This past summer, Nintendo released the long-awaited “Pikmin 4,” the latest installment in the “Pikmin” strategy series. We play as a tiny astronaut stranded on a huge alien world, and our mission is to find and rescue other stranded civilians with the help of the “pikmin,” a race of small plants and flowers that have a wide range of uses and are pretty adorable. 

“Pikmin” isn’t Nintendo’s most popular franchise, so “Pikmin 4” will likely be the first time many players try out the series. Fortunately for them, like most long-running Nintendo series, “Pikmin” is very accessible to inexperienced players. One of the remarkable things about “Pikmin 4” is that the controls and mechanics are easy enough to understand after playing for a little bit, at which point the game becomes a journey of discovering everything that is possible with the different pikmin and Oatchi the dog. 

The game is about directing your pikmin strategically to navigate obstacles, fight enemies and collect items over a series of increasingly sprawling maps. Don’t let the aesthetic fool you; this game truly is all about strategy. Players are constantly reminded about the practice of “dandori,” a concept the game explains as the method of prioritizing your tasks and effectively utilizing the pikmin’s unique abilities to complete levels strategically and efficiently. Each map has several “Dandori Battles,” which are timed challenges to test the player’s level of skill. Mastering “dandori” is essential to most of the boss battles and the smaller challenges in the game. 

The need for thoughtful strategy, however, doesn’t negate the stylistic choices employed in the game, which are excellent. There’s something quaint about being such a small character interacting with regular-sized everyday objects—for all intents and purposes, the “alien world” on which you play is basically Earth. Everything is serene and has a dreamlike quality that makes “Pikmin 4” a genuine pleasure to play, even at the times when you’re stressing over your dandori. 

The one place where the game could improve is in rewarding the player for completing challenges. Useful powerups can be unlocked, which is nice, but there should be some way to display the cooler treasures that are found during the game, or more cosmetic options besides what are basically just color swaps on the player’s avatar. Otherwise, “Pikmin 4” is a rare treat that is both relaxing for players looking to chill, and challenging for those who want to master “dandori.”