. And needless to say, we want it to be one of the motivations for potential consumers to purchase Wii U. We are making a variety of different efforts.”, indicating the possibility of another Pikmin game on the Wii U.[3] Not long after, Miyamoto also mentioned wanting to make more Pikmin games in an interview with Smosh Games.[4]

On September 7th, 2015, Eurogamer unveiled that, in an exclusive interview, Miyamoto had confirmed the development of Pikmin 4, and claimed that “it's actually very close to completion. Pikmin teams are always working on the next one.”[5] In the same article, Eurogamer also revealed a separate statement from a Nintendo representative, which said “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.[note 1][note 2][6]

In interviews in 2015 and 2016, Miyamoto mentioned wanting to make more Pikmin and Star Fox games.[7] When asked about characters he wanted to develop further at an Apple Store event, he said “Yeah, I always wanted Fox McCloud to be a bit more popular than he is. But I think one more would be Pikmin. So I think these two, I'll need to put some more energy into.”[8]

On July 7th, 2016, Gamerant interviewed Miyamoto and asked him about the status of the game's development and why there hadn't been any news in the past few months. To this, he replied “Yes, you are right, and we're working on [Pikmin 4]. So, you know, when we're in development we have to create a list of priorities and it has been hard to kind of fit that into that list, but we're hopefully starting to see that on the list now.”[9]

A second Eurogamer interview with Miyamoto about Pikmin 4 was conducted at E3 2017, during which he stated “I've been told not to share anything about this from PR, but I can tell you it is progressing.”[10] This was the last time Pikmin 4 was mentioned before its official announcement.

Pre-release[edit]

Pikmin 4 was officially announced in a Nintendo Direct presentation on September 13th, 2022.[11] This announcement was in a section presented by Shigeru Miyamoto, which also promoted Pikmin Bloom and the upcoming Mario movie. A short trailer was shown, featuring a few scenes in a garden-like area and announcing a release window of 2023. Miyamoto provided some more basic details of the game after the trailer, and also showed off a new Pikmin T-shirt design based on the game's logo, which was made available to buy shortly afterwards.

On February 8th, 2023, a Nintendo Direct presentation announced the release date for the game in a new trailer.[12] 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, showed treasures to be the main collectible, and hinted at the return of caves from Pikmin 2. The end of the trailer gave a first view of night gameplay.

On June 2nd, 2023, a news article was published on the Nintendo News channel on the Nintendo Switch news application in some regions, which described the plot of the game as "On a distant planet, the Rescue Corps needs a new hero - you!".[source needed]

On June 6th, 2023, a third trailer was published 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.[13] Accompanying this trailer was a major update to the game's Japanese website, which included some plot information and new screenshots.

On June 20th, 2023, Pikmin 4 download cards were released in Japan. These cards featured new screenshots, including one that took place inside a house, and one that seemed to show the game's battle mode.[14][15]

On June 21st, 2023, another trailer was released as part of a Nintendo Direct presentation.[16] 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. Dandori Battle mode was shown, as well as the Rescue Command Post. Finally, the night gameplay was revealed to be a 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 26th, 2023, various video game journalists and news sites like IGN[17] and Hobby Consolas[18] published videos showcasing gameplay of the game, giving firsthand accounts of how the game played and its new mechanics. Nintendo also published a short trailer for the game introducing viewers to the Pikmin on the Play Nintendo YouTube channel.[19]

Just before the game's release, some of the developers of Pikmin 4 gave a series of 3 interviews about the development of the game and the series.[20][21][22] In these interviews, they talked about how they attempted to combine elements of Pikmin and Pikmin 2 to create a better Pikmin game. Initially they experimented with the idea of controlling a Bulborb, or being able to ride various creatures, but it became difficult to make a coherent game from that idea. Instead, Oatchi was added, as a character the player could ride that had the abilities of a leader and a Pikmin. The concept of Dandori was a major focus of development, with the game being designed to allow for different playstyles, and the Rewind Time feature was added to make it easier to retry after making mistakes. They decided to incorporate the Mission Mode and versus modes from previous games into the main story, in the form of Dandori Challenges and Dandori Battles, to let the player clear these as they progress. Another change from previous games was bringing the camera closer to the ground, to create a better sense of scale for the world.

Demo[edit]

On June 28th, 2023, a demo for the game was released. In it, players can play the first part of Story Mode with one or two players. The demo contains the tutorial and the first area, the Sun-Speckled Terrace. Once the player has accumulated Sparklium × 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.

The title screen naturally includes the word "Demo" under the logo, and has an extra option, "Nintendo eShop", that when pressed, prompts the player to open the eShop's page for Pikmin 4. The Dandori Battle option exists, but choosing it will simply inform the player of their availability in the full version.

Any progress made in the demo can carry over to the final game. Collecting also gives the player some bonuses: they will obtain 5 Bomb Rocks in the full game and an Oatchi-Rider outfit for their Mii in Pikmin Bloom through My Nintendo. For the latter, a "Send Confirmation" button will appear on the title screen.

Due to it being a demo, a lot of the final content is absent from the game's files entirely. With some Sparklium-farming techniques, it is possible to see the game react to some of the missing content, since the developers never expected a player to be able to reach it from within the demo's limits. This applies to the demonstration video for the Rush Boots in Russ's lab.[23]

Post-release[edit]

A minor update to the game was released on September 27th, 2023, which fixed some bugs and added a loading screen progress bar.

At The Game Awards 2023, Pikmin 4 was nominated for the "Best Family" award,[24] and won the "Best Sim / Strategy" award.[25]

Connections to other games[edit]

See: Canon

Pikmin 4 does not fit neatly into the timeline established by the previous 3 games, as its story contradicts several major details from Pikmin, Pikmin 2, and Pikmin 3. Olimar's Shipwreck Tale is a retelling of the story of Pikmin, though with many details changed. Events from Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 3 are referenced as if they are hypothetical future events.

Credits[edit]

See: Pikmin 4 credits

Gallery[edit]

  • Pikmin 4's logo.

    Pikmin 4's logo.

  • Pikmin 4's logo with a transparent background.

    Pikmin 4's logo with a transparent background.

  • North American box art with a transparent background.

    North American box art with a transparent background.

  • Early North American box art.

    Early North American box art.

  • Key art.

    Key art.

  • Japanese key art.

    Japanese key art.

  • Vertical arrangement of the key art.

    Vertical arrangement of the key art.

  • Square arrangement of the key art.

    Square arrangement of the key art.

  • Full key art without text.

    Full key art without text.

See more: Category:Pikmin 4 images.

Videos[edit]

Trivia[edit]

  • Pikmin 4 is the first main-series Pikmin game to be available in Brazilian, Portuguese, and Dutch.
  • Pikmin 4 uses the Unreal Engine.[14][15]
  • The gap between the releases of Pikmin 3 and Pikmin 4 was 10 years, the longest gap between release dates of any consecutive main-series Pikmin games.
  • Pikmin 4 was the first game to reintroduce enemies that hadn’t appeared in a previous game.

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Flag of Japan Japanese ピクミン４?
Pikumin 4		 Pikmin 4
Flag of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Chinese
(traditional)		 皮克敏４
Píkèmǐn 4		 Pikmin 4
Flag of the Netherlands Dutch Pikmin 4 -
Flag of France French Pikmin 4 -
Flag of Germany German Pikmin 4 -
Flag of Italy Italian Pikmin 4 -
Flag of South Korea Korean 피크민 4
pikeumin 4		 Pikmin 4
Flag of Brazil Portuguese Pikmin 4 -
Flag of Spain Spanish Pikmin 4 -

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Also of note is that Pikmin 4 uses the game engine Unreal Engine 4. However, in 2015, Nintendo did not have access to Unreal Engine 4 on any of their console hardware, as support for the engine only started 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 if "Pikmin 4" in this context referred to a different game, such as Hey! Pikmin or a cancelled spinoff.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Product information for Pikmin 4 on the Japanese Pikmin 4 website, retrieved on April 11th, 2023
  2. ^ Pikmin 4 for Nintendo Switch on Nintendo Official Site, published on February 8th, 2023, retrieved on February 9th, 2023
  3. ^ Miyamoto Hints That Pikmin 4 Could Be In Development on My Nintendo News, published on November 6th, 2014
  4. ^ YouTube video of the interview with Smosh Games in which Shigeru Miyamoto talks about developing Pikmin games (at 04:35), published on January 6th, 2015
  5. ^ Pikmin 4 in development and "very close to completion" on Eurogamer, published on September 7th, 2015
  6. ^ Unreal Engine 4.15 Released on the Unreal Engine official website, published on February 15th, 2017
  7. ^ YouTube video of an interview of Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka by YOGSCAST Kim (at 11:55), published on September 8th, 2015
  8. ^ Miyamoto Confirms Star Fox and Pikmin Will Continue on Gamer Splash!, published on December 11th, 2016
  9. ^ Miyamoto Updates Fans On Status of Pikmin 4 on Gamerant, published on July 6th, 2016
  10. ^ Miyamoto: Pikmin 4 still "progressing" on Eurogamer, published on June 14th, 2017, retrieved on June 14th, 2017
  11. ^ YouTube video of the Nintendo Direct on September 13th, 2022, published on September 13th, 2022, retrieved on September 14th, 2022
  12. ^ YouTube video of the Nintendo Direct on February 8th, 2023, published on February 8th, 2023, retrieved on February 8th, 2023
  13. ^ YouTube video of the character creator trailer, published on June 6th, 2023, retrieved on June 6th, 2023
  14. ^ a b Tweet by Tokyo Game Life on Twitter, published on June 20th, 2023, retrieved on June 20th, 2023
  15. ^ a b Tweet by Genki✨ on Twitter, published on June 20th, 2023, retrieved on June 20th, 2023
  16. ^ YouTube video of the Nintendo Direct on June 21st, 2023, published on June 21st, 2023
  17. ^ YouTube video of IGN playing a preview build of the game, published on June 26th, 2023
  18. ^ YouTube video of Hobby Consolas playing a preview build of the game, published on June 26th, 2023
  19. ^ YouTube video of the "Pikmin on Nintendo Switch" trailer, published on June 26th, 2023
  20. ^ Ask the Developer Vol. 10, Pikmin 4—Part 1 on Nintendo News, published on July 18th, 2023
  21. ^ Ask the Developer Vol. 10, Pikmin 4—Part 2 on Nintendo News, published on July 19th, 2023
  22. ^ Ask the Developer Vol. 10, Pikmin 4—Part 3 on Nintendo News, published on July 20th, 2023
  23. ^ YouTube video of a player completing the demo with over Sparklium × 5000, published on July 8th, 2023, retrieved on July 8th, 2023
  24. ^ Best Family 2023 on The Game Awards, retrieved on December 12th, 2023
  25. ^ Best Sim / Strategy 2023 on The Game Awards, retrieved on December 12th, 2023
Games
Main games Pikmin • Pikmin 2 • Pikmin 3 • Pikmin 4
Spin-off games Hey! Pikmin • Pikmin Bloom
Re-releases New Play Control! Pikmin • New Play Control! Pikmin 2
Pikmin 3 Deluxe • Pikmin 1 (Nintendo Switch) • Pikmin 2 (Nintendo Switch)
Web games Pikmin.com SpaceForce • Pikmin Treasure Hunt • Pikmin Finder
Super Smash Bros. series Brawl • for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U • Ultimate
Others Pikmin Adventure (Nintendo Land) • Stage Debut
Retrieved from "https://www.pikminwiki.com/index.php?title=Pikmin_4&oldid=318491"