Perhaps it’s appropriate for a series about tiny ant creatures exploring very hostile environments, but it’s always kind of seemed like the world was against the Pikmin franchise. Every new entry in the franchise feels like it could be the last, with the wait for Pikmin 4 being particularly long and fraught. Shigeru Miyamoto himself said Pikmin 4 was “very close to completion” all the way back in 2015, and that was essentially the last we heard of the project for a very long time. Fans were left to wonder if the series had been permanently sidelined as year after year passed. Thankfully, after nearly a decade away, the little carrot men are marching back.

　　I’ve had the opportunity to get an early taste of Pikmin 4, sampling its new mechanics and playing through its first two major areas. So, is the game blossoming with exciting new ideas or has Nintendo let the franchise wither on the vine? Scroll on for my early hands-on impressions.

　　The setup for Pikmin 4 is simultaneously as simple as ever and rather convoluted. In his mad quest for all things shiny, Olimar has crash landed on yet another planet and, unfortunately, the entire “Rescue Corps” team sent to retrieve him have crash landed as well. Whoops! You take on the role of a single Hocotatian (that’s what Pikmin’s race of little space guys is called) who has to find and retrieve both Olimar and the entire Rescue Corps team. In a fun addition, this new protagonist can actually be customized by the player using a simple Mii-like editor (I opted for the charmingly grumpy fellow below).

　　Pikmin 4 may bring a number of new ideas to the table, but it doesn’t mess too much with the fundamentals. For those unfamiliar, that means leading around a small army of Pikmin, which you can throw at the game’s various bug-like enemies or objects you want to salvage. The Pikmin will pick up the corpses of fallen baddies and other items and carry them back to your field base, where they’re processed by your “Onion” into seeds that sprout more Pikmin. The different colors of Pikmin have their own unique abilities – Red are fire resistant and aggressive, Yellow are electrified and lightweight, the new Ice Pikmin can freeze enemies and bodies of water, and so on. Your end goal is to build up your Pikmin army so you can reach and retrieve various treasures (real-life objects ranging from cantaloupes to GBA units) which you can process into spaceship fuel.

　　It's fairly clear Pikmin 4 was originally intended to come out shortly after Pikmin 3, as the new game seems to be built on the same engine and features many of the same enemies and music cues. That said, while Pikmin 4 may be rather familiar in some respects, Nintendo isn’t shy about layering on new mechanics. The most obvious addition is Oatchi, a new fuzzy alien dog companion that you bond with before you even meet your first Pikmin. You can ride on Oatchi’s back, at which point all your Pikmin will also latch onto his rump, making getting around with your crew a bit less hectic. Beyond that, Oatchi mainly offers new ways to explore the environment – he can smash certain obstacles, hop up small ledges, swim through water, and I’m sure that’s just the beginning.

　　Oatchi’s new abilities allow Nintendo to add a new layer of complexity to Pikmin’s levels, which are larger than ever and more interconnected in terms of design. Pikmin 3 already moved away from the series’ strategic roots somewhat, opting to focus more on adventure and exploration, and it seems like Pikmin 4 is going to push even further into that territory.

　　Pikmin 4’s first level is Sun-Speckled Terrace, a comfy garden-like area with lots of wide-open space. The second is Blossoming Arcadia, a beautiful backyard environment surrounded by cherry blossoms and kids’ toys that offers a more compact, knotty design. Pikmin 4’s default camera sits lower down behind your character, replacing the isometric view of the past and providing a nice view of your surroundings. While some splotchy textures remain, this is, overall, a very nice looking Switch game that thankfully doesn’t suffer from the performance issues seen in some other recent big releases on the platform. Nintendo seems to be saying, “take a breath, chill out, and take it all in.” This may explain why the game’s campaign no longer foists an overall time limit or other external pressures on you. You still have to get back to your base before dark, but beyond that, you’re free to explore at your own pace.

　　Ah, but it’s not all sun-dappled sightseeing, as Pikmin 4 brings back the caves last seen in the second entry in the series, with each level playing host to several of the underground areas. The daily time limit can essentially be ignored in caves, but you also can’t sprout new Pikmin while exploring them. The design of these caves tends to be tighter and more puzzle-like, with a greater concentration of enemies providing the challenge you don’t always find on the surface. Spelunking is essential, as the caves are where you’ll first meet new types of Pikmin, there are plenty of treasures hidden in their depths, and you’ll need to travel through them to reach certain parts of the overworld.

　　Another addition to Pikmin 4 are “Dandori Battles,” which are essentially the multiplayer missions from Pikmin 3 plucked out and placed in the main single-player campaign. In Dandori battles, you’re transported to standalone arenas where you battle one-on-one against mysterious leafy-headed Hocotatians (one of which looks suspiciously like Olimar). Collect more items and points within the time limit and you win. These showdowns are fun enough, although I hope they’re not being positioned as replacements for full-on boss battles as Pikmin 3 had some great epic encounters. I doubt that’s the case, although I didn’t come across any traditional boss battles in my time with the game so far.

　　Nintendo has even added new stuff between your expeditions, as at the end of every day you’ll return to your new base camp. Once you rescue a survivor, they’ll return to your camp, and some will set up shops or provide other services, allowing you to buy upgrades and consumable items, train Oatchi, and more.

　　So yeah, a lot of extra layers have been added to Pikmin 4, to the point the game can feel somewhat overwhelming at first. The game begins with a lot of explanations and tutorializing. Perhaps too much. There were definitely moments I longed for the finely-crafted simplicity of Pikmin 3, but after a few hours, the pieces did start to fall into place. Whether the game’s new array of elements end up working together as efficiently as a well-oiled Pikmin army, remains to be seen.

Current Thoughts on Pikmin 4

　　Pikmin 4 launches on Nintendo Switch on July 21. A demo of the game, which allows you to explore the game’s opening two areas, is available now.