After years of waiting, fans of the Pikmin series finally got their first look at Pikmin 4 during the February 2023 Nintendo Direct. While the gameplay for this new title seemed to be an evolution for the series in a lot of ways, one particular feature was hinted at that could make Pikmin 4 a lot more similar to another one of Nintendo's recent titles than fans might expect. The latest trailer for the game gives fans a glimpse at a feature that implies the game might have a town-building mechanic similar to Kirby and the Forgotten Land's Waddle Dee Town.
Town-building mechanics are a fairly common side task across a variety of genres and games. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild features Tarrey Town which players can build by completing side quests and recruiting NPCs to the village, and Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom allows players to build their kingdom of Evermore by recruiting characters they meet along their adventure. While both of the town-building aspects of these games offer players gameplay benefits, it's unclear if a Pikmin town builder would function similarly, or more as a minigame hub like Waddle Dee Town.
How Pikmin 4 Could Include its Own Version of Waddle Dee Town
In Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Waddle Dee Town acts as a central hub for the game where players can do everything from upgrade copy abilities at the weapon shop, play a collection of minigames, or even take on Meta Knight at the Colosseum. As players progress through the game, they will be able to save captured Waddle Dees and return them to Waddle Dee Town, which helps to upgrade the town and grow the selection of activities available. While much of what Waddle Dee Town has to offer was optional, it still has its own useful gameplay benefits.
According to the latest trailer for Pikmin 4, it appears players will be tasked with rescuing castaways found throughout the game's mysterious and dangerous world. While it's unclear what rescuing these castaways does in-game, it seems oddly similar to the way players were tasked with rescuing Waddle Dees in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. As such, it's very possible Pikmin 4 could involve some sort of town or settlement building mechanic made up of rescued castaways that acts as a home base for players aside from their spaceship.
A town in Pikmin 4 could both affect gameplay and offer players optional quests and tasks. The Pikmin series typically has some sort of bonus challenge or mission mode that forces players to think strategically about their Pikmin usage to complete a goal, which would be a perfect mode to be housed and unlocked within a buildable town. Adding more members to a settlement could also help players manage their Pikmin, offering bonuses to growth rates for newly planted Pikmin or even have NPCs pluck them before they wither.
For a series that has historically focused on exploration of unknown worlds, it seems like starting a settlement of colonists would be a natural progression thematically, and there's tons of gameplay potential as well. Given how popular Waddle Dee Town was in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, and the prominence of town-building mechanics in other games, it wouldn't be a surprise if Nintendo brought the mechanic back with the release of Pikmin 4. If the implications of the castaways shown in the recent trailer are anything to go by, this could be a major feature of the upcoming title.
Pikmin 4 will be released July 21, 2023, for the Nintendo Switch.
