Summary
It took Nintendo ten years to makePikmin 4. That’s not completely true as it is assumed they weren’t working on the game this entire time. What is absolutely true though is that it has been ten years since Nintendo released the third game on Wii U in 2013. There was a 2020 Switch port, but a port is not the same as a new game.
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This series has never been as strong as others in Nintendo’s catalog likeMarioorThe Legend of Zelda, but Nintendo has never abandoned it. Reviews forPikmin 4are phenomenal as are sales. So, maybe fans won’t have to wait as long to get another sequel or spinoff in this series. What direction Nintendo goes next is up to them, but here are some ideas that they could follow.
8One Seamless Open-World
The various biomes in this new game are great and offer a nice variety. It’s also nice that the time limit isn’t as daunting as the previous title, giving players more time to explore. It’s about time Nintendo tries something truly new with this franchise though.
The next game, whether it isPikmin 5or some spinoff should bean open-world adventure. Imagine crash landing on a planet, not necessarily Earth, and being stranded with no one else around but Pikmin.
7Vehicles Or More Animals
If the next title is an open-world game then it should have vehicles.Oatchi inPikmin 4was a nice step in this direction. A return of Oatchi would be welcomed along with perhaps more animal companions.
The player could befriend an aquatic animal or a flying animal to accompany Oatchi on their adventure. On the vehicle side, a buggy could go over hot lava or a snow terrain vehicle could bypass ice. And who wouldn’t love to see a mech in aPikmingame?
6More Co-Op
Pikmin 4players were assuredly upset over the co-opas it was a downgrade from the previous title. The next game should at least allow for a two-player co-op in the campaign. A bigger upgrade would add three to four players to the mix with full online support like aDestinyexperience.
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If it was focused on multiplayer, it would be an interesting concept to have the explorer take on a class. Classes could come with various skills like in any good RPG from a combat expert to a medic.
5More Customization
If the sequel does focus on multiplayer, then players should be able to customize their character more. It was a huge first step inPikmin 4to add character customization but the choices are minimal. More faces, body types, colors, and clothing should be made available in the sequel.
No one wants to play a multiplayer game wherein all characters look alike. Collectible gear could impact style choices instead of increasing stats like ina proper RPG.
4Better Commands Of Pikmin
The way in which players interact with Pikmin has largely not changed in the past few decades. They follow the player around and then players can throw them at targets to accomplish various tasks. It’s a clunky control system for an RTS and players should be able to interact with them in more ways.
The inclusion ofgadgets from Russ inPikmin 4sort of adds more ways of interaction with the Pikmin. The simple act of being able to group Pikmin together into multiple units with a click would be huge for the sequel as one example.
3Building Your Own Base
The base camp is another big change forPikmin 4. In between runs players can talk to the various NPCs to shop around for upgrades, take on side quests, or just chat. The more NPCs players rescue, the large the camp will become.
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This expansion is automatic and players will not be able to customize this base in any way. Wouldn’t it be fun to instead build a base with full customization options like in anAnimal Crossingexperience? If this series was more likeAnimal Crossing, it would explode in sales.
2Punch Up The Dialogue
The option is there to talk to NPCs at base camp, but most players are probably going to skip through the dialogue. Most NPCs have nothing interesting to say or if they do, their point is long-winded. The story cutscenes are not much better as everyone on the core rescue team loves to chat.
Thankfully players can skip through dialogue with the press of a button but that’s a shame. The sequel could jazz up the dialogue and overall story by tightening up discussion sequences and adding humor.
1More Pikmin Types
Pikmin 4added two new types of Pikmin. The Ice Pikmin is very useful because they can freeze water and enemies too. The other new type is called Glow Pikmin and they are used exclusively for nighttime raids. Nintendo should go thePokemonroute and throw out the old and invite the new in.
ThePokemonseries retain plenty of classic monsters from game to game but they also add a lot of new monsters. There are so many places Nintendo could go with Pikmin types. This is a weird franchise, so it would be fun to see how creative the company could get with a sequel.
Pikmin 4was released on June 04, 2025, and is available on Switch.
