Pikmin Bloom, the latest collaboration between Nintendo and Niantic, has finally been released. While Pikmin Bloom had a six-month public playtest in Singapore, this will be the first chance to explore the game for players worldwide.
Like Niantic's previous titles, Pikmin Bloom is a free-to-play augmented reality mobile game. While Pokemon GO had players searching for Pokemon, Pikmin Bloom has players walking to plant flower trails, collecting Pikmin.
Like most free-to-play games, Pikmin Bloom has a currency that players can use to buy items or cut down wait times: flower coins. Compared to other free-to-play games, it's comparatively simple, with only one type of currency and two ways to get it.
Buying Pikmin Bloom's Flower Coins
As expected, players can buy Pikmin Bloom's flower coins directly from the in-app store. The smallest increment for purchase, 100 coins, currently costs $1.49 USD. 550 coins cost $7.99 USD and 1200 coins cost $14.99 USD.
Earning Pikmin Bloom's Flower Coins
As the name of the item suggests, players can also earn the coins for free by playing the game normally, going for walks, and planting flowers. It's not a 1 to 1 ratio for either coins planted or steps taken, however. Players will have to cover a bit of distance to save up.
That being said, the game is currently in a very early state. It's unknown how Pikmin Bloom will handle events and new mechanics as it goes on. There may be more ways to earn coins in the future.
What Flower Coins Can Buy
Players can buy nectar with flower coins, a resource normally only found when stumbling onto fruit during walks. Giving nectar to Pikmin causes them to bloom, giving the player more petals for future walks.
They can also buy specific petal colors with coins, changing the color of their flower trail. On a more pragmatic front, they can buy single-use and special slots to place Pikmin seedlings.
There are a few things that coins can't buy, and players can only purchase them with a direct payment of real money. Namely, they're the storage upgrades. Players can permanently up the amount of nectar, flower petals, seedlings, or Pikmin that they can take with them at once. Each upgrade costs $2.99 USD.
Of course, walking and planting flowers isn't the only thing they can do in this game. Pikmin Bloom players can also send their Pikmin out on expeditions, finding resources while they sit from the comfort of their home.
Pikmin Bloom is available now for Android and iOS.