Despite feeling like it’s received very little marketing, there isn’t much time left beforePikmin 4comes out. With rumors indicating that Nintendo may not have its usual June Direct, the game is in need of public attention. Fortunately, it appears that the advertising cycle is beginning to rev up after givingThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomsome breathing room. A newPikmin 4trailer just came out, detailing the main story of the game and revealing that the playable Captain is actually a custom avatar.
While much is still a mystery, includinghowPikmin 4’s night levels workand what its ratio of surface-to-underground gameplay is, that should change in the weeks leading up to launch. Until then, fans can still enjoy theory crafting with the available trailers and other materials. The only thing putting a damper onPikmin 4’s hype, aside from a lack of footage, is the state of its story.Pikmin 4is drawing many plot elements from pastPikmingames, and a rehash isn’t what fans have been waiting ten years for.
RELATED:Pikmin 4’s Night Levels Could Take a Page from Skyward Sword’s Silent Realms
Pikmin 4 Is Leaning On Past Games Too Much
From the outset,Pikmin 4places players in the shoes of a rescue corps member who has crashed onto the mysteriousPikminplanet commonly referred to as PNF-404. It’s become tradition forPikmingames to begin with crash landings, and this one justifies why such a large crew has to stay on the hostile planet. However, the rescue team arrived specifically to findPikminseries protagonist Captain Olimar, mirroring thefinal goal ofPikmin 3’s Koppaite squad. Unlike said team,Pikmin 4’s protagonists are once again Hocotatians like Olimar and Louie, leaving the planet of Koppai behind.
This all comes together to create a constrained image forPikmin 4. Fans know that multiple civilized planets are aware of PNF-404, butPikmin 4is just going back to the Hocotate focus that the first two games used. Furthermore, with how familiar Olimar should be with the Pikmin planet at this point, it’s a wonder why he is indisposed again. All of this stands out in contrast to the plentiful new gameplay elementsPikmin 4is introducing, and thepossibly distinct planet fromHey! Pikmindemonstrates the flexibility ofPikmin’s universe.
How Pikmin 4 Can Shake Up Its Setting
Fun, strategic gameplay should be able to supportPikmin 4like it usually does, but the game could do more with its story. One way thatPikmin 4could differentiate itself from past entries while building on their setting is by examining the strange state of PNF-404. WhilePikmin’s planet resembles the real-life Earth, it seems abandoned by larger creatures, even though everything on it is in good condition. Fans have been theorizing about this forever, andPikmin 4starting in what looks like a backyard or park opens the door for answers.
In addition, the early establishment that astronauts have once again crashed on PNF-404 could prompt an explanation for why that is.Pikmin 3references the high frequency of crashes in its 100% completion ending, and hints that there may be more to it. This feeds back into a popularPikminfan theory called the umibozu theory. It posits that the various Wraith antagonists are like the mythical Yokai umibozu, dragging ship captains to their doom mid-voyage. Olimar might have been captured by another of their number, and this sort of overarching setting development is something thePikminseries desperately needs after twenty years. Hopefully,Pikmin 4is hiding some impressive twists behind its recycled exterior.
Pikmin 4will be released on July 21 for the Nintendo Switch.
MORE:Pikmin 4’s Urban Setting May Bring Back the Second Game’s Technological Terrors
