Hot off the heels of the Xenoblade X special Direct about a week ago, Nintendo has announced, Splatoon is scheduled to have its own Direct Thursday, May 7 a.m. PT/ 10 a.m. ET/ 3 p.m. GMT.
In their most recent Direct, Nintendo centered the presentation around their games coming this spring and onwards. They had a brief bit about Splatoon, with a street date, the appearance of amiibos, new maps, and some new story content. They also had a few Nintendo representatives host a Treehouse segment for an hour based on the various modes from the game.
Next week, Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe will likely stream the same content in a slightly different way. That’s usually the case when they do game-centered directs.
With just a month away from its initial release, here’s what I think they’ll announce come this time next week. Time to get Inked!
NEW STORY PORTION SHOWN:
With barely any gameplay of the campaign shown off yet, I think this is a perfect time to blow the cap off on the project. They had a story trailer that hit the web in November of last year revealed their would be in fact a story mode but not a lot of details were given. Judging by the amount of multiplayer maps they shown off in the last Direct alone suggests they have created plenty of different places to explore. Usually, but not all the time, maps built for multiplayer may be cut down portions from the main campaign so we might have already got a glimpse of what to expect. It’ll be nice to see a little more on new locales you’ll be playing in and witness how much these sections will differ from the multiplayer maps. Also getting a little more details on what the inklings motives are on this adventure.
AMIIBO EXTRAS:
Nintendo unveiled a 3-pack of Splatoon-themed amiibos earlier this month and some details on what role they play in the actual game. They’ll spawn in game and give your inkling special costumes so players can customize their inkling to their liking. I think they’ll reveal another use for the amiibo at this direct. Possibly depending on what day it is, players could receive a new weapon to start a match in online multiplayer when they interact with the Wii U gamepad before the match. Maybe even a mode dedicated towards the amiibos. I know that one sounds like a pipedream but I believe Nintendo want’s people to take amiibos more seriously so giving a dual purpose for their biggest game for spring would be wise.
NEW MULTIPLAYER MODE:
This may be an obvious inclusion in the direct, or maybe not. So far Nintendo has revealed Turf War and Splat Zones. Turf Wars forces players to cover as much as the map as they can to claim victory at the end of the match. Splat Zones pits players to cover designated areas on their map that they must cover and hold until the timer hits zero. Both modes allow for 4 versus 4 gameplay. Although both modes are not about destroying the other players with paint, they could include a dedicated mode for people looking for a more competitive approach. But knowing Nintendo, they’ll steer away from competitive deathmatch-esque modes. So another mode that they could include to the madness, is a horde mode to the series. Fans who want a break from destroying opposing battlefields can team up to destroy incoming waves of enemies for either a set amount of rounds or have it survival based in a endless loop of enemies until you vanish in the pools of paint on the battlefield.
REVEAL THE BIG BADDIE:
We are still in the dark on what these inklings are up against outside of the varied squid like henchmen. But who do they listen to? Who sends them to their inevitable drubbing at the hands of the player? We don’t know and it’s about time we see who the villain is in this direct. Even if it’s just silhouette of the character, or its face revealed in some shape or form would be appreciated. I think they’ll reveal the whole thing however in the end of a trailer or brief story mode section. But if they want to play it safe and wait for players to experience at home I can see them just teasing us all.
CO-OP CAMPAIGN REVEALED:
Local 1 versus 1 multiplayer was also revealed to be in the game and it’s split screen gameplay looked fluid (pun intended). So my speculation ends with; I think they’ll allow for two players to go through the entire single player campaign together. Another possibility is they make a shorter co-op story mode that two players can enjoy but I think the first option is more likely. Nintendo always wants multiple players in the living room playing their games and just giving them a mode where they can blast away enemies and not worry about necessary tactics of multiplayer would be a great idea to satisfy all gamers. Not all of us have that competitive spirit within us but something that lets you play with a friend is instantly more enjoyable. This may not be included but I honestly think this would be icing on the cake for this title.
What do you think they’ll announce at the Splatoon Direct next Thursday? Let your voice be read in the comments below.
