User:Soprano/A Pikmin 4 Prediction
Before a game is released, video game companies usually publish various prerelease information about the game. This prerelease information is designed to get people excited about the game, and to do this it needs to show various aspects of the game without showing too much. People like to make predictions on what the full game will be like based on the prerelease information, but the fact that the information is deliberately incomplete means that it's never possible to make a fully accurate prediction. In particular, it's easy to assume that the information that has been shown is a key part of the game, when there's often crucial context or extra mechanics that haven't been shown, and this can often be more important than what has been shown so far. Despite these challenges in making predictions, people do it anyway, and it can be interesting to compare predictions of a game to the final product.
At the time of writing this in April 2023, 2 trailers for Pikmin 4 have been published: one in September 2022 and one in February 2023. These trailers show a lot, especially the second one, but there's a lot they don't show. Based on the information in these trailers, I will present a prediction for what Pikmin 4 will be like, based on trailer analysis and speculation done by myself and many other people. I do not expect this prediction to be accurate, and am writing it down so that when the next trailer is published and later when the game is released, it can be compared with the new information or final product to see how incomplete information about a game can be extrapolated.
This page will follow the standard structure of game articles on Pikipedia. However, it will be in future tense instead of present tense, and will explain the reasoning for predicting certain things by referencing scenes in the trailer or other published information.
Plot
Some time after the events of Pikmin 3, Hocotate Freight launches another mission to PNF-404 to search the planet for more treasure. They send a crew of 8 Hocotatian explorers in a Hocotate Transportation Company Universal General Navigator (HTCUGN), along with a dog called Oatchi. However, as the ship approaches the planet, they experience a strange pull from the planet in addition to the expected gravitational pull. This causes the ship to lose control, and they initiate the emergency evacuation procedure, ejecting each explorer from the ship in a different direction. The HTCUGN makes a rough automated emergency landing with Oatchi still inside, and while the ship survives, it's badly damaged. Back on Hocotate, Hocotate Freight receives the news and has no choice but to send a new recruit, Anita, to the planet in a small Hocotate Transportation Company Unit (HTCU) to rescue the castaway explorers, collect treasure, and investigate the source of the mysterious force. Anita arrives on the planet safely in the same area as the crashed ship and Oatchi, where the tutorial takes place, and then visits the other areas to rescue the other explorers one-by-one while also collecting treasure.
This prediction is based on a variety of sources. Pikmin 3's best ending cutscene states at the end of the narration that the accident that sent the S.S. Drake hurtling towards PNF-404's surface may not have been an accident at all, and Alph mentions in a check-in conversation that it felt as if some power from the planet's surface was manipulating the ship, which implies that there's something strange about PNF-404, and the fact that this is the closest thing Pikmin 3 has to a cliffhanger means that it's very likely Pikmin 4 was planned to resolve this. The February Pikmin 4 trailer starts with a small pod labeled with 
flying towards the planet, and later we see it fly towards what looks like a tutorial area, and the scene introducing Oatchi appears to take place in the same area, as do the scenes featuring the large ship labeled with 
. An unidentified character referred to as a castaway appears in a cave, and my theory is that the castaways are the crew of the large ship. The number 8 is arbitrary and was just chosen so that there could be a symmetrical group of 9 characters with the main one in the center. I have decided not to make any predictions about how the story will end, as there's basically no information to work with.
Gameplay
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Content
Pikmin types
Pikmin 4 will feature 6 Pikmin types in the Story Mode: Red Pikmin, Yellow Pikmin, Blue Pikmin, Purple Pikmin, White Pikmin, and the new Ice Pikmin. There are an additional 2 types that only appear in alternative game modes, Rock Pikmin and Winged Pikmin. This prediction is based on the fact that while the game's key art contains all 8 types, the cropped versions used for the box art and the square icon remove the Rock Pikmin and the Winged Pikmin respectively, implying that they are not major types in the game. I also think there won't be another new type, as the key art has already been made and is being used in promotional material. Of the types in the Story Mode, only Red Pikmin, Yellow Pikmin, and Blue Pikmin will have an Onion, while Purple Pikmin, White Pikmin, and Ice Pikmin will only be able to be produced with Candypop Buds in caves and will be stored in the HTCU. The types will be unlocked in the order Red-Yellow-Ice-Purple-Blue-White.
Areas
Pikmin 4 will feature 5 areas, all set in different sections of a large rural estate. No humans are ever seen, but the buildings and gardens are in good condition. 3 of these areas have been shown already in the trailer, and I predict there will be 2 more. It's possible to tell that the trailer shows 3 separate areas and not different sections of one area, because enough of the background is shown to make it impossible for all the outside shots to fit into one background environment. Areas will have a fairly compact design, and will feature multiple landing sites that the player can choose between at the start of the day. The landing sites are indicated by the pink rings of crystals, and the player will only have access to one when first landing in an area, with the others unlocked by walking to them.
- The Crash Site
This is the first area, and it is special in that it is a kind of "safe zone" where enemies do not come out at night. It is the area where the HTCUGN lands and where the tutorial takes place. For this reason, the crew uses it as a kind of hub area, staying there in between days instead of in the atmosphere. There isn't much to do in this area due to its small size, but there are a few pellets and a couple of treasures. Its main purpose is as a place that the main character can return to at the end of the day to talk with the other characters. The area features various large-leafed vegetation in its out-of-bounds terrain, and has some small terraced vegetable gardens.
A scene from the tutorial.
The landing site.
Some vegetation.
Discovering Red Pikmin.
- Vibrant Garden
This is the second area and first proper area. It takes place in a walled garden-like area with various tools scattered around the area. Most of the trailer shots are set here.
One of the landing sites.
A Bulborb near a short blue fence and a stepladder.
A Fiery Blowhog; the blue fence can be seen in the background.
Another Bulborb at the opposite end of the area.
A bench.
A third Bulborb.
- Sandy Playground
This is the third area and second proper area. It features more sandy terrain and water, and in the background there is a large house and various playground equipment. Cherry blossom trees are nearby and their petals are constantly falling.
Some sandy grass terrain and the house in the background.
A high platform with some dirt terrain, above a section with sandy terrain.
A lake next to a landing site.
Opposite view of the lake.
- Other areas
The fact that all areas are set close together restricts how diverse the climates of the areas can be. The remaining 2 areas will still be fairly temperate, but one will be colder and set directly next to a building, and one will be in a dense forest with much rougher terrain. This is complete speculation.
Caves
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Collectibles
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Characters
Pikmin 4 will feature 9 Hocotatian characters, plus a dog called Oatchi. The February trailer only shows 4 characters, but I think there are more that have not been shown. Each time a castaway is rescued, their identity will be revealed and they will join the team at the HTCUGN. Only one of the leaders will be playable, and I think this is the case because the characters all wear the same color of spacesuit and we only ever see one character being played as in the February trailer. Each character has a name based on a dog breed. The characters are, in order of when they are unlocked:
- Anita: The main character and only playable leader. Has dark red hair. (Name is speculative)
- Shepherd: Oatchi's trainer. Wears a bandana and has yellow hair. (Name confirmed in trailer)
- Collin: Manages the finances of the mission. Has grey hair. (Name confirmed in trailer)
- Beagle: The crew's biologist. Wears glasses and is bald. (Name is speculative)
- 5 additional characters that have not been shown yet, though one can be seen in the scene showing the castaway.
Oatchi is a dog that assists the crew. He is a companion character that works with Anita to collect treasure, navigate the areas, and search for castaways.
Controls
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Alternative game modes
Mission Mode
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Night Mode
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