Nintendo's next major game is about to launch — here's everything we know about 'Splatoon 2'

Nintendo is bringing "Splatoon" to its wildly successful Nintendo Switch console.

Splatoon originally debuted as a Nintendo's Wii U game and while the Wii U console was a flop, it was a flop with a bunch of killer games. Stuff like "Super Mario Maker" and "Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze" were underappreciated gems, handicapped by the console they were exclusive to — the Wii U.

And then there's "Splatoon," an excellent new series first introduced on the Wii U back in 2015.

splatoon nintendo

"Splatoon 2" will arrive in less than two weeks — it's planned for launch on July 21 — but we already know a ton about the upcoming sequel.

Splatoon 2

REVIEW: "Splatoon"

DON'T MISS: RANKED: The 11 best video games of 2017 so far

A kid-friendly third-person shooter

"Splatoon 2," like the first game, is a third-person shooter. Rather than bullets and guns, you've got paint and paint guns. Sounds kid-friendly, right? It's definitely that, though "Splatoon" is heavy on smart humor and style that adults will appreciate.

Rather than "killing" other players, the focus in "Splatoon" is on painting as much of the world as possible — whichever team paints more stuff wins. You can cover your opponents' paint with your own, and you can outright take down enemies by covering them in paint (the "Splatoon" equivalent of a "kill"). There are paint grenades, and paint rollers that act like shotguns, and lots of other stuff that approximates more traditional third-person shooters (like, say, "Gears of War").

While the first game was primarily focused on multiplayer, the second game has a major single-player story expansion (we'll get to that in a moment).

"But Nintendo doesn't really make shooters. What's the deal?" Good question!

"Splatoon" is Nintendo's first real push into the shooter genre, and it's a spectacular success. That's because "Splatoon" is a perfect demonstration of Nintnedo's ability to take a genre and turn it into something entirely its own.

The foundation of "Splatoon" is a third-person shooter, but the series twists that into something entirely fresh in two crucial ways:

1. Rather than killing the other enemy team, or holding an objective, or capturing a flag, the focus is on working together as a team to cover as much ground as possible with paint. This forces teamwork from otherwise disparate teammates — the team that doesn't work together, focused on the big picture objective, is almost guaranteed to lose.

2. Movement is unique, and a major part of gameplay. Since all the characters are a hybrid of human child and squid, you're able to morph into and "swim" through the paint on the ground. If you're not adept at swimming around, you're almost certainly toast.

Anyone who's played a third-person shooter will immediately feel at home in "Splatoon," but both newcomers and veterans alike will find plenty that's fresh and delightful in the game. As a bonus of using paint as the main projectile, aiming is somewhat less important — paint splatters. This is one of many tiny details that make the game more accessible.

The first "Splatoon" felt like the most "modern" game Nintendo's made in years. That's largely due to its tone and style.

There are two trademarks of Nintendo's history in video games:

1. Memorable characters who live in bizarre, unique worlds.

2. Smart, accessible gameplay design that teaches without feeling overbearing.

"Splatoon" embodies both of these pillars, having created a cartoonish, Japan-inspired world full of delightfully memorable characters, which frame a unique and enjoyable game. What makes it feel "modern" is that it takes those traditions and applies them to the most popular genre of modern games: Shooters! Instead of eschewing the genre as non-kid-friendly, Nintendo makes smart decisions. Shooting appears to be the focus, but it's just a mask for the real focus: teamwork.

At its heart, the "Splatoon" series is about working with a team to complete an objective — paint as much as possible. But it feels much cooler than that.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider