The Pikmin mobile game from Pokemon Go developer Niantic has begun testing in Australia. The Pikmin app lets you grow the little googly-eyed plan beings by putting in steps while out with your phone.

　　The registration page for what is currently simply called The Pikmin App has been open for a while now but new regions are opening progressively. Australia is the second region to open, following the initial pilot test in Singapore. The test is available on both iOS and Android platforms.

　　Based on the Singapore test impressions via VGC, the app stores Pikmin seedlings in a bag, who then grow based on step energy generated by walking with the app. You can grow a variety of colors of Pikmin, naturally, including specialty variants like winged Pikmin and rock Pikmin. There are also new Decor Pikmin, and you can discover new seedlings and fruit by exploring your environment.

　　Niantic expects to launch more widely sometime this year. This is one of multiple Nintendo partnerships with Niantic following the success of Pokemon Go.

　　Meanwhile, Nintendo also recently launched Pikmin 3 Deluxe, a Switch port of the Wii U game. In GameSpot's review, Kevin Knezevic said that it holds up well and the gameplay tweaks help smooth out some of the rough edges.

　　"Even three installments in, there is no other series quite like Pikmin," he wrote, "which helps Pikmin 3 still feel fresh seven years after its original release."