Nintendo has confirmed that Pikmin 3 will release in Europe on July 26th.

The game is the long-awaited third entry in the fan-favourite creation of Shigeru Miyamoto - originally planned for Wii, it was eventually shifted to Wii U and promised early on in the console's lifespan.

Satoru Iwata was on-hand in today's Nintendo Direct to divulge a few more details. Three new characters were revealed to journey alongside Captain Olimar: Alph, Brittany, and Charlie.

A new gameplay aspect will be the ability to collect fruit and extract their juices. Keeping a well-stocked collection of juices will allow you to explore the game world further.

The game has a number of new features made possible with the GamePad. For instance, you can see a 'replay' on the game map of all the progress you made in a given day, giving you the option to go back and optimise your plan of action should you choose to tackle a day from the start. There is still a dawn-through-dusk time limit, but unlike the first game, there is no over-arching day limit, making the game more accessible to newcomers.

There are also several control options for Pikmin 3. You can tackle the game in a 'classic' way with either the GamePad or the Wii U Pro Controller. Alternatively, you can use a Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuck for controls like the ones found in the Wii version of Pikmin 2. You can also play the entire game on the GamePad, and this includes being able to use a Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuck, using the GamePad screen as a monitor.