Potential semi-spoilers below btw
So Pikmin 4. Another decade waiting for the newest Pikmin sequel on the block. Was it worth the wait? In many ways, absolutely! However, it unfortunately comes with some jarring gameplay choices that really hinder the experience... depending on the type of player you are.
I will preface this with the fact that I am a HUGE Pikmin 1 and 3 fan. 2 was pretty good, but I didn't like the changes they made to the game (too many caves, random difficulty spikes, absurdly overpowered purple stuff). When 3 was the newest sequel, I felt that was the direction they would take for the future of the series. Pikmin 4 completely flips that expectation.
Pikmin 4 is a wonderful sequel to Pikmin 2. It comes with packed with enemies, caves, themes, mechanics, and more that fill you with that nostalgic Pikmin 2 that hooked you. The caves are fun, atmospheric, and sometimes pretty satisfying to do! The enemy variants that came with 2 were also a great welcome back to the series since they came with a more.. spicy difficulty. When Pikmin 4 clicks, it goes hard. It has a very satisfying gameplay loop that will keep you from putting the controller down, with surprises lurking around every corner to keep you motivated. The fun treasures, the new collectables (onions, flarlics, etc), and returning enemies will have you shocked for a moment before you return to the game, thinking 'they brought that back?!' It's pretty cool... but that's how I mostly can think of Pikmin 4 in it's current state. It's pretty cool, but comes with many flaws.
The story
Holy SHIT dog it is so lackluster. The NPC dialogue is a chore to read through, with Nintendo tainting another franchise with it's quirky, friendly humor. I get that I'm not the target demographic now... but I was when Pikmin 1 and 2 came out! Even 3! The dialogue of those games were so different; charming, atmospheric, moody, and a few funny moments here and there. I can go back to the old games writing so easily, and so can many others of the series that are just hopping into it through the Switch versions of Pikmin 1 and 2. At least the Piklopedia/Treasure entries are solid... as long as you read the ones from the returning captains. Anyways, the story is yet another rehash of Pikmin 1's ship crash (I get it), and the reason to collect after you land... is so basic. Collect stuff to expand your range to go to other places and yada yada yada. Pikmin 1 started it all so that gets a pass (and passes with flying colors). Pikmin 2 revisits the land to pay off a debt (funny, and honestly very unique). Pikmin 3 crashes and has to collect fruit to stay alive, while finding the captains that scattered from the crash. Pikmin 4... just crashes and has you get stuff to fix your ship/rescue castaways. No debt to fix up, no day limit ala fruits or Pikmin 1, just crash, land, collect, leave. Super bland and lazy, but sure, it's a Nintendo game, it doesn't have to try.
The ATMOSPHERE
It's okay. They nailed the grassy/sandy/fall areas, and the caves are all what you would expect. So they nailed... the very basics. Their biggest success was the house environment, which was my favorite to explore! But that was the only treat to me. Feels like they got the New Super Mario Bros team on this game's atmosphere. Incredibly normal and predictable environments, with one to shake it up a little cause they're Nintendo! They're so quirky!!!! no man bring back my snowy areas and beaches, and try something else out like a swamp! They tried with mud, but all it looked like was a forest with some mud scattered around here and there. A swamp would fit soooo well! Maybe some rocky mountains??? They just... played it so safe. Also, the music took a huge dip in quality, and followed the more atmospheric approach the other Switch first party titles followed (Zelda, Mario, Pokemon). It got a bit better with Olimar's side story, but still felt goofy rather than charming and memorable compared to Pikmin 1/2/3. Title theme is god-like though.
The graphics
I expected a bit more. I look at Pikmin 3 in comparison, and I kinda prefer how 3 looked. It had a more realistic, glossy finish to the game. Pikmin 4 still looks great, but if you put the fruits of Pikmin 3 next to the fruits of Pikmin 4, there is a clear difference. The environments look good, but I just expected a bigger leap for the series. Pikmin 3 is 10 years younger than Pikmin 4.
The gameplay
Here we go. I'm a sweaty Pikmin player. I love 3's mission mode, and 1's time limit. I hate how easy 2 was due to the Purple Pikmin and spray, and how you just have to run around caves to avoid the dumb, artificial difficulty added by random bombs and enemies dropping from the sky. 1's gameplay is peak, but is dated by now. So if they just re-did 3, I'd be okay with that.
They took a wild approach and introduced auto lock-on. An assist to gameplay that you CANNOT turn off. You walk next to anything, it will AUTOMATICALLY lock-on to it, and make it hell to choose to fight anything because the game decided to lock-on to. But that doesn't really matter in fights because the enemies are all braindead easy anyways. Everything gets 1-shot by Oatchi's charge, the captain's charge, just freezing them or spamming items. Traditional Pikmin gameplay (think 1 and 3) is so difficult to find in the game because it keeps feeding you new options, while nudging you there every waking moment (due to auto-lock). Even so, why risk any Pikmin loss with normal Pikmin gameplay, when you can just ram with Oatchi? I feel like I'm just not playing Pikmin. I'm walking and dodging enemies and just mashing A. I'm not aiming at them, it does that automatically, locks-on, and I'm just mashing A and the occasional charge. They chose a different style of play for the game, and it certainly worked, but it didn't for me. I'm sure plenty of others will not bat an eye, especially new players, but it really hampers my experience with the game. I want to feel like I'm aiming at them - that's Pikmin to me!
I played Pikmin 1 and 3 right after 100%ing 4 (Platinum ranking everything as well, finishing all quests, getting all items, etc) and it felt so much better. Natural gameplay, with some skill in aiming and movement at the same time, and not having auto-win buttons like Oatchi's charge, or bombs in my bag. THAT'S Pikmin gameplay. I tried my best to enjoy 4's, but I just do not. Still enjoyed the game enough to 100% it though. Huge Pikmin fan lol
Other Random Stuff
I liked Pikmin 4. It had some great ideas. Ice Pikmin are very fun to use, and the freezing gimmick is honestly incredible. Just wish it was used more.
The night gameplay was pretty lackluster. It was just a glorified tower defense... but all the enemies just lose to the same combat loop of charging and auto lock-on. It's just a constant combat loop, but the enemies are all the same but with a different model and MAYBE a gimmick coupled to them. That's how I view all the enemies in the game though lol
SPEAKING OF ENEMIES - great returns from Pikmin 2, and some cool new ones, but they all just die too easily. Bosses shouldn't be able to die in less than a second lmao. The final boss is pretty okay, a little too much waiting for me personally, but I wish they had a few more BIG bosses like Pikmin 3. The Pikmin 2 bias is just way too strong here.
Jumping and platforming in a Pikmin game is god-like. We needed more of that.
Oatchi should not be able to hold all the Pikmin on him either... takes away an aspect of Pikmin where you feel like a leader and are protecting/leading your pack. There is no reason to play as the captain aside from his climb gimmick & charge, which isn't common.
The dandori missions (not the combat ones) were pretty great. Thank you Pikmin 3 mission mode.
In the end, mods can save this game from a 3 star to a 4 star to me. Remove Auto Lock-on, nerf Oatchi, and change up how the item inventory works. A rework of the game's story/writing and music can move the game from a 4 star to a 5 star for me. As it stands, I think it's a solid 3 stars.
So Pikmin 4. Another decade waiting for the newest Pikmin sequel on the block. Was it worth the wait? In many ways, absolutely! However, it unfortunately comes with some jarring gameplay choices that really hinder the experience... depending on the type of player you are.
I will preface this with the fact that I am a HUGE Pikmin 1 and 3 fan. 2 was pretty good, but I didn't like the changes they made to the game (too many caves, random difficulty spikes, absurdly overpowered purple stuff). When 3 was the newest sequel, I felt that was the direction they would take for the future of the series. Pikmin 4 completely flips that expectation.
Pikmin 4 is a wonderful sequel to Pikmin 2. It comes with packed with enemies, caves, themes, mechanics, and more that fill you with that nostalgic Pikmin 2 that hooked you. The caves are fun, atmospheric, and sometimes pretty satisfying to do! The enemy variants that came with 2 were also a great welcome back to the series since they came with a more.. spicy difficulty. When Pikmin 4 clicks, it goes hard. It has a very satisfying gameplay loop that will keep you from putting the controller down, with surprises lurking around every corner to keep you motivated. The fun treasures, the new collectables (onions, flarlics, etc), and returning enemies will have you shocked for a moment before you return to the game, thinking 'they brought that back?!' It's pretty cool... but that's how I mostly can think of Pikmin 4 in it's current state. It's pretty cool, but comes with many flaws.
The story
Holy SHIT dog it is so lackluster. The NPC dialogue is a chore to read through, with Nintendo tainting another franchise with it's quirky, friendly humor. I get that I'm not the target demographic now... but I was when Pikmin 1 and 2 came out! Even 3! The dialogue of those games were so different; charming, atmospheric, moody, and a few funny moments here and there. I can go back to the old games writing so easily, and so can many others of the series that are just hopping into it through the Switch versions of Pikmin 1 and 2. At least the Piklopedia/Treasure entries are solid... as long as you read the ones from the returning captains. Anyways, the story is yet another rehash of Pikmin 1's ship crash (I get it), and the reason to collect after you land... is so basic. Collect stuff to expand your range to go to other places and yada yada yada. Pikmin 1 started it all so that gets a pass (and passes with flying colors). Pikmin 2 revisits the land to pay off a debt (funny, and honestly very unique). Pikmin 3 crashes and has to collect fruit to stay alive, while finding the captains that scattered from the crash. Pikmin 4... just crashes and has you get stuff to fix your ship/rescue castaways. No debt to fix up, no day limit ala fruits or Pikmin 1, just crash, land, collect, leave. Super bland and lazy, but sure, it's a Nintendo game, it doesn't have to try.
The ATMOSPHERE
It's okay. They nailed the grassy/sandy/fall areas, and the caves are all what you would expect. So they nailed... the very basics. Their biggest success was the house environment, which was my favorite to explore! But that was the only treat to me. Feels like they got the New Super Mario Bros team on this game's atmosphere. Incredibly normal and predictable environments, with one to shake it up a little cause they're Nintendo! They're so quirky!!!! no man bring back my snowy areas and beaches, and try something else out like a swamp! They tried with mud, but all it looked like was a forest with some mud scattered around here and there. A swamp would fit soooo well! Maybe some rocky mountains??? They just... played it so safe. Also, the music took a huge dip in quality, and followed the more atmospheric approach the other Switch first party titles followed (Zelda, Mario, Pokemon). It got a bit better with Olimar's side story, but still felt goofy rather than charming and memorable compared to Pikmin 1/2/3. Title theme is god-like though.
The graphics
I expected a bit more. I look at Pikmin 3 in comparison, and I kinda prefer how 3 looked. It had a more realistic, glossy finish to the game. Pikmin 4 still looks great, but if you put the fruits of Pikmin 3 next to the fruits of Pikmin 4, there is a clear difference. The environments look good, but I just expected a bigger leap for the series. Pikmin 3 is 10 years younger than Pikmin 4.
The gameplay
Here we go. I'm a sweaty Pikmin player. I love 3's mission mode, and 1's time limit. I hate how easy 2 was due to the Purple Pikmin and spray, and how you just have to run around caves to avoid the dumb, artificial difficulty added by random bombs and enemies dropping from the sky. 1's gameplay is peak, but is dated by now. So if they just re-did 3, I'd be okay with that.
They took a wild approach and introduced auto lock-on. An assist to gameplay that you CANNOT turn off. You walk next to anything, it will AUTOMATICALLY lock-on to it, and make it hell to choose to fight anything because the game decided to lock-on to. But that doesn't really matter in fights because the enemies are all braindead easy anyways. Everything gets 1-shot by Oatchi's charge, the captain's charge, just freezing them or spamming items. Traditional Pikmin gameplay (think 1 and 3) is so difficult to find in the game because it keeps feeding you new options, while nudging you there every waking moment (due to auto-lock). Even so, why risk any Pikmin loss with normal Pikmin gameplay, when you can just ram with Oatchi? I feel like I'm just not playing Pikmin. I'm walking and dodging enemies and just mashing A. I'm not aiming at them, it does that automatically, locks-on, and I'm just mashing A and the occasional charge. They chose a different style of play for the game, and it certainly worked, but it didn't for me. I'm sure plenty of others will not bat an eye, especially new players, but it really hampers my experience with the game. I want to feel like I'm aiming at them - that's Pikmin to me!
I played Pikmin 1 and 3 right after 100%ing 4 (Platinum ranking everything as well, finishing all quests, getting all items, etc) and it felt so much better. Natural gameplay, with some skill in aiming and movement at the same time, and not having auto-win buttons like Oatchi's charge, or bombs in my bag. THAT'S Pikmin gameplay. I tried my best to enjoy 4's, but I just do not. Still enjoyed the game enough to 100% it though. Huge Pikmin fan lol
Other Random Stuff
I liked Pikmin 4. It had some great ideas. Ice Pikmin are very fun to use, and the freezing gimmick is honestly incredible. Just wish it was used more.
The night gameplay was pretty lackluster. It was just a glorified tower defense... but all the enemies just lose to the same combat loop of charging and auto lock-on. It's just a constant combat loop, but the enemies are all the same but with a different model and MAYBE a gimmick coupled to them. That's how I view all the enemies in the game though lol
SPEAKING OF ENEMIES - great returns from Pikmin 2, and some cool new ones, but they all just die too easily. Bosses shouldn't be able to die in less than a second lmao. The final boss is pretty okay, a little too much waiting for me personally, but I wish they had a few more BIG bosses like Pikmin 3. The Pikmin 2 bias is just way too strong here.
Jumping and platforming in a Pikmin game is god-like. We needed more of that.
Oatchi should not be able to hold all the Pikmin on him either... takes away an aspect of Pikmin where you feel like a leader and are protecting/leading your pack. There is no reason to play as the captain aside from his climb gimmick & charge, which isn't common.
The dandori missions (not the combat ones) were pretty great. Thank you Pikmin 3 mission mode.
In the end, mods can save this game from a 3 star to a 4 star to me. Remove Auto Lock-on, nerf Oatchi, and change up how the item inventory works. A rework of the game's story/writing and music can move the game from a 4 star to a 5 star for me. As it stands, I think it's a solid 3 stars.