History VideoGame / Splatoon

* AfterTheEnd: [[spoiler: It is no secret now to any long-time fan of this series that this rivals [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Great Sea]] and [[WesternAnimation/AdventureTime The Land of Ooo]] for the title of most colorful, lighthearted post-apocalyptic world. In short, the game is set on Earth long after humanity (and most mammals in general) died off. While the game itself vaguely puts the catalyst for that mass extinction on global warming, the [[BonusMaterial official art book]] takes it UpToEleven by elaborating that sea levels rose to the extent they did thanks to a nuclear warhead hitting Antarctica during the '''fifth''' [[WorldWarWhatever World War]]. Cue mass extinction of almost every mammal on Earth, paving the way for various sea-life to evolve and become the new dominant species on the planet.]]

* AfterTheEnd: [[spoiler:This rivals [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Great Sea]] and [[WesternAnimation/AdventureTime The Land of Ooo]] for the title of most colorful, lighthearted post-apocalyptic world. In short, the game is set on Earth long after humanity (and most mammals in general) died off. While the game itself vaguely puts the catalyst for that mass extinction on global warming, the [[BonusMaterial official art book]] takes it UpToEleven by elaborating that sea levels rose to the extent they did thanks to a nuclear warhead hitting Antarctica during the '''fifth''' [[WorldWarWhatever World War]]. Cue mass extinction of almost every mammal on Earth, paving the way for various sea-life to evolve and become the new dominant species on the planet.]]

* {{Youkai}}: Huge statues of a {{Kitsune}} and a {{Tanuki}} sit atop two buildings opposite each other in Inkopolis Plaza.

The official website can be found [[http://splatoon.nintendo.com/ here]]. Also featured is an official Website/{{Tumblr}} called the [[http://splatoonus.tumblr.com/ "Squid Research Lab"]], which reveals information in a similar vein as the "Pic of the Day" done for ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU''. See the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L54s2m1dPs announcement trailer here]], and the Hero Mode trailer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDnfzfBDedE here.]]

* ImprovisedWeapon: While certain weapons look like factory-made water guns or pastiches of actual guns, some of them look cobbled up from various household and office items.
** Splat Rollers and variants are oversized paint rollers.
** The Carbon Roller's frame is made from part of a polycarbon bicycle frame, with a plastic water bottle for an ink reservoir, which is attached to the frame by an actual water bottle mount.
** The Dynamo Roller is made from oversized door-hinge panel parts for the frame and handle, with an oversized typewriter drum instead of a conventional roller head.
** Sloshers are simply buckets. The Tri-Slosher looks like a bucket with a triple partition dividing the interior.
** The Sloshing Machine is a miniature front-loaded washing machine, with the lid removed and a handle attached.
** Inkbrushes and Octobrushes are basically a union between mops and giant paintbrushes, with the Inkbrush having a narrow brush tip and the Octobrush having a broad, flatheaded brush tip. The Inkbrush even has a huge paint tube feeding ink directly to the bristles!
** The L-3 and H-3 Nozzlenose is basically a hose, its spool, and a spray nozzle.
** Splash-o-Matics are basically fine-tipped magic markers with pressure gauges attached. Sploosh-o-Matics simply attach a funnel to the end of the former. Strangely enough, only the English-language localisations name these two weapons without referring to their origins as writing utensils. In Japan, these weapons are called the "Sharp Marker" and "Bold Marker" respectively.
** Heavy Splatling Guns are heavily modified water coolers, including the water container.
** Mini Splatlings look like smaller versions of the Heavy Splatling with a toy-like "Vintage Supersoaker" motif similar to the Splattershot and the basic Splat Roller/Splat Charger.
** The Hydra Splatling looks like a Splatling with the receiver housing made from a modified section of fire hydrant with a ring-shaped crank from the hosereel valves, an ink reservoir made from a hot water tank, and what appears to be a diesel-powered electrical motor driving the pump. It has barrels made from the nozzles of firehoses, and a short section of said firehose connects the tank to the receiver.
** The Squelchers appear to be power drills or power washers modified to shoot ink.
** Squiffers are basically a detergent bottle, a mop handle, and a windshield wiper stuck together.
** E-Liter 3Ks are elongated fuel pump nozzles attached to tanks that resemble miniature fuel tank trucks.
** Suction Bombs are spray cans attached to what seem like plunger heads.
** Splat Bombs are simply plastic bags of ink surrounded by a pressure sensitive frame.
** Burst Bombs are just balloons filled with ink.
** Aerosprays are airbrushes that have been modified to use squid ink instead of paint.
** The Bamboozler is a traditional bamboo water gun with iron sights stuck on top.
** The Inkzooka is heavily inspired by the AT-4 recoilless smoothbore weapon.
** The .52 and .96 Gal blasters are made with the bodies of a GrenadeLauncher with the revolving cylinders replaced with the water tank from an office water cooler.
** The Hero Splattershot's ink tank is basically a paintball hopper. The same applies for the Hero Charger and Hero Roller.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: And pink, and orange, and green, and- OK, so maybe it's not "hair", strictly speaking, but the Inklings' heads are the same bright colors as the ink they're spraying.

In addition, there's also a local two-player mode where one player watches the Gamepad while the second uses the television screen; the objective is to pop as many balloons as possible (and prevent the other from doing the same) before time runs out. The game is also compatible with ''Splatoon'' Toys/{{amiibo}}; they can be used to unlock additional challenges in the single-player mode, and completing them rewards the player with [[AndYourRewardIsClothes additional clothing accessories]] and minigames.

''Splatoon'' is a ThirdPersonShooter created by Creator/{{Nintendo}} for their UsefulNotes/WiiU system. Revealed at E3 2014 and released in May of 2015, the game features the Inklings, [[ItMakesSenseInContext a race of shapeshifting squid-kids/people who fight with all sorts of ink weaponry]], which allows them to paint entire areas of their color that they can use to swim around the map faster as a squid. Upon announcement, the game was notable for being first new major IP developed by Nintendo that wasn't oriented strictly for the casual market since ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'' fourteen years prior.

* EleventhHourSuperpower: The Headgear ability Last-Ditch Effort provides a boost to ink efficiency, ink recovery, and respawn speed in the last 30 seconds of the match. [[CriticalStatusBuff It will also activate if the opponent is close to winning in a Ranked/League mode]].

* {{Americasia}}: Modern culture in this world is largely a mix of Japanese and American elements. The urban-industrial GraffitiTown setting could pass off as both, with Japanese influences being evident in stuff like some symbolism and the traditional Japanese clothing shown by some characters, and American culture showing in stuff like the TotallyRadical atmosphere influenced by late 90's Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} and the "Native American" styled Camp Triggerfish.

** Deliberately played to the hilt with most single-player Octarian enemies, who will actually stop in the middle of shooting at you to watch a bomb you threw over or past them sail by and try to spot where it will land. Also justified — they're based on octopodes, which are pretty smart, but [[FridgeBrilliance not on the part of them that actually contains the brain.]]
** On the more unintentional side of things, the Octolings have been shown to be [[http://n1ghtdrag0n6777.tumblr.com/post/130373390116/we-should-just-give-her-an-a-for-effort pretty]] [[http://puffdraws.tumblr.com/post/127127349985/shes-trying stupid.]] Once you get a certain distance away from them, their approach options will suddenly go down the drain and they'll get stuck in a loop simply shooting at the floor forever.
* ArtShift: Many of the Sea Scrolls are drawn in a realistic art style, the most detailed of which are wartime photos of the Great Turf War [[spoiler:that depict Cap'n Cuttlefish and Sheldon's grandfather in their prime]].
* AscendedMeme:
** Possible Callie/Marie dialogue for the Camp Triggerfish map is, ''"Being here makes me feel like a kid!"/"Really? I feel more like a squid."'' This is a reference to the game's infamous [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjPOSKnOftA TV spot.]]

* BambooTechnology: The Bamboozler 14 is a literal case, being a Charger fashioned out of a bamboo cane. According to its description, it's a reissue of a weapon used during the Great Turf War[[spoiler:, and also the one that won it, according to Sunken Scroll 14]].

* BossRemix: The beginning of one of the Hero Mode themes, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkBBgxZSqw0 the one that plays on the first stage]], gets a reprise during [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuyhPx8d9UY the final boss's theme.]]

** After beating the fourth world in Hero Mode, the ensuing cutscene has [[spoiler:Agents 1 and 2 openly referring to DJ Octavio as the FinalBoss]]. Much later, [[spoiler:his final words are ''"Cross-fade...to black..."'']]

* CassandraTruth

* CasualDangerDialogue: After finishing the single player campaign, going back to fight the final boss again will have [[spoiler:Callie and Marie casually chatting with each other and their grandfather during the fight instead of giving tips like usual]].

* CharacterLevel: Multiplayer features a leveling system. Up until level 20 it increases by total area painted during a Turf War, or percentage of the goal completed during a Ranked Battle, with bonuses for being on the winning team; and after that it starts to increase on a goal completion basis[[note]]In Turf War a fixed ammount of points are awarded based on thresholds of area painted, with bonus points for a victory. In Ranked Battles a point is awarded for each minute the team survives, with 3 bonus points being given to the victor for a regular victory, or a total of 10 for a knockout victory[[/note]]. Higher levels make the store clerks more willing to part with more exclusive equipment, at level 10 the player can access Ranked Battles, at level 20 the player can pay Spyke to upgrade and reset their gear, and every 5 levels after 20 the players recieves rewards from Judd.
* ChargedAttack:

** Try hanging around the arena before fighting a boss, or after beating it. [[spoiler:You'll hear [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0oaj4RhnOw some rather disturbing noises.]]]]

* EvilIsHammy: While the European and Japanese versions of the game have him as a more standard villain, the North American version of the final boss[[spoiler:, DJ Octavio,]] is the most hammy character in the game, with loads of shouting in ALL CAPS while throwing music puns for all their worth. Then again, what else would you expect from a final boss that fights in [[spoiler:a HumongousMecha/turn table hybrid that blasts some bizarre kind of dubstep/techno mix]]?

** A rather blatant example; in Hero Mode, [[spoiler:shortly after Agents 1 and 2 become MissionControl, one of them accidentally refers to the other as ''"Mari- I mean...Agent 2..."''. At the very end of Hero Mode, it's revealed that they are, in fact, the Squid Sisters (Callie and Marie)]].
** One of the Sunken Scrolls holds a music sheet that's described as "the customary chorus of Calamari County", and that "it may as well be carved into the very DNA of all Inklings". [[spoiler:Appropiately, said song shows up as a ThemeMusicPowerUp during the last phase of the final boss, sung by the Squid Sisters themselves]].
** One of the Squid Sisters' blurbs for Camp Triggerfish has Marie jokingly mention that Judd might have been reffing since the dawn of time. [[spoiler:As a Sunken Scroll reveals, Judd is a FishOutOfTemporalWater has been around for 2 thousand years; or since the beginning as far as Inkling civilization is concerned]].

* GreenAesop: The backstory could be seen as a nod to the climate change debate, as [[spoiler:humanity's fate of dying out due to rising sea levels is basically what those warning about it theorize will eventually happen if not enough is done in response to it]].

* HeroicMime: {{Lampshaded}}. During the start of the single player campaign, Captain Cuttlefish asks the player if he or she can help him rescue the Great Zapfish, he says he'll take the player's silence as a yes.

* {{Hipster}}: The Inkling's fashion sense makes them look like 90's inspired hipsters, what with them possibly equipping beanies and big glasses and the like; plus their almost complete refusal to wear anything but shorts regardless of their top, be it long shirt, winter jacket, or anything. If by some reason you're still not convinced, here's a quote from the FinalBoss himself:

* HumanPopsicle: [[spoiler:Or feline, rather. Judd was put in cryogenic stasis for 10,000 years by his scientist owner before the extinction of humanity, waking up about 2,000 years before the game's events]].

* InternetJerk: {{Defied|Trope}}. According to WordOfGod, avoiding online toxicity is why online voice chat is not available.
* InvincibleMinorMinion:

** The announcement for the 10th NA Splatfest, Past vs. Future has Callie mention [[spoiler:wanting to meet an "odd 'human' thing" from the past]]. The revelation that [[spoiler:the game [[ApocalypseHow takes place after humanity dies out]]]] is only mentioned through the Sunken Scrolls in the single player campaign. This is worse because this is the first Splatfest after the 2015 Christmas newbie boom.

* MorphicResonance: The Inklings retain their eyes and their tentacle/hair is the same color as in their squid form. Furthermore, the 10 limbs real squids have [[https://33.media.tumblr.com/3395d26b2dfd2a4a381652a64db2b61f/tumblr_nhcpy0m5Rb1u3akyno1_1280.jpg are still represented in their humanoid form]]: 2 legs, 2 arms, 2 hair tentacles, and the remaining 4 in the back of their head.(However, Male Inklings have 11, if you count their...you know, as an extra tentacle.)

* NeverSayDie: No, in ''Splatoon's'' colorful, PG world, you are ''splatted.'' "Splatted" is the term used in the game text when eliminating or being eliminated by a player, and is used by the characters when referring to taking out enemies, and it is always used as a stand-in for "die" or "kill."
* NiceHat:

** The FinalBoss has what probably is the nicest hat in the game, [[spoiler:wearing a crown-like golden headpiece in the shape of an octopus. One scroll even shows him using it while in humanoid form before the war started]].

** Pillars of Ink fired from the Inkzooka and the Rainmaker will keep on trucking after hitting an enemy, making it entirely possible to [[TotalPartyKill eliminate an entire enemy team with one careful (or lucky) shot.]]

** The Octostriker and Octoling-focused maps in Hero Mode take place on altered versions of multiplayer maps. [[labelnote:The list]]Octostriker levels: Tutorial level, Bluefin Depot, Urchin Underpass (pre-overhaul), and Blackbelly Skatepark. Octoling levels: Kelp Dome, Blackbelly Skatepark, Bluefin Depot, and Saltspray Rig.[[/labelnote]] They take place at night and sunset, respectively, except for "Unidentified Flying Object," which is an Octostriker map that takes place at sunset.

* SelfDeprecation: On a company-wide scale. [[http://splatoonus.tumblr.com/post/124333688144/ah-yes-the-n-zap-89-this-is-quite-simply-an The official Tumblr post]] about the [[ConsoleCameo N-ZAP '89]] takes a shot at [[{{Bowdlerization}} the reason why its inspiration came to be]]. [[note]]The original Zapper was colored grey -- it was eventually changed to orange so as to make it look [[FamilyFriendlyFirearms less like a real gun.]][[/note]]
-->''"Ah yes, the N-ZAP '89. This is quite simply an N-ZAP '85 that was redesigned for… well, [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial definitely not legal reasons. No siree. Nothing to see here. Lawyers definitely did not have anything to do with this.]]"''

** During the [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants April 2016 Splatfest]], Callie denotes that Patrick “[[Recap/SpongebobSquarepantsS2E15TheSecretBoxBandGeeks thinks mayonnaise is a musical instrument]]!” And when Patrick won the Splatfest, Marie says that they "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E5MermaidManandBarnacleBoyIVDoingTime wumbo'd our way to victory]]!”

* SuperDrowningSkills: Inklings are splatted the second they touch water. While it may not look like it makes much sense since they're squids, [[JustifiedTrope they're also made of ink, and ink dissociates in water.]]

* ThemeMusicPowerUp: For the final form of the final boss fight, the music is replaced with one of the Squid Sisters' hit singles, "Calamari Inkantation", [[spoiler:which happens to be a CoverVersion of a song that's described as the theme of the Inklings as a whole]]. This theme also replaces "Ink Me Up" as the Splatfest battle theme for the second half of the Callie vs. Marie Splatfest.

** Going with the 90's GenreThrowback, late 90's and early 2000's slang is ''everywhere'' in this game.
** The North American announcement for the Snowman Vs. Sandcastle Splatfest has Callie overusing mid-2010's slang[[note]]Contemporary to the game's release[[/note]] (and Marie {{lampshad|eHanging}}ing it):
---> '''Callie:''' Team Snowbae is so fleek I literally can't even! It's cray. Like... crayfish cray.\\

** In the U.S., the fourth Splatfest featured ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' from Creator/{{Hasbro}}, with the teams being Autobots vs. Decepticons.

* ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: In US commercials, the game's title is pronounced as "[=Sp-LA=]-Toon", though many other sources pronounce it as "[=Sp-LUH=]-Toon".

Compare ''VideoGame/DeBlob'' for similar premise and concept (ink-spraying creatures spreading ink).

* UnusableEnemyEquipment: In a manner of speaking. In Hero Mode, you as Agent 3 will not be able to salvage Octoshot blasters from the Octolings to use yourself directly from the field, and is justified in that Inkling and Octoling inks are of different consistencies, which would potentially make it impossible for the Octoshots to feed and fire your ink properly; however, Sheldon can take one and ''modify'' it into the Octoshot Replica with the internals of a Tentatek Splattershot for use in Multiplayer.

* {{GIFT}}: {{Defied|Trope}}. According to WordOfGod, avoiding online toxicity is why online voice chat is not available.

** Roller-type paint weapons play this trope less straight, but could be seen as this game's equivalent to [[ShortRangeShotgun shotguns]] or [[FireBreathingWeapon flamethrowers]]: Powerful, but with very limited range. The Brush variations of this type operate more like swords or other melee weapons.

* BoyishShortHair: And you can read the female's tentacles as they are coming in front of the girl's ears as sidetails, suiting how messy and action based the gameplay is as both are more "boyish" interests.

** Also downplayed with weapons which are made by multiple fictional in-universe brands. Weapons made by a particular brand tends to follow a certain theme,[[note]]Such as "Custom" weapons that are based on industrial tools.[[/note]] and variants of main weapons (that have alternate sub and special weapon) tend to have their brand name on them.[[note]]For example, "Custom Jet Squelcher" in comparison to the "Jet Squelcher".[[/note]]

A sequel, ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'', was released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch on July 21, 2017. A second sequel, ''Splatoon 3'', was announced for the Nintendo Switch on a 2022 release window. The series also has a [[Manga/{{Splatoon}} manga]] that has been running since 2015.

A sequel, ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'', was released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch on July 21, 2017. The series also has a [[Manga/{{Splatoon}} manga]] that has been running since 2015.

** The [[https://twitter.com/NintendoUK/status/670150375547256832 Sloshing Machine]] is a miniature front-loaded washing machine, with the lid removed and a handle attached.

* EleventhHourSuperpower: The Headgear ability Last-Ditch Effort provides a boost to ink efficiency, ink recovery, and respawn speed in the last 30 seconds of the match. [[ComebackMechanic It will also activate if the opponent is close to winning in a Ranked/League mode]].

''Splatoon'' is a ThirdPersonShooter created by Creator/{{Nintendo}} for their UsefulNotes/WiiU system. Revealed at E3 2014 and released in May of 2015, the game features the Inklings, [[ItMakesSenseInContext a race of shapeshifting squid-kids/people who fight with all sorts of ink weaponry]], which allows them to paint entire areas of their color that they can use to swim around the map faster as a squid. The game is notable for being Nintendo's first new major IP not oriented strictly for the casual market since ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'' in late 2001.

Besides those two main courses, there's also a two-player local multiplayer mode, with one player watching the gamepad while the second uses a television screen; the objective is to pop as many balloons as possible (and prevent the other from doing the same) before time runs out. The game is also compatible with ''Splatoon'' Toys/{{amiibo}}; they can be used to unlock additional challenges in the single-player mode, and completing them rewards the player with [[AndYourRewardIsClothes additional clothing accessories]] and minigames.

** The Squid Sisters got into an especially heated argument in the results of the North American Early Birds vs. Night Owls Splatfest, declaring that "Next Splatfest we play for keeps!" Cue the next (and last) Splatfest where the Squid Sisters were pitted directly against each other.