Splatoon 2 devs on improvements and adjustments from the first game, Salmon Run, story, future updates

Salmon Run

For Salmon Run’s online schedule, they deeply considered how to implement a co-op oriented mode in a player-versus-player type of game and decided to set that period. Nintendo wants players not to stick only with that mode, but also check out the other PvP modes. That’s why Salmon Run offers rewards with something you can use for the PvP modes. However, Amano said that this is the first co-op mode for Splatoon, so it’s unknown how much it will be appreciated by players. Therefore, they will monitor things as to how users are playing and if there is something the developers can do with Salmon Run, they would like to go ahead and do it.

Salmon Mode will start out with just two maps in the beginning. That being said, Nintendo intends to add more in the future.

Famitsu’s interviewer asked if Salmon Run could introduce more enemy types in the future. Amano only said with a laugh, “Still in research.”

Rewards are changed each time Salmon Run is played. You can obtain rewards when playing locally, but not gear. Gear is only available online.

The last note about Salmon Run: during development, Nintendo had an idea of using a mechanic of enemy waves, but it seems that they had no background setting, enemy designs, etc. at the time. It was eventually Inoue who suggested that it should be salmon-themed, likely because it’s also seafood-related and relevant to waves of fish trying to reach one point.

Story

As you may have heard, the story in Hero Mode is set around a year after Splatoon 1’s final Splatfest. When Nintendo hosted the Splatfest that pit Callie up against Marie, the development of Splatoon 2 had started and they had already decided to have the result reflected in the sequel. They even had an idea to announce the Splatfest with a phrase “Your choice will change the next Splatoon”, but the timing to announce a sequel wasn’t right. So they eventually released a series of short stories about the Squid Sisters to announce that the Splatfest affected the sequel’s story.

The interviewer asked if Marina is an Octoling, but they all dodged the question and Nogami simply said, “She has extraordinary hair”. Nogami also noted that Inklings are not paying attention to this too much. Inoue said that the Inklings don’t care about appearances if they are doing something fresh.

The Squid Sisters had composers who produced their songs. However, Off the Hook are composing their music by themselves. Because of this, Inoue designed them to represent self confidence.

Pearl is genius artist, but she couldn’t find a right partner because she’s a bit too edgey. Since she finally has Marina as a partner though, their chemistry is sparkling right now.

Updates

Nintendo is planning a year of content updates for Splatoon 2. When finished, the quantity of stages will be more than the original. Some of the additional stages are totally new and some will be arranged stages from the first entry. Not all original stages will return and they are choosing stages based on the potential for them to be improved.

Brella is shotgun-esque weapon, so the ink hits your opponent more if you are closer. It can shield damage when you open it, but the amount of damage has a limit and once it reaches it, it breaks. You can shoot ink, but you can’t use the shield feature when it breaks. The shield won’t prevent your allies ink.

We also have some good news about weapons. Without a doubt, there are more new weapon categories which haven’t been revealed yet.

Finally, Nogami mentioned that for now, there are no other ranked modes other than the three current options. He added that the future holds any sort of possibility, but dodged answering the question with clarity. Amano added, “While players are enjoying the three rules that are available, we will progress our research (laugh)”. Sato chimed in as well and said that this time, Nintendo added new weapons and adjusted the performance of existing weapons, so they thought people might find it difficult to understand the differences if the rules were changed. They adjusted the rule designs so that players will experience the more interesting aspects, so he wants players to play those three rules – at least initially.