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Pokémon GO developer launches new AR game ‘Pikmin Bloom’ for iOS

The long-anticipated new AR game from Niantic and Nintendo is finally here. Pikmin Bloom is an app designed to “bring a little joy to your everyday journeys on foot.”

This is the second app that Niantic develops in partnership with Nintendo. The first one, Pokémon GO, was a huge hit. In over five years since its launch, the game got a revenue of $5 billion. Although Pikmin isn’t as popular as Pokémon, Pikmin Bloom has a nice approach for using augmented reality.

In a blog post, Niantic explains a little bit more of what Pikmin are and how the game works.

Pikmin are tiny, plant-like creatures that exist all around us but cannot be seen with the naked eye. Pikmin Bloom enables you to see and interact with them. 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.

As Niantic tried to push with Pokémon GO, the same happens with Pikmin Bloom, as the developer wants gamers to walk to experience the game.

The most important thing in Pikmin Bloom is your daily walk. As you walk, you’ll find Pikmin seedlings along your path, so the more you walk, the more your Pikmin squad will grow. You can then pluck Pikmin from seedlings after they grow. Walk more to make more friends with Pikmin! 

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Niantic says that “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.”

One of the features that are very successful with Pokémon GO is also coming to this game, as Niantic will be holding monthly Community Day events, where gamers can stroll, plant, and play together with Pikmin Bloom.

The game is available for free on the App Store here.

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