It's been a long road, but Pikmin 4 has finally been shown. The Pikmin series has not been fully dormant since Pikmin 3, but after an initial 2015 tease by Shigeru Miyamoto, it was beginning to feel like Pikmin 4 was never coming out. Pikmin was stuck in the same boat as Metroid and a few other Nintendo franchises, with occasional re-releases and spin-offs being the only new content fans got. Pikmin 3 Deluxe and Pikmin Bloom hinted that Nintendo was paying attention to Pikmin once again, but it took the recent Pikmin 4 teaser to confirm it.
Years of painful waiting were cast off in an instant, and it's not hard to see why. Pikmin received its own equivalent to Metroid Prime: Federation Force in the 2017 spin-off Hey! Pikmin, and it was received about the same way. Being a 2D puzzle-platformer, Hey! Pikmin was a radical departure from the series norm. Branching out isn't bad, but with a real Pikmin 4 having been teased for two years by that point, fans weren't happy. It didn’t help that the game itself was deemed average and easy. Even so, it isn't a bad game, and there are some elements from Hey! Pikmin that Pikmin 4 should consider using.
Pikmin 4 Could Borrow Some Gameplay Elements From Hey! Pikmin
While the gameplay in Hey! Pikmin did not turn many heads, it was a respectable adaptation of Pikmin. The controls were snappy, and the core concept of using the Pikmin to solve various puzzles was still present. Although Hey! Pikmin's Olimar can only bring 20 Pikmin along with him, all Pikmin used in levels are procured within them. Everything Olimar faces is tuned to be solved with a specific group of Pikmin, made up of particular breeds. While this is normally the realm of challenge modes in Pikmin games, this stricter format could add more variety to Pikmin 4’s puzzles. There could be a specific playable character that the action occasionally shifts to embarking on short, linear levels, while the main game takes place in the usual large environments.
There are also a few interesting moments in Hey! Pikmin where Olimar begins swimming, using a jetpack, or flying with the help of Winged Pikmin. These segments change up the gameplay, and needing to swim between different elevations with Blue Pikmin in tow could serve for some interesting challenges. The notion of forcing Blue Pikmin to complete a specific task is not new to the series, but showing them swimming and not just breathing water would be new. Similarly, an entire section suspended in the air would make for an interesting set piece, and could adapt the shoot-’em-up qualities of Hey! Pikmin's Troop Commander boss.
Hey! Pikmin Could Help Pikmin 4 Boost Its Presentation
One of the main compliments that Hey! Pikmin fans mention is its charm, even in comparison to the other Pikmin titles. A sense of lightheartedness pervades most of the game, but there's also some key presentation choices that enhance it. The best one may be how Pikmin are portrayed in the environment when Olimar isn't around. While regular Pikmin games do show this a little, Hey! Pikmin sees roaming bands of Pikmin interacting with or fleeing from other creatures. Any moment to show off the Pikmin's antics is appreciated.
The final big detail Pikmin 4 should inherit from Hey! Pikmin is subtle, but potentially game-changing. Much of the Pikmin franchise takes place on a planet called PNF-404 that is all but stated to be an abandoned Earth. While its place in canon is debatable, Hey! Pikmin takes place on a completely different planet that still has evidence of human occupation. The whimsical visuals from the new planet are appreciated, but it also gives Pikmin 4 the chance to expand its horizons and explore other worlds that may hint about humanity’s fate. Hey! Pikmin has opened up a surprisingly promising path for the Pikmin franchise, and hopefully Pikmin 4 starts to pursue them, even if it starts off small.
Pikmin 4 will be released in 2023 for the Nintendo Switch.