Soapbox features enable our individual writers and contributors to voice their opinions on hot topics and random stuff they’ve been chewing over. Today, on Pikmin 4‘s first anniversary, Alana thinks the half-plant, half-animal creatures known as Pikmin helped her move across the globe…
I define many of the biggest moments in my life contextually. What was I doing, what movies did I like, where was I living, and – perhaps most importantly – what games was I playing? Attaching memories and moments to objects or things is just human nature, whether they’re positive or negative. Personally, it helps me form an attachment that goes beyond “Hey, this video game is pretty good!”
Just over a year ago, I moved to America from my little flat in a coastal town in England nearly 4,000 miles across the Atlantic to live with my partner. The minute we got together, I knew a huge move was always on the cards for one of us, and it just happened I would be the one travelling west. I didn’t take a ton of belongings with me – shipping boxes are really expensive, so I was pretty selective about what I kept and sold or gave to family members. Somehow, I managed to squeeze my entire life into six large boxes and two suitcases. The physical objects I owned were all compartmentalised and separated into rooms, types, etc. It felt weird.
I didn’t have many plans when I first arrived at my new home, miles away from my birthplace. Unpack (eventually). Spend time with my other half (and the cat). Pet the cat (a lot). And buy my first video game as a resident in America – Pikmin 4.
I knew I’d like Pikmin 4, but I didn’t expect it to be one of those “defining” life things. The stress of packing, unpacking, readjusting, being homesick – all I needed was a big army of little half-plant, half-animal creatures.
Pikmin 4 is a lot less stressful than other games in the series, admittedly. There’s still a daily time limit and countless creatures that will put my Pikmin and best boy Oatchi in peril. But one thing that has always defined Pikmin is their determination. These little guys, whether they have leaves or fully bloomed flowers on their heads, will do anything for you, including collecting and curating all of those Treasures.
Treasures are my favourite things about the Pikmin games. “What manner of home objects can we stuff into the game to power up a spaceship?” That’s how I imagine the pitch for Pikmin’s carefully curated list of Treasures goes down. That and “What else can we call a peach that isn’t ‘fuzzy butt’?” Mock bottom is the answer, folks.
My character, the newest Rescue Corps recruit, took up residence on PNF-404 to save the rest of the Corps, including Captain Olimar. This unusual planet, which resembles Earth, was my character’s new home – just like I’d landed in a strange yet familiar city in the midwest of the United States. It’s similar enough to the UK but with wider roads, different accents, and different stores.
Everything in Pikmin 4 is huge. Garden benches are now like skyscrapers, buckets are the size of caverns, and staircases are these impassable mountains of wood and varnish. I recognised all of these things and, as I made my way through Sun-Speckled Terrace, Serene Shores, and Hero’s Hideaway, I excitedly dragged my Pikmin around examining all of these oversized objects.
It felt similar every time we’d drive around town or head into a grocery store – some things are essentially the same as stuff back home with one small difference that I’d often point to and be amused. Most houses in the US are made from wood or the exterior is covered in siding, which isn’t common in the UK. So whenever I see a brick house, it’s a little déjà vu. Some brands, fruits, and vegetables have different names, while others stay the same but have different variants. In America, I felt like a little Pikmin – or Rescue Corps agent – in a big, uncanny world.
All of these items that we see every single day have a brand new use
In the world of Pikmin 4, pipes and cardboard boxes become platforms or objects to push around and make progress. You can pull roots and plants to create new pathways. Fans can catapult the Pikmin across large gaps. All of these items that we see every single day have a brand new use, showcasing that lovely creative energy Nintendo seems to pour into everything. It also helped give me a brand new perspective on things that I’d otherwise take for granted.
I’m not here to wax lyrical about pipes, don’t worry (Mario’s warp pipes have fictional pipework sorted), but Pikmin 4’s setting helped me get accustomed to this strange yet familiar life I’d moved onto in America. The only real difference in the move was that my family wasn’t near – and they were just a phone call away – but I couldn’t help but get excited about all of the “new” in my new home.
But that didn’t make the moving process that much easier. Even if family were only a buzz or a video chat away, there were still thousands of miles between myself and the place I grew up in. The memories I’d made felt more distant because I wasn’t in that sleepy coastal town where I grew up. Fortunately, Pikmin 4 reminded me of something important I brought with me from my former home: stuff.
These games have always loved stuff. Batteries, biscuits, sweets, and toys. Fruits, vegetables, string, and soap. There’s something strangely comforting about watching these little creatures carry paint tubes and grapes back to the ship. They do it so carefully, requiring a certain number of creatures (and Oatchi’s help, sometimes) to carry it correctly. To these tiny, determined creatures, and to the Rescue Corps, every single item is precious.
Calling the ship’s energy Sparklium feels deliberate, too. Sparklium is found in the Treasures the Pikmin bring back to the ship. Giving random objects like picture frames and calculators a magical energy to them makes those ordinary, everyday objects feel special. Suddenly, the pencil on my desk has the power to re-energise the S.S. Shepherd. Treasures are in Pikmin 2, but that’s to pay off a debt – in Pikmin 4, stuff is magic.
I got so much joy out of finding these Treasures in Pikmin 4. While the stage designs and obstacles inspired fascination in me, these Treasures taught me to love the stuff I’d brought to my new home. I pulled out Buddy Displays (read: photo frames) from boxes, examined all of the scuffs and imperfections, and pored over the artwork and photos within them in a new light. My gold Legend of Zelda Stone of Advancement (yes, a GBA SP) which had been with me for almost 20 years, somehow felt different in my hands.
…in Pikmin 4, stuff is magic.
Pikmin 4 also reminded me of all the things I hadn’t kept.: from my immediate move, moving out of the family home, or simply growing up and growing out of things. One of my favourite collections is the Roundabout Express Series, which consists of pieces of a toy train track. You don’t get every single piece of the track or train in one place, but I couldn’t help but smile every time I picked up another piece of the set. Life Station, which is what the game calls a Train Station, is the perfect name for that little toy object. The real thing is a place where lives cross and pass each other by, where life moves on, or somewhere that might act as the start of an adventure. It’s one of the last places I stood before getting on the train to the airport.
This game about collecting objects, curating little creatures, fixing a ship, and reuniting a ship crew taught me the value of stuff and how to love the little things. But it also gave me a consistent presence in this new life while delivering these messages. Directing the Pikmin to collect these items and explore these new lands mirrored and enriched my experience of moving abroad. And when I was stressed or needed to slow down, I could settle down with my little Pikmin.
A year ago, I was just like my pink-haired Rescue Corps newbie – I was in a strange new yet familiar place, surrounded by objects, items, and creatures that were either new and fascinating to me or uncanny yet comforting. I had my own little fluffy companion in my cat (I’d love an Oatchi) and a whole new life ahead of me. Pikmin 4 made that transition much easier, and as a result, it will always be an extremely special video game to me.
