Pikmin 4
North American game cover.
Japanese name	ピクミン 4?
Rating
Console	Nintendo Switch
Developer	Nintendo EPD Eighting
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 thePikmin series, released in 2023 for theNintendo Switch. The game sees thenewest recruit of theRescue Corps exploring the planetPNF-404, with the goal of rescuingCaptain Olimar, the rest of the Rescue Corps, and other civiliancastaways, while also collectingtreasures and completing other missions. Elements new to the series includenight expeditions, a companion character calledOatchi, and building structures along with purchasinggear withraw materials.

Plot[edit]

See also:Completion.

In the prologue,Captain Olimar, captain of theS.S. Dolphin, crash-lands on planetPNF-404. He discovers thePikmin, and also the space dogMoss, who help him to recover themissing parts of his ship. In a playable section of the prologue, he finds theInterstellar Radio, which allows him to send out anSOS signal, in the hope that people on other planets receive the signal and are able to help.

TheRescue Corps, an organization dedicated to rescuing people, receives the signal, but their ship, theS.S. Shepherd, also crashes, scattering the 7 members of the mission in different locations. As a result, their newest recruit, acustomizable player character, is sent in theS.S. Beagle to rescue the Rescue Corps, and doesn't crash. They find the space dogOatchi and the communications operatorCollin, then go into theBurrow of Beginnings to rescue the captainShepherd. After this, they find the Pikmin and repair the S.S. Shepherd by collecting 3 nearbytreasures, completing the first day on the planet.

After the first day, the rookie visits variousareas of the planet to collect treasures and findcastaways, finding that there are civilian castaways as well as members of the Rescue Corps. They also encounterleaflings, strange creatures with leaves on their heads who always talk aboutDandori, and who challenge the rookie withDandori Challenges. One particular leafling with red leaves challenges the rookie toDandori Battles. Collecting treasures gives the rookieSparklium, and collecting enough of it allows access to more areas. After rescuing the Rescue Corps doctorYonny, the rookie unlocksnight expeditions, where they can getglow 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 theHero'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 planetKoppai calledNelle is stranded on the planet. Upon landing in a new area, they seeLouie and Moss run away with another Koppaite,Yorke. After rescuing Yorke by defeating Louie in a Dandori Battle, and rescuingDon 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, theCavern for a King, where Louie can be found riding the finalboss, theAncient Sirehound. When defeated, the boss drops its collar, theGift 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 calleddays. Each day is 15 minutes long and allows the player to explore 1area. Within each area there are severalcaves, 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, therookie Rescue Officer andOatchi, and can use these characters to indirectly controlPikmin. The rookie and Oatchi have slightly different abilities. Both of them can have asquad of Pikmin, and canthrow andwhistle the Pikmin. The rookie also has the ability tocharge Pikmin and give them other commands (after a certain point), while Oatchi has the ability torush at objects andjump over small ledges (after a certain point). The rookie can also ride Oatchi, or have Oatchi in their squad. The Pikmin have the ability tocarry collectibles and tofight hostileenemies. Pikmin can be killed by enemies, and the rookie and Oatchi have ahealth 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 ofSparklium. To unlock additional areas, a certain amount of Sparklium must be collected.
• Rescues are alien characters, some of which are found ascastaways and some of which are found asleaflings. 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 asFlarlic 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 aPikmin 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 variousobstacles 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 theRescue 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 playermissions, which challenge the player to do a specific task, and upon completing the mission, they get a reward. These rewards are usuallyraw materials, which are a special collectible. Primarily found in areas and caves, raw materials can be used to buildclay structures, and can be used to buygear to upgrade the rookie's abilities. The rookie has atablet, 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 inCo-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 toChallenge Mode fromPikmin 2 andMission Mode fromPikmin 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 useGlow Pikmin to defend aLumiknoll 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 rescuingCaptain Olimar. In this mode, the player controls Olimar and the space dogMoss to collect the 30ship parts of theS.S. Dolphin within a 15-day limit, where each day is 11 minutes long. The mode is a reference toPikmin, and only the original 3 Pikmin types from that game appear.

Content[edit]

Pikmin[edit]

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

• Red Pikmin are the first type obtained and are resistant tofire and have a higher attack power.
• Yellow Pikmin are resistant toelectricity, can be thrown higher and dig faster than other pikmin.
• Blue Pikmin can survive inwater, which other types cannot.
• Ice Pikmin, one of the new types, are resistant toice, are able to freeze enemies and water bodies and can float through water zones.
• Rock Pikmin can breakcrystal 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 topoison 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 stuns any near enemy.

Areas[edit]

Pikmin 4 has 6 mainareas, plus a special tutorial and hub area, theRescue Command Post. Within each area, there are multiplecaves.

• Sun-Speckled Terrace: A small garden with scattered equipment.
• Blossoming Arcadia: A lush playground.
• Serene Shores: A beach with tidal pools and a large sandcastle.
• Hero's Hideaway: The interior of a house.
• Giant's Hearth: A campsite with a fire pit in the center.
• Primordial Thicket: A muddy autumnal forest.

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 aTreasure Catalog which lists all the treasures and has notes on them from multiple characters. Unlike inPikmin 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 aPiklopedia 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. Therookie Rescue Officer andOatchi 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 first released image of the game, shown in the September 2022 Nintendo Direct.

Pre-announcement[edit]

BeforePikmin 4's official announcement in 2022, various pieces of information about the game were shared byPikmin series creatorShigeru 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 withPikmin 4. It is possible that some of these statements were referring toHey! Pikmin.

The first of these mentions was on November 6^th, 2014, when Miyamoto was being interviewed on the recently-releasedPikmin 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 anotherPikmin game on theWii U.^[3] Not long after, Miyamoto also mentioned wanting to make morePikmin games in an interview with Smosh Games.^[4]

On September 7^th, 2015, Eurogamer unveiled that, in an exclusive interview, Miyamoto had confirmed the development ofPikmin 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 morePikmin andStar 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 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.”^[9]

A second Eurogamer interview with Miyamoto aboutPikmin 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 timePikmin 4 was mentioned before its official announcement.

Pre-release[edit]

Pikmin 4 was officially announced in a Nintendo Direct presentation on September 13^th, 2022.^[11] This announcement was in a section presented by Shigeru Miyamoto, which also promotedPikmin Bloom and theupcomingMario 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.^[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 revealedOatchi, showedtreasures to be the main collectible, and hinted at the return ofcaves fromPikmin 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 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 thePikmin 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 20^th, 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 21^st, 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, theGlow 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 thePikmin comic.

On June 26^th, 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 ofPikmin 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 ofPikmin andPikmin 2 to create a betterPikmin game. Initially they experimented with the idea of controlling aBulborb, 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 ofDandori was a major focus of development, with the game being designed to allow for different playstyles, and theRewind Time feature was added to make it easier to retry after making mistakes. They decided to incorporate theMission Mode and versus modes from previous games into the main story, in the form ofDandori Challenges andDandori Battles, to let the player clear these as they progress. Another change from previous games was bringing thecamera closer to the ground, to create a better sense of scale for the world.

Demo[edit]

On June 28^th, 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, theSun-Speckled Terrace. Once the player has accumulated × 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 theRescue 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 forPikmin 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 anOatchi-Rider outfit for their Mii inPikmin Bloom throughMy 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 theRush Boots inRuss's lab.^[23]

Post-release[edit]

A minorupdate to the game was released on September 27^th, 2023, which fixed some bugs and added aloading screen progress bar.

AtThe 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 fromPikmin,Pikmin 2, andPikmin 3.Olimar's Shipwreck Tale is a retelling of the story ofPikmin, though with many details changed. Events fromPikmin 2 andPikmin 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 with a transparent background.

• 

  North American box art with a transparent background.

• 

  Early North American box art.

• 

  Key art.

• 

  Japanese key art.

• 

  Vertical arrangement of the key art.

• 

  Square arrangement of the key art.

• 

  Full key art without text.

See more:Category:Pikmin 4 images.

Videos[edit]

• 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[edit]

• Pikmin 4 is the first main-seriesPikmin game to be available in Brazilian Portuguese, and Dutch.
• Pikmin 4 uses theUnreal Engine.^[14][15]
• The gap between the releases ofPikmin 3 andPikmin 4 was 10 years, the longest gap between release dates of any consecutive main-seriesPikmin games.

Names in other languages[edit]

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	-

See also[edit]

• Pikmin 3
• Hey! Pikmin

External links[edit]

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

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

• Pikmin 4
• Games
• Main series

• Articles in need of sources