Nintendo recently revealed that Niantic, creator of Pokemon Go, is working on a Pikmin mobile game. Last week, Niantic tweeted that they have begun testing the app in Singapore.
We’re excited to announce that, in partnership with @Nintendo, we’ve begun testing our Pikmin-based mobile app in Singapore! Register now to participate in this all-new Pikmin walking experience. https://t.co/mdA6zRTAgj
— Niantic, Inc. (@NianticLabs) March 30, 2021
The game, still known as the “Pikmin App,” is in beta version. According to players, you begin the game with multiple Pikmin Seedlings. To turn them into Pikmin, you are required you to walk to collect “Step Energy” for them to grow enough to be plucked. There are currently seven different Pikmin types that can be grown in the game:
- Red Pikmin
- Blue Pikmin
- Yellow Pikmin
- Purple Pikmin
- White Pikmin
- Rock Pikmin
- Winged Pikmin
There are also the new “Decor Pikmin.” These Pikmin are described to be “unusual” and wear various clothing based on where they were found. Pikmin can also become Decor Pikmin by interacting with certain items. Another new feature is that you can name your Pikmin! Hopefully this means that the Pikmin can’t easily be eaten…
You don’t just walk around to gain Step Energy, but on your walks you will find Pikmin Seedlings and flowers to interact with. The flowers come in four colors, red, blue, yellow, and white. Tapping them will give you petals that you will use in the Flower Planting mode of the game. Flower Planting is a walking mode that forms flower trails as you walk. A for the Seedlings, they are easier to find. Like with the initial Seedlings you get in the game, you must collect Step Energy to eventually pluck the Seedlings. Very similar to walking to hatch Pokemon eggs. Meanwhile, while you’re walking, Pikmin may pick up items like fruit.
The gamplay isn’t just walking. The core mode of the game are the Expeditions. Expeditions are campaigns where you send your Pikmin off to collect Seedlings or other items from places Pikmin have previously visited. You choose an Expedition from the Expedition screen and select which Pikmin will venture on the Expedition. Before embarking, the screen will indicate which item the Pikmin will collect, how many Pikmin are necessary, and how much time is required for the adventure.
On Expeditions, Pikmin sometimes pick up Postcards. The Postcards are collectables that show the Pikmin on their adventure in photos of real-world locations.
Currently, there are no microtransactions in the game, but there are features in the game to promote daily play of the app. The “Lifelog” records your daily activities and you can customize it with pictures and captions to record what you do each day. The Lifelog shows the number of steps walked, results of flower planting, and what places were visited. If you walk a lot in one day, you will earn a chance to win a free item in a propeller mini-game.
When the Pikmin App was announced last week, Shigeru Miyamoto implied that the app would not be a usual Pikmin game. In a prepared statement, Miyamoto said,
“Niantic’s AR technology has made it possible for us to experience the world as if Pikmin are secretly living all around us. Based on the theme of making walking fun, our mission is to provide people a new experience that’s different from traditional games. We hope that the Pikmin and this app will become a partner in your life.”
From what it sounds, the Pikmin App is shaping out to be more than just “Pokemon Go with Pikmin.” Are you looking forward for this new Nintendo Niantic app? What could the app mean for the future of the series?
Source: VGC