A new Pikmin game is coming and if history has taught me anything about the franchise, we’re in for a treat. Before Pikmin 4 launches on the Nintendo Switch on July 21st, I wanted to get ready by taking a look at the plant like helpers who have come before. With seven types of Pikmin and more to come, there is a lot to remember before diving back into one of Nintendo's greatest franchises.
My experience with Pikmin didn’t start until Pikmin 3. When Mario Kart 8 released on the Wii U in 2014, it came with a free download of either New Super Mario U or Pikmin 3. I took a chance on Pikmin 3 and it quickly became my favorite game on the Wii U. I even double dipped and purchased the deluxe edition the day it was released on the Switch. Even though I didn’t have the background of playing the first two games in the Pikmin series, I wasn’t lost from a story perspective. There were certainly things that acted as callbacks to the first two games but I was able to fully understand everything going on. One thing, however, that would have helped would have been a guide to all the different Pikmin types. With that in mind, I’m putting together a definitive guide to all the Pikmin types up to this point in the franchise and previewing what we know so far about new types being added to Pikmin 4.
We start of course with the red Pikmin. Red Pikmin are the most basic type of Pikmin in the franchise. They have no special abilities or added strength. They, like every other type of Pikmin, can gather resources, fight enemies, complete tasks such as rebuilding a bridge, and tear down sand barriers. Red Pikmin have been in every iteration of the Pikmin franchise to date and that is likely to continue. While they may be rather basic, they are also normally the most readily available Pikmin in any situation, making them good to have on hand to swarm enemies and collect resources quickly.
Blue Pikmin are the only other type that have been present in every Pikmin game. They are very similar to red Pikmin with one major difference - they can swim. More accurately, they don’t drown. When another type of Pikmin enters the water, they immediately have an adverse reaction and must be removed quickly, or else they die. Blue Pikmin by contrast just walk in cool as the other side of the pillow and take that water like a champ.
Yellow Pikmin were introduced in Pikmin 2 but have been a mainstay ever since. They can be thrown higher to get resources that would be out of reach for other Pikmin. Yellow Pikmin also have immunity to electricity. If a barrier has electricity running through it, it’s a good idea to only use yellow Pikmin to break through. In Pikmin 2 they were the only Pikmin able to carry bombs but that didn’t carry over into Pikmin 3.
Also introduced in Pikmin 2 were the purple Pikmin. Purple Pikmin are super strong. They can carry the weight of 10 other Pikmin by themselves. While they weren’t available to use in the main campaign in Pikmin 3, purple Pikmin did find their way into the game by way of the missions mode. Purple Pikmin are also expected to be in Pikmin 4 though it’s too soon to say exactly at what capacity they will appear.
White Pikmin also made their first appearance in Pikmin 2. Like the purple Pikmin, they were not in the main campaign of Pikmin 3 but did play a role in the missions mode and are expected to be in Pikmin 4 in some capacity. The white Pikmin are able to dig underground to find items and are immune to poison making them amongst the most versatile Pikmin in the franchise.
Introduced in Pikmin 3, used in Hey! Pikmin and Pikmin Bloom, and coming back for Pikmin 4 are the rock Pikmin. They are dark gray almost black and have a shine to them making them look like big chunks of obsidian. Rock Pikmin are big and bulky and pack a powerful punch when thrown at enemies. This comes at the cost of them not being as useful in hand to hand combat once they land. Because of their added mass, they have the ability to take down large crystal barriers or to reach items hidden inside large crystal chunks. Rock Pikmin are also resistant to being crushed by large objects or enemies. Instead they simply replant into the ground if they take too much weight from above and will need to be re-plucked.
Winged Pikmin were also introduced in Pikmin 3 and have been used in Hey! Pikmin, Pikmin Bloom, and are expected to be in Pikmin 4. Winged Pikmin have a pink body and as the name suggests, they have wings. They are the only flying Pikmin in the entire franchise. They can fly over water to grab items. They can fly over some barriers. They can even lift some barriers to allow other Pikmin to pass through. Their one major flaw is that they are considerably weaker when fighting enemies. It may be a good idea to reserve them for strategy and not throw them into battle.
Pikmin 4 has also announced two new Pikmin types. The first of these is ice Pikmin which have ice-like bodies and can freeze enemies. They can also freeze water to allow for non-swimming Pikmin to walk across. The other new type is called glow Pikmin. They glow in the dark and in doing so have opened up new gameplay for the Pikmin franchise that allows players to do nighttime excursions.
New and experienced players alike must be aware of what each Pikmin is capable of doing. So much of the strategy in Pikmin comes from having the right types and the right amounts of Pikmin that any misstep could be catastrophic. Hopefully, this guide has been a helpful reminder about the unique makeup of the different Pikmin types as you prepare to play Pikmin 4 on the Nintendo Switch.
