Nintendo has had an incredible 2023 so far, but they’ve also had something that might be considered a “showstopper” already. You know the title we’re talking about, right? That game had been anticipated for so long that gamers honestly wondered what Nintendo would be willing to release after it to capitalize on the title’s momentum. That’s where a little bit of irony comes in. As last week they announced a sequel to a certain launch title, and today, they reaffirmed that Pikmin 4 is coming next month. They noted this during a special story trailer that puts a new twist on things.
In the trailer below, we learn that Captain Olimar, the protagonist of the original games, has gone missing on a “mysterious planet.” Thus, the Rescue Corps was sent to go get him. But they, too, crash-landed on the planet. Clearly, these guys need to learn how not to crash. That’s where you come in. You are the newest member of the Rescue Corps and are sent to go get them all back.
The “twist” isn’t just that you’re a new character and get to design how that character looks! This is a first for the franchise as typically, you just played as a named character of the corps. But now, you can make a character and have them look however you want! You can even see the customization options within the trailer itself. Check it out below:
While there wasn’t any gameplay shown in the trailer, we don’t really need that, given how the release trailer from the February Nintendo Direct already showed a lot of that. After all, it’s a game involving Pikmin, so much of the gameplay loop is already known. Once you get to this “mysterious planet,” you’ll find Pikmin and pluck them out of the ground. Once they are obtained, you’ll use them to fight aliens, solve puzzles, and more.
There will be some new gameplay elements, including new Pikmin you can use and a new helper character to work alongside the Pikmin. Plus, they teased at the end of the first trailer that the enemies will get a unique power boost, though no details on how that works have arrived yet.
It’s curious that Nintendo dropped this trailer today, given that many suspect a Nintendo Direct is coming soon. But this could just be something to tease players while everything gets set up.
Pikmin 4 arrives on July 21st!
