Pikmin 4 is coming, and it will bring the next evolution of the Pikmin franchise. No one knows exactly what this will entail, but fans are excited regardless. Among Nintendo's franchises, Pikmin has had some of the longest periods of mainline inactivity while still remaining present in Nintendo's active lineup. Pikmin 2 and 3 were almost separated by a decade, and it looks like Pikmin 3 and 4 will be as well. Pikmin 4 is coming after a couple spin-offs and a new release for Pikmin 3, but it will be this game that forges ahead toward Pikmin's next stage.
How this will happen, none can say. The current marketing material for Pikmin 4 is scarce, and shows very little of the new world and mechanics. Apart from the most detailed visuals yet, a seemingly new captain, and a lowered camera angle, explanations are being put off until later. It's likely that Pikmin 4 will share a lot of enemies and visual themes with past Pikmin games, and will revolve around collecting some sort of item while a timer counts down. Whether Pikmin 4 will be open world or maintain the different maps of past Pikmin games is unclear, but it shouldn't be afraid of bringing back old elements. In particular, Pikmin 2's caves would greatly benefit from another chance.
Pikmin 2 Revolved Around Exploring Caves
Anyone familiar with Pikmin 2 can describe its unique traits in a few words: Louie, White and Purple Pikmin, and caves. Underground areas take up at least half of the player's time proceeding through Pikmin 2. A lot of them are dotted throughout each map, and the majority of treasures are found beneath the earth. While Pikmin 2 lacks the hard day limits of Pikmin 1 and 3, it goes even further to invalidate its timer by having it freeze during spelunking. Each cave trip causes a set amount of time to pass, allowing for what is normally a fifteen-minute day to last for hours.
The dominance of caves defines Pikmin 2 in the eyes of many, and it's hard to disagree with them. The way time is warped in dungeons, the many minor treasures, and even the increase in boss fights are all because of Pikmin 2's caves. How much tolerance a given player has for this inseparable element of the game will have a large impact on their opinion of Pikmin's unusual middle child. A straightforward and occasionally subverted dungeon crawl in Pikmin's gameplay can definitely be a fun experience, but there's a lot that Pikmin 4 could change about caves for the better.
What Adaptations Caves Could Gain in Pikmin 4
For starters, Pikmin 4's caves would have considerably reduced random elements. While it's not necessarily bad for most floors in Pikmin 2’s dungeons to randomize the layout of enemies and items, it's other random elements that cause a lot of frustration. Bomb rocks, Volatile Dweevils, and even boulders that instantly kill Pikmin instantly can fall from the sky in certain dungeons, which encourages captains to walk around the area and trigger every trap themselves. Removing this would make spelunking a smoother experience, and aligning the difficulty of the surface and underworld could be grounds for instituting a “cave-in” timer.
The layout and integration of caves into Pikmin 4’s world will also need to become more diverse. Pikmin 2’s caves seen with Pikmin 4's camera would reveal a lot of flat ground, so some areas will need to be significantly redesigned. With more visual elements and varied geography, Pikmin 4's caves will have a lot more identity. Such dungeons could be fully integrated into the world like Pikmin 3's indoor environments, or could have entrances leading below. With more detailed environments, there would probably be fewer floors total, but that would make for a tighter experience. If Nintendo decides to bring caves back in Pikmin 4, then they should be refined and better integrated into the core experience of action and real-time management.
Pikmin 4 will be released in 2023 for the Nintendo Switch.