Developer – Nintendo

Publisher – Nintendo

Platforms – Nintendo Switch (reviewed)

Review copy given by publisher

Normally Pikmin adventures put you in the shoes of Captain Olimar as he explores a new world. This time, you play as a new Rescue Corps member who is trying to rescue Captain Olimar. Unfortunately, you and your crew crash on the planet which was Olimar’s last known location. When you wake up, you meet a rescue dog named Oatchi who becomes your new partner. Together, you must find your crew and find Captain Olimar while recruiting the Pikmin.

Pikmin 4 is friendly for new players who haven’t played previous entries and the game’s story is standalone. Even if you don’t know anything about Captain Olimar or the Pikmin, you learn everything you need during the tutorial. As confusing as the opening might be, it teaches you about the basics.

While it may be annoying to sit through a lengthy tutorial, there are plenty of features to go over which assist you. It’s hard to find a concept that doesn’t come in handy later. When you finally get free reign to do what you like, you put everything you learned to good use. Even aspects like combat which seem irrelevant now become useful as you explore.

You get to customize your character with some limited design options. While you don’t get the full breadth of customization that you would find in some RPGs, it’s still a nice touch. You can also change your appearance later if you change your mind. It’s great that you aren’t locked into a single appearance and can modify it as you like, though not immediately.

The first thing you notice is the level of detail in the environment. Every place you explore and every object you interact with is detailed. You can tell when something can be interacted with and what is just decoration. But the environments make you feel excited to explore as if you were a kid exploring their first playground. It immerses you in the adventure and gets you in the spirit of the mission.

Your goal is to repair your ship, find Captain Olimar, and leave the planet. While you make some great progress in the beginning, it slows down once you get free reign. You explore different areas based on the scanner’s power. There’s a good incentive to explore areas thoroughly, making sure you get enough resources. Thankfully, you aren’t alone as you have Oatchi and the Pikmin.

Working with Oatchi and the Pikmin is a learning process that the tutorial touches on. Putting your knowledge into the field expands the possibilities and makes you responsible. It’s possible to get hurt, run out of stamina, or lead all of your Pikmin to their doom. You can also scrape together humble successes that make you happy. It’s up to you.

While Pikmin 4 will never put you into an unwinnable situation, making mistakes is part of the journey. Seeing your Pikmin go to their doom is heartbreaking even if you can get more. Running into combat situations that you miscalculated is hard to watch. Fortunately, you can always reload to a previous autosave or save if you screw up. You can regain your Pikmin and try again, but it’s hard to forget the fallen Pikmin. Seeing the adorable and helpful Pikmin fall is enough to motivate you to be careful with your decisions.

One of the game’s best and trickiest parts is using Oatchi to get around. Oatchi can be controlled to get around obstacles or used as a mount to get around. You can also use Oatchi in combat though it isn’t easy to use him effectively. It takes practice and it can cost you valuable Pikmin. It’s not the end of the world but it is trickier than other gameplay aspects.

You can also train Oatchi to improve his skills, giving you motivation to use him and explore. While you can use Oatchi for general movement, it’s much more fulfilling when you can grow together with your partner. You actually feel like you are training and growing to explore a new world.

One of the best parts of Pikmin 4 is interacting with the crew and the individuals you find. The Rescue Corps actually feels like a tight-knit family with its attitude and quirks. There’s a stuffy chain of command, but everyone acts like individuals instead of a cold military operation. It brings life to the environment and makes everyone you meet feel like a person. That makes it more fulfilling when you search for someone or make a successful rescue.

You also feel like the Pikmin are rescue partners, rather than some alien lifeform you can exploit. While you can always gain infinite amounts of Pikmin if you lose them, it feels more immersive if you treat them properly. You might not be able to avoid losing some Pikmin as you experiment, but you do feel determined to be a better leader. The same goes with Oatchi if he goes unconscious or loses stamina.

Pikmin 4 truly succeeds in making you feel like you are on a rescue mission. The planet is visually impressive and you actually feel like you are an explorer. Every person you find and rescue becomes a valuable ally or source of information. Working with Oatchi and the Pikmin is a fun experience with puzzles that aren’t too difficult. It’s easy to invest lots of time exploring everything the game has to offer. Even if it does take time for the game to open up, you’re enjoying every minute of it.