Nintendo and Niantic show off what Pikmin Bloom will feature in the latest announcement.
The 2001 Nintendo Gamecube game, Pikmin, had a cult following for the cute plant-centric game. Niantic announced on Tuesday, October 26, with an announcement trailer that they would like to create a mobile game—similar to their success, Pokemon Go— using another Nintendo property, the world of Pikmin. This first look comes at a perfect time as the game was first released 20 years ago on the Gamecube.
The game will be called Pikmin Bloom because it highlights how every step a user takes in real life makes the little plant creatures happy and they ‘bloom’ more colourfully at every benchmark of steps. Representative Director of Nintendo and creator of Pikmin, Shigeru Miyamoto, explains the world and what this game will feature. They explained, “With Pikmin Bloom, you can discover new Pikmin simply by going somewhere new.” The experience seems to focus on having the game active for long walks or when discovering new places, as players are rewarded for these activities.
Essentially, Pikmin grow from seeds with every step taken, and then the user can pluck them from the ground to have them grow more as a part of the user’s Pikmin “squad.” The beautiful petals sprout from their heads, and they have the option to leave spectacular flower trails in the game. Some other great features of the game are that users can capture their charming Pikmin and their adventure with the player by taking pictures with the cute little creatures.
Niantic founder and CEO, John Hanke, emphasizes the idea of making “walking” an “adventure” with Pikmin Bloom. It will be a challenge for users entering winter soon, but it might be a great way to chase away the cold with these adorable distractions when commuting to work or school.
There hasn’t been an official worldwide launch date for Pikmin Bloom yet, but if you’re from Australia and Singapore, it’s already in the Android and iOS stores as of Wednesday, October 27, 2021. The rest of the world will have to wait a tad longer. It’s been confirmed by Niantic, there will be in-game purchases. Get ready to enjoy the outdoors again with these tiny critters at your side.
