JAPAN GAMING & ENTERTAINMENT 
You can practice every day, as many times as you like. The real exam only happens on weekends, and you get one attempt per stage each week. Those are the rules of Dandori Academy, the new mode in Pikmin 4 – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy, which comes out on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 12. Six stages are added every month, for 72 over the course of a year.
This is the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Pikmin 4, released on Nintendo Switch in July 2023. The resolution is higher, you can give your partner orders by voice, and Dandori Academy is included as well. Dandori is the Japanese word for planning out the steps of a job before you start it.
Up to two people can play on one console, and the text is available in English.
What do you compete on in Dandori Academy?
Treasure lies scattered across each stage. You add Pikmin to your squad and have them carry the treasure off, and if you don’t have enough Pikmin, you gather more within the stage. Your score comes down to the treasure you recover and the time you have left. Based on your results, you earn a medal for each stage, and collecting medals unlocks rewards such as user icons.
During practice runs, you scout the stage, try something, rework it and keep tightening your route. The exam itself is a single shot. Taking an exam and receiving new stages both require an internet connection.
Your results go on online leaderboards, where you can compare scores with friends and with players around the world. Online features require a Nintendo Switch Online membership (sold separately).
If you blow the exam, is your week over?
New stages arrive six at a time on the first Monday of each month, and exams run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Blow an exam, and a retake ticket lets you try again. You can get up to six of these tickets a month.
Stages come in three difficulty levels, and some easy stages are made for beginners.
With stages arriving every month for a full year, this looks like a mode where you can keep sharpening your skills while comparing scores with friends and players worldwide.
What if you already own Pikmin 4 on Switch?
If you own the Switch version, buying the upgrade pack gives you access to the Switch 2 Edition’s additions and Dandori Academy. The upgrade pack is sold as a download, and it requires the Switch version of the game.
If you’re buying for the first time, the Switch 2 Edition (Dandori Academy included) comes in physical and digital versions. It contains the Switch version of the game plus the upgrade pack.
Put a Switch 2 Edition game card into an original Switch, and it runs as the Switch version. Played that way, the features added on Switch 2 aren’t available.
What else changes on Switch 2?
The game runs at higher resolutions in both TV mode and handheld mode.
In the two-player competitive mode, both players enter the same stage and see who can collect more treasure before time runs out. This mode supports GameShare, so a single copy of the game lets you play with someone who doesn’t own it. A player nearby can join even from an original Nintendo Switch.
To play with someone far away, you go through GameChat. That works only between Switch 2 consoles and requires a Nintendo Switch Online membership.
The game supports voice controls, too. With voice commands, you just speak into the console’s built-in microphone, and your partner Oatchi does what you say. There are nine commands, including telling Oatchi to rush, having Oatchi carry the treasure in front of it, and praising Oatchi with a pat.