Nintendo has just revealed a up-to-date version of yesterday’s mysterious animated miniature “Close to You,” which featured a little baby taking his first steps – now with a tiny army of Pikmin apparent.
To be clear, this is the same miniature as yesterday, albeit in a up-to-date version where previously unseen Pikmin creatures can now be seen and heard. It’s a clever discovery by Nintendo that rewards repeated viewings – as the now-familiar toddler unknowingly interacts with (and almost crushes) hidden creatures.
Currently, Nintendo’s up-to-date Pikmin-filled version of the film is available exclusively through the company’s Nintendo Today smartphone app, though we expect it to be available more widely soon. Yesterday’s original version of the animation is just below (with Pikmin still not apparent).
Yesterday, IGN speculated that Close to You is indeed a teaser for a up-to-date Pikmin project based on several musical themes from the Pikmin series. Additionally, the movements of household objects turned out to be remarkably similar to the movements of objects carried by foraging Pikmin creatures that collected human objects in several previous Pikmin games.
So, what exactly is Nintendo teasing with this up-to-date animation? The company has previously released a series of Pikmin miniature films – and that could be it. But Pikmin fans are certainly hungry for more from the game series itself, and there are several likely options on the table.
Perhaps what’s most thrilling is that Nintendo could be announcing an entirely up-to-date installment of the Pikmin series for Switch 2, or alternatively, it could be preparing an expanded re-release of Switch 2 for 2023’s brilliant Pikmin 4.
The Pikmin series has always been set on Earth, and Pikmin itself has always been implied to exist just beyond the reach of human sight. It looks like Nintendo has finally made it clear that Pikmin are completely undetectable, even when directly apparent – a discovery that has been in the works for about 20 years.
Pikmin 4 brought Nintendo’s gardening strategy inside a human home for the first time ever, and this up-to-date animation obviously expands upon it. Will there be more Pikmin-human adventures on the way?
Despite breaking franchise sales records and performing particularly well in Nintendo’s home country of Japan, Pikmin 4 was never expanded with DLC. Could the game become the latest Switch 1 release to get an expanded Switch 2 port? Time will tell – but for now, at least we know what this animated miniature is about.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s news editor. You can contact Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
