In a move that surprises absolutely no one who has watched Nintendo monetize nostalgia for decades, the company announced this morning that tomorrow, November 1st, will be the first annual Pikmin Day. The occasion was marked by a short Pikmin Day Direct, in which Shigeru Miyamoto - still energetically promoting tiny plant creatures - shared new details about Pikmin 4 for the Switch 2, an update for the mobile app Pikmin Bloom, and a new series of animated shorts called Hello! Pikmin.

For the Switch 2 version of Pikmin 4, players will be able to use the console's built-in microphone to issue voice commands to Oatchi, the space dog. Because nothing says cutting-edge gaming like yelling at a virtual canine. The game will also include a Dandori Academy mode that tests players' skills in specific challenges, with limited tests running Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, complete with leaderboards for comparing stats. Because if there's one thing Pikmin fans crave, it's competitive spreadsheets.

Pikmin Bloom, the mobile app that turns walking into a horticultural obsession, is getting a new feature called Secret Caves, where players can win treasure by battling enemies and exploring said caves. It's like Pokémon Go, but with more photosynthesis and less throwing.

Finally, Miyamoto showed the first installment of Hello! Pikmin, a new series of shorts. A second episode will premiere tomorrow, with a third later in November. The series will then debut one short per month starting in December. The shorts build on the success of Close to You, a Pikmin animation released last year - proving that if you put a leaf on something, people will watch it. Happy Pikmin Day Eve to all who celebrate, which, apparently, Nintendo has decided is everyone.