With its perfect storm of cutting-edge augmented reality tech and nostalgic monster-catching mechanics, Pokemon Go absolutely consumed the world. Now, Nintendo and Niantic are back with the inevitable follow-up, Pikmin Bloom. This is another AR spin on an adorable gaming franchise. Comparing the game to its unprecedented iPhone gaming phenomenon predecessor feels unfair, but on its own terms Pikmin Bloom is a fun way to stay motivated during your daily walks.

Pick Me

At first, Pikmin seems like a bizarre choice for Nintendo’s next AR game. Following Pokemon Go’s success, we saw similarly huge franchises, such as Dragon Quest and Minecraft, adopt the formula. But Pikmin has always been a niche series. Forget waiting for Pikmin 4, fans were just happy to see Pikmin 3 finally get ported to Nintendo Switch last year. If you don’t know (and chances are you probably don’t!), Pikmin is a laid-back strategy game about commanding armies of colorful tiny plant-like creatures called Pikmin.

However, when you consider what Pikmin Bloom actually is, it starts to make more sense. No, this free Android and iOS game doesn’t replicate Pikmin’s real-time strategy gameplay. This isn’t League of Legends: Wild Rift or Diablo Immortal, games that successfully translated MOBA and action-RPG gameplay into mobile forms.

Still, Pikmin isn’t just about strategizing. Born from Shigeru Miyamoto’s passion for gardening, Pikmin is also about discovering and appreciating the tiny hidden beauty of the natural world around you. Pikmin Bloom carries that theme into the real world, the logical conclusion.

Nature Walks

Pikmin Bloom wants you to walk. Nothing happens unless you get up, breathe some fresh air, and start moving (or at least shake your phone to cheat some extra steps). This isn’t Ring Fit Adventure or a workout app; Pikmin Bloom’s main purpose is to get you active, with some extra encouragement from your Pikmin. The game syncs with Apple Health and Google Fit to log your activity. 

First, plant some Pikmin. As you walk, those Pikmin begin to grow. Once you hit enough steps, you can pluck them from the ground with a satisfying swipe. Plant some more Pikmin, go on another walk, and repeat the cycle. 

What can you do with your Pikmin? All sorts of things! Send them on expeditions to gather items, such as fruit and more Pikmin seeds. Use fruit nectar to harvest valuable Pikmin flowers. Obtain different Pikmin species, from standard Red Pikmin to delicate Winged Pikmin, and chill with them in your garden. Name them, dress them up, and turn on your camera to snap AR pics of Pikmin walking around your real-world home. 

Although you primarily interact with virtual creatures, Pikmin Bloom keeps you aware that the act of walking should also connect you to the real world. Every night, your Pikmin return with postcards from places they visited during your GPS-tracked trek. When you pluck a new Pikmin, it tells you exactly where they sprouted. As someone who just moved into a new apartment, it felt like my kind and helpful squad was letting me know about cool nearby restaurants to check out. 

Pikmin Bloom also reminds us that the real world is an inherently social space. You can send postcards to friends or use petals to seed your path. The next time someone else walks that same map route, they’ll reap the benefits of a faster-growing Pikmin garden. It’s like Death Stranding, but much friendlier. 

A Few Weeds

Despite the focus on movement, Pikmin Bloom is basically an idle game, such as Cookie Clicker or Adventure Capitalist, that tasks you with accumulation for accumulation’s sake. I can’t deny the addictive pleasures of seeing numbers get bigger, and as your level goes up you unlock rewards, such as special Pikmin plants. However, the gameplay itself feels like a bit of an afterthought. Pokemon Go is a pretty casual game, but hunting down and battling monsters in the real world was at least an active mechanic, and a genuinely ingenious fusion of AR and GPS functionality.  

Ironically, the thin gameplay makes the typical mobile free-to-play elements easier to tolerate. Yes, you can buy booster items to quickly expand your Pikmin army, but I never became invested enough to get frustrated by the normal gameplay pace. Again, walking is the real reward, so why spend money on anything else?

Pikmin Bloom is also very much a mobile game when it comes to visuals. While the Pikmin themselves look cute, like Minions with self-respect, don’t expect anything near Pikmin 3’s level of gorgeous graphical quality. I just appreciated that I could play as my Mii character (RIP Miitomo). Maybe the simple visuals are for the best, as anything more intense would probably drain the battery even faster than the game already does—an annoyance it shares with Pokemon Go. It’s tough to feel relaxed during your walk as you watch your battery percentage tick down every few seconds.

Flower Child

After more than a year of lockdowns, the world needs the next Pokemon Go, the next phenomenon that pushes us to get out there and catch them all over again. Pikmin Bloom most likely won’t become that next shared obsession, but if planting these little critter companions gives you the excuse you need to take daily strolls, that’s a good thing. For more AR gaming action, check out 48 Hidden Tips for Pokemon Go Fanatics. And for more in-depth video game talk, visit PCMag's Pop-Off YouTube channel.