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Dive once more into the world of Pikmin, and make sure you don't miss when you throw them. Read on to learn more about Pikmin 4, its release date, gameplay, and story.
Pikmin 4 Release Date: July 21, 2023
Pikmin 4 will release on July 21, 2023. It is now available for pre-order on the Nintendo Switch. Players who pre-order the game will be able to pre-load it once pre-loading is available. At the moment, pre-load is available. If you are one of the players who pre-ordered the game, you can now start downloading it. This will allow you to play the game as soon as it launches.
There is also a playable demo for the game. Originally announced during the June 2023 Nintendo Direct, the demo became available starting June 28, 2023. Players who are not yet sure if they should buy the game can try the demo out once it is available. It is unknown whether or not the demo will be available once the game launches.
Pikmin 4 gameplay
Games from the Pikmin series are a mix of real-time strategy and puzzle games. In Pikmin, players take control of a Captain and his Pikmins. Pikmins are small, animal-plant hybrids who follow the captain around as he walks around. Your task as the Captain is to guide your Pikmins safely through the level, all while using their special abilities to solve puzzles. Pikmins are classified according to their color and can do different things. Blue Pikmins, for example, can swim around and move underwater. While it is not clear if what each Pikmin color can do will carry over exactly from the previous games, we can at least be somewhat sure that they will be similar.
There will be a new Pikimin in the game, although it still doesn't have a name. This brand-new glowing Pikmin is the newest addition to the Pikmin family and will be of help in another of the game's newest features.
Pikmin also has a day-night cycle, where the Captains have to make the most of the day. Pikmins are very vulnerable to predators, most of which only come out at night. As such, the Captain and his Pikmins need to retreat to their mothership, called Onions. These Onions are safe havens for Pikmins, as well as their means of reproduction. Seeds produced by the Onion are planted by the Captain to grow into more Pikmins. The longer they are planted or the more they are fed, the stronger they become. This is where the real-time strategy part of the game comes in, as players have to balance their exploration time and plant their days to be efficient.
Pikmin 4, however, introduces a new game mechanic. Instead of just hiding inside the Onions at night, players can now also participate in night expeditions. This is a first in the series, and will definitely bring something new to the table. As mentioned above, the glowing Pikmins will definitely help in this new mechanic.
Shigeru Miyamoto did say in Nintendo Direct, however, that Pikmin 4 will be introducing a new mechanic for deploying Pikmins. Players will also be able to move the camera much closer to the ground, as Pikmins and their Captains are actually really small (around 1 inch each).
Pikmin 4 story
Other than the trailer and a few screenshots, there is not much known about the story of Pikmin 4. All that we know comes from previous games: we are a Captain, we have Pikmins, and we must solve puzzles with them while fighting our sworn enemies.
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