Pikmin 4 review: A relaxing and accessible strategy game for your Nintendo Switch

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Pikmin 4 is the latest entry in the Pikmin franchise, a real-time strategy game that is less about commanding tanks or spaceships and instead uses more colorful plant-like creatures, aptly named Pikmin.

The story of the game takes place after the events of Pikmin 3. The protagonist of the series, Captain Olimar crashes on a planet and needs to repair his ship. Olimar’s departure is a great way to introduce a brand new fascinating cast of characters. He sends out an SOS signal which is captured by the Relief Corps. However, organizations also ship landings on the planet and the customizable player character must enlist Pikmin and find Olimar while also discovering treasures and other survivors along the way.

Pikmin 4 is a solid game with addictive gameplay, colorful graphics and lots of content. It launches on July 21st and we spent three weeks with the game and saw the story through to its conclusion. Here are our thoughts after playing for 30 hours.

Whether you’re a longtime fan of Pikimin or you’re just looking for a relaxing and accessible strategy game for your Nintendo Switch, Pikmin 4 is one of the best installments in the series.

Pikmin 4 is split into several distinct areas with different puzzles and treasures scattered throughout them. Players collect different types of Pikmin to help solve environmental puzzles and defeat enemies. There is a huge variety of different Pikmin with their own strengths and weaknesses. For example, yellow Pikmin can be thrown farther than others and can dig holes faster, but they aren’t very strong in combat. The new Ice Pikmin can freeze enemies but are more susceptible to fire attacks. The need for the appropriate types of Pikmin for various situations changes the gameplay and prevents it from becoming overly repetitive.

At the start of the game, players meet Oatchi, their adorable dog companion. By collecting raw materials, players can create upgrades such as fireproof armor for themselves and Oatchi or other equipment such as a treasure signal to search for treasure more easily. Each time players find another survivor or a castaway, they earn Pup Drives, which are essentially skill points to upgrade Oatichi’s abilities (like being able to swim faster). Pikmin 4’s progression system is rewarding, and you’re incentivized to explore more.

A new game mode called Night Expeditions plays like a kind of tower defense game. Here, players exclusively use the new Glow Pikmin to protect high mounds of earth for a certain time. It’s a welcome addition that helps add mission variety to standard daytime exploration.

Great presentation and art direction

The different areas of Pikmin 4 have many beautiful landscapes. Sun-Speckled Terrace is modeled after a public park, while Blooming Arcadia is a playground. The Serene Shores is a beautiful beach at low and high tides. The fantastic art direction reflects the family-friendly nature of Pikmin 4 and makes it feel relaxing, even when you could potentially send Pikmin to their deaths as you battle enemies.

The user interface has a very simple aesthetic, similar to that of a computer screen menu, which lends itself to the sci-fi and natural setting of the game. Pikmin 4’s graphics look great in both docked and handheld modes on the Nintendo Switch, but there are no additional graphics settings.

There aren’t many noticeable frame drops or performance dips when the action gets frenetic, which is really important when engaging with real-time strategy gameplay. However, loading times can be long when switching to different areas.

Pikmin 4 offers more content than expected. In addition to completing the main story, players can return to previous areas and find all available treasures or rescue the rest of the survivors and castaways. You don’t need to 100% complete each area’s map before unlocking the next one, but it’s worth returning to every now and then as you’ll be rewarded with raw materials.

Another great feature of Pikmin 4 is cooperative multiplayer, with two game modes that help extend its longevity. Dandori Battles are competitive battles where two players battle it out to collect as many items as possible before time runs out. Players can also team up with each other in the story mode, with one player able to distract enemies while the other goes about collecting treasure.

While it’s important to teach players how Pikmin 4’s gameplay mechanics work, the amount of tutorials in the game feel like it’s getting too much out of my hand. It would be appreciated if the game asks if you want to skip the tutorial or continue before starting it.

Nintendo has fallen behind in accessibility options with its other titles like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Unfortunately, Pikmin 4 also follows this trend. In the settings menu, there are options for changing camera controls and motion controls, but none of those options for changing font size or even remapping buttons.

Pikmin 4 is a very polished game that doesn’t actually have many flaws. The real-time strategy genre can sometimes feel unapproachable with complex controls, but Nintendo’s family version manages to simplify the experience and make it fun.

The bright colors and varied environments are also striking. There is also a lot of side content in the game. Whether you want to save everything until the main story is completed or face them in pieces along the way to rescue Captain Olimar is up to you. You can dictate the pace of the game yourself and that is what makes it a relaxing experience as compared to other games of its genre.

While Nintendo may have blew us away in 2023 with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Pikmin 4 also definitely deserves to be on any list of best Nintendo Switch games.

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