Highlights
- The Pikmin franchise is a successful Nintendo series, with an iconic art style and gameplay enjoyed by many gamers.
- Leaked info suggests a new Pikmin spin-off with potential major gameplay and art style changes is in development, which could be risky for the franchise.
- While unconfirmed, the rumored changes to Pikmin's visuals and gameplay could either bring something special or alienate fans.
The Pikmin franchise is one of the unsung heroes of Nintendo. Through the years, the company has featured its fair share of major gaming mascots, like Mario, Donkey Kong, and Link. However, the Pikmin series has been a hugely successful franchise for Nintendo, as well. It may not be a household name, like Mario and Luigi, but Pikmin is iconic for many gamers.
Shigeru Miyamoto's real-time strategy series has become well known for not just its fun gameplay, but its artwork and aesthetic. As one of Nintendo's most charming franchises, Pikmin has featured a series of sequels and spin-offs. Thanks to leaked information from well-known insider, Nash Weedle, it looks like the series is aiming to grow even more with another spin-off. It's only been one year since Pikmin 4 launched, but the prospect of a new entry is exciting. What's even more intriguing is that these leaks suggest a major change for the series.
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Pikmin Spin-Off Leaks Could Tease a Franchise Shake-Up
Experimenting With the Pikmin Formula
Pikmin is no stranger to spin-offs. Hey! Pikmin and Pikmin Bloom are solid additions to the larger franchise, but the main difference between these spin-offs and this rumored one is that the new spin-off is supposedly making some big changes to some of the series' most notable features. This new rumored Pikmin is speculated to be a major update to the gameplay. The two aforementioned spin-offs have experimented with other genres that veered off course from the usual Pikmin formula, but this potential spin-off is said to be making an even bigger change: the art style.
Pikmin's art style is an essential part of the franchise's brand recognition. Of course, the game's visual style has evolved since the series' beginnings back in 2001, but it has still stayed true to the original look. The various Pikmin games have shared a cohesive appearance, and although these leaks could be inaccurate, they shouldn't be taken lightly.
Nash Weedle's leak also claims that the possible Pikmin spin-off is scheduled to be released sometime in the next fiscal year.
The visuals of Pikmin have currently been at the heart of the franchise, so the potential of having a drastically different art style is both intriguing and worrisome. As is common with any long-running franchise, Pikmin has continued to grow with the industry, but changing the art style is a risky move that raises more questions than anything.
Pikmin Venturing Into the Unknown
Big Changes and Big Surprises Might be on the Horizon
Until Nintendo officially confirms these leaks, Nash Weedle's words are merely bold claims, but they have a track record of getting leaks correct in the past. It could be great for Pikmin to subvert expectations and try something completely new with its visuals and gameplay. On the other hand, this presents a major risk for the franchise. Pikmin 4 was quite successful last year, and although that success may have moved Nintendo to act with some understandable hubris, moving away from the game's visual brand is questionable.
Pikmin can explore other gameplay mechanics with ease, but featuring a different art style may cause the game to not even feel like Pikmin at all. If Nintendo chooses to explore the boundaries of where Pikmin can go, that could bring something incredibly fun and special to life. Nintendo president, Shuntaro Furukawa, has labeled Pikmin as a flagship series for the company, which adds some more weight to these rumors, as it suggests the company's desire to expand Pikmin's horizons. Hopefully, Nintendo will make an announcement soon, and if it does, many players may be on the edge of their seats to see just how different these rumored visuals are.
Pikmin 4
Puzzle
Adventure
Systems
- Top Critic Rating:88/100 Critics Recommend:97%
- Franchise
- Pikmin
- Platform(s)
- Switch
- Released
- July 21, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- How Long To Beat
- 17 Hours
See at AmazonSee at Nintendo eShop
- Video Games
- Pikmin
- Pikmin 4
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