Pikmin 4

Did You Know?

• Pikmin 4 received a score of 87/100 on Metacritic based on 122 reviews.
• A demo for Pikmin 4 was released on June 29, 2023.

Plot

Captain Olimar sets out for the planet PNF-404 in his ship, the SS Dolphin, but a sudden crash forces him to rely on Pikmin to recover his scattered vessel parts. Along the way, he befriends a dog-like creature he calls Moss. After locating his missing radio inside the Hero's Hideaway, he sends out an SOS and his voyage logs, then vanishes while still searching for more parts. The Rescue Corps, an intergalactic group, picks up his signal and dispatches a team commanded by Captain Shepherd. Their ship breaks down upon entering the planet's atmosphere, and the crew ejects before it crashes. The Corps assigns its newest member, the player character, to locate the missing team and finish the mission. On the ground, the recruit meets Shepherd's rescue pup, Oatchi, who quickly forms a bond. After saving Shepherd and communications officer Collin, the recruit discovers the Corps' ship has no power. With Pikmin assistance, they collect objects containing Sparklium, a fuel source. Exploring the planet, the recruit finds other Rescue Corps members and learns that various treasure hunters and explorers, drawn by Olimar's signal, have also become stranded and need rescue.

Development

Pikmin 4 was first announced as being in development by series creator Shigeru Miyamoto in September 2015, who told Eurogamer it was nearly finished. A year later, in a July 2016 E3 interview, Miyamoto said development was still ongoing but at a lower priority. By June 2017, he again confirmed to Eurogamer that the game was still moving forward. After years of being considered vaporware, it was finally revealed to the public on September 13, 2022. The game was built with Unreal Engine 4, marking the first time an internally developed Nintendo EPD title used that engine, and was co-developed with Eighting. Key staff included Yuji Kando, a veteran of the series who served as chief director and programming director after co-directing Pikmin 3; Yutaka Hiramuki as game design and lead writer; Takashi Tezuka as mainline series producer, a role he has held since Pikmin 2; and Shigeru Miyamoto as general producer, the same position he had on Pikmin 3. The team aimed to satisfy fans of both previous gameplay styles—the shorter, time-limited challenges of Pikmin and Pikmin 3, and the longer, cave-based treasure hunts of Pikmin 2—by blending them together. They also worked to make the game more accessible to a broader audience and added new features like Oatchi. This approach led to a lengthy development period with extensive internal discussions.

Release

Shigeru Miyamoto first mentioned Pikmin 4 during a Nintendo Direct on September 13, 2022, with a teaser trailer that showed off the game's setting but not any gameplay or story. Nintendo also said the Pikmin T-shirt Miyamoto wore for the announcement would be sold at the Nintendo New York store and on Nintendo's website. The game's July 21, 2023 release date was confirmed in a February 8, 2023 Nintendo Direct, and a demo arrived on June 29, 2023. Just under two weeks before launch, fans bought 15-second ad slots on billboards in New York City's Times Square to promote the game, with submissions including a video of Olimar twerking, a picture of a Bulbmin, and other images. On June 27, 2023, members of the Pikmin community on Reddit invented a fictional meme character called Fiddlebert, a small green version of Captain Olimar who spoke Lithuanian and was described as a rushed second player character in the original Pikmin. Fans claimed Fiddlebert had been in early versions of the game but was cut because Nintendo supposedly disapproved of his mean personality, a parody of rumors like L is Real 2401. The joke grew to include fake ways to unlock Fiddlebert in the original GameCube Pikmin, such as plugging in a second controller and beating the game in six in-game days, and also claimed he appeared in poorly selling spin-offs on platforms like the Nintendo 3DS.