Pikmin 4

Pikmin 4
North American game cover.
Japanese name	ピクミン 4?
Rating
Console	Nintendo Switch
Developer	Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development
Publisher	Nintendo
Genre	Action / Adventure / Strategy
Players	1-2 players
Worldwide release date	July 21st, 2023

This article or section is about an upcoming or recently released game. The content here is subject to change as more information is discovered. All information added here must be verifiable and not speculative.

Pikmin 4 is the fourth mainline installment in the Pikmin series, released in 2023 for the Nintendo Switch. The game sees the newest recruit of the Rescue Corps on a mission to PNF-404 to rescue both Captain Olimar and the Rescue Corps after they crash-landed on the planet. Elements new to the series include Ice Pikmin and Glow Pikmin, a companion character called Oatchi, and night expeditions.

Plot

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gameplay

Combat with a Bulborb.

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

In the game's reveal trailer, Pikmin series creator Shigeru Miyamoto said after the trailer that the Nintendo Switch's controls have made controlling the game simpler, allowing the player to focus more on strategic planning, or "dandori" (段取り^?) as the developers refer to it. The word dandori appears multiple times in the game proper.

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

Game modes

The only game modes are the main Story Mode, where the player must find and rescue members of the Rescue Corps, a 2-player battle mode known as Dandori Battle, and Olimar's Shipwreck tale, a quest to collect the 30 ship parts of the S.S. Dolphin.

Dandori Challenge and Dandori Battle

Main article: Dandori Challenge.

Main article: Dandori Battle.

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

Night expeditions

The player character traveling the planet at night, showing enemies with glowing red eyes.

Main article: Night expedition.

A new type of gameplay in Pikmin 4 is night expeditions. This marks the first time in the Pikmin series that areas can be explored at nighttime. Night expeditions feature tower defense-like gameplay, where the goal 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 necessary to heal leaflings.

At nighttime, some 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. A Lumiknoll's 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.

Content

Pikmin types

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

Returning types

The following Pikmin types introduced in previous Pikmin games are in Pikmin 4:

• Red Pikmin
• Yellow Pikmin
• Blue Pikmin
• Purple Pikmin
• White Pikmin
• Rock Pikmin
• Winged Pikmin

Ice Pikmin

Main article: Ice Pikmin.

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

Glow Pikmin

Main article: Glow Pikmin.

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

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

Areas

Pikmin 4 has six main areas and one hub area.

• Rescue Command Post: The S.S. Shepherd's base, which takes place in a small plantation garden.
• Sun-Speckled Terrace: The first area, which takes place in a small public park.
• Blossoming Arcadia: The second area, which takes place in a children's playground.
• Serene Shores. The third area. Takes place across a tide pool and an enormous sand castle.
• Hero's Hideaway. The fourth area, and the last before the game's credits. Takes place inside a modern human household.
• Giant's Hearth. The fifth area. Takes place near a campsite around a large brickwork grill.
• Primordial Thicket. The sixth and final area. Takes place deep in an autumnal, swampy forest.

• P4 Reveal Garden 1.jpg

  Rescue Command Post.

• 

  Sun-Speckled Terrace.

• 

  Blossoming Arcadia.

• 

  Serene Shores.

• 

  Hero's Hideaway.

• 

  Giant's Hearth.

• Primordial Thicket.png

  Primordial Thicket.

Caves

Main article: Cave.

Caves return in Pikmin 4, but aren't randomly generated like in Pikmin 2. In addition, there are the Dandori Challenge and Dandori Battle caves.

Treasures

Main article: List of Pikmin 4 treasures.

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

Characters

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 space dog who are sent to the planet to rescue Captain Olimar. There is another character who is customizable and appears to be the only playable character. The six members of the Rescue Corps and the civilian castaways all appear to be named after a dog breed, likely thematic in reference to Oatchi, who is described as a space dog and is introduced as a main mechanic in this game.

Player character

The ID badge of the player character, using the default customization options.

Main article: Pikmin 4 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. They are the main 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 states they are from the planet Karut.

Collin

File:Id Badge Collin.png

Collin's ID badge.

Main article: Collin.

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

Shepherd

File:Id Badge Shepherd.png

Shepherd's ID badge.

Main article: Shepherd.

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

Russ

File:Id Badge Russ.png

Russ's ID badge.

Main article: Russ.

Russ is the Material Engineer and inventor of the crew. He can be seen conversing with the others. He appears to be bald and have a pear-shaped head, a long nose, and appear to wear glasses. He has the same pointy ears as the main leader. His head shape bears a resemblance to 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, as well as helpful items. His name alludes to Jack Russell Terriers. Like Collin and Shepherd, he is from the planet Giya.

Dingo

File:Id Badge Dingo.png

Dingo's ID badge.

Main article: 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 alludes to dingoes. He is a ranger from the planet Ohri who excels at solo missions. Once Dingo has been rescued, the player can have him complete Dandori Battles, Dandori Challenges and Night expeditions. To do this, the player must first fail the battle, challenge or night and then select the "Help" option on the retry screen.

Yonny

File:Id Badge Yonny.png

Yonny's ID badge.

Main article: Yonny.

Yonny is the doctor of the crew. He has a pear-shaped head, long ears, dark skin, and a green bowl cut, and wears a headlamp. His name alludes to Papillons. In an effort to cure leaflings, Yonny is in charge of night expeditions. He refers to the player as “new-blood”.

Bernard

File:Id Badge Bernard.png

Bernard's ID badge.

Bernard is the pilot of the crew. He appears to look similar to Alph and has an oval-shaped head, a slicked-back spiked hair, and having pointy ears as well, he wears sunglasses. His name alludes to St. Bernards. He is supposedly the pilot of the S.S. Shepherd.

Oatchi

File:Id Badge Oatchi.png

Oatchi's ID badge.

Main article: Oatchi.

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

Captain Olimar

File:Id Badge Olimar.png

Olimar's ID badge.

Main article: Captain Olimar.

Captain Olimar returns in Pikmin 4. At some unknown point in time relative to the other Pikmin games, he crash-landed on PNF-404 again. 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. Similar to data files in Pikmin 3, Olimar has left behind a "Voyage Log" containing useful information about the planet.

Moss

Main article: Moss.

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

Leaflings

Main article: Leafling.

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

Minor characters

See: Minor characters

Enemies

See: Enemies in Pikmin 4

Gear and items

Like in previous games, the player can obtain upgrades (known in this game as "gear") for their space suit. Some of the 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 materials and can be purchased from Russ at The Lab.

Returning gear

• Anti-Electrifier
• Scorch Guard
• Rush Boots
• Metal Suit Z

Survey Drone

The Survey Drone is a piece of gear that allows the player to freely view their surroundings.

Charging Horn

This gear unlocks the charge ability for the player's Pikmin.

Idler's Alert

When used, instantly summon all idle Pikmin to the location it sounded. The range spans the entirety of the Rescue Command Post, as tested in the demo.

Other new gear

• Headlamp+
• Thermal Defense: Protects the leader and Oatchi from being frozen by icy attacks.
• Lineup Trumpet: Allows the user to command the Pikmin to Form Line (Swarming)
• Tuff Stuff: Increases the health the leader and Oatchi

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.

Emergency Kit

When the leader takes damage that would incapacitate them, this item will be expended to nullify the damage and automatically restore a portion of their health.

Pikpik carrot

This item can be thrown to distract enemies, similar to the Piklopedia in Pikmin 2. Additionally, it will temporarily paralyze enemies that eat them.

Bomb rock

Now an item in the player's bag, these can be thrown by the leader to explode in order to defeat enemies or destroy reinforced walls.

Ice Blast

This item looks and acts similar to a bomb rock but colored blue. When thrown, it explodes to release an icy blast which freezes nearby enemies and pools of water.

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 fragments)
• Paper bag – Some seem to have golden handles, a golden seal, and some golden logo on them. Others are blue and have the word "puppies" written on them.
• Crystal wall
• Boulder – Unlike in Pikmin 2, these roll down hills and can crush Pikmin.
• Cardboard box
• Bouncy Mushroom
• Conveyor belt

• 

  Pikmin taking down a dirt wall.

• 

  The dirt wall breaking.

Potted plants

Main article: Potted plant.

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. Should enough raw material be available, 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.

• Pikmin 4 dirt bridge.png

  An unfinished clay bridge.

• 

  Pikmin building the clay bridge.

Climbing wall

Climbing walls can be built in a similar way to clay bridges. 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. Both leaders and Pikmin can use these walls, though Oatchi is unable to scale them.

• 

  A climbing wall shortly before being complete.

• 

  The player and their Pikmin climbing up the wall.

Ceramic jars

See: Jar

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 and Oatchi will be able to destroy it.

• 

  Hydro jelly.

• 

  Hydro jelly after being frozen.

Plants and fungi

Main article: Vegetation.

Character creator

Main article: Pikmin 4 player character#Customization.

Others

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

• New content:
  • The player's ship is a small pod called the S.S. Beagle. It somewhat resembles a SPERO.
  • The Rescue Corps's ship, the S.S. Shepherd, can be found at the Rescue Command Post.
  • Some pink pebbles surround the Red Onion and the pod. These mark the location of 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.
  • Raw materials are a type of collectible that can be used to make bridges or climbable walls, or exchange for gear or items.
  • A stealth bomb in Dandori Battles will be carried by Pikmin to the opposing player's Onion, where it will be absorbed and explode, causing the Onion to expel a thing called Dandorium. This lets you steal an opponents points.
  • 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. This feature can be found in the pause menu.
  • Before starting a new day, the player can check in with members of the Rescue Corps at the Rescue Command Post. Here, they can purchase upgrades, train Oatchi, and more.
  • 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 their kind until its own Onion is retrieved.
  • When fighting an enemy for the first time, a notification reading "New creature discovered!" will appear, signaling a new entry in the Piklopedia.
  • 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:
  • Onions 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 or above it.
    • When locking-on manually it looks like a thick ring split into four equal arcs, with a thinner inner ring close to it that is also segmented in the same way. The intervals between each arc pair each have a triangle facing the center of the cursor. Finally, the center point of the cursor resembles a plus sign with a hole in the middle.
  • 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 Pikmin.
  • The camera is able to rotate 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, marking when the end-of-day period begins.
  • The player can only have three Pikmin types on the field at one time.
  • The player's Pikmin limit starts at 20. The way to increase it is with 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 1/6 of the usual rate.
  • The Treasure Gauge is now a small bar below the Sun Meter. Instead of being unlocked with a treasure, it is instead a piece of gear bought with raw material in the lab.
  • 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.
  • The Piklopedia now allows the player to engage in practice battles against enemies, allowing them to fight especially troublesome foes without risk of losing Pikmin.

• 

  Intro cutscene with the S.S. Beagle.

• 

  The S.S. Beagle heading towards the planet.

• 

  The landing site.

• 

  Close-up of the S.S. Beagle.

• 

  Close-up of the Master Onion with Red Pikmin, Yellow Pikmin, and Blue Pikmin inside.

• 

  The Master Onion's top, as seen when it is flying away.

• 

  Plucking a Red Pikmin near the Red Onion.

• 

  Close-up of the Red Onion.

• 

  The new Sun Meter.

• 

  The Rewind Time menu.

• 

  The new Treasure Gauge.

Dandori

Main article: Dandori.

Dandori is, as the game puts it, the ability to "organize tasks strategically and working effectively to execute plans". It is a key concept of the Pikmin series as a whole, but is more stressed in Pikmin 4, with characters referring specifically to it, and there being two game modes featuring it, Dandori Challenges and Dandori Battles.

Other information

• 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.
• Supported languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese.

History

To do: Add info from Ask the Developer Vol. 10 - Part 1. Care to do so?

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 Hey! Pikmin.

The first of these mentions was on November 6^th, 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. Not long after, Miyamoto also mentioned wanting to make more Pikmin games in an interview with Smosh Games.

On September 7^th, 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.” 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.

In interviews in 2015 and 2016, Miyamoto mentioned wanting to make more Pikmin and Star Fox games. 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.”

On July 7^th, 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.”

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.” This was the last time Pikmin 4 was mentioned before its official announcement.

Pre-release

Pikmin 4 was officially announced in a Nintendo Direct presentation on September 13^th, 2022. 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 8^th, 2023, a Nintendo Direct presentation announced the release date for the game in a new trailer. 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 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 2^nd, 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 6^th, 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. Accompanying this trailer was a major update to the game's Japanese website, which included some plot information and new screenshots.

On June 20^th, 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.

On June 21^st, 2023, another trailer was released as part of a Nintendo Direct presentation.. 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 June 26^th, 2023, various video game journalists and news sites like IGN and Hobby Consolas 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.

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. Once the player has accumulated 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.

Development

After Pikmin 3 has returned more to the roots of the original Pikmin, for Pikmin 4 the developers wanted to combine Pikmin and Pikmin 2 so fans of both game's varying playstyles would be satisfied.

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

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

Gallery

• Pikmin 4 Logo.jpg

  Pikmin 4's logo.

• Pikmin 4 Direct Logo.png

  Pikmin 4's logo with transparent background.

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  Key art.

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  Japanese key art.

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  Vertical arrangement of the key art.

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  Square arrangement of the key art.

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  Full key art without text.

See more: Category:Pikmin 4 images.

Videos

• September 2022 reveal trailer
  • September 2022 Nintendo Direct (Contains one screenshot not present in the trailer at 30:40)
• February 2023 trailer
  • February 2023 Nintendo Direct
• June 2023 trailer
  • June 2023 Nintendo Direct

Trivia

• Pikmin 4 is the first mainline Pikmin game to be available in Brazilian Portuguese and Dutch.
• Pikmin 4 uses the Unreal Engine.
• Pikmin 4 is the first to have multiple versions of the same colored Onion outside of the first game's ending cutscene.

Names in other languages

Pikmin 4

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ピクミン４? Pikumin 4	Pikmin 4
Chinese (traditional)	皮克敏４ Píkèmǐn 4	Pikmin 4
Dutch	Pikmin 4	-
French	Pikmin 4	-
German	Pikmin 4	-
Italian	Pikmin 4	-
Korean	피크민 4 pikeumin 4	Pikmin 4
Portuguese	Pikmin 4	-
Spanish	Pikmin 4	-

Lumiknoll

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ヒカリヅカ? Hikarizuka	From ヒカリ? (lit.: "light") and アリ塚? (lit.: "anthill")
Chinese (traditional)	發光巢穴 Fāguāng Cháoxué	Glowing Nest
Dutch	Gloeikolonie	Glow colony
French (NoE)	Lumilière	From "lumineux" (glowing) and "fourmilière" (anthill)
German	Leuchtbau	Glow Burrow
Italian	Luminotana	From "luminosa" (glowing) and "tana" (den)
Korean	빛둑 bitduk	From「빛」(light) and「개밋둑」(anthill)
Portuguese	Lampireiro	From "pirilampo" (firefly) and "formigueiro" (anthill)
Spanish (NoE)	Lumiloma	From "luminosa" (glowing) and "loma" (hill)

Glow sap

Language	Name	Meaning
Dutch	Gloeinectar	Glow nectar
French (NoE)	Nectar luisant	Glowing nectar
German	Leuchtsaft	Glow Sap
Italian	Nettare iridescente	Iridescent nectar
Portuguese	Seiva pirilâmpica	Firefly sap
Spanish (NoE)	Néctar luminoso	Glowing nectar

Dingo

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ディンゴ? Dingo	Dingo
French	Wally	From "warrigal"
German	Digo	From „dingo“
Portuguese	Din	From "dingo"

Yonny

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	パピヨン? Papiyon	Papillon
German	Spanel	from „Spaniel“
Portuguese	Pion	From "Papillon"

Bernard

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	バーナード? Bānādo	Bernard; from "St. Bernard"
French	Bernard	-
Portuguese	Bersam	From "são-bernardo" (St. Bernard)

Clay

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	ネンド? Nendo	Clay
Portuguese	Argila	Clay

Hydro jelly

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	水こんにゃく? Mizu konnyaku	Water konjac
Portuguese	Hidrogelatina	Hydro jelly

See also

• Pikmin 3
• Hey! Pikmin

External links

• Official English product page
• Official Japanese website
• Official Singaporean website
• Official Taiwanese website