Nintendo Focused on the Fine Details with Pikmin 4 + Dandori Academy, but This is Ultimately a Lightweight Switch 2 Update

Pikmin often feels like the last Nintendo franchise picked for dodgeball. Case in point, Pikmin 4 didn’t arrive until quite late in the Switch’s lifespan, and the game still hasn’t received a Switch 2 update even after most other major (and even some not-so-major) first-party titles have gotten one. Well, that finally changes this week with the release of Pikmin 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy.

Was it worth waiting for Pikmin 4 + Dandori Academy to sprout? Or is this update not exactly the market peak? March onward to find out…

Note: This is an opinion piece and, thus, not as detailed as a full, scored review would be.

Pikmin 4’s Switch 2 update is a somewhat atypical one, as it doesn’t boost the game’s framerate at all, keeping things at a locked 30fps. Of course, Pikmin games have always been 30fps, so the game doesn’t feel bad to play by any means, but it would have been neat to finally be able to chuck Pikmin in 60fps.

Instead, Nintendo has opted to focus on the fine details of Pikmin 4’s miniature world, as the game appears quite close to an actual native 4K docked and a full 1080p in handheld mode. The result is a very crisp-looking game, although the original Pikmin 4 was already one of the sharper games on the OG Switch, so the difference doesn’t feel totally transformational.

As for new content, the main focus is the titular Dandori Academy mode. For those unfamiliar, Dandori is essentially the Japanese term for multitasking, with Dandori Academy serving up a series of timed arcade-like challenges in which players look to earn high scores and medals by acquiring all the collectible items in a stage.

Honestly, at least so far, these Dandori Academy challenges feel a bit cheap. The first six released stages all take place in very simple field or underground cave environments and feature enemies and objects recycled from the main game. That said, I’d also be lying if I said these challenges, simple as they are, didn’t get their hooks into me. Finding just the right sequence needed to collect everything is a stimulating challenge, and the short time limits give each stage a “just one more try” addictiveness.

Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Well, Dandori Academy has a very odd structure in which new stages will be released only six at a time each month over the next year (currently, only six are available). Furthermore, while you’re allowed to practice as much as you’d like, you can only actually earn medals by taking an official exam run-through of a stage, which you can only do once per weekend (Friday to Sunday). You can earn extra tries by practicing enough, but even those are limited.

I’m… honestly not sure why Nintendo bothered with this setup. The goal seems to have been to instill a somewhat stressful, school-like feeling to the proceedings, but again, why would you want to do that? The Dandori Academy stages I’ve played so far are fun, but the exam structure adds nothing to them, and frankly, I’d rather just have all the stages in one lump sum rather than drip-fed to me over the course of a year.

Beyond that, not a ton has been added here. You can now command your adorable alien pup Oatchi with simple voice commands, and there are more options for playing Dandori Battles against other people, including local and online play using GameShare. Nice additions to be sure, but nothing that’s going to truly transform your experience.

Dandori Academy Can’t Quite Carry This One Home

Pikmin 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy is a decent tech upgrade to one of the best late-era Switch 1 exclusives, but I’m not sure this update’s new content justifies its $10 price tag. Dandori Academy is some bite-sized fun, but it feels a bit threadbare, and the structure seemingly designed to make playing feel like homework is a bit perplexing. If you haven’t played Pikmin 4 yet, this is undoubtedly the best way to go about it, but those who have already plucked the original game dry won’t find too much more to harvest here.

Pikmin 4 Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy launches on November 12. Those who already own the Switch version of Pikmin 4 can upgrade for $10, or you can buy the original game and upgrade together for $70.

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