Dandori Challenge
Dandori Challenges are special caves in Pikmin 4. While accessed from the areas in Story Mode, they function more like an alternative game mode, similar to the Challenge Mode from Pikmin 2 and Mission Mode from Pikmin 3. These challenges are directed by leaflings, and completing a Dandori Challenge allows the player to rescue that very same leafling castaway. Pikmin from outside the challenge cannot be taken inside, and the player will instead receive some Pikmin from the leafling directing the challenge. Once completed, a challenge cave is closed so that the leafling does not enter again, but the challenge can be replayed from the Rescue Command Post once Jin is saved.
Unlike Dandori Battles, completing Dandori Challenges is not required to progress the game's main story.
Gameplay
Dandori Challenges are treasure-collecting missions, where the player is given a time limit to find and collect all the Sparklium around a special sublevel. Sparklium can be collected by carrying treasures to the S.S. Beagle and enemies to the Onion. As described by the challenge-giver, the treasures are fake, and the Sparklium obtained is not kept after the challenge. Likewise, the Pikmin given to the player inside the challenge belong to that person and cannot be taken out. The player can earn medals based on their performance. Only a bronze is required to complete the challenge and bring back the leafling, which usually involves collecting only a handful of the treasures and enemies, but silver, gold, and platinum medals can also be earned, the latter being obtained by collecting everything. In addition, the player may also earn raw materials. Because the goal is to collect treasures and enemy carcasses, the stage ends when there is nothing left to collect. If Ice Pikmin were used to kill a frozen enemy, no corpse will be left, meaning the player loses out on some points. The point requirement for a platinum medal matches that of delivering everything to the S.S. Beagle, so while this can make the player miss a platinum medal at first, it is still possible to make up the difference with the time bonus when the stage ends. Each stage is ranked with a "Dandori Level" of 1 to 5, indicating the level of difficulty.
Throughout the challenge, the leafling in charge will stand in one spot in the sublevel and watch the player as they work. While they are reachable, they cannot be interacted with. If the challenge is passed, the leafling will be overwhelmed by the player's dandori skill, get dizzy from all the work, and faint shortly after giving the player raw materials, allowing it to be rescued.
List of stages
- Dandori Day Care
- Hotshock Canyon
- Rockaway Cellars
- Test Tubs
- Ice-Cross Course
- Hefty Haulaway
- Aerial Incinerator
- Strategic Freezeway
- Planning Pools
- Toggle Training
- Cliff-Hanger's Hold
- Oasis of Order
Additionally, there is a special Dandori Challenge cave called the Trial of the Sage Leaf, which functions differently and is listed separately in-game.
Locations
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There are 1-3 Dandori Challenge caves per area, but since players can play each stage sequentially, none of them (other than the Trail of the Sage Leaf) have a specific location to enter from. Below is a list of every Dandori Challenge cave entrance available and how to access them.
- Sun-Speckled Terrace
- Near the 3rd base, Meandering Slope, a cave is surrounded by a pool of water. 30 Ice Pikmin are needed to freeze the water surrounding it, and Oatchi must jump onto the high ledge.
- Blossoming Arcadia
- Serene Shores
- Hero's Hideaway
- Giant's Hearth
- Primordial Thicket
Get help
If the player fails to earn a bronze medal on a challenge, Dingo will offer to complete the challenge for them if he has already been rescued beforehand. If the player selects "Get Help" from the following menu, he will proceed to do so (shown with a blank screen, text boxes, and random sound effects), and the victory cutscene will play like normal as if the player had completed it themselves.
Overtime
When replaying a stage through the Rescue Command Post, the player can choose to work overtime to complete the challenge past the time limit if they failed to earn a platinum medal by collecting everything. The cost of doing so is that these results do not get reflected in the game's records. This is similar to the after hours feature in Pikmin 3 Deluxe.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese |
ダンドリチャレンジ? Dandori Charenji |
Dandori Challenge |
 French (NoA) |
Défi Dandori | Dandori challenge |
 German |
Dandori-Herausforderung | Dandori challenge |
 Portuguese |
Desafio Dandori | Dandori challenge |
 Spanish (NoA) |
Desafío Dandori | Dandori challenge |