Arcade machine

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The arcade machine in Splatoon.

The arcade machine offers retro-style minigames in Splatoon and Splatoon 2. In Splatoon, all minigames are played on the Wii U GamePad. They can be played in the lobby while waiting for a battle to start as well as accessed on their own via the physical arcade machine in Inkopolis Plaza (Splatoon) or Inkopolis Square (Splatoon 2).

When a minigame is interrupted by a battle, it is paused and can be unpaused the next time it is playable. However, progress is not saved when Splatoon itself is closed; the game will start from the first level the next time it is played.

S Judd Artwork.png
Judd's Advice
Meow! (While waiting for players to join, you can play minigames on width=auto. It can make a nice change from all that intense battling!)

Splatoon

The arcade machine features four minigames in total: Squid Jump, Squid Racer, Squidball, and Squid Beatz. Only Squid Jump is unlocked by default. The other three are given as rewards for defeating The Ravenous Octomaw! in amiibo challenges.

Squid Jump

Squid Jump

Squid Jump (Japanese: イカジャンプ ika janpu) is the first of these games, and was the only game playable in the Splatoon Global Testfire.

This game has the player make a squid jump from platform to platform, holding down the ZR button for longer to get a higher jump and using the Right Stick or the D-Pad to move. Purple ink will continuously rise for a certain amount of time, effectively requiring the player to reach the goal within a certain amount of time. As the stages progress, different types of platform are added: ice (which is slippery), clouds (which move back and forth), and conveyor belts (which run at multiple speeds and move a squid resting on one). The game has 25 stages and after every ten, the background changes. The score awarded for a stage is doubled after clearing each stage. The player has three lives. The player gets an extra life for every 10,000 points. Once they have lost all of their lives they can choose to either reset the game or go back to the last checkpoint, which are at stages 1, 6, 11, 16, and 21.

Power-ups:

  • The fish makes the player jump immediately upon contact.
  • The Jellyfish lets them jump once in the middle of the air for about 10 seconds; they cannot jump in the air again until they either land on the ground or pick up another Jellyfish.
  • The starfish increases the player's acceleration for about 10 seconds; this means that the squid will immediately begin falling faster. If the squid is jumping upward while the star's effect wears off, the result can be an extremely high jump.

Squid Racer

Squid Racer

The second game is Squid Racer (Japanese: イカレース ika rēsu), which is unlocked by the Inkling Boy Amiibo.

This minigame is a race between the player, as a white squid, and their blue jellyfish foes. The aim is to reach the end of the map before time runs out, avoiding touching the jellyfish and the sides of the stage, which slow the player down. The Right Stick or the D-Pad is used to steer, ZR is used for accelerating and ZL is used for drifting. While the player drifts, they cannot change direction, but steering still causes the player's squid to rotate. Releasing it shoots the player's squid in the direction it faces. Holding the ZR button during the second half of when the number 2 appears during the countdown triggers a starting boost very similar to the rocket start in the Mario Kart series.

There are thirty stages and after every five stages is a checkpoint. Every track has a time limit. Once time runs out, the player will lose a life. The player gets three lives, with additional lives being earned every 10,000 points. Once they have lost all their lives, they can continue from the last checkpoint reached, or restart from the beginning. While the player gets a bonus to their score based on both their time and how many jellyfish they beat to the end, it's not necessary to place to proceed. The red fish gives the player a speed boost. The Zapfish lets the player swallow jellyfish by touching them, making the squid larger and faster. The green sunfish dramatically increases the player's turning speed while drifting. The player can benefit from only one power-up at a time, so it can sometimes be advantageous to avoid picking one up so as not to replace a more useful one.

Squidball

Squidball

The third game is Squidball (Japanese: イカボール ika bōru), which is unlocked by the Inkling Girl amiibo. There are thirty stages in it.

In this game, the player (a squid) has to hit the Jellyfish on the other side of the net with a ball (shaped like a Zapfish) to score points. The mechanics are similar to volleyball, with a bump, set, and spike. First, the squid is stuck to the ground and can move using the Right Stick stick or the D-Pad and can only bounce the ball upward (at an angle based on where on the squid the ball struck) by letting the ball bounce off it. Second, the player must press ZR to jump, then press ZR while touching the ball to hit it, or the player can continue to hold the ZR from jumping to hitting the ball to hit it. The angle of the ball changes with the direction held when launching it, which can be either neutral, back or forward. The player must spike the ball for it to count; a ball immediately bounced over the net will pass through the jellyfish harmlessly.

The player gets three balls per stage: one small, one medium, and one large. If the specified number of targets is not reached with all three balls, the game is over and the player can restart from either the beginning or the last checkpoint. After every five stages is a checkpoint. Each stage has a fixed number of points awarded for completing it, with bonus points awarded for having balls in reserve or exceeding the required number of hits.

In addition to jellyfish, other creatures can appear on the far side of the net. Starfish are just like jellyfish, but one starfish is worth three jellyfish. Green sunfish burst into fragments when hit, and the fragments can hit other creatures. Sea urchins are obstacles: a small ball will be stopped completely, a medium ball will destroy the urchin but will itself be rebounded, and a large ball will destroy the urchin and keep going, but with greatly diminished momentum. This is useful if the ball has overshot.

Squid Beatz

Squid Beatz

The last minigame is Squid Beatz (Japanese: イカラジオ ika rajio), which is unlocked by the Inkling Squid amiibo.

This game is a music player featuring all 31 tracks from Splatoon and is also a standard rhythm game. ZL switches between no game, normal mode, and hard mode, and ZR is the play/pause switch. The player has to press the control pad and buttons represented on the line at the bottom at the correct time to turn the Jellyfish into yellow rabbits. The player can press any direction on the D-Pad (or L) when a control pad icon shows up, or A, B, X, Y or R when an icon representing the buttons shows up, to play the song correctly in tune, but there is no penalty and risk of losing rabbits if the player presses any of the aforementioned buttons.

Each of the buttons has two different sounds depending on whether the normal or hard mode is selected.

Left on D-Pad A Down on D-Pad B Up on D-Pad X Right on D-Pad Y L R
Normal a Japanese-sounding drum a Japanese-sounding drum A female Inkling voice clip A male Inkling voice clip a cymbal a light cymbal, or bell a clap a clap A diminuendo Inkling chant a crescendo Inkling chant
Hard a lower sounding drum a higher sounding drum a electronic sounding drum beat an electronic sounding drum beat similar to a hi-hat cymbal similar to a crash cymbal a drum beat a drum beat similar to a high sounding crash cymbal similar to a low sounding crash crash cymbal

While waiting for a match to start, Bob Dub's Dubble Bath is the default song played. By pressing ZL and ZR at the same time, any selected song can be played as if one was using the arcade machine.

Squid Beatz was updated in Version 2.0.0 to include the four new tracks added and their information.

It is the only game not to have a numbered scoring system - instead, it uses yellow rabbit-type creatures to track the score. It is also the only game not to save progress between matches.

List of tracks

Track number Track Artist Unlock condition
1 Splattack! Squid Squad
2 Ink or Sink
3 Seaskape
4 Kraken Up
5 Metalopod
6 Now or Never!
7 Battle Victory
8 Battle Defeat
9 Cap'n Cuttlefish's Theme
10 Octo Valley
11 Eight-Legged Advance Turquoise October
12 Tentacular Circus
13 Cephaloparade
14 Inkstrike Shuffle
15 Octoling Rendezvous
16 Octoweaponry
17 I am Octavio DJ Octavio Complete Enter the Octobot King!
18 Calamari Inkantation Squid Sisters
19 Sunken Scroll
20 City of Color Squid Sisters Has to be heard in a Splatfest
21 Ink Me Up
22 Now or Never!
23 Maritime Memory Complete Enter the Octobot King!
24 Inkopolis News
25 Lookin' Fresh DJ Lee Fish
26 Lobby
27 Dubble Bath Bob Dub
28 Shellfie Chirpy Chips Added in Version 2.0.0
29 Split & Splat
30 Hooked Hightide Era
31 Sucker Punch

All text is stylized in capitals in Squid Beatz.

Splatoon 2

Squid Beatz 2

The arcade machine in Splatoon 2.

In Splatoon 2's Inkopolis Square, there is only one arcade game, Squid Beatz 2. As the sequel to Squid Beatz, it is also a rhythm game in which the player presses buttons to the beat of songs from Splatoon 2.

Tracks 1 through 8, 20 through 30, 43 through 49, and 51 through 54 are available from the start; 35 through 42 and 55 through 57 are unlocked by amiibo; the rest are unlocked after they have been heard in-game for the first time. Prior to Version 5.2.0, tracks 20 through 26 had to be heard in-game in a Splatfest in order to be unlocked.

Registering the Pearl or Marina amiibo as supporters and fulfilling certain requirements allows the player to unlock two new themes for Squid Beatz 2, which are based on the corresponding character.

List of tracks

Track no. Track Band Unlock condition Max score (normal) Max score (hard)
1 Inkoming! Wet Floor 155 325
2 Rip Entry 136 277
3 Undertow 124 291
4 Don't Slip 121 271
5 Endolphin Surge 202 426
6 Now or Never! 122 219
7 Turf Master 45 82
8 Ink Another Day 27
9 Low Tide Has to be heard in-game first 55 93
10 Octo Canyon Turquoise October 49 92
11 Octo Eight-Step 112 225
12 The Girl from Inkopolis 89 234
13 Buoyant Boogie 93 156
14 Shooting Starfish 127 313
15 Octarmaments 145 371
16 Bomb Rush Blush DJ Octavio feat. Callie 230 402
17 Tidal Rush DJ Octavio feat. Callie vs. Marie 235 402
18 Spicy Calamari Inkantation Squid Sisters 293 544
19 Fresh Start 238 394
20 Color Pulse Off the Hook Has to be heard in-game first (prior to Version 5.2.0) 158 256
21 Ebb & Flow 141 219
22 Acid Hues 149 331
23 Muck Warfare 169 333
24 Now or Never! 132 203
25 Fest Zest 46 64
26 Party's Over 22 30
27 Inkopolis News 28 50
28 New You DJ Real Sole 143 326
29 Without a Dop Doubt 60 119
30 Dubble Bath (DIY Remix) Bob Dub 47 96
31 Happy Little Workers Grizzco Industries Has to be heard in-game first 91 166
32 Deluge Dirge ω-3 117 339
33 Fishing Frenzy 140 333
34 Ever Further Grizzco Industries 45 108
35 Splattack! Squid Squad Final reward from Inkling Boy amiibo 280 528
36 Seaskape Final reward from Inkling Boy 2 amiibo 140 278
37 Shellfie Chirpy Chips Final reward from Inkling Girl amiibo 147 226
38 Split & Splat Final reward from Inkling Girl 2 amiibo 146 321
39 Hooked Hightide Era Final reward from Inkling Squid amiibo 223 285
40 Sucker Punch Final reward from Inkling Squid 2 amiibo 206 338
41 Bomb Rush Blush Callie Final reward from Callie amiibo 96 178
42 Tide Goes Out Marie Final reward from Marie amiibo 85 175
43 Shipwreckin' Bottom Feeders Added in Version 2.0.0 167 358
44 Fins & Fiddles 132 253
45 Seafoam Shanty 332 529
46 Broken Coral Ink Theory 150 201
47 Riptide Rupture 266 299
48 Blitz It! Chirpy Chips Added in Version 3.0.0 141 299
49 Wave Prism 199 318
50 Frantic Aspic ω-3 Added in Version 4.0.0, has to be heard in-game first 150 323
51 Seasick Diss-Pair Added in Version 4.1.0 168 450
52 Kinetosis 186 304
53 Chopscrewey SashiMori 150 326
54 Entropical 194 311
55 #5 thirsty Dedf1sh Added in Version 4.1.0, final reward from Octoling Girl amiibo 116 234
56 #9 party Added in Version 4.1.0, final reward from Octoling Boy amiibo 89 157
57 #14 crush Added in Version 4.1.0, final reward from Octoling Octopus amiibo 128 161
80 Nasty Majesty Off the Hook Requires the Octo Expansion, has to be heard in-game first 179 316
81 Shark Bytes 197 339
82 Splattack! (Octo) Dedf1sh 297 666
83 Fly Octo Fly ~ Ebb & Flow (Octo) Off the Hook 318 550
84 Into the Light 285 499

Splatoon 3

The arcade machine in Inkopolis Plaza reappears in the Splatoon 3: Expansion Pass, but it no longer functions as an arcade machine, instead being covered by a sheet with a monitor placed on top. It functions as a terminal for remote access to Hotlantis in Splatsville. This terminal also appears in Inkopolis Square next to the Galleria, with the original Inkopolis Square arcade machine being removed entirely.

Although the games are not featured in Splatoon 3, several locker decorations reference them:

  • The front cover of the Squidgital Game Guide is one of the frames from the jumping animation in Squid Jump, and the game's layout is referenced on the back cover of the Nostalgia Power Magazine.
  • Squidball's layout is referenced on the front cover of the Nostalgia Power Magazine. The Commander Cephaloid game box features Squidball's icon, though it uses a monochrome yellow palette.
  • A vertical version of Squid Racer's icon is featured on the front cover of the sports comic.
  • A slightly altered Squid Beatz icon is used on the Volley Volley Panic game box, and the Squidgital Gameguide references the game's layout on its back cover.

Gallery

Splatoon

Splatoon 2

Splatoon 3

Trivia

  • The gameplay of Squid Beatz and its sequel, Squid Beatz 2, are based on the Bandai Namco rhythm game series Taiko no Tatsujin.
    • Squid Beatz 2, in particular, takes its aesthetic cues from the Konami rhythm game series Beatmania, particularly the dancing Inkling and jellyfish silhouettes.
  • Jellyfish are featured in some way in each of Splatoon's arcade games.
  • The rabbits in Squid Beatz are likely a reference to an early stage of Splatoon's development wherein the protagonists were to be humanoid rabbits.
  • The art for each of the four games parodies that of NES games from popular studios. Squid Racer's artwork is based on Irem's titles, Squid Beatz' is based on Namco's, and Squid Ball's is based on those of Nintendo.
  • The arcade machine is also featured in Ancho-V Games, with four individual machines throughout the stage. Unlike the one in Inkopolis Plaza, they cannot be interacted with.
  • Ancho-V Games is said to have developed Squid Beatz.[1]
  • The red fish from the minigames are similar to Cheep Cheeps found in Mario games.
  • There is no reward for completing any of the minigames. Once the player has passed all of the stages in one of them, a sign saying "Congratulations!" will pop up and the game will reset to the first level.
  • In Splatoon 2, arcade machines featuring the artwork from Squid Jump, Squid Ball, and Squid Racer can be seen inside the Shoal when looking in from outside the entrance.
  • In Squid Beatz 2, songs from the Octo Expansion go out of order and start at 80, following the prominent theme of the number 8 in the Octo Expansion. However, the Dedf1sh songs unlocked through the Octoling amiibo do not follow this pattern.
  • In Splatoon 2, when standing near Murch in Inkopolis Square, the sound effects of Squid Jump can be heard from his phone. However, the screen of his phone is blank.
  • In Squid Beatz 2, in the arcade machine, and on the title screen, the title "Ika Radio 2" can be seen. 'Ika' in Japanese means squid.
    • This is also referenced in the Japanese name for Squid Beatz 2.
  • In Ancho-V Games, the walls can be seen to have the arcade games silhouette.
  • In the Octo Canyon level The Octogalaxy, Marie references Squid Jump while talking to herself, saying that she misses it.

Names in other languages

Squid Jump
Language Name Meaning
Japan Japanese イカジャンプ
Ika janpu
Squid Jump
CanadaFrance French Saute-qui-peut[note 1] Jump for your life
Germany German Squid Jump Squid jump
Italy Italian Saltaseppia Jumping Cuttlefish
SpainMexico Spanish Brincalamar Jumpsquid
Squidball
Language Name Meaning
Japan Japanese イカボール
Ika bōru
Squid Ball
CanadaFrance French Smash-qui-peut[note 1] Smash for your life
Italy Italian Seppiavolo Cuttlefishball
Mexico Spanish (NOA) Sepiabol Cuttlefishball
Spain Spanish (NOE) Chipivóley Cuttle-volley
Squid Racer
Language Name Meaning
Japan Japanese イカレース
Ika rēsu
Squid Race
CanadaFrance French Sprint-qui-peut[note 1] Sprint for your life
Italy Italian Turboseppia Turbo Cuttlefish
SpainMexico Spanish A toda tinta Full Ink
Squid Beatz
Language Name Meaning
Japan Japanese イカラジオ
Ika rajio
Squid Radio
CanadaFrance French Swing-qui-peut[note 1] Swing for your life
Italy Italian Radio Seppia Cuttlefish Radio
SpainMexico Spanish Jibia FM Cuttlefish FM

Squid Beatz 2

Language Name Meaning
Japan Japanese イカラジオ2
Ika rajio 2
Squid Radio 2
Netherlands Dutch Ika Radio Similar to Japanese
CanadaFrance French Calam FM Squid FM[note 2]

Translation notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 All names are a reference to the idiom sauve-qui-peut, which translates to "run for your life". Interestingly, each game uses a verb starting in "s".
  2. Shortened version of the word calamar ("squid").

References