Highlights
- Pikmin 4 introduces exciting new features like customizable protagonists, the adorable Oatchi, and an RPG-like progression system.
- The new Dandori Battle mode in Pikmin 4 adds a fun multiplayer element, but Nintendo made a strange UI choice by using a split-screen view to display battles.
- While the split-screen view doesn't affect the fun factor, it can be frustrating for players who prefer to focus on their own gameplay and score while solo.
While Pikmin 4 mostly stays true to the series template, Nintendo also introduced a slew of new features to help liven the RTS up. The game featured the first fully customizable protagonist, introduced the adorable Oatchi, and even included a new RPG-like progression system. There is a ton of new content to enjoy in Pikmin 4, but perhaps one of the coolest additions comes in the form of the new Dandori Battle mode.
The Pikmin series is primarily a single-player RTS franchise, but Nintendo has also dabbled in multiplayer since Pikmin 2. Pikmin 4's version comes in the form of the exciting Dandori Battles, and although they are a lot of fun, Nintendo also made some strange UI choices. While these UI choices do not hurt the game mode much, Nintendo should have done something entirely different instead.
Nintendo Made a Weird UI Choice With Dandori Battles
Pikmin 4's Dandori Battles are a series of special caves that pit the player against an AI opponent. They must collect more treasures and enemies than the enemy can, and the player with the most points will win the day. They will run into these caves throughout the story with each one having a specific difficulty rating, and will earn a castaway if they successfully complete it. The cave will be closed afterward, and anything they collected will not return home with them.
While these Dandori Battles play a small role in the story, they can also be played whenever players want a break from the game. It is a separate mode that can be selected on the main menu and can be played with either a CPU or a second player. Players can also team up with each other to take on a CPU if they choose. It may not be the most advanced multiplayer mode out there, but it can be a ton of fun with the right people.
These Dandori Battles are a nice change of pace from Pikmin 4's core gameplay loop, but for some reason, Nintendo chose to display them strangely. Instead of just focusing on the player, Dandori Battles are displayed via a split-screen view. While players are focused on collecting their treasures, they must also watch what the opponent is doing. Players must watch the battles this way even if they are playing by themselves, and that can be a bit frustrating.
The split-screen view does not detract from the fun factor of Pikmin 4's Dandori Battles, but it can be hard to look at sometimes. It makes sense that it would be displayed in split-screen mode when playing with other players, but it should arguably not look like that when playing against the AI. Players have no need to see what the AI is doing every single second. The game should be primarily focused on the player and their score, and the AI movements should mostly remain a mystery.
If Nintendo wanted to show players what the AI was doing then it should have done it differently. There could have simply been an icon denoting where the AI was, Nintendo could have put a little circular live feed in the corner of the UI, or it could have simply let players switch between the two views. Forcing players to watch these battles via split-screen just seems like an odd choice that could have easily been avoided.
Pikmin 4's Dandori Battles may be one of the most exciting multiplayer modes that Pikmin has had, but that does not mean it is perfect. Players should have been able to choose if they want to watch the AI or not, but instead it was forced upon them.
Pikmin 4 is available now on Switch.
