Welcome back, little Pikmins! The embargo for the 4th installment has dropped, and the Pikmin 4 reviews keep flying in. They're mostly extraordinary good, but with some exceptions.
Pikmin is a cute, long-living mass-action strategy game series from Nintendo. The first game entered the stage in 2001 and became very fast critically acclaimed by the vast majority of people. With a metacritic rating from 89 Nintendo made everything right.
Three years later, Pikmin 2 came out with an even better rating. Surpassing his predecessor and becoming a fan favorite among the fan base. Nine years later and with a reimagined Pikmin 3 we were allowed to venture even deeper into the world of Pikmin, guiding our little fellows through a larger-than-life planet.
Another ten years later and we're in back in the present and celebrating the release from Pikmin 4. The embargo dropped, and we look at some of the reviews our colleagues from other platforms gave to this new adventure of Captain Olimar and his friends.
Pikmin & What It's All About
In the Pikmin franchise, we meet Captain Olimar and his capable cast of red (fire), blue (water), yellow (electric) Pikmin on a dire mission across a larger-than-life planet. Olimar must guide his lovably leafy companions through obstacles, in battle, and when collecting his missing ship parts.
In Pikmin 4 we get over five new Pikmin types into our repertoire, making the whole gameplay fresh and new. But let's take a look at how the newest installment played out for the majority of people.
Pikmin 4: Review Overview
Scott McCrae from Daily Mirror gave a top rating and said:
Most of all Pikmin 4 is just an exceptionally polished game that’s the pinnacle of the series to date and you can feel the love and attention poured into every inch of it. Pikmin 4 is the most ambitious Pikmin entry to date, and truly feels like an endeavour worthy of the 10-year wait
With a 7 out of 10 rating, Steve Watts from GameSpot is a little bit more critical:
Pikmin 4 is a pleasant, relaxing game that serves as a nice entry point for newcomers, with occasionally odd high-pressure segments.
Jade King from TheGamer gave some valuable insides as well:
Pikmin 4 isn’t quite the best game in the series, but it’s certainly the most confident. With this new entry, Nintendo has decided to wipe away much of the past tedium in favour of ensuring moment-to-moment gameplay is more enjoyable than ever. But eradicating its past frustrations also removes much of the challenge and depth from the game’s battles and puzzles. Commanding its multicoloured armies and pilfering this planet of its treasures while gathering a motley crew of comrades kept me enraptured for hours, just don’t come into this expecting the harsh journey back home to be little more than a leisurely stroll.
After his journey, Tom Phillips from Eurogamer, had some praising words for Pikmin 4 left:
The Pikmin series blossoms anew, in a bouquet of fresh gameplay and the best of its roots.
Overall the reviews aren't outstanding but very strong in its core. This game is for veterans and new players alike. Nintendo took some of the best parts of the previous titles and mixed it up with new elements, and here we have: Pikmin 4.
Maybe not perfect, but satisfying and relaxing at the same time. It's definitely worth your while and your game if you need to slow down a little bit. Have fun!