Splatoon 2 Release Date, New Game Mode & Amiibos Announced

A Nintendo Direct presentation took place last night, and one of the games discussed was Splatoon 2. The publisher revealed the game is coming out on July 21st, along with three new amiibos. They’ve also talked at length about a new game mode called Salmon Run. You can see it in action below.

Salmon Run is basically a horde mode. It pits four players against increasingly difficult waves of salmonide enemies. It starts of with small chums, whose numbers steadily increase. It segues into bigger, stronger enemies, and ends with a Steelhead boss that shoots out bags of color. Certain enemies drop power eggs, which you should collect, but your true goal is to get enough golden power eggs (dropped by bosses) into a container in the middle of the map.

Only a single map was showcased – a man-made platform in the middle of the ocean outside Inkopolis. The fact that it’s surrounded by water will force players to be careful when backpedalling away from enemies. Thankfully, you can revive fallen teammates by squirting them with ink. The video mentions “fresh” rewards for winning Salmon Run, but leaves it at that.

The three amiibos they announced are Inkling Girl (salmon pink), Inkling Boy (bright green) and Inkling Squid (purple). Each of them will unlock the corresponding character in the game, which you can customize and store for later use, like when playing with friends on another’s console. They mention “your amiibo friend” having the chance to sometimes give you special gear as a gift. I’m not really sure what that means, but I’d guess the figure will have a chance to give you a piece of outfit each time you scan it. If you need more good news, they’ve mentiont that the old amiibos (the ones from the first game) will be compatible with Splatoon 2 as well.