Pikmin Bloom has been available worldwide for a few weeks, giving players time to wander their neighborhoods, pluck Pikmin, and spread flowers. Niantic's second Nintendo-themed AR game is pleasant and serves more as an exercise tool than other ventures like Pokemon GO, but as a result Pikmin Bloom is missing a lot of the group challenges that make its contemporaries appealing. Still, players will unlock one cooperative activity at level 15: challenges.
Pikmin in their original games have a few key characteristics. They are sentient plant-like beings with color-coded abilities who get plucked from the ground, can grow flowers over time or by drinking nectar, and as a collective are able to lift heavy objects or beat down obstacles and enemies. Pikmin Bloom's early hours focus more on the prior elements; growing Pikmin, feeding them nectar, and carrying items. Challenges offer a window into combat mechanics that don't break the game's more casual nature, it's just a shame players need to invest so much to unlock this system considering its merits help Pikmin Bloom stand out.
Unlocking Pikmin Bloom's Mushroom Challenges
As previously mentioned, challenges unlock once a Pikmin Bloom player reaches level 15. Each level up requires certain criteria, often a combination of growing Pikmin and walking a specific step count - though some levels also serve as tutorials for mechanics like expeditions. Expeditions are a solo activity amounting to players sending their Pikmin out to collect items discovered during a walk. The only real cooperative thing in Pikmin Bloom through level 14 is planting flowers with other players, which is the same as planting flowers alone but with multiple Miis skipping along together.
After getting to level 15, mushrooms appear all over the world map in key locations (like Pikmin Bloom's Big Flowers or equivalents such as Pokemon GO's PokeStops and Gyms). While within a certain distance of these clusters, players can send their Pikmin to clear them away akin to Spotcaps and Kingcaps in Pikmin 3 Deluxe. The number and strength of Pikmin sent determines how quickly the challenge is completed, but no matter what it will offer rewards.
Three challenges can be taken on each day in Pikmin Bloom, with players able to receive up to three (or secretly four) stars based on how fast the mushrooms are cleared. The rewards are special postcards that include one's challenge results, which can be traded with friends like any other; as well as fruits that become nectar for unique flower types. Up to five players at a time may take part in any given challenge, mushroom clusters respawn periodically, and Pikmin Bloom's "Help" page says users can weigh the odds in their favor by using Pikmin with specific colors, flowers, and those with higher friendship values and decor.
Pikmin Bloom's Challenges Appear Too Late
It's not entirely fair to compare Pikmin Bloom with Pokemon GO given they have different intents as "games," but Pokemon GO's Gym model is a good way to demonstrate why Pikmin Bloom's challenges falter. Pokemon GO players can take on Gyms as soon as they reach level 5, which gives them the chance to claim land that represents their team (Mystic, Valor, or Instinct), and ultimately serves as a clear reason why it's important to train powerful Pokemon.
Pikmin Bloom's mushroom challenges are similar in a lot of ways, as they encourage a community of players to gather and accomplish goals that become easier by "training" ones Pikmin via other systems like expeditions. Unlike Pokemon GO's Gyms, challenges in Pikmin Bloom are friendlier toward the game's more exercise-focused audience because Pikmin can be left behind to work independently.
It would only make sense for challenges like mushrooms to appear in the game earlier. While starting at level 15 gives players the chance to have stronger Pikmin from the get-go, it delays access to a showcase of the game's collective mechanics with rewards that benefit other systems like rare nectars, not to mention all future level ups allow players to send more Pikmin into challenges and better their odds. Niantic suggests there will be more than just mushrooms, and it's easy to imagine Pikmin Bloom's equivalent of Legendary Pokemon encounters being a David and Goliath battle against monsters like Bulborbs. Hopefully the game is able to stick this landing, though it may have helped some players stay invested longer if they saw this possibility earlier.
Pikmin Bloom is available now on Android and iOS devices.