Nintendo and Niantic are reconnecting with nature as the two companies have announced their next mobile app, Pikmin Bloom, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of Nintendo's nature-based franchise.

The game sees players enter a world of lush green earth, one where Pikmin can sprout and grow via the player's steps. Pikmin are grown from Seedlings, which are "planted" into a special slot in the player's backpack so steps can be registered. Each Pikmin takes 1,000 steps to sprout, after which they can be pulled and become part of the player's Pikmin squad. You can also name each Pikmin you pull, a first for the franchise that gives an extra bit of personality to your Pikmin.

After pulling a team of Pikmin, players will feed their new companions Nectar, taken from fruit the creatures find in their travels. Once flowers bloom on Pikmin's heads, Petals can be collected and used to generate flowers on any walking path the player takes. Walking on these paths allow your team of Pikmin to both find fruit and grow new Pikmin at a faster rate. The game's AR functionality will bring your squad of Pikmin into the real world, posing them for unique AR photo capabilities.