While mobile games have gotten more complex alongside smartphone technology, leading to titles likeGenshin Impactthat have shared experiences between mobile and console ports, sometimes simpler games still stand out.Pikmin Bloomis one example, withNiantic’s latest Nintendo-themed game reaching two million downloadslast week. This Niantic venture is more exercise-centric than any of its previous works, and its biggest extrinsic reward for that exercise is Coins.
Coins are the currency forPikmin Bloom’s in-game shop, and the main way players are meant to receive them is via microtransactions. The conversion rates range from $0.99 USD for 100 Coins to $99.99 for 14,500 Coins. However, Niantic also offers what it considers to be “Bonus Coins;” up to 30 free Coins per day gained at a rate of one per every 500 flowers planted. This is not only a lot of work for free-to-play users, it’s work without substantial benefits for those wanting to take advantage ofPikmin Bloom’s more gamified aspects.
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Pikmin Bloom’s Coins Mostly Aren’t Worth the Trouble
Niantic’s other mobile games use similar microtransactions, withPokemon GO’s PokeCoins also exchanging from $0.99 to $99.99 USD in the shop. All ofHarry Potter: Wizards Unite’s microtransactions will stop being supportedas of June 18, 2025 before the game shuts down in January 2022.Pokemon GOin particular has a robust list of items for players to puchase via PokeCoins: Raid and Battle Passes, Egg Incubators, Poke Balls, Incense, Lures, and battle items such as Potions and Revives.
Pikmin Bloom’s current gameplay loop centers around users going for walks so they can find Pikmin Seedlings and other Expedition goods like fruit that are converted into nectar. Using different colored nectar on one’s party of Pikmin blooms their flowers, with each bloom providing one colored petal. These petals can then beplanted as flowers across the real-world map while users walk, with 30 petals translating to about 1,000 flowers spread over the course of 15 minutes. To get maximum Bonus Coins requires 15,000 flowers a day.
The basic items available inPikmin Bloom’s shop ultimately funnel into bulding up more Coins. Among the most expensive options are single-use planting slots to grow more Pikmin at once, with “Special Slots” that accelerate this growth available in packs of five for 600 Coins. Then players can buy 100 nectar for 100 Coins or batches of 180 petals for varying prices - though anyone who is walking enough to burn all their petals is likely being brought enough fruit by their squad to recooperate the cost without the shop.
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Pikmin Bloom Needs More Incentives Like the Detector
The only other use for Coins inPikmin Bloom(up to whatever is unlocked when players reach level 20) is also arguably its most useful: Detector charges. The Detector is an item players can activate anywhere that findsExpedition itemswithin their current vicinity. What makes this so useful is it helps take the guesswork out of finding Seedlings in specific areas, which is a boon when one of the main incentives to exploring one’s neighborhood is finding Pikmin with unique decor around parks, beaches, restaurants, and more.
Once a Detector has been used, it takes upwards of 12 hours to recharge. Though the single charge always comes back,players can automatically bring their Detector onlineusing 100 Coins - or they can purchase additional charges via limited-time packs in the shop. For example, the Bloom Pack costs 1,480 Coins, but comes with 10 Detector charges alongside a bevy of rare items.
With special decorations beingPikmin Bloom’s one true collectible, offering more uses for Coins such as buying costumes would make a lot of sense. The in-game shop also has four “Upgrades” for nectar, flower petal, Pikmin, and Seedling storage that cost $1.99 each, and it would be nice if Niantic let player accrue a conversion in Coins to buy each of them. Even this free option would take weeks at maximum efficiency, so players would be just as apt to use in-game purchases if they did not want to wait.Pokemon GOhas been on the market for five yearsand added new uses for its PokeCoins over time, so hopefullyPikmin Bloomfollows suit.
Pikmin Bloomis available now on iOS and Android devices.
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