Pikmin 4

North American game cover. Japanese name ピクミン 4? Rating Console Nintendo Switch Developer Nintendo EPD Eighting Publisher Nintendo Genre Action/Adventure/Strategy Players 1-2 players Worldwide release date July 21st, 2023 Related games Predecessor Pikmin 3 Pikmin 4 is the fourth mainline game in the Pikmin series , released in 2023 for the Nintendo Switch . The game sees the newest recruit of the Rescue Corps exploring the planet PNF-404 , with the goal of rescuing Captain Olimar , the rest of the Rescue Corps, and other civilian castaways , while also collecting treasures and completing other missions. Elements new to the series include night expeditions , a companion character called Oatchi , and building structures along with purchasing gear with raw materials . The Rescue Corps , an organization dedicated to rescuing people, receives the signal, but their ship, the S.S. Shepherd , also crashes, scattering the 7 members of the mission in different locations. As a result, their newest recruit, a customizable player character , is sent in the S.S. Beagle to rescue the Rescue Corps, and doesn't crash. They find the space dog Oatchi and the communications operator Collin , then go into the Burrow of Beginnings to rescue the captain Shepherd . After this, they find the Pikmin and repair the S.S. Shepherd by collecting 3 nearby treasures , completing the first day on the planet. After the first day, the rookie visits various areas of the planet to collect treasures and find castaways , finding that there are civilian castaways as well as members of the Rescue Corps. They also encounter leaflings , strange creatures with leaves on their heads who always talk about Dandori , and who challenge the rookie with Dandori Challenges . One particular leafling with red leaves challenges the rookie to Dandori Battles . Collecting treasures gives the rookie Sparklium , and collecting enough of it allows access to more areas. After rescuing the Rescue Corps doctor Yonny , the rookie unlocks night expeditions , where they can get glow sap which has the ability to cure leaflings and also the ability to prevent turning into one. After collecting enough Sparklium and rescuing the entire Rescue Corps, the rookie gains access to the Hero's Hideaway , where the red leafling waits in a bunker for a final battle. Defeating it reveals that the leafing is in fact Olimar, and after curing him, the Rescue Corps completes their mission and is able to leave the planet, reaching the game's first ending. Upon trying to leave the planet, they find that Oatchi cannot be in space, because of the leaf that sprouted on his tail halfway through the first part of the story. They return to the planet with the new goal of curing Oatchi, and hear that a veterinarian from the planet Koppai called Nelle is stranded on the planet. Upon landing in a new area, they see Louie and Moss run away with another Koppaite, Yorke . After rescuing Yorke by defeating Louie in a Dandori Battle, and rescuing Don Bergman elsewhere in the area, the rookie can visit the final area, where after defeating Louie in a final Dandori Battle and rescuing Nelle, they can access the final cave, the Cavern for a King , where Louie can be found riding the final boss , the Ancient Sirehound . When defeated, the boss drops its collar, the Gift of Friendship , which contains enough hair on it to create a cure for Oatchi, reaching the game's second ending. Pikmin 4 is a 3D real-time strategy game, with gameplay divided into blocks of time called days . Each day is 15 minutes long and allows the player to explore 1 area . Within each area there are several caves , which are divided into multiple sublevels which are explored sequentially. While in a cave, the time of in-game day progresses at 1/6th the normal speed. Caves contain the majority of collectibles in the game. The player directly controls 2 characters, the rookie Rescue Officer and Oatchi , and can use these characters to indirectly control