Easter eggs and hidden secrets have been part of gaming for decades; they're fun, exciting, and Pikmin 4 is no exception to this nostalgia inducing tradition. Given that Nintendo has a long lineage of games, consoles, music rights, and other copyrighted materials, there are plenty of references to choose from.
Although, with so many possible references, and a history of showing off real-world objects in previous Pikmin games, it makes you wonder which secrets Pikmin 4 includes or alludes to. If you aren't in the market for Pikmin 4, or at the very least you don't mind Treasure-related spoilers, perhaps you'll recognize some, if not all of these in-game references.
7 Super Mario 64 Anyone?
If you've played a bit of Pikmin 4 already, you may be familiar with those metal-clad mechanical harps that play a tune when your Pikmin carry them. One mechanical harp, simply titled Lullabies, plays the theme from Super Mario 64 that you hear near a sleeping Piranha Plant.
If you view this particular harp in the Treasure Log, the references go a bit further, with Schnauz's notes specifying that the tune being played paradoxically induces feelings of sleepiness and terror at the same time. Although, if you think about it, sleeping near a Piranha Plant does sound pretty stressful.
6 Retro Games
While they're limited to a specific set of consoles, there are a few different retro games you can find and dig up. One game is stored on a small Game Cube disc; a copy of Wave Race: Blue Storm, a water-based racing game centered around jetskis.
The other two games are Game Boy Advance cartridges. Both games have Japanese writing, but one has a black plastic shell, while the other is yellow.
The cartridge with a black shell is the puzzle game Kuru Kuru Kururin, while the yellow cartridge features Famicom Mini: Shin Onigashima, a region-locked adventure game.
5 Nostalgia For Zelda Fans
If you remember the house that Captain Olimar flies into, you can find another Mechanical Harp there that plays a song called Windmills. If you're a long-time Zelda series fan, you'll instantly recognize the tune it plays as the Song of Storms from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
The game's title, Windmills, is of particular importance because, in Ocarina of Time, there's a windmill at the top of a hill in Kakariko Village. This area is where you meet the Phonogram Man; the NPC that teaches Link how to play the Song of Storms.
4 Retro Handhelds
While Nintendo wasn't the first company to make handhelds in video game history, it has arguably played one of the most vital and important roles in popularizing and innovating such consoles. Perhaps as a subtle flex, Pikmin 4 has picked out and hidden two nostalgic handhelds for you to find.
As it turns out, both are variations from the Game Boy line of handhelds. One is a Game Boy Micro, and based on the colors and decals, it belongs to the 20th Anniversary Famicom edition.
The other is a timeless classic: a dark blue, Game Boy Advance SP with its innovative clamshell design.
3 Do You Like Title Screen Music?
If you and your Pikmin happen upon the Mechanical Harp titled Memory Song, the tune it plays will either be a bit of a mystery or instantly recognizable to you. Really, it all depends on whether you played Pikmin 3 or not, as the tune played is taken directly from that game's title screen theme.
If you played Pikmin 3 and didn't recognize the tune, don't feel bad about it; while the title screen is filled with vibrant colors, lush flora, and enhanced by cheerful music, you can't necessarily be faulted for skipping that and jumping right into the action.
2 All Kinds Of Controllers
Hidden around the game are all kinds of controllers, picked from a small handful of Nintendo consoles. Some are more modern, while others are a bit dated, but that doesn't mean they're any less nostalgic. Even if you didn't grow up using some of these controllers, you'll likely recognize them; they're pretty darn iconic.
Pikmin 4 doesn't ignore the classics, allowing you to find the unmistakable rectangular, black, red, and grey NES controller, or the silver controller with that funky yellow joystick from the GameCube days. On the more modern end of the spectrum, you can find a slim, sleek pair of Switch Joy-Cons.
Don't expect anything fancy though; one is a solid red and the other a solid blue.
1 No Ordinary Pet Photo
If you grew up playing games on the Nintendo DS in the mid-2000s, perhaps you remember hearing about or playing a cute little game called Nintendogs. There were plenty of specific titles within the franchise that let you take care of and interact with various dog breeds, including chihuahuas, labradors, dalmatians, and others.
If you've played a decent bit of Pikmin 4, you've probably come across a few different jigsaw puzzle pieces. If you manage to collect all of them, they come together to show a puppy with light brown fur.
This is no ordinary puppy, though; if you have a keen memory, you may remember it's actually the box art from the "Dachshund & Friends" edition of Nintendogs.