Nintendo ran a surprise Direct on 31 October and used it to declare 1 November as Pikmin Day. No new game was announced, but the Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition now has a clear release date: 12 November.
Shigeru Miyamoto opened the show. He said that from this year Nintendo will call 1 November Pikmin Day, a nod to the first Pikmin, which came out on the GameCube in autumn 2001, and to the way three Pikmin standing in a row look like 11.1.
Voice commands and a timed mode
The Pikmin 4 upgrade for Switch 2 uses the console’s built-in microphone, so you can give voice instructions to your dog-like helper Oatchi. It also adds a new mode called Dandori Academy, a timed treasure rush. According to Kotaku’s account of the Direct, you get one scored attempt from Friday to Sunday and can practise during the week. A demo of the mode arrives on Monday, 2 November, ahead of launch.
The mobile game Pikmin Bloom is getting caves. Like the dungeons in the console games, they promise treasure with the risk of losing your Pikmin. The Direct ended with a new animated Pikmin short, and Nintendo said such shorts will now appear every month.
Anyone who already owns Pikmin 4 on Switch should check what Nintendo offers existing owners nearer launch, since the Direct did not cover upgrade pricing in the reports we read.
