Nintendo have blown the doors off much of the content that you can expect to see in Splatoon 2 in the latest  Nintendo Direct that’s just finished, showing off a bunch of new content, revealing future plans, and (most importantly) introducing us to Pearl and Marina, AKA Off the Hook, who are stepping into the shoes of Callie and Marie from the first game.
Curiously the first Splatfest will premier on the 15th July between 5PM-9PM UK time, which is the week before the game’s 21st July release.
Catch the Direct video here:
Much remains the same or slightly expanded from before. You’ll still be grabbing gear and weapons from the shops in the Inkopolis Plaza, Flow, Jelfonzo, Bisk the spider crab and Sheldon looking after headgear, clothing, shoes and weapons respectively. Thankfully, you can skip through their chit chat, if you want to.
Elsewhere in the plaza, you can grab a bite to eat from Crusty Sean, who will boost your rewards in battle, or chat to Murch the sea urchin to add various abilities to your gear, such as thermal ink tracking, quicker respawns, drop roller moves (where you perform a roll while coming out of a super jump), and so on.
Nicely, there’s minigames, such as the Squid Beats 2 rhythm action game, and the old Miiverse functionality has been preserved with an in game spot for doodling, which could potentially then be featured in the plaza.
The Direct detailed a bunch of new weapons, such as the Clash Blaster – a short ranged, high fire rate shotgun-like weapon – Flingza Roller – fatter horizontal splashes and longer range, but slower – Goo Tuber – a sniper rifle that can hold a charge for a long time when in squid form.
Sub weapons now include things like the Toxic Mist area of effect gas grenade, and there’s all manner of special weapons, all of which are new to the game. The fresh announcements are of the Ink Storm, which will rain droplets of ink, Bomb Launcher, Ink Armor to defend your team for a short time, and the explosive hamster ball Baller.
Turf War will be the main mode for online play, while ranked battles will switch between Tower Control, where you control a point that moves slowly to the enemy base, Splat Zones and Rainmaker, a kind of one flag capture the flag, where you deliver a golden fish weapon to the enemy team’s base. Each mode is ranked and matchmade separately. You can form a team of four or go into matchmaking as a pair for league battles.
For local play, there’s The Shoal, where you can set up private battles and Salmon Run rounds. This can happen over wireless, or using LAN play for competitive events where rock solid connectivity is of utmost importance. This also features a spectator mode.
Speaking of Salmon Run, it was explained that this co-op mode will only be available at certain times. As you battle, you’ll have to be aware of the tide rising and lowering between rounds, as well as weather – the Salmonid attack from all sides when it’s foggy, and move faster at night time. It’s worth venturing into for the Salmon Run specific rewards, though.
The Direct gave us a quick glimpse of maps, including Sturgeon Shipyard, Port Mackerel and Moray Towers, however it also stated that, as with the original game, we can expect free content for around a year and two years of Splatfest events. They showed off a level set on a boat as well as one under some railway arches, while also demoing the Splatbrella, which can open up into an umbrella shield, and the Bubble Blower special weapon.
You’ll be able to check in on everything that’s going on in the game via SplatNet 2, which lets you see the map and mode schedule, reserve items, check your stats and more. This will live inside the Nintendo Switch Online app which is releasing on 21st July alongside the game.
Avenger
Never played the first. Got this preordered, excited to try it.