Pikmin Bloom will send squads into cave battles this winter, with hurt Pikmin leaving the fight to recover. Nintendo detailed the Secret Caves update in a Pikmin presentation.
Players will need a Cave Map to enter. The official announcement says maps may sometimes arrive with postcards. Once a squad enters a cave, its Pikmin move through the underground area on their own.
Meeting a creature starts a battle. Players can order attacks and use the whistle to call Pikmin back when an enemy is about to strike. If a Pikmin takes a hit, it leaves the battle and recovers after some time. The post says those Pikmin will not die or disappear from the player's squad.
Winning a battle awards treasure. A new Treasure Catalog will keep track of the treasures players find.
The update also connects with the upcoming Switch 2 version of Pikmin 4, which includes the Dandori Academy challenge mode. Playing the demo or full game and meeting certain requirements can earn extra rewards in Pikmin Bloom. The list includes a special Cave Map, postcards and a Pikmin 4 Oatchi-Rider outfit for the player's Mii.
Nintendo's Japanese announcement gives November 2 as the Switch 2 demo's release date. It includes Pikmin 4's opening area and two Dandori Academy stages. The full edition follows on November 12. Secret Caves has no exact release day yet.