The Pikmin franchise hasn’t seen a new entry in about 10 years, so needless to say, the fourth entry in the main series (aptly titled Pikmin 4) had quite the hype surrounding it.

The game released back in July, 2023, but I didn’t actually pick it up until around Christmas time, as I was never into the series all that much beforehand. I remember playing the 3rd game back in elementary school at some point, but it wasn’t until I played this one that my love for this series exploded, and I’ve now fallen into a beautiful hole of sprout-like creatures and small astronauts.

Anyways, let’s dive head-first into what makes this game so great. Great enough to win “Best SIM/Strategy Game” at the 2023 Game Awards.

So, right off the bat, this game does a series-first in having its playable protagonist be a customizable character. I’ve always been a sucker for games that do this, because I feel like it helps the player feel a bit more immersed in the world of the game. It’s just also really cool to see this in a series that typically has the playable character be pre-established with a name and appearance. It’s a nice way to mix things up and attract new and old players alike.

Now that I’ve gone back and played the older games in the series, I like what Pikmin 4 has built and improved upon.

For example, the ability to explore caves was brought back from Pikmin 2, and many have raved about Pikmin 4’s cave levels being a vast improvement from its predecessor. Overall, the difficulty curve was improved immensely, and that’s mostly due to the fact that the caves actually have level-design this time, and aren’t randomized every time you reset your game.

This change means that treasure (the collectibles spread throughout the game that you need to collect to progress) placements are meaningful. You’ll have a better time strategizing and figuring out what pikmin you need to bring. You’ll know that the pile of gold nuggets will be in a pond in this one cave every time, so you know to bring a good handful of blue pikmin so they can swim out and get them for you.

It also means that the cave levels look more aesthetically pleasing overall, because they had genuine thought put into them. The caves in the second game, for the most part, always looked like rusty, grey mazes and got incredibly dull after a while. Now, these new caves all have their own gimmicks and themes; one could look like a child’s playroom, or an abandoned aquarium. It’s all very cool to see.

That leads into the general consensus that the *whole* game honestly looks gorgeous. Many have stated that this game has nearly the best graphics on the Nintendo Switch console, and the art direction looks incredibly intricate and realistic. The natural environments of a strangely-abandoned Earth-like planet are a real treat to experience when playing this game.

The last thing I’ll note is the cast of (humanoid) characters. Pikmin has never been known for having a large cast of characters, besides the Pikmin themselves, who are more of a mindless army you use for combat and gathering than their own individual characters. This game has 10 times the amount of characters than the rest of the series *combined*.

This is mostly due to the fact that one of the main objectives of the game is to rescue stranded “castaways” on this planet you and your space rescue team have…similarly been stranded on. Once you rescue each castaway, they all have their own sets of unique dialogue that you can interact with, and it just adds so much more flavor and charm.

Overall, it’s a really cute game that isn’t *insanely* difficult, but definitely puts up quite a challenge the further you get into the game. As far as Nintendo properties go, this is one of the more difficult ones, but I wouldn’t say it’s enough to make you rage quit and break your controller like some games.

If you like a mix of puzzle-solving and strategic combat, along with cute, colorful art-styles and charming characters, then this is most definitely the game for you.