Pikmin 4 has you exploring a gorgeous series of zones that stretch across a mysterious – yet familiar – planet. It’s a joy to get out and about and discover every treasure – defeat every enemy. Pottering around the surface is just the beginning though, and if you want to make the most of your time, you are going to have to delve into the deep.
Of course, we are talking about the various Caves and Sublevels that make up Pikmin 4’s hardest content. These areas are mostly optional, but skipping them isn’t recommended. Some of the best content in the game resides in the dark places of the world, and we are going to break down how these dank places work.
More Pikmin 4 content:
Blue Pikmin | Beginners Guide | Every Pikmin Type | Shortcuts | Oatchi Upgrade Guide | Swim Guide | Foolix Guide | Hectic Hollows
Found On The Surface
If you want to find Caves and Sublevels you are going to have scour each zone for pipes. These pipes lead directly to the dungeons in Pikmin 4, and each dungeon is very unique. You never kn ow what to expect when you first dive in, but you are given some hints thanks to some notes left by Olimar.
Once discovered, these pipes are marked on your map for ease-of-use. Not only that, once you have completed a Cave, that also gets marked on your map. Heck, it even tracks whether or not you’ve found 100% of things to find. Use your map, and you will have a good time.
You Can Only Bring Certain Kinds Of Pikmin
To make things a bit trickier, most Caves have restrictions on what Pikmin you can take. This is usually to force you to use Pikmin who are best suited to the environment, however that’s not always the case. In some instances the game will specifically give you the worst Pikmin for the job to push your skills to their limits.
The game has a very handy ‘Auto’ function too, which will bring the right amount of each Pikmin into each Cave, making it a bit easier to manage. Caves are full of unknowns, so having a feature that mitigates some of that mystery is very welcome.
Dungeons Filled With Combat And Puzzles
Caves are functionally multi-leveled dungeons that are filled with enemies and puzzles. Many of the enemies found in Caves are unique to these dank levels, giving you something new to cut your teeth on. The puzzles themselves are also fairly unique, forcing your to use your noggin more often than not.
Most levels can be cleared very quickly if you intend on skipping most of the content. All you have to do is look for the progress pipe. Sticking around and fully exploring each level will reward you handsomely, however.
Hidden Pikmin
One of the ways Pikmin 4 tries to convince you to delve into Caves is by hiding new species of Pikmin within them. In fact, most Pikmin can only be found in Caves, and if you want to get more, you need to delve into more Caves. Why? Because Onions are rare, and you will likely only have Red, Blue, and Yellow for most of your playtime.
Not only that, many Caves allow you to break your unit cap. Pikmin of all colours can be found hidden in bushes or buried in the ground. These never count towards your limit, so harvest away and amass a truly outlandish army.
Death Is Permanent…Sort Of
You’ll need all those Pikmin as well, since Caves are unrelenting. On the overworld, losing a Pikmin is heartbreaking. They can be replaced though by returning to the Onion and dispensing a dead Bulborb or something. This isn’t the case in Caves as all enemies are converted into Sparklium – NOT Pikmin.
Every death becomes far more impactful as you might never get a chance to recoup your losses. Considering Caves are rather challenging, this could lead to you not having enough Pikmin to complete an area. Be vigilant and keep your Pikmin alive.
Bosses
The main reason, in our opinion, to journey into the deep is to fight bosses. Most Caves have a Boss at the end, and these are always fun to fight. Not only that, these bosses can ONLY be fought in these locations, and they never repeat.
These larger-than-life enemies are an absolute joy and a true test of your Pikmin skills. They also reward you with hods of Sparklium, Castaways, and other goodies. What more could you possible want?
That’s all we have on Pikmin 4 for now. Be sure to check out our other Guides and Lists for more Pikmin content.
