Pikmin 4: A Soothing Gaming Experience for 2023

A decade ago, I penned an article for USgamer, where I referred to Pikmin 3 as 'the greatest war game I've ever played.' The piece has since been relocated to VG247, where it can still be read for those interested in the argument behind this assertion. For a concise summary, I admired Pikmin 3 for its thought-provoking portrayal of the moral complexities inherent in military command. As the game's leader, you're tasked with overseeing hundreds of obedient Pikmin, directing them to attack and kill enemies, and occasionally, inadvertently putting them in fatal situations. The game keeps a tally of the Pikmin that perish under your care, and when you retreat at the end of each day, it shows you the ones that didn't make it, fleeing from and ultimately succumbing to the planet's wildlife. What's more, the game offers the option to revisit previous days, theoretically allowing you to save all the Pikmin, but this task is daunting, and you'll likely reach a point where you accept a certain number of casualties, acknowledging that the lives of these creatures are mere tools for achieving your objectives. It's a harrowing experience. Pikmin 4, on the other hand, is somewhat the opposite. Unlike its predecessors, which presented a charming exterior only to surprise players with the harsh realities of combat and the traumatic demise of the adorable Pikmin, Pikmin 4 seems to align its gameplay more closely with its comforting appearance. The addition of a rewind feature, which allows you to skip back a minute or two of gameplay, is perfect for mitigating mistakes, such as accidentally throwing water Pikmin into an electrical fence or fumbling with controls and hurling a bomb into a crowd of panicked Pikmin. This feature also reduces stress in combat, as you can try multiple approaches in quick succession, knowing it's easy to undo any missteps until you find a viable path forward. Furthermore, the introduction of the dog-like Oatchi, who can be upgraded to become a primary method of attacking foes, allows you to win battles without putting the Pikmin in harm's way. The game also features Dandori battles, a multiplayer Pikmin race against the computer, and nighttime tower-defense levels, where you use ghostly glowing Pikmin to protect their resource-producing anthills. While these levels can be annoying or challenging, you have the option to skip them by asking an NPC teammate to take care of it for you. Pikmin that die in these battles don't count towards your death total. Initially, I worried that these changes would dilute the experience, removing the sting that impacted me so profoundly in Pikmin 3. And, to be clear, they did. However, I've already had that experience, and given the current state of the world, with its wars, layoffs, fascism, and general negativity, I don't think I need or want to go through it again. A game like Pikmin 4, which is welcoming, forgiving, and adaptable, is precisely what I needed this year.