I'll admit that I haven't actually played Hey! Pikmin, either, but I don't mind that they made a spin-off because it helps get word about the series out there. Pikmin 3 and nostalgia from older fans of the series really helped gradually bring the series into the spotlight, and Pikmin 3 Deluxe and Pikmin 4's massive successes have solidified it as another major Nintendo IP and a beloved modern game franchise in general.
And actually, I'm not sure if that's necessarily a hot take. There's a lot of changes about Pikmin 4 that people are fairly divided on, but the one thing that almost everyone seems to agree on is that most of the game's soundtrack is
way too relaxed and atmospheric for a Pikmin game, especially when every other game in the series is well known for having creative and striking OSTs.
...With that said, Pikmin 4 still has the occasional awesome song that's an exception to it's otherwise "meh" OST. Probably most notably, and my personal favorite, this one: