Splatoon

Splatoon (スプラトゥーン Supuratūn) is a third-person shooter developed and published by Nintendo. The game focuses on a war between Inklings, using weaponized ink to cover the most territory. The game was first revealed at E3 2014 and was released for the Wii U on May 29, 2015.

Development
Splatoon was first created by the EAD in late 2013. The team had thought of over seventy game ideas, but decided to focus on a game involving inking turf. At first, this concept featured black and white blocks of tofu with noses that sprayed ink. The game featured a top-down view, allowing the tofu blocks to blend in with their splattered turf.

However, these characters presented a variety of problems, so development began on a different character that was vaguely humanoid in shape. A rabbit was chosen as the design, because its floppy ears would indicate what direction it was traveling when viewed from above. Many EAD developers criticized this idea, so ideas such as Mario, robots and macho men were considered. The rabbits were later scrapped in favor of a squid, because the team wanted a character that made sense in regards to the environment and gameplay mechanics. The squids at this stage appeared to be squid-human hybrids, but it was decided that instead of this design, the game would feature humanoid Inklings with the ability to transform into squids.

Some weeks before release, the Splatoon Global Testfire application, a limited Splatoon demo, was released for the Wii U. Players could download it, but could only play on the 9th of May, 2015, at 4:00, 12:00 and 20:00 GMT, for one hour at a time. The servers would start at those times and shut off after the time was up. A second Testfire event happened on the 23rd of May, 2015, on 23:00 GMT. Due to complications, the event was expanded to last for two hours as opposed to one.

Story
With the hope of invading the Inklings' world, the Octarians, the historic nemesis of the Inklings, built an underground facility known as Octo Valley. After the disappearance of Zapfishes from the Inklings' world, the protagonist, wearing the Hero Suit, must infiltrate the base and rescue all the Zapfishes.

Gameplay
Splatoon is a third-person shooter game focused on online multiplayer, in which eight players are divided into two teams of four and tasked with covering the arena in as much ink of their team's color as possible in a set amount of time. Players have two main forms, and may switch between the two at will: their human form, in which they can use weapons to spread ink and splatter opponents, and their squid form, which can swim through ink at amazing speed, recharge the player's ink tanks, and hide in similarly-colored ink. Players can also utilize Sub Weapons, such as Ink Bombs, and Special Weapons, such as Ink Launchers. Teams are awarded points based on the amount of land they cover in their team's ink, and the team that covers the most territory within a specified time wins the match.

Splatoon also features a single-player Hero Mode, which sees the player travel to Octo Valley and traverse levels based on 3D-platforming and puzzle solving.

Protagonists

 * Inklings
 * Cap'n Cuttlefish
 * Judd

Secondary

 * Annie
 * Crusty Sean
 * Sheldon
 * Jelonzo
 * Spyke

Antagonists

 * Octarian

Modes

 * Main article: Modes

Multiplayer maps

 * Main article: Stages


 * Arowana Mall
 * Blackbelly Skatepark
 * Bluefin Depot
 * Camp Triggerfish
 * Kelp Dome
 * Port Mackerel
 * Saltspray Rig
 * Walleye Warehouse
 * Urchin Underpass

Gallery

 * Main article: Splatoon/Gallery

Trivia

 * Splatoon is a portmanteau of "splat" and "platoon."
 * The Inklings' squid form shares strong similarities with Super Mario ' s Bloopers
 * In the single-player trailer from the November 2014 Nintendo Direct, a frame of artwork consists of Bloopers from the "Super Mario" series and Octoroks from the Legend of Zelda series
 * When the game was in early development, the artist drew several ideas for playable characters, including animals, robots, "macho men" and Mario.