Splatoon 2: all the details, pics, GIFs (and more…) from the Squid Research Lab [April 2017]
Update: the latest update for Splatoon 2 from the Squid Research Lab can be found in this post!
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In this post, we’re going to gather all the details, pics, GIFs, videos, etc. for Splatoon 2, straight from the Squid Research Lab. Naturally, we will keep it updated until the game’s launch, though we may end up going with monthly posts depending on the volume of content shared by the classiest bunch of scientists on Earth.
NB: this post is for April 2017 updates. For the March 2017 updates, click here!
April 27th
Today, the Squid Research Lab talked about the Salmonoids: the enemies you battle against in the Salmon Run mode. As mentioned during the Nintendo Direct presentation, there’s several kinds of Salmonoids, but we still know very little about them.
April 26th
Today, the Squid Research Lab published the first part of the Squid Sisters Stories, revealing what happened to the two cousins following the latest Splatfest in Splatoon. Click here for more details!
April 24th
Today, the Squid Research Lab shared an animation, revealing a brand new character!… wait, it’s just an advertisement for a transport company called “Ikaten Kyuubin” (English name TBC).
なんだコイツは、新キャラか？！
……と思いきや、どうやらただの広告のようだ。
イカの世界でトップシェアを誇る運送会社「イカテン急便」のイメージキャラクターらしい。
妙に気になるヤツだ。 pic.twitter.com/b2553I8dZB— Splatoon（スプラトゥーン） (@SplatoonJP) April 24, 2017
April 21st
Today, the Squid Research Lab shared some details about amiibo, but said more or less the same thing as during the Nintendo Direct a few days ago. Basically, the amiibo allows you to unlock a complete set of gear for your character. The amiibo from Splatoon are also compatible, and unlock their own set of gear.
April 18th
Today’s update is about the amiibo. If you register an amiibo, you can save a set of weapon + gear to the amiibo, along with various settings (such as camera settings).. After that, you can load that set by tapping the amiibo from the customisation screen. Pretty handy if you go play Splatoon 2 at a friend’s!
The Squid Research Lab also mentions how you can take pictures with the amiibo. Said pictures are saved to your album, and you can share them to social media if you want. A great way to show off your best outfits!
April 15th
Following the Nintendo Direct presentation, where a new game mode and the release date for Splatoon 2 were revealed (click here for all the details), the Squid Research Lab shared a few more updates on Twitter.
Here’s the various updates:
- Hero Mode re-re-re-confirmed. This mode is playable in Single Player, and has you battle against the Octarians once again;
- the new Salmon Run mode is apparently a pretty popular (albeit really, totally shady) part-time job. It involves battling hordes of Salmonoid to get hold of Power Eggs, and especially Golden Eggs. For this part-time job, the Inklings are using special gear provided by their employer;
- there are various types of Salmonoids: Chums, Steelhead, and more;
- Grizzco Industries is the company behind that shady business, and very little is know about them (even the front of their HQ looks fishier than 6 month old squid rings. We also don’t know what the rewards are for collecting the Golden Eggs either… and what about that wodden sculpture?
- more pictures of the Splatoon 2 amiibo
- pictures of the photo mode
April 6th
Today, the US branch of the Squid Research Lab shared their own report about the cute little cat that “assists” Judd, who happens to be known as “Li’l Judd” in English.
Breaking news! We’ve confirmed the identity of the furry creature seen previously in both video footage and the recent Testfire event! Ready for it? Everyone, meet Li’l Judd!
Okay, I’ll be the first to admit he’s adorable, but from what we’ve been able to observe, he’s gunning for Judd’s spot as premier Turf War judge like a bloodthirsty tiger crouching in the jungle underbrush. The details of his origins are still shrouded in mystery, but rest assured our research on this fuzzy subject will continue.
Check out the previous update for a couple of pictures!
April 5th
Today, the Squid Research Lab shared one of the most crucial pieces of information about Splatoon… the name of the cute little cat that “assists” Judd. In Japan, he’s known as “Kojajii-kun”, which is meant to be read as “Co-judge”. This is not surprising, since the Japanese name for Judd is quite literally “judge” written in katakana + the “kun” suffix). The English name is yet to be confirmed.
Unfortunately, the Squid Research Lab hasn’t uncovered anything else about this cute lil’ kitty, such as where he’s from in the first place!
April 3rd
On Saturday, during the Grand Final of the Go4Splatoon online tournament, Nintendo showed a special message from Hisashi Nogami, Head Researcher of the Squid Research Lab (who also happens to be the Producer of Splatoon 2… what a coincidence!). In this video message, he introduces one of the brand new stages that players will be able to discover in Splatoon 2, called Humpback Pump Track.
Here’s the video:
Introducing Humpback Pump Track. This new stage is an indoor BMX track, but Inklings use it as a stage for Turf War. It features many curvy ups and downs, and the bike track surrounds a small hill in the middle. You’d think the openness makes for great visibility, but the hump abundance creates a surprising amount of blind spots. Inklings can employ multiple strategies, including frontal breakthroughs or attacking from the side.
Oh… and we just realized that jellyfish can ride bikes? What!?
Next, here’s the official report in English about “Gear Cleaning”, which is known as “Gear Scrubbing” in English (and Spykey as Murch):
We’ve managed to learn the name of the young boy with the sea-urchin like head. Everyone, meet “Murch”. Apparently, he looks up to Spyke as a role model, and works in the same industry (if not the same organization) as Spyke.
Murch is good with his hands, and he uses those nimble digits to perform a special service he calls “gear scrubbing”. This will reset the additional abilities on a piece of gear, returning it to its original state. From what we can tell, gear abilities you’ve removed from gear will be returned to you as “ability chunks”.
Once you collect enough ability chunks you’ll be able to use them to fill an empty gear slot with a new ability. Theoretically, this means that repeating Murch’s gear scrubbing many times would allow you to mix and match additional gear abilities as you see fit! That would be incredible! It could be that this young man is even more talented than Spyke himself!
Source: Squid Research Lab (Japan / North America)
