Pikmin Bloom: a cute but boring game

Pikmin Bloom is more of an augmented reality experience than a game per se. It’s relaxing, it’s cute, but there’s no challenge. No monsters to defeat or levels to complete. But then what should we do in Pikmin Bloom? It’s about following your Mii – an avatar that you can import from your Nintendo account – on a map that geolocates you in real time. Where you go, your Mii will go, followed by their loyal Pikmins. With a handful, you can enlarge your troop by collecting “sprouts” on your way. These Sprouts will be transformed into Pikmins if you place them in Incubators. It will then be necessary to walk to make them “hatch”. Because yes, Pikmin Bloom is counting your steps!

It works if you always have your smartphone in your pocket of course. If you don’t wander around enough to collect enough items, you can always send your Pikmins on an expedition without you. You also have a 50% bonus to the incubation time if you start planting flowers on your way.

I love you, a little, a lot…

For this you need petals which are obtained by giving nectar to your proteges: there are several colors (including seasonal colors) and if you walk often, you will cover your neighborhood with a pretty colorful carpet. You will also make points of interest bloom in your area. There are mushrooms that can be beaten to death (?), including in collaboration, in order to recover items and there are also giant flowers that give fruit. If you play with a friend or a little brother, it may be of interest. The fruits, which can also be obtained by walking around, allow you to recover nectar which will feed the reserve of petals.

In short, this is the classic Free2Play scheme with badges for certain actions carried out, leveling up, weekly challenges, unlocking a new mechanism or a race of Pikmin, etc. The most fun is to find shoots near different places to get a costumed Pikmin: with a hat near a restaurant, with an airplane costume near an airport, with insect antennae or a crown of flowers in the countryside, etc. By interacting with his Pikmins (food, expedition, etc.), one can also increase their level of friendship. When it reaches its maximum in a specimen, the latter will fetch you a gift where its shoot was recovered.

A game as good at economics as Bruno Lemaire

Pikmin Bloom is a game that does not require a lot of investment, but we were entitled to expect better. The game is quite buggy and if you want to take an hour-long walk planting flowers, your battery will melt like snow in the sun: this is certainly not the game you want on a device that is limited in autonomy .

The problem also comes from the microtransaction system. You absolutely don’t have to pay to play and advance in Pikmin Bloom, but the game’s economy is still broken with items that cost a fortune for very little. You will need around €2 to buy 180 white petals, whereas you can very well fill your bottle in a very short time without really making any effort. Ditto for the nectar. We wonder who these microtransactions are for. To the Prince of Qatar, no doubt who will be able to spend €109.99 to acquire the trifle of 14,500 gold coins. What to do with this jackpot? Really, we can’t see. Unless you absolutely want all costumes for all types of Pikmins. Rumor has it that it was a Macronian minister who took care of the game economy. Thank you Nono. In short, if you like the Pikmins, nothing prevents you from taking a look, but you should not expect much. In writing, it especially made us want to take the GameCube out of the closet…