Niantic and Nintendo launch Pikmin Bloom for iOS and Android

Niantic and Nintendo finally launched the long-anticipated new AR game Pikmin Bloom. The game was first announced in March as “an app that will include gameplay activities to encourage walking and make walking more delightful”.

Niantic said the free game will globally be available on the App Store and Google Play over the coming days. In Pikmin Bloom, players will grow and pick Pikmin, “tiny, plant-like creatures that exist all around us but cannot be seen with the naked eye”.

“Pikmin grow from seedlings, and the ones that you grow and pick will follow you around. They love nectar extracted from fruit and, when you feed them, they’ll sprout flowers atop their heads. There are lots of different types of Pikmin to encounter and interact with in Pikmin Bloom.” Niantic explains. 

The most important thing in Pikmin Bloom is your daily walk. As you walk, you will find Pikmin saplings along your path, so the more you walk, the bigger your Pikmin team will grow. Then you can pluck Pikmin after the seedlings have grown.

Niantic says, at the end of the day, you can review the number of steps you took as well as the routes you walked. You have the option to add notes and photos to your lifelog, providing a way to turn an ordinary day into a special memory. Pikmin may also bring back postcards of the places you visited, which can be saved and kept, or sent to friends in the app.