Next month, fans of the license pikmine of nintendo will finally be able to discover a new main game, Pikmin 4, which will be released almost a decade after the third installment originally released on Wii U and especially not far from eight years after its announcement by Shigeru Miyamoto. Fans enjoying real-time management of these strange multi-talented creatures are therefore eagerly awaiting this new adventure putting us in the boots ofa rescuer created at the start of the gamewho came to help a rescue team who disappeared while there to repatriate the famous Olimarprotagonist of the first episodes, of Hey! pikmine and now recurring character. We were therefore able to discover the beginning of this trip to hostile land, playable solo or in local cooperation, which directly tickled our curiosity, and can tell you about its first two shipping areas, the Sunny terrace and the petal paradise.
The number of days elapsed does not seem to have an impact on progression.
In fashion Portablethe environments of Pikmin 4 are a real treat for our eyes. Between its artistic direction combining a certain realism in the decorations and objects found there with a more whimsical dimension for its characterswhether it is Hocotatians lost or other curious lost on the mysterious planet serving as a playground, and its amazing wildlife that it is better not to underestimate, the visual result is very pleasant. The environments so far crossed border a house that can be seen in the background, with obviously many remains of human civilization everywhere. The size of the protagonists (a handful of centimeters at the most), coupled with these sets, always gives the impression of being immersed in Honey, I shrunk the kids or embody a minishwhich is really fun.
Following an introduction of which we will keep the details and an implementation of our base camp around the captain’s ship Shepherdso we can go on an expedition every day within one of the unlocked areas, the latter depending on the number of Luminum collection. This is an essential resource contained in the treasures to unearth (thus old consoles of nintendo) and bring back to our mobile base. If a time constraint applies to each of our outings, the number of days passed does not seem to have the slightest bearing on the overall progress of the game For now. We will obviously have to see the end of the adventure to measure the real impact if it exists, but this is excellent news which should attract a new audience in addition to delighting fans of pikmine 2. Moreover, this is not the only element taken from this episode of yesteryear.
Once landed in a shipping area, we therefore have a few minutes ahead of us to explore the surroundings, eliminate lurking enemies, bring treasures back to the ship and carry out rescues, which are the very reason for our presence here. the crafty level design has been designed in such a way that it is preferable to clear certain passages in priority in order to facilitate the crossing of our troops, these always so helpful pikmine. In addition to having them pull roots from a flowerpot or push paper bags that serve as ramps, some accesses require them to build bridges or even repair mechanisms (a tap for example). To do this, we must make them collect raw materials, a malleable resource that they will come to seek if necessary to the vessel to carry out these works.
Must be able to multitask Pikmin 4or as the other would say, master the art of Dandoriconsisting in planning our actions to be as effective as possible in a record time. Fortunately, our avatar is well helped by the pikmine, who follow us closely. We can send them to pick up items, including color-changing flower tokens. By owning a Onion corresponding to one of the types (their nest), then it is possible to give birth to young shoots, the color of the majority of pikmine bringing back the token determining that of the newborns.
Once caught up in the dynamics of Pikmin 4, it’s hard to let go of the Switch.
In these first two zones, we were thus able to recover the Onions of the red pikmin (fire resistant), blue (able to swim and carry objects in water) and yellow (electricity resistant and can be sent higher). We have also recruited of the rock pikmin (breaking glass surfaces) and unreleased ice pikmin. These latter really bring a good dose of freshness to this episodeas they can freeze enemies and therefore facilitate combat, as well as water surfaces to create a temporary passage, providing new approaches to gameplay. They are also insensitive to water and capable of breaking cold barriers. Their availability so early in the adventure, although in limited numbers, is also undoubtedly there to make the game more accessible. With only three types being able to accompany us at a time, the possibilities are already numerous and we can’t wait to see how all this menagerie will be put to use in the future.
And speaking of animals, it’s a super doggie by the name ofochin who also comes to make our lives easier. This faithful companion acts as a mount for us and the pikmine, able to jump and thus access slightly raised platforms, in addition to charging at creatures to attack them or knock down objects located far too high. And as if that weren’t already enough, a whole bunch of skills come to make it ever more versatile in exchange for motivations, one point being awarded for each rescue. This good dog can therefore swim, develop increased strength to carry heavy loads, dig more efficiently, etc. A switch command is even used to make us take control of it directly, very useful in certain situations. Of course, he and the pikmine respond to the finger and the eye, or rather to our whistles to give them the order to gather, a technique worthy of this good old sergeant Cruchot. Well, it’s not infallible, because we were able to observe in certain very specific cases that some of our minions got stuck or continued certain tasks (the harvesting of fruit at Spicy Nectar). Gadgets to buy against raw materials from Russian come to enrich our range of remote controls and strengthen us as well asochinamong others. The loop of gameplay is therefore particularly effective since our evolution is significant, up to the challenges placed on our path.
In this perspective of Dandoriwe can move our camp within the same area in order to reduce the distances to be covered, a good way to energize expeditions by avoiding too long round trips. The rescues take place on their side within cellars acting as dungeons, another very appreciable return. Unlike the surface, no real time constraint to overcome it, but note all the same that it is better to avoid going there just before the end of a day, because a fixed duration elapses all the same. Seeing the countdown to nightfall appear once out of such a lair and having to rush to the ship is not the most pleasant, believe us. As on the surface, treasures are to be recovered at each level, to be revisited later in case of oversights. But be careful, because some dangers could well cost you dearly, we particularly think of a duo of bosses at level -6 of thelair of beasts… The game is worth the effort, however, since the rescued NPCs offer new mission objectives or unlock features at the base camp, such as the Piklopedia. Note thatan option offers the possibility to go back several minutes or to the beginning of a levelavoiding dramatic situations (the trauma of losing more than 50 pikmine still haunts us).
Finally, some dungeons take the form of challenges offered by Hardwoodscharacters whose heads are covered with leaves, including a strong familiar… They serve to put into practice our practice of Dandori and lend us for the occasion pikmine. The first type consists of a time given to obtain the best score possible in order to “rescue” the Hardwood managing the eventagain by collecting treasures, eliminating enemies, etc., with a much more advanced difficulty compared to the rest of the content of the zone. The other form of challenge opposes us to Leafy very singular already mentioned during a duel where you have to score more points than him, with why not the addition of additional rules to spice things up. The screen is then split in two and it is frankly not great for the readability of the action from the small screen of the Switch, and yet we are playing on the OLED model. Despite this, it’s quite fun and the tension is present until the last moment.
Our first impressions: Strongly!
Once caught in the dynamics of Pikmin 4, it’s hard to let go of the Switch so much the desire to complete a zone 100% is present, a real drug guaranteed without GMOs! Accessible to neophytes while already offering some somewhat tense situations that will delight fans of the first hour, this new episode seems well on its way to becoming a future must-have for the console, with solid new features that manage to convince us. And even, Pikmin 4 has so much more to offerincluding night expeditions…
Pikmin 4 is available for pre-order on Amazon for €44.99.
| Alexandre SAMSON (Omega Law) Responsible Corrector – Editor | ||
| Addicted to Assassin’s Creed and Destiny, great fan of RPGs and passionate about video game experiences in general. Reader of comics (DC) and various manga (One Piece!). Chemist by training and Whovian at heart. | ||
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