Pikmin 3 Screenshots

Originally a launch window title for the Wii U, Pikmin 3 has been missing in action ever since the console released back in November. Not much has been said about the game either, leaving many to wonder when they'll finally be able to toss some of those adorable Pikmin at plant-hungry beasts — all for the sake of their amusement.

Sadly, Nintendo still doesn't have a concrete answer for fans on that front, but the series' creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, did drop one tidbit of new information pertaining to one major feature in Pikmin 3's campaign.

According to the legendary designer, the third Pikmin title will, rather appropriately, feature three playable captains during the single-player campaign. These comments were made during an interview between Miyamoto and Rolling Stone, in which the iconic game developer casually announced the new game mechanic.

"With Pikmin 3, you'll have the ability to have three different captains or leaders of Pikmin groups and you can switch between them. So it sort of allows you to approach the game from a much more strategic position. The volume of work that you can get done within the timeframe has increased dramatically. And so that in and of itself really enhances the depth of strategy that's available to you in that game."

The prospect of switching back and forth between captains isn't a new idea for the series — it was first introduced in Pikmin 2 — but the addition of a third playable character will undoubtedly make time spent gathering valuables all the more crucial. Whether or not this means the environments will grow immensely in size or complexity to accommodate the additional captain is undetermined, but it sounds like fans will be in for a few surprises whenever Nintendo gets around to actually releasing the game.

Despite claims that the game would have arrived prior to the end of March, the foliage-filled adventure was quietly pushed back to a Spring 2013 release. So, for the time being, all that anxious Wii U owners can do is sit back and wait for Pikmin 3 to bloom — although that wouldn't be the case if Miyamoto had his way.

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Source: Rolling Stone