Two things strike me as kind of unbelievable about this game. The first is that this was somehow made on the same console as the original Super Mario Bros, a game which feels incredibly creaky and antiquated nowadays, whilst Super Mario Bros 3 both still controls well now and isn't that far off aesthetically from a product I'd be fine with seeing released nowadays.

The second is how, despite countless games since SMB3 imitating it and reusing its ideas, even now you can still feel this game just oozing imagination. There are close to no moments spent in the game that aren't either introducing a new idea or developing a previous one in an interesting way, and whilst not all of those ideas are necessarily good even the duds are largely excusable because you'll be only moments away from something far better.

Snoot Game is a very interesting cultural phenomenon. A meme game parody made by 4chan that outshines its source material, not just because it's funny and competently made, but also it also has a surprisingly heartfelt story and message. The writing is competent, its character art is okay to good, the characters are engaging, the music is surprisingly good, and it can be pretty funny. It kind of sucks you in. But what truly sets Snoot Game apart is its ability to go into profound themes that comment on attitudes of the modern era in a unique way.

This is the type of delicate story only an independent work could tell. Mainstream media sure as hell wouldn't tackle controversial and nuanced takes on modern issues like Snoot Game does. At its heart is Fang, a character who grapples with her identity. She believes herself to be non-binary. In Goodbye Volcano High, that's it. That's her purpose. Fang = non-binary, that's why she exists as a character. But in Snoot Game, Fang believes herself to be non-binary, only to realize it was a temporary phase in her journey of self-discovery.

Importantly, Snoot Game doesn't cast judgment on transgender people as a group, a fashion, or an ideology. It treats Fang as one person who represents herself, an individual. But her story with Anon does questions the rigid and dogmatic attitudes that surround discussions on gender. Fang's narrative reflects the real-life experiences of many young people who experiment with various labels in their youth, transgender or otherwise, only to later shed them as they deepen their understanding of themselves. Exploration of gender identity is, in a sense, a form of fashion. It's something a person can adopt and discard as their understanding of themselves evolves. That isn't to say it isn't real. Your fashions and labels you choose to adopt may end up being some deeply profound part of you that you'll want to carry with you for a long time. But most young people who struggle with gender identity come out of it believing they're not trans or non-binary after all. It would be very unwise to cast aside and ignore the growing trend of people using gender identity as fashion, and the growing number of detransitioners. There's something to learn from them, and their stories are worth telling.

But all that isn't even the real point of Snoot Game. Anon doesn't think poorly of Fang for her non-binary self-identity at all, only insulting her over it very briefly after meeting and she makes a scene over him misgendering her, and in the second-worst ending of the game, where Anon and Fang both failed to change and grow as people.

The real message in Snoot Game is clear: Our identities are complex and multifaceted, and they extend far beyond the confines of labels we may adopt. What truly defines us are our attitudes and actions, which evolve as we muddle through the intricacies of our lives and the world and people all around us. Snoot Game encourages us to embrace the fluidity of our identities and to not worry too much about limiting labels that may or may not authentically represent our inner selves.

Anon, our focal character, presents a different kind of message, though a harmonious one. He's the typical modern-day misanthrope. An outcast, a loser, a guy that shitposts and trolls online. Anon is a very flawed character to start with, and he has a lot to learn. But isn't it usually the outcast who challenges conventional notions of respect, friendship, and human connection? Anon's perspective on gender identity stands in stark contrast to Fang's. He doesn't believe in the whole transgender thing, he barely even understands it and he sees Fang for her innate femininity, barely recognizing her non-binary persona. And they don't really challenge each other on this outside of Fang calling him a bigot a few times, so they don't really try to change each other's minds on the issue. So how can he form a bond with her? His outlook clashes with the prevailing attitudes that total ideological alignment is a prerequisite for closeness. As if that's the benchmark for love and respect. Give it any thought and you'd come to the conclusion that it isn't. Snoot Game rejects that idea outright. Just because someone believes in the same gender stuff as you doesn't mean they're going to treat you right. Just because someone doesn't believe in the gender stuff you do doesn't mean they're going to treat you wrong.

Anon may not share Fang's beliefs, but his actions speak volumes about his respect for her as a person. He goes out of his way to bring happiness into her life, enjoying her company, trying to make her smile, taking joy in her successes, comforting her when she's low or vulnerable, and actively supporting her deepest dreams and aspirations. Anon's genuine desire to be there for Fang shows a deeper connection that transcends labels, fashions, ideologies, or whatever else. It's important to recognize that Anon is never trying to fix Fang. He's not going on Ben Shapiro type rants about how her identity is invalid or something like that. He's supporting her as she figures herself out.

The dynamic between Fang and Anon underscores the game's idea that true love and respect grows out of actions and attitudes, not fashions or ideologies. If you're willing to reach out, show kindness, and care. Anon sees nothing but beauty in Fang's heart and soul and it draws him out of his shell. He's ready and willing to nurture Fang's spirit and provide companionship and comfort for her, and by accepting that he can love someone, through all the trials that puts him through, he becomes a better man for it. That's why she ends up falling in love with him in return. And what's more important than love? I don't think anything is. Human beings are far, far more than their gender identities, and love is far more encompassing than agreement on fashions or ideologies. Deep, sincere love can exist between people who hold differing beliefs and world views, and Snoot Game seems to highlight that. Just because someone is very different from you, doesn't mean you can't become close. It's all about how they treat you. Really treat you.

Snoot Game, at its core, is a journey of self-discovery, winding and complex through Anon and Fang's evolution. Yet they also shows that human bonds transcend labels when they're rooted in care and goodwill. Their arcs represent the dialects of coming together in harmony. Our identities and beliefs constantly shift as we grow. Change is the only constant. Yet love persists throughout those transformations when you focused on nurturing the spirits of the people you care about, not controlling anyone's mind.

One more key theme of Fang and Anon's dynamic is in mutual understanding emerging by embracing each person's quirks and complexity, not demanding conformity. Shared hopes, vulnerability, and support resonate deeper than sharing ideologies. In a fractured world, Snoot Game has hope that common humanity can overcome division when we open our hearts, whether you're old-fashioned or new-fashioned, we should be able to respect each other and come together. Perspectives differ, but kindness is a universal language. The game's ultimate message seems to be that life's richness blooms through supporting others' growth, not judging differences. Our shared longing for purpose binds us. And most importantly of all, Fang's snoot is very boopable.

I’m not sure if it’s nostalgia bias but I miss the sense of isolation and time-pressure to get tasks done. Granted a lot of this changed with 2 and 3, but 2 at least had brutal caves and 3’s characters were far less in number and way less chatty. The opening hours of 4 were off putting with how many tutorials there were and how little freedom Nintendo wants to give the player. Weird decisions like limiting how many types of Pikmin you can have at one time or how I hit the first credits roll and still wasn’t able to bring 100 Pikmin soured me.

There’s still plenty to like here though. The core gameplay of Pikmin is great and the addition of Oatchi and the tower defence-like night missions were fun. The new camera system also showed off how nice this game looks, easily one of the best looking Switch games. Good sound design as well, the environmental ambience was fantastic. I mentioned earlier that the caves in 2 were brutal as a positive but I actually prefer their implementation here. They feel like little dungeons that are fun to navigate and provide a decent challenge.

Good game that I’m sure newcomers will enjoy and I’m not upset with what we got, but it is another modern Nintendo entry in a franchise I love that I’m not convinced is heading in the right direction for my tastes.

Thanks Nintendo for implementing two separate auto lock features that you can't disable. Very smart and educated
addition to your already boring game that abandoned all charm in favor of shameless marketability and toy creation.

I understand that Pikmin is a quirky game with unique characters, but half of the game is useless tutorial / reminders and the other half is constant banter between the new, unforgettable cast that isn’t even entertaining in the slightest. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Koppaites from Pikmin 3 for this exact reason, but atleast they knew when to shut the fuck up and let the game do the talking. Beyond that, I had such high hopes for the night levels. I love tower defense games! Granted I haven’t played a lot of them, but from the ones I have played, I loved the concept! This is the most barebones, mundane shit fest that anyone could have asked for. I dreaded doing these expeditions because they were so lacking in difficulty and depth. Thankfully, the challenge caves or whatever they were called, the things akin to the mission mode in Pikmin 3, those were fun and probably the only good part of this laughable game. I loved micro managing and stressing myself out to the point of my veins bursting while making sure every single Pikmin was doing what it was supposed to be doing without wasting a second. The bingo battle look-alike Dandori was also fun to play, though my mom pointed out how the lock on system was archaic and strange. After a few rounds, she asked if we could go back to playing Pikmin 3’s bingo battle instead. Usually she doesn’t discriminate against game complexity or design, I just found this to be telling. It also doesn’t help that you can only choose 3 types of Pikmin to be out with you at any given time, and while it arguably makes the game less “grindy”, it’s because the game is designed around this mundane decision making each level require 3 different types of Pikmin at any given time (not including caves). Speaking of the Pikmin themselves, I don’t know how I feel about progressively gaining the ability to access a bigger number of Pikmin.

On the topic of charm, or rather the lack thereof, the almost corporate UI that they added to this entry has lost any and all resemblance of the unique bubble-like aesthetic that the previous games were known to have. I know it sounds like an extreme nitpick that losers would have, and it is, but from someone who has loved Pikmin for years and has awaited the 4th entry for a long time, it’s very sad to see them go down the route of uninspired graphic design. Beyond that, the levels levels are uninspired for the most part. I get that it’s a flawed argument because Pikmin has always tried to have a realistic art style, but since the first two games were on the GameCube they weren’t able to reach that sense of reality and unintentionally developed a unique graphic style that feels very lonely and… i hate using this word… liminal.. and thanks to that a lot of the assets and places in those first two games feel much more enigmatic and inspired rather than the realistic jargon they finally achieved, but that beach is just a fucking beach. That forest is just a forest. I can’t even remember the names of these locations. Another big factor is that Pikmin, for me atleast, is supposed to be set on a post nuclear war, apocalyptic earth where you never know what you’re going to see next. Of course I highly doubt that’s ever been the intention, but it’s been my interpretation and without that facade the game loses a lot of what made the series special to me.

Something I’ve noticed while journaling my thoughts about this game is that this is Nintendo’s attempt at making Pikmin much more widely accessible, even though it already was with Pikmin 3. Writing this also made me remember why I hate modern gaming. We’re achieving accessibility, but at what cost? Make some of this shit optional. Now that I’ve deconstructed my thoughts regarding my favorite children’s game, I’m going to play some real shit such as Call of Duty or Fortnite.

It's good, I guess? The qualities of a great game are there but are brought down by things like ice pikmin that make sure the game is a boring cakewalk. Then, the dungeons aren't randomly generated this time around, yet most of them aren't memorable at all, making you wonder what the point was of all that effort.
Lastly, my biggest complaint is that the bosses are sadly the worst new additions to the franchise. Most aren't memorable or hard at all. This is especially dissapointing to me since the bosses are my favorite parts of pikmin.
On a more positive note, the graphics are stunning, Oatchi is awesome and if you do like what's there than there is a lot for you to do.

note: was originally intending this as a flapjack, but I couldn't stop writing lol. didn't finish true ending and got lazy so I sorta put off writing this for a while. a little sloppy but I figured something this long should get posted as a full review.

once I finished the sage leaf dandori challenges + the olimar mode I sorta got what I wanted out of the experience. playing mario wonder a bit recently I noticed that that game has the good grace to offer some of its """hardcore""" content out of the gate as you explore; why didn't they do that shit in pikmin 4? could've tolerated the slow difficulty curve better in a tighter linear structure a la pikmin 3, but the shift back towards the pikmin 2-style cave progression prolongs the wait for the fun stuff. shocked by how rarely the caves incorporate room layouts that get more complex than the humble nuzzle; could've fooled me into thinking they had returned to randomized layouts as well given the plain feeling of many of these. overworld gameplay is fine but never evolves beyond idle busy-body gameplay, the dandori battles descend into chaos with their randomly spawning items and point bonuses, and the night missions strip out the normal routing focus in favor of clicker combat.

the challenges is where the designers flex their mental muscles quite a bit more. across the board rather fun to get perfect scores on (even the first few!); my pick for favorite of the non-sage leaf bunch is definitely the blue/ice one about halfway through where you trade off between gathering items in various underwater pools with freezing said pools to make walkways and shortcuts to other items. the new flaming pinecone idea is also a great twist on the old bombs, where the old limited-use mechanic is traded for reigniting the pinecone at little firepits strewn throughout a level. fits better with the new focus on short-term routing vs the long-term resource management of pikmin 1. the olimar mode scratches the latter itch by form-fitting the first four areas into a truncated version of the original and its limited day system. it reinterprets the overworld area from the campaign as actual routeable levels with limited resources (specifically with no shop), and for the couple hours it lasts I felt much more invigorated about thinking through my decisions.

dunno how I feel about oatchi. new swiss army knife tool that sorta turns off the game even without the many power-ups you can purchase for him. only works well in multitasking settings (as seen in the challenges) where choosing where to allocate him is more of a driving issue. he not only can deal with virtually every obstacle but also serves as a pikmin leader, although I found the method of dividing up the pikmin army between your avatar and oatchi to be more cumbersome than the buttery-smooth leader switching of pikmin 3. given that the caves follow pikmin 2's pattern of being best suited to tackling in a large ball rolling through each room one-by-one, I rarely ever felt the need to dismount oatchi. perhaps if his contextual actions were better geared for multitasking, I might have found it more useful; for example, if I send oatchi and a group of pikmin to knock down a dirt wall and then I go off to micromanage somewhere else, it would be preferable if oatchi would stay with the pikmin at the gate so I can switch over once their task is done rather than him immediately running back while the pikmin sit around dumbfounded. I got more comfortable with it in the sage leaf challenges where I was actually forced to play around oatchi, especially in the first few when I was still stubbornly refusing to upgrade oatchi past bare necessities. my positive takeaway is that they made this interesting asymmetric relationship with oatchi where he's the primary locus of your strategizing thanks to his wealth of abilities. on the other hand, in the context of the main campaign it ends up being more of a bulldozer that makes structured routing pointless in favor of just mindlessly throwing oatchi at everything.

combat in general has sorta been given up on. the biggest culprit is having not one but multiple types of pikmin that just turn off combat, with the infamous purples being supplemented by rocks and ice. ice in particular feels like a miss when it comes to explicitly establishing a trade-off: freezing an enemy and then shattering them is very safe but gives you nectar for leveling pikmin instead of a corpse you can trade for pikmin sprouts. would maybe work in a game that didn't freely give you extra and easy pikmin sprouts en masse, but here I was leaving corpses behind left and right out of laziness, so cheesing enemies with ice was almost always the best solution early game (even for bosses!). that plus the new lock-on (which has the dubious honor of both being brainless and annoyingly inaccurate and restrictive) plus oatchi plus charge... they just don't really know what to do with the combat system. which like, totally fine, but then you've gotta play up the routing, and I s2g 70% of this game just doesn't have that at all. at least the bosses are pretty quick?

I think what really killed it for me was the progression, where you're looking for your ship's pilot and you're just looking around the various areas trying to figure out where he is. felt like it was in-game weeks before I finally found him and could wrap up the main story. would've loved to skip a lot of the random-ass caves I did so I would've still felt fresh on the game for the endgame content, but unfortunately I kept getting stuck on optional shit. bet there was signposting I breezed past on accident so I'm not willing to completely blame that on the game. weirdly scattershot and unfocused. discussed more here.