Pikmin 4 is simply the definitive Pikmin experience. The game brings the best elements of each of the previous three games in a single package. The exploration of Pikmin 1, now with the biggest number of areas in the series, which are more expansive than ever; the caves from Pikmin 2, reworked to be less exhaustive and more cohesive in their designs (not randomized anymore); and the Mission Mode of Pikmin 3, now incorporated in the main campaign instead of being a side mode.
After playing the first three games, the thing I was looking forward to the most regarding Pikmin 4 was to see which enemies would return. In the July 2023 Direct trailer I got genuinely hyped when I saw some creatures that had been absent from the series for one game or two. I even memorized the names of pretty much every enemy in the series, THAT’S how much I got attached to them. The fourth game brought almost every creature back, along with introducing a bunch of new ones, of which some are already among the most iconic Pikmin enemies, such as the disco ball spider, Groovy Long Legs.
And the good thing is that engaging these creatures in combat is not a cakewalk anymore like it was in the third game, as it rebalanced the difficulty to offer a nice amount of challenge again. You gotta be real careful around some enemies and especially against bosses, such as the aforementioned spider, who killed SEVENTY of my Pikmin during my first encounter with it. I’d say the reason for the difficulty increase is thanks to everyone’s favorite dog of 2023: Oatchi. He’s basically a buffed Pikmin who can fight enemies, carry treasures, crucial for puzzles and traversal across the maps, AND he can even be used as a second captain. Due to the ability to ride him to remove Pikmin from danger and how overpowered he gets after all upgrades with how he can stun or even one-hit KO some enemies with a tackle, he does make combat easier, but it’s still much more engaging than Pikmin 3’s combat. The enemies are more aggressive to accommodate the changes Oatchi brings to the gameplay.
Another substantial addition are the nocturnal expeditions, a first in the series, since in every game prior you had to leave the planet before nightfall due to the increased hostility of the creatures. Finally being able to explore at night had me excited, but it isn’t implemented in a very organic way, like just choosing to keep exploring after sunset - no, instead these are treated sorta like a side mode you select on the hub area. Even the way they play feels like a side mode.
They’re basically tower defense missions in which you gotta prevent some towers from being destroyed because they produce an item that’s important to the plot. These missions start tranquil at first, but by the end of the game you gotta strategize well switching between both captains because they get CRAZY! And those missions do a great job at making you feel tense due to the superb sound design, with the music getting gradually more threatening the closer the creatures get to the towers. So yeah, night expeditions are fun but could’ve been implemented better.
The only other big thing I’d criticize about this game would be the lack of options for the controls, mainly the option to disable the new automatic lock-on. That takes away from much of the skill that was needed to combat enemies and it’s often a hindrance because it locks on to any interactable element on screen, so sometimes when the screen is packed with enemies and other pickable objects, you might end up throwing your Pikmin on stuff you didn’t want to. That’s not a dandori issue on your part, it’s just the game’s flaw.
But these shortcomings are nothing but a small stain on a phenomenal game that’s my personal pick for the best game of 2023. It’s admirable the amount of content this game has, especially for today’s standards with so many games being released in an incomplete state. It’s the longest game in the series, with the largest number of explorable areas AND caves, largest number of collectibles, biggest enemy roster, lotta missions to get medals on... Pikmin 4 might’ve taken a decade to come out, but the wait was totally worth it, because they delivered a complete package that offers everything a Pikmin fan ever dreamt of.
After playing the first three games, the thing I was looking forward to the most regarding Pikmin 4 was to see which enemies would return. In the July 2023 Direct trailer I got genuinely hyped when I saw some creatures that had been absent from the series for one game or two. I even memorized the names of pretty much every enemy in the series, THAT’S how much I got attached to them. The fourth game brought almost every creature back, along with introducing a bunch of new ones, of which some are already among the most iconic Pikmin enemies, such as the disco ball spider, Groovy Long Legs.
And the good thing is that engaging these creatures in combat is not a cakewalk anymore like it was in the third game, as it rebalanced the difficulty to offer a nice amount of challenge again. You gotta be real careful around some enemies and especially against bosses, such as the aforementioned spider, who killed SEVENTY of my Pikmin during my first encounter with it. I’d say the reason for the difficulty increase is thanks to everyone’s favorite dog of 2023: Oatchi. He’s basically a buffed Pikmin who can fight enemies, carry treasures, crucial for puzzles and traversal across the maps, AND he can even be used as a second captain. Due to the ability to ride him to remove Pikmin from danger and how overpowered he gets after all upgrades with how he can stun or even one-hit KO some enemies with a tackle, he does make combat easier, but it’s still much more engaging than Pikmin 3’s combat. The enemies are more aggressive to accommodate the changes Oatchi brings to the gameplay.
Another substantial addition are the nocturnal expeditions, a first in the series, since in every game prior you had to leave the planet before nightfall due to the increased hostility of the creatures. Finally being able to explore at night had me excited, but it isn’t implemented in a very organic way, like just choosing to keep exploring after sunset - no, instead these are treated sorta like a side mode you select on the hub area. Even the way they play feels like a side mode.
They’re basically tower defense missions in which you gotta prevent some towers from being destroyed because they produce an item that’s important to the plot. These missions start tranquil at first, but by the end of the game you gotta strategize well switching between both captains because they get CRAZY! And those missions do a great job at making you feel tense due to the superb sound design, with the music getting gradually more threatening the closer the creatures get to the towers. So yeah, night expeditions are fun but could’ve been implemented better.
The only other big thing I’d criticize about this game would be the lack of options for the controls, mainly the option to disable the new automatic lock-on. That takes away from much of the skill that was needed to combat enemies and it’s often a hindrance because it locks on to any interactable element on screen, so sometimes when the screen is packed with enemies and other pickable objects, you might end up throwing your Pikmin on stuff you didn’t want to. That’s not a dandori issue on your part, it’s just the game’s flaw.
But these shortcomings are nothing but a small stain on a phenomenal game that’s my personal pick for the best game of 2023. It’s admirable the amount of content this game has, especially for today’s standards with so many games being released in an incomplete state. It’s the longest game in the series, with the largest number of explorable areas AND caves, largest number of collectibles, biggest enemy roster, lotta missions to get medals on... Pikmin 4 might’ve taken a decade to come out, but the wait was totally worth it, because they delivered a complete package that offers everything a Pikmin fan ever dreamt of.