Griff.co. Hello guys. Today I’d like to show some of my ideas
for the next iteration of the Pikmin franchise, Pikmin 4. Although barely anything is known about the
game, it’s still fun to speculate what Nintendo could include in the next entry, such as new
mechanics and a possible plot. I will cover the integral elements of a Pikmin
game- Areas, Pikmin types, enemies, and of course, the story. So without further ado, let’s dive into
it. A fundamental part of the Pikmin games is
their atmospheric and immersive areas; it’s where the action takes place. A few basic environments that have been featured
in the main games are forests, beaches, tundras, and caves. However, Hey! Pikmin sports many more themes, like poisonous
swamps and scorching wastelands. I would love to see environments like these
in the third dimension, particularly Ravaged Rustworks, an abandoned city with towering
man-made structures. Imagine traversing through a maze of twisted
metal, darting around cybernetic enemies like the Man-at-Legs and Gatling Groink. An area like this would allow interesting
puzzles involving gears, buttons, pulleys, and many more. It would also be the perfect place to house
collectible metal objects- but more on that later. This area could also give clues on what happened
to humanity in PNF-404, as we barely have any leads. A mountainous region, on the other hand, is
a concept that has never been played with in any of the Pikmin games. It would likely be home to flying enemies,
such as various species of Blowhogs. If this was truly a tall area, it would be
useful if the player could unlock elevator platforms that would carry them up. The peak of the mountain would obviously contain
the boss of the area, who would cause boulders to fall on the way to the mountain’s top. This concept could also work with a volcano,
with hazards like lava that only Red Pikmin can move through. These ideas could also work as well in whatever
side modes are in the game. There have been countless suggestions on how
weather, such as the rain in Pikmin 3, could physically affect areas like raising the water
levels and causing more elemental enemies to spawn. To add on to this, it would feel more dynamic
if certain areas had different weather patterns, such as heat waves in deserts and frequent
rain in swamps. If it is indeed more than aesthetic, perhaps
there could be a collectible upgrade that would allow the player to see what the weather
will be like in each area. I would call it the “Meteorological Fortune-Teller”. Another fundamental element to each game is
the new Pikmin types that are introduced. I have 3 in mind- Robot Pikmin, Slime Pikmin,
and Burrowing Pikmin. Robot Pikmin would have the ability to interact
with mechanical objects, such as screwing in bolts with drills replacing their “stems”. They would probably be orange in coloration,
but would have gray metallic sections, making them look more cyborgian than completely robotic. Their onion would logically be found in a
man-made area such as the one described previously. Due to their strong metal exterior, they would
probably be resistant to explosions, as well as lasers such as the ones fired from the
Man-at-Legs. On the other hand, Slime Pikmin would be a
strange green species, made up of a gooey substance as if constantly melting, and having
two large, yellow eyes. Their traits would be focused on one attribute-
stickiness. When attacking an enemy, they would be especially
hard to shake off, as the Pikmin would be so well adhered to the creature. They would be resistant to a new hazard entirely-
goo. New enemies would shoot globs of green goo,
almost identical to the substance these Pikmin are made of. When a non-slime Pikmin comes in contact with
goo, they will start to drown as if underwater. To save the unfortunate soldier, Slime Pikmin
must be thrown to absorb the hazardous substance- which would flower them in the process. Remarkably realistic slimey materials would
be a creative way to push the Switch’s graphical capabilities, similar to how the water and
plasm textures in Pikmin 3 pushed the Wii U to its limit. Another idea of mine is Burrowing Pikmin. As one could guess from the name, these brown
Pikmin would have the ability to traverse through the ground. They would have claws on the end of their
hands and constantly squinted eyes due to their subterranean nature. In fact, they would stay in the ground constantly,
that is until a leader chooses to throw them. The way they can be identified is that the
top of their stems protrude from the ground, very similar to a Pikmin sprout. In fact, when they’re first born from an
onion, they wouldn’t have to be plucked; they could be whistled the second they touch
the ground, just like the Pluckaphone from Pikmin 2. Because of this, they’d be unaffected by
enemies like Swooping Snitchbugs. They’d also be resistant to crushing, just
like Rock Pikmin. They’d be able to travel under certain walls,
allowing them to reach places no other Pikmin could. When these Pikmin are thrown out of the ground,
they’ll bounce off enemies and get tossed in a straight line, similar to the Knuckle
Seeds from Pikmin Adventure. If they were to be thrown at a carryable object,
they would start transporting it like any other Pikmin, though with their head and arms
sticking out of the dirt. They would similarly flail their arms around
when exposed to hazards like water, fire, and poison, though part of their body will
always remain in the ground. Speaking of hazards, these Pikmin would be
resistant to mud, an obstacle that would normally slow the player’s Pikmin down substantially. Another core part of the Pikmin games are
the many bizzare and creative creatures that the player must fight. A relative concept that I want explored more
with the native life is dynamics. There was a glimpse of this in Pikmin 3, with
some enemies being able to accidentally damage other creatures, and Bulborbs waking up from
others bumping into them. However, in Pikmin 4, I would like to see
more. In order to make PNF-404 a convincing ecosystem,
enemies need to have larger diets than just Pikmin. Even if it’s merely aesthetic, such as undisturbed
creatures nibbling on plants or eating tiny bugs, it would make the world feel much more
lively. However, what I had in mind is enemies deliberately
attacking other ones over food, or even trying to eat each other. An example of this would be a Bulbear-like
creature that would chase and swallow Sheargrubs as if they were Pikmin. Once the beast is defeated, it would spit
out the grubs it gobbled up in a disgusting process. Another ecological niche I would like to be
explored with is scavenging. For instance, enemies like these would eat
enemies that the player just killed, and would similarly have to be defeated to spit the
creatures out. Although this has been explored in the first
2 games with Breadbugs dragging the player’s winnings to their dens, there has never been
an enemy that directly swallows creatures whole. Scavenging would also reasonably explain why
enemy corpses disappear during the night in the games. Dynamic behavior like this would highlight
how the planet is a functioning ecosystem, and would make it seem that the creatures
have been thriving long before the player intruded on them. In addition to these dynamic “ecosystems”
that could possibly find their way in the game, I thought of a boss that would definitely
surprise a lot of players. This boss would appear to be an Emperor Bulblax,
and would fight just like the one in Pikmin. However, once the player thinks it’s over,
a shadow widens above the corpse as a gigantic grub-dog hits the ground and gobbles the once
formidable Emperor. The player now must fight the Behemoth Bulblax. Though I think a slightly bigger Bulborb would
be a bit dull, the concept of this happening with a boss would be one of the unexpected
moments the Pikmin games are known for, like the Beady Long Legs appearing from nowhere
in Pikmin. Although this is obvious, another feature
that would be great to include is to bring back the Piklopedia. Though Pikmin 3 did have the exploration notes,
which I would also like to see a return of, a proper Piklopedia was noticeably absent. This encyclopedia of enemies from Pikmin 2
was famous for its ridiculously scientific descriptions of almost every organism in the
game. From white phosphorus to proper genus and
species names, it truly added a scientific ground to the wacky nature of the Pikmin series. For it to return with the same narrative would
be a dream come true, even if it's written by someone other than Olimar- more on who
that would be later. Family trees and cladograms of the creatures
would make it even better, though I doubt they’ll go that far. Of course the Piklopedia wouldn’t be complete
without Louie’s infamous cooking notes, where he would provide detailed descriptions
on how to cook the planet's flora and fauna. To mix things up while maintaining the notes’
playful feel, tips on keeping these creatures as pets could easily replace this. Notes on the flora could even depict how to
keep the vegetation as houseplants. Still, the return of the quirky cooking notes
would be just as swell. Now that I’m done throwing general ideas
out there, I believe it's time to describe a more specific story that I’ve come up
with, as well as the characters and objects involved. Warning that this section will contain a few
spoilers for Pikmin 3, so proceed with caution. To start off, it’s well known that every
main Pikmin game has a distinguishable collectible, which always corresponds with each game’s
story. Pikmin had ship parts, Pikmin 2 had everyday
items, and Pikmin 3 had fruit. I’ve seen many fans suggest that metal could
be the next object, which I totally think is a great idea. This would suit well if the plot of the next
game is that a Hocotation city is suffering an energy crisis, and the protagonists must
gather up metal to generate energy for their energy-deficient home. This was mainly inspired by the notes on the
various batteries found in Pikmin 2, where Olimar and the Ship repeatedly mention how
they have infinite potential for the future of Hocotate’s energy supplies. Metal brings countless possibilities when
it comes to collectibles, which makes it a feasible candidate for the next Pikmin game. For instance, metal could upgrade leaders’
suits in whatever way the player chooses, whether it's gaining extra speed, fire resistance,
or more health. Metal could also be used to upgrade the ship
and thus access new areas (which areas the player unlocks could also be their choice),
and add cooler stuff to the ship in general such as a space station where the new Piklopedia
would take place, with the creatures being on display somehow. The spaceship would essentially be a blank
slate at first, but would gradually change based on the player’s preferences. Each day would also subtract a certain amount
from the player’s metal supply, as to generate breathable gas for them to survive the next
day. If the player gains more leaders, the amount
of energy they require would increase, gradually making the game more difficult. Speaking of characters, I should describe
the new ones I came up with for this theoretical game. The inclusion of a Hocotation city being energy
deficient could introduce a new protagonist, the Mayor, who would be a spiritual successor
to the President of Hocotate Freight. His subordinate would be a scientist named
David, who would be the main writer of the Piklopedia and would study the various metal
objects the duo uncovers. The game would be more focused on David, who
would be similar to Olimar and Alph, being incredibly fascinated with PNF-404’s ecosystem
and the Pikmin. The reckless Mayor, on the other hand, is
the one who caused a blackout in the city from turning up the heat in his personal hot
tub. The two would obviously crash-land their ship
on the planet and separate due to a magnetic force David would later explain. But hold up- where are Olimar and Louie? Olimar would likely be on a well-earned vacation,
while Louie would be missing since the events of Pikmin 3, as depicted in Alph’s final
log in that game. However, this would soon change. At some point in Pikmin 4, David and the Mayor
would receive a distress signal, which would ultimately lead them to a boss. On the way to the arena, the duo would find
an interesting discovery- the Hocotate ship from Pikmin 2 and 3, though still deactivated. They would point out that it’s missing a
vital key, and would continue on. After the boss is defeated, it would regurgitate
another familiar face- the King of Bugs himself, Louie. After the duo recognizes him as a wanted space
fugitive, he would quickly make a run for it, and desperately hop into the ship after
inserting the special key. To Louie’s horror, the ship would fail to
take off and would collide with the ground. The ship’s pod would suddenly activate,
and would reveal that it was merely “in a deep slumber” and the collision woke it
up. It would go on to complain how it was having
a lovely dream about enslaving Hocotate. Louie would then be captured by David and
the Mayor, who have heard of his heinous crime of stealing fruit from the starving Koppaites
in Pikmin 3. However, they learn that some areas require
3 leaders to get to, so they reluctantly team up with the food thief- that is, after putting
a tracking device on his suit. After the characters properly repair the ship,
it’s pod combines with David and the Mayor’s vessel, acting as an additional upgrade that
unlocks the next area. Halfway through the game, the gang receives
a transmission that this mission is more desperate than ever before, as the entire planet is
suffering extreme energy loss. You see, this is called “raising the stakes.” To make matters worse, Louie goes completely
missing overnight, riding an escape pod from the space station the player has built by
then. As a result, the person most familiar with
Pikmin is sent to have one last trip to PNF-404; Captain Olimar. That’s all I’ve really thought about for
the plot, but I would love to see a frequently changing story like that for the next Pikmin
game, with twists and turns that even tie back to past entries in the series. Well those are most of the ideas I have regarding
the many different possibilities for Pikmin 4. Pikmin is such an underrated series with way
too much potential for the small number of games it has. I’m very excited to see if any of these
ideas will be exercised in the next title, or if it will take a completely different
approach. Nintendo taking their time is probably the
best option to make a proper successor to my favorite video game series, though I highly
anticipate the day Pikmin 4 is revealed- and the creative ideas that come with it.
