Pikmin 3 has received a substantial update that allows much better touchscreen controls, very similar to those used in Nintendo Land’s Pikmin Adventure.

The original Pikmin 3 controls were criticized on release for basically being more frustrating than necessary – and thanks to Pikmin Adventure, we knew it could have been better. The update will give intrepid explorers the option of using the stylus and GamePad’s touch screen to toss their Pikmin about.

Although it seems an oddly late update to an otherwise very good title, the update does come just in time for Mario Kart 8’s release. Don’t forget that Pikmin 3 is one of the many titles available for free in Nintendo’s Mario Kart 8 promotion.

Let us know if this makes you more likely to pick up a copy of Pikmin 3 – or, if you already own it, are you grateful for the update?