Pikmin 4: Thoughts on Nintendo’s Free Demo
Before I get started with this article, I just want to make it clear that I have no experience in the Pikmin franchise at all. Prior to playing the demo, the most I knew about Pikmin was from my limited exposure to Olimar and Alph in the Smash Bros. games. With that out of the way, let’s get into my thoughts for the Pikmin 4 demo.
So to start things off, I have to say that the demo was quite fun. In this demo, there are essentially three things that happen. The first part is a tutorial where you play as Olimar. In this tutorial, you get access to every ability available. If you’ve played RPGs before, it’s like when you play a prologue chapter where all your characters are fully maxed out. This part was a great way to get into the game since it’s quite beginner friendly.
There, they teach you all the basic actions of the game. Having never played any of the games before, I found the controls to be surprisingly simple. In most cases, it’s just a point and click situation. If you have experience play FPS games, then this won’t really be a problem. Even the most casual of players will get the hang of it before too long.
Since we’re talking about game mechanics, let’s explore those here. The demo introduces you to two main abilities. With the Pikmin, you get the ability to throw them at objects to perform certain tasks. Some tasks involving fighting different creatures or plants, or you can use these Pikmin to carry objects back to your base to completely objectives.
Unique to this game, the player gets access to another mechanic in the form of a space-dog names Oatchi. Similar to Pikmin, Oatchi can attack and carry objects, however, he also has the “Rush” ability, which lets him run through and break certain objects. Using these two mechanics, the player gets the opportunity to explore the beautiful world while completing different objectives.
Speaking of the world, I have to say that Pikmin 4 is quite pretty to look at. The combination of the colours and the giant objects gives an interesting feeling. The demo doesn’t give you access to too many areas, but the areas provided do feel unique and have plenty to do within. The main system that limits the player in the demo is to collect Sparkilum to power the ship. After collecting 1500 units of Sparklium, the demo ends, however, the player can choose to ignore the treasures that add to the Sparklium counter so that they can explore the area instead.
So, after playing the demo, I can say that PIkmin 4 was surprisingly fun. Now, this kind of game isn’t my favourite kind of game, but if I got the chance to play it, I wouldn’t complain. By that same logic, Pikmin 4 isn’t something I’m going to actively chase to get and play. Personally, I’m more hooked on Persona 5 Royal at the moment. Regardless, this game can definitely appeal to a wide variety of players. So, if you’re curious about this game, check out the demo first.