Splatoon (universe)

Splatoon (universe)
Developer(s)	Nintendo
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Genre(s)	Third-person shooter
Console/platform of origin	Wii U
First installment	Splatoon (2015)
Latest installment	Splatoon 2 (2017)
Article on Inkipedia	Splatoon (universe)

The Splatoon universe (スプラトゥーン, Splatoon) refers to the Super Smash Bros. collection of elements originating from the eponymous franchise. It is a series of third-person shooters currently consisting of two games where players take on the role of Inklings, a race of humanoid squid-like beings, and fight in paintball-styled sport matches by using a variety of weapons that use their ink to kill opponents and cover the ground in ink of their color.

Franchise description

In the past, first- and third-person shooter games had rarely been developed by Nintendo, instead being made by second or third party developers (as seen with Rare's GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo 64), mostly because of Nintendo's stance on family-friendly content. The shooter genre itself has become gritty and realistic in recent years, with franchises like Call of Duty and Halo, and while these games have been and continue to be impressive graphically, fans agree the games have gotten progressively staler with each installment, with little room for innovation within the games themselves. To the surprise of many, at E3 2014, it was announced that Nintendo themselves were developing an online multiplayer third-person shooter, to be called Splatoon. The game was a fresh take on the shooter genre, featuring creatures called Inklings shooting ink at each other in a turf war battle style, with the victorious team being whichever could cover the most area with their ink. Inklings themselves are capable of transforming into squids, allowing them to speed through the battlefield through their own ink (and simultaneously recharge their ink supply). The team behind the development of Splatoon was made up of core developers within the Animal Crossing series, later joined by the director of Star Fox 64 3D.

Splatoon features a multitude of different modes for the player to enjoy. The multiplayer mode has different kinds of battles for players to participate in, but the Turf Wars are at the forefront of the game, where players shoot ink in an arena for a predetermined time of three minutes. In that time, the player must cover as much territory as possible with their ink; they may recharge their ink supply by transforming into their squid form while standing on their own ink. If they are hit enough times by a player on the opposing team, they will respawn after four seconds, and can move once again after another four seconds (though this eight second time frame can be shortened with certain abilities). There are also special themed Splatfest Battles where players can pick teams based on two choices depending on the region (including cats and dogs, the past and the future, being physically fit or being rich, and even special crossover Splatfests with Pokémon and SpongeBob SquarePants). These Splatfest battles are announced by Callie and Marie, of the in-universe Squid Sisters pop duo; the two also announce when stages change in the multiplayer modes, happening every four hours.

Other multiplayer modes include Ranked Battles, where players can participate in one of three modes: Splat Zone battles feature King of the Hill-type battles where players fight for control over a particular area in the stage; Tower Control battles feature players taking control of a tower, and they have to remain in control of it so that it reaches their base before the other team's; Rainmaker battles are centered around players grabbing the titular Rainmaker weapon and carrying it to the other team's base, with opponents being able to pop the shield surrounding the Rainmaker, resulting in a large explosion. Players can make teams with their friends in the Squad Battle mode or Private Battle mode as well, with the latter allowing the players to choose the battle type as well.

When the game was being developed, characters were one of the later thoughts the team had. Originally, the player was represented by a box with a nose (affectionately referred to by the development team as blocks of tofu), but as time went on, the team thought up ideas regarding anthropomorphic squids, rabbits, and even Mario characters. However, the team wanted the game to be an original IP and not make it a part of the Mario franchise, as well as not finding a reason for rabbits to shoot paint at each other. The squid idea was expanded upon, and eventually resulted in the creation of the Inklings.

Splatoon was released on May 28th, 2015 in Japan, the following day in North America and Europe, and two days after in Australia. It was critically acclaimed for its innovative ideas, and became the fifth-fastest selling Wii U title in the UK. Over time, the game saw numerous updates with Nintendo adding in new weapons and modes, as well as continuous Splatfests.

Splatoon-like gameplay was spotted in the official reveal trailer for the Nintendo Switch, and months later, it was announced that a sequel to Splatoon, Splatoon 2, would be released for the new console. On July 21st, 2017, Splatoon 2 released worldwide to another round of critical acclaim. Splatoon 2 kept several aspects of the first game, but also brought its own fair share of changes, switching Callie and Marie out with Pearl and Marina, of the in-universe Off the Hook pop duo, and featuring several new modes. A new Ranked Battle mode, Clam Blitz, was added the December after Splatoon 2's release and features players attempting to fill the enemy team's basket, and if ten clams are collected, the player obtains a Power Clam which possesses the ability to destroy the barrier around the basket if it is thrown at it; League Battles replace the Squad Battles from the previous game; Salmon Run has players collecting a set amount of salmon eggs while fighting off enemies in a set of three waves. On March 8th, 2018, it was revealed in a Nintendo Direct that paid DLC would be coming to Splatoon 2 on July 31st, 2018 (a first for the series, as previous DLC was in the form of updates), in the form of the Octo Expansion, focusing on a new character, Agent 8, an Octoling who has lost their memories and wants to escape the underground subways and testing facilities, fighting the Octarians who have turned against them to get to the surface. Upon beating the mode, Octolings will become playable in multiplayer matches and Splatfests. At E3 2018, it was revealed that the expansion would be released sooner, and was made to download on June 13th, 2018.

In Super Smash Bros. 4

While it is a small first appearance, the Splatoon universe makes its debut in Super Smash Bros. 4, in the form of Mii Fighter costumes and a trophy.

Mii Costumes

Costume

• Inkling Outfit (DLC): Mii Fighter costumes based on the Inklings were released as downloadable content on June 14th, 2015. The costume changes depending on which gender your Mii is. For female Miis, it is based off of the Inkling Girl commonly used in Promotional Art and the game cover for Splatoon, wearing the White Tee and Pink Trainers, while also wielding a Splattershot with Orange Ink inside. If the Mii is a male, it would be based off of the Male Inkling seen in most Promotional Artwork and on the game cover for Splatoon, wearing the Zink Layered LS and the Purple Hi-Horses, while wielding a Splattershot with Blue Ink. Both Splattershots are based on their Splatoon design. Downloading said costumes also gives the player the Inkling trophy.

Hats

• Inkling Wig (DLC) The other part of the Inkling Set. Like the costume, the wig itself will change depending on what you Mii's Gender is. Female Inklings will wear the Inkling Girl hear from Splatoon, while Male Inklings will wear the Inkling Boy hear from Splatoon. Their colors are matching to the Promotional Artwork Inklings, with Females having orange hair and Males having blue hair.
• Inkling Squid Hat (DLC) The hat is based off of the Inkling's Squid form, more specifically the Inkling Squid found on it's amiibo.

Trophies

Both Versions

• Inkling

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Splatoon was massively expanded on during its transition to Ultimate, with the addition of a new character in the form of the Inkling, as well as a new assist trophy and stage, many new themes and remixes, and a new costume based off of the characters in Splatoon 2.

Characters

• 64.
  
  Inkling: The playable race of the games appear in Ultimate in both Inkling Girl and Inkling Boy variants. Inklings use their ink to increase the amount of damage foes take from attacks, but must watch their ammunition or else they'll be left at a disadvantage. Their Final Smash is Killer Wail.

Assist Trophy

• Squid Sisters: The famous singing sisters Callie and Marie debut as an assist trophy. When summoned, the screen slowly zooms onto them, making the blast zones closer and making it easier to kill the opponent.

Stage

• 
  Moray Towers

Mii Costumes

Costumes

• Inkling Outfit
• Splatoon 2 Outfit

Hats

• Inkling Wig
• Splatoon 2 Wig
• Inkling Squid Hat

Music

Original Tracks

Arrangements and remixes unique to Ultimate.

• "Splattack!": A jazzy remix of the main theme from Splatoon, which can also play during multiplayer matches, as well as including a remix of "Opening" and "Now or Never!" from the same game. Heard in the Inkling's character trailer.
• "Seaskape": A techno remix of "Seaskape", a multiplayer battle song from Splatoon.
• "Now or Never!": A remix of the theme that plays when there's a minute left in a multiplayer match in Splatoon.
• "Bomb Rush Blush": A remix of the theme that the Squid Sisters originally played at Niconico Chokaigi 2016, which later appeared in Splatoon when scanning in the Callie amiibo.

Source Tracks

Tracks sourced directly from the Splatoon games.

• "Splattack!": The main theme, as well as a multiplayer match theme, sourced from Splatoon.
• "Ink or Sink": A multiplayer match theme, sourced from Splatoon.
• "Kraken Up": A multiplayer match theme, sourced from Splatoon.
• "Metalopod": A multiplayer match theme, sourced from Splatoon.
• "Split & Splat": A multiplayer match theme added in the 2.0.0 update, sourced from Splatoon.
• "Now or Never! - Splatoon": The song that plays in the last minute of a multiplayer match, sourced from Splatoon.
• "Now or Never - Splatoon 2": The song that plays in the last minute of a multiplayer match which itself is a remix of the track of the same name from Splatoon, sourced from Splatoon 2.
• "Ink Me Up": The song that played during a Splatfest, sourced from Splatoon.
• "Now or Never (Splatfest version) - Splatoon": The song that plays during the last minute of a Splatfest match, sourced from Splatoon.
• "Now or Never (Splatfest version) - Splatoon 2": The song that plays during the last minute of a Splatfest match, sourced from Splatoon 2.
• "Octoweaponry": A medley of the three parts of the theme when fighting an Octoweapon, which each part corresponding to a phase of the fight, sourced from Splatoon.
• "I Am Octavio": A medley of the three parts of the first phase of the final boss theme against DJ Octavio, which each part corresponding to a part of the phase, sourced from Splatoon.
• "Calamari Inkantation": The Squid Sisters' signature song, played during the second phase of the fight against DJ Octavio, sourced from Splatoon.
• "Inkoming!": The main theme, as well as a multiplayer match theme, sourced from Splatoon 2.
• "Rip Entry": A multiplayer match theme, sourced from Splatoon 2.
• "Undertow": A multiplayer match theme, sourced from Splatoon 2.
• "Don't Slip": A multiplayer match theme, sourced from Splatoon 2.
• "Endolphin Surge": A multiplayer match theme, sourced from Splatoon 2.
• "Ebb & Flow": A theme that can play during a Splatfest battle, sourced from Splatoon 2.
• "Acid Hues": A theme that can play during a Splatfest battle, sourced from Splatoon 2.
• "Muck Warfare": A theme that can play during a Splatfest battle, sourced from Splatoon 2.
• "Deluge Dirge": A theme that can play during a match of Salmon Run, sourced form Splatoon 2.

Victory Theme

• "Victory! Inkling": A remix of the online victory jingle from Splatoon.

Spirits

The kanji aruji "主" denotes a Master Spirit.

1,025. Inkling (Girl} 1,026. Inkling (Boy) 1,027. Inkling Squid 1,028. Judd 1,029. Li'l Judd 1,030. Squid Sisters 1,031. Off the Hook 1,032. Sheldon主 1,033. Annie 1,034. Jelonzo 1,035. Crusty Sean 1,036. Spyke 1,037. Flow

1,038. Jelfonzo 1,039. Bisk 1,040. Murch 1,041. Cap'n Cuttlefish主 1,042. Octoling 1,043. DJ Octavio 1,044. Octobot King 1,045. Zapfish 1,046. Great Zapfish 1,047. Octoling Girl & Octoling Boy 1,048. Octoling Octopus 1,049. Super Sea Snail

Games with elements from or in the Super Smash Bros. series

Splatoon

• Playable Characters:
  • Mii Fighter Costumes based on the designs of the male and female Inklings debuted in this game and were added as DLC.
  • There is a DLC Mii Fighter hat based on the Inkling Squid.
  • Inkling's main design is based around their appearance in Splatoon.

• Stages:
  • Moray Towers is based around its appearance in Splatoon.

• Stage elements:
  • Judd makes a cameo appearance on Moray Towers.

• Assist Trophies:
  • The Squid Sisters, Callie and Marie, appear as an Assist Trophy.

• Trophies:
  • The male and female Inklings, using their design from this game, appear as DLC trophies.

• Spirits:
  • Inkling (Girl), Inkling (Boy), Octoling, Spyke, DJ Octavio, Octobot King, Annie, Great Zapfish, Inkling Squid, Jelonzo, Judd, Squid Sisters, Zapfish, Bisk, Flow and Cap'n Cuttlefish.

• Music:
  • 

Splatoon 2

Li'l Judd makes a cameo alongside Judd on Moray Towers. Pearl and Marina, Jelfonzo, and the Octo Expansion Octolings make an appearance as Spirits. Crusty Sean's Spirit uses his design from this game. The Inklings' Splatoon 2 designs are used as Mii Fighter costumes.

Trivia

• With the addition of downloadable content, Splatoon became the newest universe to be represented in Super Smash Bros. 4, as the first game released 6 months after the release of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
  • With the addition of Inklings as playable characters and other Splatoon content in Ultimate, the franchise became the newest major universe in the Smash Bros. series to be represented with a playable character.
• With the Inkling trophy, the Splatoon universe is the only minor universe to have a trophy available in both versions of SSB4.