This is the announcement video for Splatoon at E3 2014. Please know that much has changed in the game since this announcement trailer.
“Splatoon” Reflection
Splatoon is a video game made by Nintendo, released on the Wii U in June 2015. The game is mainly about squid-like humanoids called “inklings”, with the focus of the game staying on online multiplayer battles known as “turf wars”. Although there is a story mode, the multiplayer and single-player portions of the games don’t interact, and the player can be very successful in the battles without even touching the single-player story. The one way to achieve success in the main game is to level up your inkling through online turf wars, along with ranked mode, which includes rainmaker, tower control, and splat zones.
The main gimmick of the game is that you, the player, are an inkling who covers the ground, or turf, in your color ink, which changes with every battle that you begin. Through levelling up (with wins and ground coverage), you can get new “weapons” that cover the ground in different ways. Some are mainly offensive, used mostly for ranked mode, while others are just best for spraying ink everywhere. Speaking of offensive, you never really die in the game. When you’re hit enough times with the enemy’s ink, you are “splatted” and sent back to spawn where you can super-jump to an ally and continue covering the territory before time is up.
The latest update for Splatoon, shown in the Nintendo Direct for November 2015.
Although I’ve touched on the main gameplay, I haven’t even talked about the music and visuals, which are both incredible (or should I say, ink-redible). Splatoon is set in a 90s-like era, with skateparks and freshness galore. In fact, the director of Splatoon, Tsubasa Sakaguchi, stated that the inklings in the game are about 14 years old and “still like to be on skateboards”. With multiple maps in the game having ramps, and one map even being a skatepark, it’s easy to see where this could be based on skateboarding culture, and possibly 90’s America. The visuals of Splatoon are cartoony, bright and colorful, and they’re absolutely wonderful and fit into the game perfectly. Musically, Splatoon can range from rock and metal (in a foreign language, which is the inkling’s language) to pop. Even with this range, all of the tracks are high-spirited and get one in the mood to get into a turf war.
The trailer for the major update back in August 2015, which had new weapons and gear.
Man, I haven’t even touched why I love this game so much. I’m not sure why, but this game really just puts me in a good mood. The bright visuals, the high-action of the gameplay, the fun and fresh characters found in the plaza and in the stores (which sell you gear to change your stats while inking), and the overall mood of the game just always cheer me up. After it came out, I became obsessed with it, watching almost every video I could get my hands on that was Splatoon related. It’s just such a wonderful game, and I couldn’t help but give it all of my time. After all, it is one of a kind.