Pikmin 4is coming, and it will bring the next evolution of thePikminfranchise. No one knows exactly what this will entail, but fans are excited regardless. Among Nintendo’s franchises,Pikminhas had some of the longest periods of mainline inactivity while still remaining present in Nintendo’s active lineup.Pikmin 2and3were almost separated by a decade, and it looks likePikmin 3and4will be as well.Pikmin 4is coming after a couple spin-offs and a new release forPikmin 3, but it will be this game that forges ahead towardPikmin’s next stage.
How this will happen, none can say. The current marketing material forPikmin 4is scarce, and shows very little of the new world and mechanics. Apart from the most detailed visuals yet, a seemingly new captain, and a lowered camera angle, explanations are being put off until later. It’s likely thatPikmin 4will share a lot of enemies and visual themes with pastPikmingames, and will revolve around collecting some sort of item while a timer counts down.WhetherPikmin 4will be open worldor maintain the different maps of pastPikmingames is unclear, but it shouldn’t be afraid of bringing back old elements. In particular,Pikmin 2’s caves would greatly benefit from another chance.
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Pikmin 2 Revolved Around Exploring Caves
Anyone familiar withPikmin 2can describe its unique traits in a few words: Louie, White and Purple Pikmin, and caves. Underground areas take up at least half of the player’s time proceeding throughPikmin 2. A lot of them are dotted throughout each map, and the majority of treasures are found beneath the earth. WhilePikmin 2lacks thehard day limits ofPikmin 1and3, it goes even further to invalidate its timer by having it freeze during spelunking. Each cave trip causes a set amount of time to pass, allowing for what is normally a fifteen-minute day to last for hours.
The dominance of caves definesPikmin 2in the eyes of many, and it’s hard to disagree with them. The way time is warped in dungeons, the many minor treasures, and even the increase in boss fights are all because ofPikmin 2’s caves. How much tolerance a given player has for this inseparable element of the game will have a large impact on theiropinion ofPikmin’s unusual middle child. A straightforward and occasionally subverted dungeon crawl inPikmin’s gameplay can definitely be a fun experience, but there’s a lot thatPikmin 4could change about caves for the better.
What Adaptations Caves Could Gain in Pikmin 4
For starters,Pikmin 4’s caves would have considerably reduced random elements. While it’s not necessarily bad for most floors inPikmin 2’s dungeons to randomize the layout of enemies and items, it’s other random elements that cause a lot of frustration. Bomb rocks, Volatile Dweevils, andeven boulders that instantly kill Pikmininstantly can fall from the sky in certain dungeons, which encourages captains to walk around the area and trigger every trap themselves. Removing this would make spelunking a smoother experience, and aligning the difficulty of the surface and underworld could be grounds for instituting a “cave-in” timer.
The layout and integration of caves intoPikmin 4’s world will also need to become more diverse.Pikmin 2’s cavesseen withPikmin 4’s camerawould reveal a lot of flat ground, so some areas will need to be significantly redesigned. With more visual elements and varied geography,Pikmin 4’s caves will have a lot more identity. Such dungeons could be fully integrated into the world likePikmin 3’s indoor environments, or could have entrances leading below. With more detailed environments, there would probably be fewer floors total, but that would make for a tighter experience. If Nintendo decides to bring caves back inPikmin 4, then they should be refined and better integrated into the core experience of action and real-time management.
