Nintendo has made its reputation on the kind of approachable fun that would let a child pick up a controller and learn the ropes within minutes--in fact, many millions of children by now. In the case of Pikmin 4, the fourth entry in a relatively niche franchise (by Nintendo standards) that mixes strategy and puzzle elements, the company seems especially keen to prove it's an entry point for new fans. This was a point made explicitly during a presentation at a recent hands-on demo, and more importantly, it's woven into the fabric of the game itself.
For starters, the story is no longer following the travails of Captain Olimar. As detailed in a recent trailer and in the game, this time you actually take charge of your own explorer, a custom-created character. While the hands-on didn't include the character-creator section, the pre-fab characters were noticeably imbued with the off-kilter, Charlie Brown-esque cartoonish style of Olimar. Olimar has crashed on a strange planet, leading to a daring rescue mission that also crashed. Oops. You're the backup, sent not only to rescue the series' recognizable mascot, but also the crew sent to save him.
As a practical matter that makes it a less lonely affair than its predecessors, Pikmin 4 is bursting with other humanoid characters who can serve to explain its various systems and lend a hand. Instead of an isolated mission surrounded by silent plant-creatures, you're part of a crew. And given that Pikmin can be fairly dense with systems to manage, that's a welcome change. They are still largely tutorial givers and systems hubs, but they have some character.
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