Arriving in May, Splatoon is one of our most-anticipated Wii U games in the coming months, even if we're still awaiting a final release date - with single player, local multiplayer and online multiplayer all included, it should offer plenty of content along with its quirky approach to third-person arena shooting.

The official Tumblr page, meanwhile, keeps serving up little insights into what's to come. It's been just over a month since our last summary, and the posts since then have had some interesting details. Fashion is an ongoing theme, but we're also given details on weapons and more - a few short videos are even included.

We figured it was time for another gallery to collate these updates, then, so check the past month's worth of posts below. Enjoy!


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Breaking news! In this crazy squid society, "coolness" is apparently a pretty big deal. So much so, in fact, that the shopkeepers won't even give you the time of day if you're not cool enough. Battle it up to make sure you're as fresh and fly as possible before trying to buy the latest gear.

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Participating in battles seems to be the key to earning experience and raising your rank. This rank is the yardstick by which your "coolness" will be measured!

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From sandals to boots and everything in between, Shrimp Kicks has the hottest selection of Inkling footwear. With such a delicious…I mean, uh, professional-looking salesman, it's no wonder the store is so popular! If you see a pair of kicks you like, snap 'em up before they're sold out!

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This is Crusty Sean, the owner and proprieter of Shrimp Kicks. He's got a mean shoe game and plenty of feet that he uses to model all of the hottest new styles. He might look like he's fried to golden-brown perfection, but his breaded exterior is actually a slightly morbid designer jacket.

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You may notice some jellyfish wandering among the Inklings in the plaza. Jellyfish are the second-most common creature in the city, but they can't speak the Inkling language. "Oh yeah? Then why can Jelonzo speak Inkling?!" you might ask, rather annoyingly. Well, Jelonzo is a special jellyfish from distant waters. No one knows how he learned Inkling, but the way he botches the language is kinda cute!

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This is Judd. He's a cat, if you can't tell. Long shrouded in mystery, details about Judd are just now beginning to trickle in. Firstly, we can confirm that he's (probably) not a dog. Also, Judd was born with the incredible ability to judge turf area at a glance to separate the winners from the losers. And it may look like he's wearing a snazzy cat tuxedo, but that's actually just the naturally occuring pattern of his fur. Some cats have all the luck.

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Squid Research Special Report:

Our findings indicate that Charger weapons are capable of firing blasts of ink over long distances. They can be used to snipe distant targets, but they also leave long trails of ink on the ground, making them useful for quickly creating ink paths for allies to swim through.

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Tomorrow is Valentine's Day! We at Squid Research Lab have an important research question to ask you: Will you be our valentine? No pressure to say yes, but we got you this really sweet and expensive card.Hmm… I wonder if Inklings give sweets to each other on Valentine's Day. Do you think they like chocolate-covered shrimp?

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It's time for another hot info nugget from Squid Research labs! The manhole you'll find tucked in a corner of the plaza has been confirmed to lead to Octo Valley, the location of our campaign against the Octarian threat. It may be a lonely and desolate place, but such is the path a hero walks…

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This unreasonably attractive gentleman goes by the name of Cap'n Cuttlefish. He's a decorated hero who fought in the Great Turf Wars of legend between the Inklings and Octarians. He now keeps solemn vigil over Octo Valley, watching for any fishy behavior. Though his clothes may be tattered, his heart is pure and nothing escapes his razor-sharp gaze. He also TOTALLY didn't write this post.

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Squid Research Labs Special Report:

Our findings indicate that roller weapons excel at inking territory while on the move, but they can also fling ink in a wide arc. Flinging ink is a short-range attack to be sure, but it can be quite a powerful tactic. Interestingly enough, a statistically significant percentage of test subjects reported that switching between flinging ink and rolling ink on the ground is more satisfying than one might think!

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This just in! Apparently there are a lot of highly reputable fashion brands in Inkling society. Some Inklings like to wear gear that's all the same brand, while others like to mix and match to create their own custom style. Whatever sinks your boat!

Another slow day here in the lab, so in lieu of any breaking news, I thought of a sweet squid knowledge bomb to drop on y'all! Back in the day, people used to use squid ink to write letters and such, but sunlight would fade the ink and cause it to turn light brown in color. Photos with a similarly faded-brown palette are called "sepia tone," but the word "sepia" actually refers to a type of squid! The idea of sepia-toned memories sure sounds romantic, but faded-squid-ink-colored memories doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it…

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Boom! We've got some breaking news about one of the weapons used in Turf War battles. This here is the Splattershot! We've heard that it strikes the perfect balance between power, range, and rate of fire, making it the ultimate all-arounder. Easy to use but highly effective, it's apparently the gold standard against which all other weapons are measured!

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This is Octo Valley, the jumping-off point for Splatoon's single-player story mode. It's also where Cap'n Cuttlefish has been keeping a solitary watch on the growing Octarian threat! Not the most social of pastimes, but the path walked by heroes is often a lonely one. To that end, it sounds like his grandkids haven't been visiting as much lately. Not that I asked, but he told me anyway…

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Word on the street is that the Octarians' secret lair is somewhere beneath Octo Valley. In fact, Cap'n Cuttlefish told one of our undercover interns that he's fairly certain these teakettle-like thingies are the way in! He also told Meghan that he's convinced the Octarians are planning some kind of trap, to never let her guard down, and that if he was only a few years younger, he'd take care of those Octojerks himself…

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These Octarian fighters were discovered a while ago, but we've just now learned their real name: Octolings! Like Inklings and their squid powers, these tricksters can switch between octopus and humanoid form at will. They apparently make up an elite corps of the Octarian forces. We've seen footage of them heavily armed with bombs and ink guns, so don't go messing around with these suckers unless you have to!

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We've received new intel confirming that Octolings can appear in pairs or even larger teams from time to time. The thought of facing a solo Octoling makes me weak in the knees, so taking on two or more sounds like a one-way ticket to the danger zone! I had one of our undercover interns ask Cap'n Cuttlefish about this situation, and he said that back in the day, he took out a few Octoling squads by focusing his fire on one at a time. Seeing as he lived to tell this tale, sounds like some good advice!

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This is the .52 Gal shooter. Each shot uses a LOT of ink, so it packs a serious punch. It has a low rate of fire, but if you aim carefully you can splat your foes before they know what hit 'em.

We've received video footage comparing the shot power of the .52 Gal to that of the Splattershot. Check it out!

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When he's not officiating a Turf War, Judd the cat can often be found sleeping at the base of Inkopolis Tower. They say cats sleep more the older they get, but just how old is this guy?

Attention science lovers! We've received GROUNDBREAKING research footage of…Judd taking a catnap. Our camera crew has captured over 200 hours of video of this never-before-seen phenomenon. After analyzing this footage, we've discovered that, uh, Judd's tail has a really weird shape! So don't worry—your tax dollars are hard at work solving the mysteries of…cat stuff.

BREAKING NEWS! The Octarian threat is real! Thank goodness that brave soul was there to contain the invasion!


That's it for this summary - are you still hyped for Splatoon's arrival in May?