Pikmin 4 Preview – Getting a fresh perspective on this cute action strategy series

thesixthaxis.com:

Pikmin remains one of the more understated and overlooked gems of Nintendo’s game library. Originally released on the GameCube, it’s a series that blends action strategy and puzzle-solving in a way that was never really going to be as accessible and have quite the broad appeal of other Nintendo mainstays – cute Pikmin designs notwithstanding – but it still has a cult following and a degree of popularity that keeps Nintendo coming back to try again. Pikmin 4 will be its best shot at breaking out of that niche for the first time.

Now that the entire series is available on Switch, we can very easily dip back into the series’ past and see how it has grown and evolved through each iteration, and just how significant a shift Pikmin 4 represents in terms of game design.

We got to go hands on with an early level from the game, and the most obvious change is the camera angle, which is now much lower to the ground and lets you see far further into the distance than before. It’s a great change that helps to really emphasise the environments around you, amplifying that Honey, I Shrunk The Kids vibes, as you’re clearly a tiny alien on an Earth-like planet filled with all the kinds of objects and scenery you might expect to see, with park benches, picket fences, brick retaining walls, and more. You’ll be able to get your bearings much more easily without having to consult the map.

This shifted perspective also goes hand in hand with a smaller scale feel to the initial adventure. Where you could have up to 100 Pikmin right from the off in the previous games, here I was limited to just 20, pushing you to be a little more deliberate in what you’re doing, instead of having the kind of Zerg-rush mentality that was practically immediately