Nintendo has revealed some interesting details about the sequel to their highly addictive puzzler.

One of the most exciting new features is the new Pikmin colors. The early screenshots reveal purple and white Pikmin. Compared to the yellow, red, and blue Pikmin, the purple ones look considerably bigger, while the white ones are about half the size. Nintendo has not revealed what special abilities these new Pikmin will have, but one could assume that the purple Pikmin are slower but stronger, while the white ones are faster and able to enter small areas inaccessible to the other Pikmin.

The basic gameplay elements look similar to the original. It’s all about raising Pikmin, defeating enemies, raising more Pikmin, solving puzzles, and collecting treasures. This time, though, you’re not looking for spaceship parts. Olimar has returned to the planet because his company is going bankrupt. He needs help from the Pikmin to collect treasures so he can pay off a whopping dept of 10,000 pokos. He has also brought along an assistant. In the single-player game, you can switch between them, which should add another strategic element to the gameplay. There is also a two-player, split-screen cooperative mode where one player controls Olimar and the other controls the assistant.

As for the game environments, the screenshots show dark caves inhabited by new creatures, including a giant red worm, and grassy fields covered by what looks like a spider web. There are also familiar enemies, though. The graphical style and sense of art direction remain similar to the original. The environments are colorful and vibrant, with some impressive shadowing and water effects. Overall, the game looks very pretty – at least on par with the original.

Those of you who disliked the time limit in the original should be pleased to hear that Nintendo has done away with this feature. The day-night system is probably still implemented, but you don’t have to complete the game within a certain number of days. Without this sense of urgency, the gameplay experience should prove more relaxing and hopefully longer.