How Bobby Lipps Found An Unexpected Life Coach In Pikmin 4 | Winter Spectacular 2023
Much like the spring seasons that arrive earlier in the year, Fall seasons in Michigan usher in rain and cooler weather, which means that I have to mow my lawn multiple times a week . Each time I mow my lawn I follow a very specific routine: walk around the yard to pick up debris, remove the downspouts, relocate pesky patio stones and, lastly, un-stake the trampoline, so I can move it and mow underneath. When the lawnmower finally shuts off, I am allowed to repeat the routine, but in reverse. It's a rather painstaking and monotonous process that is exacerbated by my adult ADHD tendencies. Pikmin 4 presented me with the concept of “Dandori”, which is a Japanese word that highlights the value of efficiency when completing tasks. If you have any familiarity with the Pikmin franchise you can infer that this concept was obviously also crucial to success within Pikmin 4, but the revelation here is that it transcended gaming and penetrated my life in a way I didn't believe possible prior to the game's release.
Today… We will kill a god!
It proved to be an arduous task to arrive at this revelation, and this was entirely my own doing; I can be my own worst enemy in that way. Despite the critical acclaim, I was initially content with my decision to throw Pikmin 4 on my neverending backlog where it could mingle with two of its neglected predecessors: Pikmin 2 and Pikmin 3 Deluxe. My love affair with the Pikmin franchise burned hot and heavy with the first Pikmin but died soon after, and that was over 20 years ago (damn it, am I old?). I couldn’t shake the feeling that I would find immense benefit if I returned to the franchise, so I made the commitment to rekindle my relationship with my long-lost flame [also known as Olimar] by going through the whole series one game at a time, starting with a fresh playthrough of the first game.
Me, and the boys rolling deep like:
It took a while to get to Pikmin 4 (I’m looking at you and your maniacal caves, Pikmin 2!), but playing through the games in this fashion allowed me to develop a deeper appreciation for the franchise and better understanding of the changes made along the way that culminated with the latest release. I did start to experience some Pikmin fatigue about two-thirds of the way through Pikmin 4, but this was an expected side effect considering just how many weird little dudes I had been ordering around and just how long I had been doing it. What’s more, it was also a negligible hindrance to my overall enjoyment, especially when considering the impact that the game had on me as I found myself working through tasks in real life with greater efficiency than before. I noticed that I would whisper the word "Dandori" as I moved around my house cleaning the bathrooms in order, remembering to grab items as I walked past them because these items would be needed in future steps of the task. Prior to Pikmin 4, my adult ADHD tendencies led to many more steps on my pedometer as I would disregard certain minutiae of the task at hand in favour of staying focused on the current step of the process so it could be done to completion.
Hey Oli!
As alluded to earlier, the concept of "Dandori" was present in each game in the franchise that came before it and it was necessary to understand if you desired success within those games. This is because the games give you tasks to complete and only a specific amount of time to complete them, which makes efficiency paramount. This particular element of the gameplay loop can provoke anxiety, but this lessens with each game in the franchise until it disappears almost entirely in Pikmin 4. In addition to being less intimidating, the game doubles down on the "Dandori" concept by adding challenges that reinforce it in the form of Dandori Battles and Dandori Challenges. These challenges can be completed for rewards and are welcome additions as they are fun and engaging regardless of the rewards. Unbeknownst to me, I was progressively being conditioned to be a more efficient task machine with each game that I completed in the franchise until it clicked in a major way only a few hours into Pikmin 4. My real-life tasks started to become more rewarding as I was able to complete them in less time and they were more enjoyable to complete as I found myself replacing my negative self-talk regarding my inefficiency with the word “Dandori” instead. It was, and still is, an incredible feeling that I had not experienced up to this point in my life as a gamer and has now created a bar so high that I wonder how games I play in the future will even be able to reach it.
Mood.
Pikmin 4 is not the best game that I played this year - that’s probably The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - and it’s not even my favourite game in the series as that’s probably the original Pikmin. Even separating myself from my Pikmin-fatigue, I think the game is a little too long and the extra content added can make it feel bloated. Additionally, the Glow Pikmin that are new to Pikmin 4 are cute as hell, but you mainly only use them in night expeditions that are also new to Pikmin 4 and I didn’t find these expeditions to be all that engaging. In fact, I found myself actively avoiding them, which is never a good sign. With all of that said, Pikmin 4, is my game of 2023. Despite my criticisms, it was still a game that I enjoyed immensely and the latest in a franchise that is now among my all-time favourites. The series, and Pikmin 4 especially, taught me a concept that helped to negate my adult ADHD tendencies as I completed tasks in real life and changed my life forever. Your mileage may vary if you decide to give it a shot, but know that my life now has less mileage in the form of steps and the proof is in the pedometer.
