A bevy of details announced for Splatoon 2

Nintendo overnight held another Nintendo Direct, this time focusing solely on Splatoon 2, ahead of the games release on July 21st. You can watch the direct in full below, which I suggest to get all the information, or you can get the quick notes version below it.



Breaking down everything that was talked about would take way to long, so here are the highlights:

• Custom Style: In Splatoon 2, Inklings can be customised to fit the player’s taste. Things like eye colour, hair style and skin tone can all be adjusted when creating a character. And this doesn’t even mention the fresh new gear like shirts, shoes, hats and legwear that can also be equipped. Since two years have passed in the world of Inkopolis, many styles have been upgraded so no one is caught splatted in something that is “so 2015.”

• Gear: Equipping gear in Splatoon 2 will give players special abilities. Each piece of gear has certain abilities, and there are even additional abilities that appear as players use the gear more and more in battle. By speaking to Murch, a sea urchin (naturally), players can freshen up their gear with abilities that reduce ink consumption or help them move faster – some will even decrease respawn time. There is a wide variety of abilities in the game, so selecting the right one to use could make or break the battle.
• Salmon Run: This new local- and online-multiplayer* mode in Splatoon 2 finds up to four players** working together to defeat bosses and collect Power Eggs in a limited amount of time. Each match in Salmon Run lasts for three waves, with players having to collect a select number of Power Eggs to advance to the next wave – and at least one player has to stay alive. This last part might be tough since the stage is overrun by Salmonid enemies and giant bosses, each with their own weakness. Salmon Run is a frantic multiplayer mode that can be played locally with friends at any time and is also available to play online at designated times, just like Splatfest.

• Hero Mode: Callie (of the famous Squid Sisters) has disappeared! Of course, there’s no need to panic. Players can just hop into Hero Mode to ink their way through a variety of creative obstacles, monstrous bosses and devious Octarians. This single-player mode is also a great way to learn the basics of the game and try out different weapons.

A lot of the information will already be known to existing Splatoon players, but for those new to the series, here is how the weapons breakdown.

• Main Weapons: In Splatoon 2, weapons come in sets of three: a main weapon, a sub weapon and a special weapon. There are many different types of main weapons, from long-range weapons to short-range ones. Some new weapons introduced in Splatoon 2 include the Clash Blaster, Flingza Roller, Goo Tuber and the Dapple Dualies.

• Sub Weapons: In addition to inking and attacking, many sub weapons will help players with other abilities, such as defending from attacks or revealing enemy positions. The new Autobomb, for example, will find an enemy and automatically follow them, while Toxic Mist fills the surrounding area with a poisonous mist, reducing the ink of opponents who dare step in its range, as well as making them move more slowly.

• Special Weapons: All the special weapons in Splatoon 2 are new. Some of the weapons making their debut are the Tenta Missiles, the Inkjet, the Sting Ray and the Baller, which lets players roll up walls in an explosive hamster ball. Special weapons can be used once a player’s special meter is filled.

In addition more details were supplied about amiibo functions within the game, including how they will work. Players can create a customer character, with gear and weapon presets, which will then be saved to the amiibo, if you want to swap outfits, just scan another amiibo. 

They also touched upon the mobile app, called Nintendo Switch Online and the Splatoon 2 part is called Splatnet 2. This Splatoon 2-specific service helps players stay in touch with Inkopolis even when they are away from their Nintendo Switch systems. SplatNet 2 displays information like stage schedules, gear and stats, and even lets users view their Lifetime Inkage, a feature that shows how much turf a player has inked compared to real-world places. The Nintendo Switch Online app allows users to invite other players via social networks and messaging services to join Private Battles, League Battles, Splatfest Battles, and Salmon Run events, and communicate with those players using voice chat.

Finally, they announced that Splatfest are returning, with the first one taking place on July 16, yes a week before the game releases. Once you download the demo, on July 16 between 8am and 12pm AEST, you can pick your side in the Splatfest and then fight to prove which is better, Cake or Ice Cream.

So with all this information, are you going to pick up the game?