Pikmin 4 on Switch 2: enrol in Dandori Academy

A wall beside the collection point can cost you a better score in Pikmin 4 - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy. Break it earlier and your treasure carriers get a shorter journey home. Nintendo's example captures the appeal of the new Academy: learning a little patch of ground so thoroughly that the next attempt runs more efficiently. There's pleasure in spotting the improvement yourself.

The expanded edition arrives on 12 November, bringing the 2023 adventure to Switch 2 with voice commands for Oatchi, sharper visuals and GameShare for Dandori Battles. Its biggest invitation to returning explorers is the Academy's programme of treasure-collecting stages. You can practise every day, then take an exam during the Friday-to-Sunday window. Returning players get a new weekly challenge alongside the adventure.

A shorter route through the garden

Pikmin are tiny creatures you grow, pluck and direct through a world of oversized everyday objects and hungry wildlife. Different types have different jobs: Red Pikmin resist fire, Blue Pikmin can work underwater, and Yellow Pikmin are particularly useful for digging and reaching high places. Your explorer gathers treasure and searches for stranded crew members, with rescue dog Oatchi helping to carry things and tackle enemies. Choosing who goes where is the heart of the adventure.

Dandori gives that organisation a name. The Academy isolates it in stages with their own Pikmin and obstacles, where the things collected determine your score and unused time adds a bonus. Nintendo's route example includes a treasure needing twelve Pikmin to move it. You gather enough helpers within the stage, assign spare Pikmin to another load and consider whether clearing a wall first would shorten the return trip. Several small decisions contribute to the final result.

That is an appealing prospect for anyone who enjoys improving a plan through repetition. The same ground becomes easier to read once you know where the treasure sits and which jobs compete for your helpers. The score gives those discoveries a visible reward. Players drawn to Pikmin's creatures and exploration have an adventure underneath; players who enjoy arranging its work more efficiently get a dedicated place to keep doing that.

Six stages a month, with room to return

Nintendo plans 72 Academy stages across twelve monthly releases of six. There are three difficulty levels, and previously released stages remain available to revisit. Practice and exams will continue after all stages have arrived. You can build up a library of challenges over the year, which is a useful detail for anyone whose gaming time comes in bursts. Joining late still leaves earlier routes to explore.

The Japanese stage guide offers some wonderfully specific assignments. November's mushroom challenge keeps treasure and gold travelling along marked paths, while breaking mushrooms can reveal Purple and White Pikmin. The path restriction gives the mushroom stage its own route-planning problem, with newly discovered helpers joining the work as you clear it.

The weekend exam gives a practised route a score to record. Game Informer's announcement coverage highlighted that practice-to-exam rhythm when Nintendo revealed the edition in September. The regular attempt is once a week, with retake tickets offering another go at the same stage. Nintendo's Japanese guide says you receive one ticket each month and another for every five practice attempts, up to five practice-earned tickets monthly. A disappointing run has a practical route back.

A passport full of medals

Exam results award medals, and collecting them in your passport earns Dandori Points. Those points unlock photo frames and stamps for the in-game camera, alongside user icons for the console's HOME menu. Platinum medals earn more points than lower medals. There is something pleasingly modest about these rewards: a more efficient treasure run can end with another little decoration for your photographs.

Internet access is required to receive stages and take exams. Nintendo Switch Online is required for the scoreboard and claiming user icons, according to the Japanese information page. The scoreboard lets you compare results with friends and players around the world. Those requirements deserve attention if the Academy is your main reason to upgrade: its scheduled exams are connected activities, even though the work within a stage is directing your own little team.

Oatchi listens, and a friend can join a battle

Oatchi also gets nine voice commands through Switch 2's built-in microphone, including gathering Pikmin and transporting treasure. You can praise him, too. For competitive company, Dandori Battles support GameShare locally or online through GameChat, letting another player join without owning the game. Online sharing requires both players to use Switch 2 and GameChat; the shared software lasts for that session. For a different sort of friendly gathering, our Hello Kitty Party Land preview looks at cooperative minigames and Sanrio companions.

The full edition includes Pikmin 4 and its upgrade content. Existing Switch owners can buy the upgrade pack for play on Switch 2, with enhanced resolution up to 4K in TV mode. For returning explorers, the Academy offers the clearest reason to come back: a growing set of carefully bounded jobs, plenty of practice and a weekend score to chase. The next improvement might be as small as removing that wall before sending everyone to work.