Splatoon gets May 29 release date, Amiibo support, and two new gameplay modes

With few other releases planned for the first half of 2015, Nintendo has been pushing Splatoon hard. It was the centerpiece of their PAX East 2015 booth and a slew of new trailers have explored nearly every corner of the game. But the publisher is still putting out new information, so there must be a few nooks and crannies that have yet to be uncovered.

The latest trailer shines a spotlight on three never-before-seen maps: “Walleye Warehouse,” “Saltspray Rig,” and “Blackbelly Skatepark.” Each of the levels offers new locations for the Inklings to battle it out, but it’s likely that Nintendo’s other Splatoon announcements will overshadow these arenas.

Yesterday, Nintendo also revealed two new gameplay modes for the game: Ranked Battle and Battle Dojo. Ranked Battle is a much more intense online multiplayer mode while Battle Dojo is a local 1-on-1 match where the player who pops the most balloons wins. Like Hyrule Warriors, the 1-on-1 mode will require one player to use the television and the other to use the Wii U GamePad.

Finally, Nintendo announced that three Splatoon Amiibo figures (Inkling Boy, Inking Girl, and Inkling Squid) will be available alongside the game’s launch. The Inkling Squid will only be available in a special three-pack, but the Inkling Boy and Inking Girl will also be sold individually. Tapping these Amiibo to the GamePad will unlock special missions that contain Amiibo-exclusive weapons and gear for your in-game characters.

Splatoon, and the Splatoon Amiibo figures, will be released for the Wii U on May 29.

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John Scalzo is Warp Zoned's Editor-In-Chief and resident retro gaming expert. You can email him at john AT warpzoned DOT com.