It looks like download cards for Pikmin 4 have started to emerge in Japan, decorated with screenshots that point to some new features in the game.
Posted to Twitter by @TokyoGameLife, the new screenshots reveal that two-player split-screen will be making a return in the upcoming title (our fingers are still crossed for online capabilities in this one) and player two will also be able to play a support role to player one as a shooter — we imagine they will control the Pikmin, while you control the space explorer.
There is also a first look at the characters inside a house — is Oatchi allowed on the sofa? — and new items like fidget spinners and beach balls. You can check out the snaps yourself below.
If you take a closer look at the first image, you will spot confirmation that the game is built in Unreal Engine. This is only the second Nintendo game to use the engine and the first time that it has been utilised in-house (Good-Feel previously used it on Yoshi's Crafted World), which is pretty neat.
We are just one month away (basically) from the game's release on 21st July and we can't help but feel like we are still in the dark. Yes, there was the reveal of the Ice Pikmin and Oatchi back in the February Direct and then we got a small look at the character customisation options in a trailer earlier this month, but surely we'll get a better look at the game sometime before release date... right?
Until then, we guess that we'll just have to make the most of screenshots from download cards.