REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Splatoon, Nintendo’s upcoming third-person action shooter game for the Wii U console, combines elements of shooting, strategy and action – and original new characters, Inklings, that can instantaneously transform between human and squid form. Splatoon gives players the goal of covering as much territory as possible with their ink-spewing weapons. The game, which is scheduled to launch in May, features four-on-four online team matches, as well as a full single-player mode that takes players deeper into the game’s unique world and characters.

In Splatoon, players will battle in a variety of online multiplayer maps, including the newly announ ...

In Splatoon, players will battle in a variety of online multiplayer maps, including the newly announced Blackbelly Skatepark, Saltspray Rig and Walleye Warehouse.

The game’s main online mode is Turf War, in which players with broadband Internet access can compete head-to-head in four-on-four teams to try to cover as much territory as possible in their team’s ink. As they do battle, players will gain levels and earn in-game currency that allows them to customize their Inkling. Players can equip different pieces of clothing, which each provide different game-play perks like swimming more quickly through ink or decreasing the time needed for them to refill their ink canister. Players can also equip pre-determined weapon sets consisting of main weapons like rapid-fire ink guns, long-range ink rifles and paint rollers, as well as sub-weapons like ink bombs or sprinklers. Players can also fill up their special gauge in battle to unleash powerful special weapons for a brief period of time. Players will battle in a variety of online multiplayer maps, including the newly announced Blackbelly Skatepark, Saltspray Rig and Walleye Warehouse.

For the first time, Nintendo also revealed a new multiplayer mode called Ranked Battle, which keeps track of each player’s online ranking. Splat Zones is one of the additional ways to play online in this mode. As opposed to Turf War, which will be available to all players as soon as they begin playingSplatoon, Splat Zones lets players try to control the territory of specific areas of the map with their ink blasts. As they play these ranked modes online, they will have the opportunity to increase their rating from “C-” to “A+,” which will be dynamically updated based on their performance. Players will need to achieve an in-game online Level of 10 by leveling up their Inkling in Turf War online matches before gaining access to these additional modes. As a result, once the game launches in May, Nintendo will track the global progress of players as they gain levels, and once a critical mass of players has achieved Level 10, this additional mode will be unlocked for players who meet the ranking criteria.

The single-player mode in Splatoon lets players use the game’s mechanics to explore the underground base of the game’s army of octopi antagonists, the Octarians, in original stages that test their ability to shoot, jump and splatter ink. Players can tackle a variety of levels with a variety of clever devices that can only be found in single-player mode. Each of the game’s single-player stages are designed to let players master tips and techniques that can be directly applied to the game’s multiplayer modes.

For more information about Splatoon, visit http://splatoon.nintendo.com.