Splatoon Trailer: Gathering of the Squids

The upcoming multiplayer shooter Splatoon saw a little bit of face time during the latest NIntendo Direct, and we got to see where all of the paint and squid-based madness of the game starts.

The central hub of Splatoon took center stage during its newest trailer, and this plaza acts as the gateway to everything the game has to offer. Both the single-player and multiplayer modes are accessed through this hub, as well as equipment shops that allow players to customize their characters however they wish. There are four shops: weapons, headgear, shoes and clothes, and one takes currency acquired from Splatoon's multiplayer matches.

The rest of the brief gameplay demo shows off the different types of weaponry available in the game, from main weapons to sub-weapons. The trailer also shows how the different customization options available in the apparel shops affect a player's stats and abilities during battle. What seems like a simple shooter on the surface apparently has some real depth to it, and we're interested to see how players will respond to Nintendo's unique take on the third-person shooter genre.

Splatoon will launch exclusively on the Wii U this May, though a hard release date has not been officially set.

The guns of Splatoon are so cheerful: