Review: Pikmin Bloom
Nintendo has partnered with Niantic, the developers behind the popular Pokémon GO augmented reality mobile game which released on July 17th, 2016 in Canada, to bring the beloved and incredibly cute plant-like Pikmin creatures into the real world. Pikmin Bloom follows the same familiar formula of the aforementioned Pokémon GO title with players able to walk around and interact with their Pikmin companions while exploring their neighbourhood to perform a variety of botanical tasks including the ability to plant flowers, collect seedlings, and uncover hidden fruit to make every step count!
And while Pikmin Bloom does not currently have the same amount of depth that avid Pokémon GO players have become accustomed to over the years, the admiration and genuine love for the franchise is enough to keep players invested and plucking away at the game until more substantial content is planted into the game which will provide a more immersive Pikmin experience. Pikmin Bloom was first released on October 26th, 2021 in Australia and Singapore with additional rollouts launching in Canada and the United States of America two days later on October 28th, 2021 with a complete list of eligible and supported countries available on the official Pikmin Bloom Support website.
Players can begin their day in Pikmin Bloom by planting Seedlings which can be found while walking around outside into their Planter Pack device. Seedlings require a certain amount of steps to be taken before the Pikmin can be plucked from the ground and join your team. In order for the Pikmin to mature, they must be placed in Single-Use Slots which can be acquired by completing tasks such as growing specific coloured Pikmin and increasing your step counts throughout the day. Each player level contains two tasks that typically do not require a lot of effort to accomplish but rather the eagerness and stamina to want to venture out into the world for some good ol’ fashioned physical fitness.
Red Seedlings, Blue Seedlings, and Yellow Seedlings require players to take 1,000 Steps before they are fully grown and Huge Seedlings require a more substantial amount of 10,000 Steps but yield a greater reward in the form of Decor Pikmin – a rare species of Pikmin that comes equipped with an accessory including hats, badges, costumes, and more. Huge Seedlings can be obtained by leveling up or from Expeditions which are jobs that your Pikmin can participate in and bring back items found during your adventures; the heavier the item, the more Pikmin are needed to return the object back to you.
No need to panic because your Pikmin are in no immediate danger when they venture out on their own as Nintendo has not added any enemies into the game – not yet anyways. To be honest, it is a little disappointing that players cannot encounter a Bulbmin at least while roaming around as it would add a sense of urgency and risk when sending out waves of Pikmin to gather resources. This is something that will likely come at a later date because it would bring another important element from the core games into the mobile space – surviving! For now, find as many Seedlings as you possibly can to grow your Pikmin army and plant all kinds of colourful flowers throughout your neighbourhood.
Flower Planting is a fun and exciting way to track your progress during walks as well as a method of beautifying the world. As players explore their neighbourhood, flowers will be planted in small patches behind them, creating a trail which will indicate where people have been with everyone that is in close proximity able to see the floral gardens. As more players download Pikmin Bloom and begin planting flowers, the sight of seeing so many different colours of petals mixed together is quite mesmerizing and a feeling of utter tranquility is honestly extremely difficult to ignore; lots of fun too!
Petals can be collected from Pikmin that have fully bloomed flowers growing on their head which can be achieved by feeding them Nectar – a delicious treat that they quite enjoy. A variety of small fruit can be found in the world including Blueberries, Strawberries, Limes, Kumquats, and Cherries as well as larger fruit which include Green Apples, Lemons, Oranges, Apples, Peaches, and Plums. Pikmin can acquire these items during Expeditions and bring them back to collect the Nectar with different colours of flowers able to grow depending on the colour that was fed to them. There are currently four types of Nectar – Red Nectar, Blue Nectar, Yellow Nectar, and the standard White Nectar.
One of the benefits of planting flowers is that Seedlings will grow 10% faster when activated and Pikmin Bloom does not have to be open in order for players to plant flowers as the application will track their progress and continue planting them even if the app is closed. When the With Others planting option is activated, players and their flowers will be visible to each other on the map. This feature does not necessarily add a lot of depth to the game but makes the experience more enjoyable when playing in groups or simply running into a fellow Pikmin enthusiast in the wild much like running into Pokémon Trainers during a Raid Battle in Pokémon GO – new friends could be right around the corner.
Players can customize their own Mii character to serve as their Pikmin Bloom avatar which can either be created from scratch using the limited style options that are currently available including Face Shape, Hair Style, Eye Colour, and Outfit. Alternatively, there is the option to use existing Mii characters that are connected to linked Nintendo accounts which can be edited online and updated immediately within the app; undoubtedly the best way to get your perfect Mii character. Connecting your Nintendo account to Pikmin Bloom for the first time will also reward players with a special gift in the form of Seedling that will grow an exclusive Decor Pikmin wearing a Mario hat. I imagine that we will be seeing more of these cute adornments from Community Events and Limited Time Offers in the future.
Unfortunately, the Pikmin Bloom experience can feel like a grind at times unless you grab your wallet and purchase items from the Shop including additional storage for things like Nectar and Pikmin as well as Petals and Single-Use Slots for times when you are completely stuck. In order to purchase these useful items, players will need to use in-game Coins with denominations ranging between 100 Coins for $1.39 CAD and 14,500 Coins for $139.99 CAD which will help keep things running smoothly but are also unnecessary as the entire game can be played without spending any real world currency; it just takes a lot of time and even more patience. Personally, I have yet to make any purchases and have enjoyed the game in its current state thus far as I walk my dog around our neighbourhood but should an exclusive Decor Pikmin become available that sports a Waluigi hat, I will likely end up grabbing it.
How was your day? The Pikmin Bloom Lifelog records the amount of steps that were taken during each day and players can also add their personal mood as well as any pictures that were taken on their adventure. This is a great way to leave yourself reminders and notes about what you saw, where you found them, and anything else that seems noteworthy. Given the nature – see what I did there – of the game, it would be logical to assume that Nintendo would like players to start their own journal and reflect on recent events; in an environment that feels comfortable to them. While I doubt that I will go as far as writing down everything that I was feeling on a certain day, I appreciate the fact that Nintendo has considered this to be an integral part of the Pikmin Bloom experience and put this much effort and consideration into a feature that some might deem to be mundane; give it a try, folks!
At its core, Pikmin Bloom is a fun adventure that has given me some extra motivation to venture out into the chilly weather and enjoy the day with my dog and our Pikmin companions. The premise of the game is simple and approachable for seasoned Pokémon GO players and those visiting the lush and vibrant world of Pikmin for the very first time but the overall lack of features and gameplay content will likely leave a lot of fans wilted before the day is over. Those that decide to stick with Pikmin Bloom for the foreseeable future are certainly in for a treat as Niantic and Nintendo continue to add fresh and exciting NEW content, richer customization options, and additional goals to work towards.
Winter is on the horizon and while some might presume that the weather is far too cold to go out for any kind of extended adventure, the remarkable power inside the Pikmin Bloom universe will be more than enough to keep everyone feeling warm and fuzzy for months and seasons galore!
Final Rating: 7.0/10
Pikmin Bloom is available now exclusively for compatible iOS and Android devices.
