Nintendo’s friendly real-time strategy game series Pikmin has more depth and more breadth in next month’s highly anticipated sequel, Picmin 4. New types of Pikmin, including Ice Pikmin that can freeze enemies and water, and Glow Pikmin, which can be used in all-new nighttime battles, join another great addition: the space dog Oatchi.
And for Pikmin players who shudder at the death of Pikmin en masse, either from drowning or from the jaws of a Bulborb, Picmin 4 lets you undo unnecessary deaths – or at least the most painful ones.
Based on an hour spent with Picmin 4 at a recent Nintendo hands-on event in New York, the core of Pikmin hasn’t changed much. You are still a small alien explorer who harvests the plant-like Pikmin of different colors and abilities during a rescue mission. You can still collect treasures, such as toy binoculars or a Game Boy Advance, by throwing teams of Pikmin at precious items and obstacles that get in your way. However, the mission is different this time; you are not Olimar, the original smol spaceman who featured in the first two Pikmin games. Instead, you are a new recruit, a character of your own design tasked with rescuing the rescue team who failed to rescue Olimar.
This challenging mission is made less daunting by some Picmin 4streamlines. Targeting enemies is easier. You can move your Onion – the base that acts as a Pikmin storage unit – around levels to reduce walking back. You can also rewind time if you want to try a particular challenge again (or if too many of your Pikmin have died). In general, there’s less pressure to complete your expeditions within the time constraints of previous Pikmin games.
Acting as the tank/armour transport to the Pikmins’ infantry, Oatchi is a large and intriguing new addition. The two-legged space pup can destroy objects with a powerful attack move, drag a small army of Pikmin and jump over small ledges that your space explorer can’t. Oatchi can also be upgraded, boosting its bite, healing ability, and more.
I’ve only spent a little time testing the new Ice Pikmin, freezing enemies to make them easier to take down, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to solve many puzzles with them.
Picmin 4 has a wider range of tools beyond new Pikmin types and an ever-evolving Oatchi. In The Lab, players can craft items and equipment, such as a drone that explores levels, made from resources that you and your Pikmin can harvest.
My hands-on time with Picmin 4 focused on an early part of the game, so I didn’t get to test the new Night Expeditions or the Glow Pikmin, which are exclusive to those nighttime moments. But I did get to play two rounds of the competitive Dandori Battles, in which players fight each other by collecting as much treasure as possible – and preventing their opponents from collecting treasure – in special levels. Dandori fighting is Picmin 4 at its most frantic, throwing exploration and research out the window in favor of speed and strategy. It’s a welcome change from the mostly laid-back single-player adventure.
Nintendo Switch owners, who have no shortage of older Pikmin games to play now, will get a taste of it Picmin 4 for himself later this week. A demo of the game will arrive on the eShop on June 29. Player progress carries over to the full game when Picmin 4 starts July 21.