Nintendo kicked off its E3 2012 conference with Pikmin 3 on Wii U, Shigeru Miyamoto taking to the stage to demonstrate the game.
Gameplay looks similar to the previous two games, and you'll still be in charge of a 100-strong swarm of Pikmin, but there are a few interesting additions.
First up, the new rock Pikmin adds a harder-headed creature to your flock, enabling you to break hard objects more easily.
There are also four leaders this time round - a group which doesn't include captain Olimar for reasons which Miyamoto said were secret.
We'd guess the poor captain has got himself lost or captured, and needs his four Luigi-esque colleagues to mount a rescue bid.
The game can be controlled with the standard Wii controller and nunchuck, or the GamePad, but either way the GamePad screen will display an overview map of each level.
This map comes into its own when managing your four leaders, adding more strategic depth to the game by allowing you to spin more plates.
Specific body parts on enemies can now be targeted, such as eyes or shells, and the Nunchuck can be shaken to charge your shot.
"We're developing [Pikmin 3] with the belief that we can help people understand once again the kind of fun deeper games can offer," said Miyamoto.
"As players today move towards lighter games, I think this is an important challenge for all of us."
A new mode - Challenge mode - was also revealed, in which you must collect as much fruit as you can from the map.
With any luck, those four leaders will also allow for some co-op gameplay.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/e3-2...veals-pikmin-3