Pikmin 4 takes the series to new depths, with fewer dead soldiers

polygon.com:

Nintendo’s friendly real-time strategy game series Pikmin has more depth and more breadth in next month’s long-awaited sequel, Pikmin 4. New types of Pikmin, including Ice Pikmin that can freeze enemies and water, and Glow Pikmin, which can be used in brand-new nighttime battles, join another great addition: The space dog Oatchi.

And, for Pikmin players who wince at the deaths of Pikmin en masse, either by drowning or at the jaws of a Bulborb, Pikmin 4 lets you undo unnecessary deaths — or at least, the most painful ones.

Based on an hour spent with Pikmin 4 at a recent Nintendo hands-on event in New York, the core of Pikmin hasn’t changed much. You’re still a tiny, alien explorer harvesting the plant-like Pikmin of various colors and abilities on a rescue mission. You’ll still collect treasure, like toy binoculars or a Game Boy Advance, by throwing teams of Pikmin at precious objects and any obstacles that stand in your way. The mission this time is different, though; you’re not Olimar, the original smol spaceman who starred in the first two Pikmin games. Instead, you’re a new recruit, a character of your own design tasked with rescuing the rescue team that failed to rescue Olimar.

This challenging mission is made less daunting by some of Pikmin 4’s streamlining. Targeting enemies is easier. You can move your Onion — the base that functions as a Pikmin storage unit — around levels to reduce backtracking. You can also rewind time, should you want to retry a certain challenge (or if too many of your Pikmin have died). Overall, there’s less pressure to complete your expeditions under the time constraints of previous Pikmin games.

Oatchi, who functions as the tank/armored transport to the Pikmins’ infantry, is a big and