Pikmin 4

Pikmin 4
North American game cover.
Japanese name	ピクミン 4?
Console	Nintendo Switch
Developer	TBA
Publisher	Nintendo
Genre	TBA
Players	1-2 players
Release date
Japan	July 21st, 2023
North America	July 21st, 2023
Europe	July 21st, 2023
Australia	July 21st, 2023
South Korea	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 upcoming fourth mainline installment in the Pikmin series, planned for release in July 21^st, 2023 for the Nintendo Switch. Many details of the game are currently unknown, but it is known that it introduces Ice Pikmin, a companion character called Oatchi, customizable player characters, and some kind of night gameplay to the series.

Plot

Having once again crash-landed on PNF-404, Olimar calls upon the Rescue Corps for aid. However, they too crash-land on the planet. It is now up to their newest recruit to save both Olimar and their comrades.

Gameplay

Combat against 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 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 "段取り^?" as the developers refer to it).

Content

Pikmin types

All Pikmin types except for Bulbmin are known to return in Pikmin 4. In addition there will be at least one new type, Ice Pikmin.

Returning types

The following Pikmin types return, though it is not known which types will feature in which game modes. Some types can be seen in trailers, while others can only be spotted in the game's key art.

• Red Pikmin
• Yellow Pikmin
• Blue Pikmin
• White Pikmin (key art only)
• Purple Pikmin (key art only)
• Rock Pikmin (key art only)
• Winged Pikmin (key art only)

Ice Pikmin

File:Ice Pikmin.png

An 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 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 – 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. The Red Bulborb in the clip can be seen shaking after a few seconds, also similarly to how petrified enemies start shaking before breaking free, but it could also be due to it being nearly dead, or simply just an animation that plays for frozen enemies.

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.

Given their introduction cutscene takes place in an underground location with a simple layout and low walls, much like what can be seen in the footage of caves of the same trailer, it's possible that these Pikmin are discovered inside of caves and produced via similarly colored Candypop Buds. In their introduction cutscene, they spin around and slide on their lower bodies, meaning they are at least slightly slippery.

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  Ice Pikmin fighting against a Bulborb.

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  A successfully frozen Bulborb.

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  Introduction cutscene.

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  Ice Pikmin being thrown at a body of water to freeze it.

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  The same body of water in the process of freezing.

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  A leader and their Pikmin walking on top of the now-frozen water.

• Ice Pikmin.jpg

  Artwork of an Ice Pikmin.

Areas

No distinct areas have been confirmed so far, but from what can be seen in the various clips, it's possible to separate the overworld scenes into three distinct locations: one that takes place in the backyard of a house, one that takes place in a worksite near a house, and one that takes place in a vegetable garden. The following notable features can be seen in each of the two locations:

• Backyard:
  • As part of the playable terrain:
    • Various sandy and dirt terrain.
    • 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.
  • 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.
• Worksite:
  • 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.
  • 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.
• Garden:
  • 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.

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  The backyard area.

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  The worksite area.

• P4 Reveal Garden 1.jpg

  The garden area.

Caves

Caves are shown to return in Pikmin 4. Their layout is simplistic, but it is not currently known if they are randomly generated like in Pikmin 2.

Three distinct types of cave floors can be seen in the trailer: one that looks like a standard dirt cave, another that's themed around metal and seems to take place inside of a shed, and one with a muddy floor and brick walls. Notable content that can be seen includes:

• Dirt cave:
  • Muddy floors.
  • Dirt walls.
  • Tiny fungi.
  • Dead leaves scattered about.
  • A metal fan, screwed onto the floor. In the cutscene, this opens up, shoots a gust of air upward, and allows the leader, Oatchi, and the Pikmin to ride up. While they are traveling up, the pod flies around and follows them.
• Shed:
  • Metal rings and dirt on the floor.
  • An LED 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 fluorescent lamps that are on.
  • Support beams in the background, possibly made of wood.
• Brick cave:
  • Muddy floor.
  • Brick walls.
  • Green mold.

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  Dirt cave.

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  Shed.

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  Brick cave.

Treasures

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Treasures 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.

Treasures seen in prerelease footage include a pair of binoculars, a strawberry, a pumpkin, a toy boat, a golden analog clock, a castanet, something resembling the S.S. Dolphin, a baseball, and an unknown thimble-shaped saturated red object.

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  Pikmin retrieving the binoculars.

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  Pikmin carrying the binoculars.

Characters

Various leaders discussing Oatchi.

Pikmin 4 features several new characters. Four of these characters are humanoids, possibly leaders, and can be seen conversing with one another. This seems consistent to how the amount of playable characters corresponds to the game's numbered entry (i.e. Pikmin 2 having two leaders or Pikmin 3 having three leaders). They all share similar red outfits, are seen conversing with one another, and seem to belong to a group of six called the Rescue Corps. Of the two currently named, Collin and Shepherd, both appear to be named after a dog breed, likely thematic in reference to Oatchi, who is described as a dog and is introduced as a main mechanic in this installment.

Unnamed Player Captain

This character is the main leader of the game. They are the only one seen being controlled in gameplay, which could imply they are the only playable character, unlike previous entries which allow swapping between multiple characters. 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.

This leader is named designed by the player themselves, choosing from preset options similar to the Mii making system. Because of this, much of the promotional material refers to this leader as simply "You" (referring to the player).

The default design of this leader (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 Karuta (カルタ^?).

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  Close-up of the character's front.

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  Close-up of the character's back.

Collin

Collin has a square head with a pointy nose, large green eyes, and large rosy cheeks. Their mouth is similar to that of the President. They have close-cut gray hair with a spiraling tuft at the top. They a red spacesuit and the same pointy ears as the player character. Their name may be a reference to Collies and Michael Collins. Their ID card on the Japanese website says they are from the planet Kagiya (ガギヤ^?).

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  Collin talking about the castaway.

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. They also wear a red bandana and have white grease paint under their eyes. They have a red spacesuit and the same pointy ears as the main leader. Their name may allude to German Shepherds and Alan Shepard. Like Collin, they are from the planet Kagiya.

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  Shepherd talking about Oatchi.

Unknown bald character

A currently unnamed character can be seen conversing with the others. They appear to be bald and have a pear-shaped head, a long nose, and appear to wear glasses. They have a red spacesuit and the same pointy ears as the main leader. Their head shape bears a resemblance to the spammer that advertises Hocotate Wiz in Pikmin 2.

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  The unknown character, top-left, admiring Oatchi.

Oatchi

Oatchi.

Oatchi (オッチン^?) is a dog-like character that assists the Rescue Corps. He's yellow, 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 the official UK & Ireland website.

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 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.

Oatchi can also be ordered carry objects, after which he will bark, grab onto the object, and apply the carrying strength of 10 Pikmin, similar to Purple 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. One cutscene shows Shepherd congratulating Oatchi on finding a castaway. The trailer then shows Oatchi sniffing the ground left and right with the leader and some Pikmin on his back, only to suddenly prop up and show a thought bubble with the icon of a helmeted person's head silhouette. Finally, the video cuts to elsewhere where the crew find the castaway on the floor.

It is currently not known how Oatchi is controlled, but at times the cursor can be seen with Oatchi's icon on it instead of a typical Pikmin type icon, indicating the player may be able to select Oatchi as a standby type like how they select Pikmin types. Additionally, when Oatchi prepares to carry an object, the camera is centered on him. In the February 2023 trailer, the red-haired leader who is in control for the rest of the gameplay footage can be seen performing idle animations while this happens, indicating that Oatchi may be able to be controlled directly.

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  The player and their group of Pikmin approaching a puddle, alongside Oatchi.

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  The group jumping on Oatchi to get ready to board.

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  The group crossing the lake on Oatchi's back.

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  Another angle of the lake being crossed.

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  Oatchi sniffing the ground.

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  Oatchi thinking about a castaway.

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  Oatchi dragging a Bulborb corpse.

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  Oatchi charging through some jars.

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  Some characters discussing Oatchi in the Japanese version.

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  Artwork of Oatchi staring.

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  Artwork of Oatchi with "You" and Pikmin riding on his back.

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, Collie, and the unnamed bald member, there are three as-of-yet unrevealed members that presumably must be rescued as well.

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  The Rescue Corps' silhouettes.

Unknown castaway

In the February 2023 trailer, Oatchi leads the player's group to an unconscious character that they then refer to as a "castaway". It is not possible to get a clear look at them, other than the fact 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 Pikmin 3.

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  Approaching the unconscious castaway.

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  Close-up of the castaway.

Captain Olimar

In the June 6th 2023 trailer, it was confirmed that Captain Olimar would return in Pikmin 4. The trailer explains that he had crash landed on a "mysterious planet" (presumedly PNF-404), not unlike the original Pikmin. He sends out a distress signal, which is received by the Rescue Corps who go to help him. They, however, become stranded as well.

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  Olimar's profile, as seen on the Japanese website.

Enemies

Various new and returning enemies have been shown in trailers.

Returning enemies

The following returning enemies can be spotted in the trailers shown so far:

• Bulborb
• Dwarf Bulborb
• Empress Bulblax
• Bulborb Larva
• Fiery Blowhog
• Wogpole
• Yellow Wollywog
• White Spectralids
• Yellow Spectralids
• Joustmite
• Female Sheargrub
• Mitite
• Burrowing Snagret

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  An Empress Bulblax rolling over some Pikmin. Bulborb Larvae can also be seen.

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  The Empress Bulblax under attack.

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  The Empress Bulblax seen from behind.

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  A Fiery Blowhog attacking Red Pikmin.

• Pikmin 4 Joustmites Buried.png

  Two Joustmites, buried.

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  Several Mitites, seen underground with the player character.

Unknown snavian-like enemy

An unknown snavian-like enemy resembling an infant Burrowing Snagret can be seen at one point in the February 2023 trailer. They hop around on their one leg, and look around and chirp when idling.

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  The creatures hopping around.

Unknown arachnorb-like enemy

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An unknown 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.

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  The creature stomping around.

Unknown Mockiwi-like enemy

An unknown 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 Hey! Pikmin known only as "Peromakky".

• Pikmin 4 Trumpet Bird Enemy.png

  The creature looking around.

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. 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 it's surroundings in an attempt to surprise nearby prey, again like the Creeping Chrysanthemum.

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  The enemy attacking "You".

Obstacles

Many obstacles and hazards can be seen in the trailers.

Returning obstacles

The following obstacles are known to return from previous games:

• Water
• Dirt wall
• Electric gate
• Bridge (seemingly made of 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.

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  Pikmin taking down a dirt wall.

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  The dirt wall breaking.

Unknown root obstacle

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.

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  The lump of dirt being pulled.

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  The lump of dirt, now destroyed after being pulled.

Unknown climbable wall obstacle

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, there are a series of cubes made of some unknown material, possibly dirt, placed on the wall in a grid pattern. 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 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. It should be noted only Red Pikmin are seen making the wall climbable.

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  A wall before being made climbable.

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  A wall's covering being broken by unknown means.

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  An unnamed leader and their Pikmin climbing up the wall.

Unknown dirt bridge

An unfinished dirt bridge can be seen at multiple points in the February 2023 trailer.

• Pikmin 4 dirt bridge.png

  The bridge made of dirt.

Unknown jar obstacle

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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.

Unknown wall obstacle

A wall obstacle made of a crystalline material can be seen at one point in the February 2023 trailer.

• Pikmin 4 Unknown Obstacle.png

  The unknown wall obstacle.

Plants and fungi

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The areas seen in trailer footage appear to be filled with a high density of plants, most of which are decorative. Various sizes of Pellet Posies and a Burgeoning Spiderwort are present. Other recognizable plants include:

•  Clover
•  Figwort (blue)
•  Horsetail
•  Dandelion
•  Common Glowcap
• Common ivy
• Fern
• Tulip
• Duckweed
• Yellow woodsorrel
• Morning-glory (2:00)
• Anemone blue poppy (box art)
• Giant butterbur
• Caladium bicolor
• Mock strawberry (1:04)
• Cranesbill (close-up in reveal trailer)
• Perennial sunflower (close-up in reveal trailer)
• False dandelion (key art)
• Crocus
• Lythrum (2:42)

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 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. confirms an option, and 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:

Body and head shape

• Icon: A body.
• Options:
  1. Small body, horizontally elliptical head.
  2. Normal body, triangle-shaped head.
  3. Tall body, pear-shaped head.
  4. Bulky body, rectangular head.

Face

• Icon: A face with noticeable eyes and mouth.
• Options:
  1. Eyes with a singular eyelash each, small elliptical nose, very rosy cheeks.
  2. Eyes with no sclera and a shine, small eyebrows above them, large elliptical nose, slightly rosy cheeks.
  3. Eyes with no sclera and only the top eyelid visible, small circular nose.
  4. Pupil-only eyes, glasses, rectangular nose, freckles.
  5. Frowning eyes, a few bottom eyelashes, small elliptical nose, slightly rosy cheeks.
  6. Eyes looking to the middle, rosy eyelids, small protruding nose.
  7. Eyes with no sclera and a long eyelash on the corner each, triangular nose, slightly rosy cheeks.
  8. Half-closed eyes with pink eyelids, teardrop nose, slightly rosy cheeks.
  9. Eyes with no sclera, small elliptical nose, slightly rosy cheeks.
  10. Star-shaped eyes with no sclera, elliptical nose, very rosy cheeks.

Hair style

• Icon: A head with the outline of hair.
• Options:
  1. Normal hairdo with a tuft of hair in front of the forehead.
  2. Hair up, swaying to the side.
  3. Bowl cut.
  4. Twin buns.
  5. Three tufts of hair spiking upward on the forehead.
  6. Long layer swaying to the side.

Unknown 1

• Icon: A head with the hair filled in.
• Options: Possibly the hair color.

Unknown 2

• Icon: A spacesuit without a helmet.
• Options: Possibly the color of the suit.

Unknown 3

• Icon: A pencil.
• Options: Possibly the naming of the captain.

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  Some possible combinations from the "Character Creator".

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  Even more possible combinations from the "Character Creator".

Others

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

• New content:
  • The main pod that items are retrieved to resembles a SPERO.
    • It has a white color with red and blue accents.
    • This pod has the ability to fly and warp through space.
    • It has some Koppaite text on it, reading (HTCU or HTOU).
    • This pod is where the unnamed main leader and Oatchi travel. They are expelled and sucked in by the beam below the pod.
  • There is a massive ship in the landing site.
    • It follows the color scheme of the pod.
    • It also has Koppaite text on it, reading (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.
  • After the end of the main February 2023 trailer footage, there is a teaser that takes place during the night.
    • In it, an otherwise regular Bulborb's eyes suddenly become glowing red.
    • Piles of colorful crystals resembling konpeitō can also be seen scattered around the area.
    • A small cone-shaped structure can be seen with a hole on its side.
  • Some cyan-colored pebbles can be found in piles. Two also come out of a destroyed dirt wall.
  • Some pink pebbles surround the Red Onion and the pod.
  • Other circles are present without an Onion or a pod. A ring of these pebbles also surrounds the pod's location in caves. As such, these appear to indicate landing sites.
  • Black tubes with cyan lids can be seen coming out from the ground. They emanate some light, and their purpose is unknown.
    • One can be seen with a red flag attached to it, similar to the flags that appear next to completed caves in Pikmin 2.
• 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 sound.
  • 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 Pikmin.
  • The camera rotates horizontally as the player moves left and right on the screen.

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  Intro cutscene with the ship pod.

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  The ship pod heading towards the planet.

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  The landing site.

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  Close-up of the ship.

• 

  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.

• 

  A regular Bulborb at night, before its eyes turn red. The crystals can be seen to its left.

• 

  The same Bulborb, but with its eyes now glowing red.

• 

  Close-up of the red-eyed Bulborb.

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

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 and a new trailer, which provided a lot of information regarding the game. The trailer comprises of several short gameplay snippets of a group of four new characters (including the unidentified leader in the screenshot released with the reveal trailer) exploring a large area. The trailer showcases some new and returning enemies and environmental obstacles, and seemingly the return of the cave mechanic from Pikmin 2. A new type of Pikmin was revealed, Ice Pikmin, demonstrating the ability to freeze enemies when eaten and a small body of water when enough are thrown into it. The trailer also reveals Oatchi, a dog-like creature shown assisting the group in a variety of ways, including finding others referred to as "castaways", breaking down certain obstacles, dragging a Bulborb corpse, and swimming a leader with a group of Pikmin across water. Collecting treasure also returns as a gameplay element, though the treasures' purpose in this game was not revealed. The trailer ends with a suspenseful nighttime scene of an idle Bulborb suddenly taking on glowing red eyes, with the music changing to take on a more desperate tone.

On June 6^th, 2023, a trailer was dropped on YouTube that revealed a bit more of the story and the addition of a character creator.

Gallery

• Pikmin 4 Logo.jpg

  Pikmin 4's logo.

• 

  Key art.

• 

  Japanese key art.

• 

  Vertical arrangement of the key art.

• 

  Square arrangement of the key art.

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
• Character creator trailer
  • Rise to the Occasion trailer (US)
  • The hero is you! trailer (UK)

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	-

Ice Pikmin

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	氷ピクミン? Kōri Pikumin	Ice Pikmin
Chinese (traditional)	冰凍皮克敏 Bīngdòng Píkèmǐn	Ice Pikmin
Dutch	IJs-Pikmin	Ice Pikmin
French	Pikmin glace	Ice Pikmin
German	Eis-Pikmin	Ice Pikmin
Italian	Pikmin gelato	Ice Pikmin
Korean	얼음피크민 Eol-eum Pikeumin	Ice Pikmin
Portuguese	Pikmin gelo	Ice Pikmin
Spanish	Pikmin gélido	Icy Pikmin

"You"

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	あなた? Anata	You
Chinese (traditional)	你 Nǐ	You
Dutch	Jij	You
French (NoE)	Vous	You
German	Du	You
Italian	Tu	You
Portuguese (NoE)	Você	You
Spanish (NoE)	Tú	You

Collin

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	コリー? Corī	Collie

Shepherd

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	シェパード? Shepādo	Shepherd

Oatchi

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	オッチン? Otchin
Chinese (traditional)	歐慶 Ōuqìng	From Japanese name.
Dutch	Otsjin	From Japanese name.
French	Otchin	From Japanese name.
German	Otschin	From Japanese name.
Italian	Occin	From Japanese name.
Korean	와치 Wachi
Portuguese	Otchin	From Japanese name.
Spanish	Ochin	From Japanese name.

Castaway

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	遭難者? Sōnan-sha	Castaway

Rescue Corps

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	レスキュー隊? Resukyū-tai	Rescue squad

See also

• Pikmin 3
• Hey! Pikmin

External links

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