Splatoon: What We Know and What to Expect

Reggie Fils-Aime of Nintendo America is touting the upcoming Splatoon as a “major new IP”.  Didn’t he say the same thing about Code Name S.T.E.A.M.?  Which was kinda really underwhelming?  Well, unlike the relatively quiet release of CNS, Nintendo’s being more vocal (and visual) about their goals for Splatoon.  Reggie says they’re aiming to “do for action shooters [with Splatoon] what Mario Kart did for kart racing.”  Nintendo wants Splatoon to be “fun for all skill levels,” so don’t expect it to be all about the kills.

What We’ve Seen: Multiplayer

• A world hub/lobby acts as the main menu, similar to DragonBall Xenoverse.
• Splatoon’s main multiplayer mode is called “Turf War”. We first got a glimpse of this mode at last year’s E3. Opposing teams of four have to paint as much of the arena as they can before time runs out. The team whose color covers the most surface area wins.
• The maps are organized almost like those you see in a MOBA; starting points at opposite ends of the field, immediately afforded branching paths, lanes, etc. 
• Lots of weapons! Many of them are family-friendly stand-ins for shooter staples like pistols and snipers, but we’ve seen some goofier, more creative ones like a giant paint roller.
• Players can teleport to their allies at any time by tapping their icons on the gamepad map.

What We’ve Seen: Campaign

• Though still an action-shooter at the core, the single-player adventure borrows heavily from 3D platformers; mostly in the way the maps are laid out and how the game teaches the mechanics.

What to Expect…

• …Or what not to.  Like voice chat.  Sorry, I know you’ll all miss the screaming, caffeine-hopped eleven-year-olds.
• A focus on multiplayer; so don’t expect a super lengthy campaign.
• Miiverse functionality
• Ranked Battles!  But not until post-launch.
• A May release