Many mobile games instill a fear of missing out (FOMO) in players using special events or designs that can only be unlocked for a limited time. This is especially the case ingacha games likeFire Emblem Heroeswhere the idea of collecting units is easily supplemented by holiday variants that might encourage users to shell out on microtransactions. Niantic’sPikmin Bloomisn’t a gacha game that relies on FOMO, but it has been experimenting with similar ideas.
The conceit ofPikmin Bloomis that players get rewards by walking around the real world, much like Niantic’s other mobile venturesIngress,Pokemon GO, and thenow-defunctHarry Potter: Wizards Unite. It’s less gamified than others, butPikmin Bloomstill centers a goal of collecting every piece of decor for the Pikmin. The game has added new decor locations like hamburger shops, but this week kicked off its Lunar New Year celebration for the Year of the Tiger that sets a good precedent for future limited-time events.
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Collecting Lunar New Year Seeds
WherePokemon GO’s map features Gyms and PokeStopson different real-world landmarks,Pikmin Bloomhas budding flowers and mushroom-destroying challenges. Ultimately these both serve the purpose of providing nectar, feeding into a system that farms Coins - which can purchase some niche goods in the store but are particularly useful when charging one’s item detector.
Beyond those landmarks, the integral wayPikmin Bloom’s map gets separated is through invisible locale markers. Whenever users discover a Pikmin Seedling during their walks, it takes on the marker of whichever area it was discovered. The vast majority of places are considered “Roadside,” which grant a sticker when Pikmin reach high enough friendship levels with the player. More specialized locales range from natural biomes like forests and beaches to man-made businesses like clothing shops and airports. Using the detector indicates where players are on their map, and gives them a better opportunity to seek out rare decor.
Aforementioned locales like hamburger shops that have been added since launch in October 2021 are permanent, butNiantic is also experimenting with limited-time decor. Lunar New Year Pikmin became available on February 1 and will appear until May 20, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. local time. Only one Huge Seedling with the special event marker (Niantic’s logo with a daisy balloon) can be collected from anywhere at a time, and when players walk enough steps there are special ornaments for Red, Yellow, and Blue Pikmin to obtain.
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Limiting Special Pikmin For a Limited Time
These Lunar New Year Pikmin are the second set with “special” designations following a Blue Pikmin wearing Mario’s cap given out when the game launched. However, it’s the second time Niantic has hosted a limited-time event, the first being a winter celebration at the end of 2021. The main difference is those winter Pikmin appeared from Roadside designations with alternate sticker patterns; theLunar New Year cosmeticsare based on traditional gifts like red envelopes and feature new models.
Having full costumes rather than a palatte swap adds intrinsic value, and Niantic knows this given it has structured the additions likerandomized lootboxes. Huge Seedlings need 10,000 steps and obscure what color Pikmin is being grown. However, they ensure the Pikmin will receive their decor right away rather than needing a full friendship level. Only being able to grow one at a time with the requirements being so high is a pain, but part of this event makes “Special Slots” that grow Pikmin faster 25 percent off in the store.
Perhaps the best part of this structure is thelimited spectrum of Pikmin who get Lunar New Year decorwas undoubtedly easier to develop than going for all seven colors, and this in-turn makes it less annoying for fans to try and collect them over a limited period. One can imagine Niantic creating future events for just Purple and White or Rock and Flying Pikmin pairs, which means more content coming more often to keep players hooked. Niantic also promises the Lunar New Year Pikmin “will be available in the future again,” so there’s a promising future ahead for the game.
Pikmin Bloomis available now on Android and iOS devices.
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