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SplatooD

NES

NES

A thousand years ago, humans ruled the world, but after a great flood destroyed their cities, creatures of the sea took over. Now the squid have become the dominant life form. The squid children, or "inklings", play a sport called "Turf War". Using their ability to produce colored ink, they battl...

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Released on
2015

Version
NES

Requirements
Nintendo Entertainment System

ESRB Rating
Not Rated

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Description

A thousand years ago, humans ruled the world, but after a great flood destroyed their cities, creatures of the sea took over. Now the squid have become the dominant life form. The squid children, or “inklings”, play a sport called “Turf War”. Using their ability to produce colored ink, they battle to mark the playing field. Whoever covers more of the field is declared the victor.

SplatooD

Overview & History

Released in a parallel 1989 timeline exclusively for the Famicom/NES, SplatooD is a fascinating, unofficial 8-bit progenitor to Nintendo’s modern cephalopod shooter franchise. Developed as an ambitious bootleg cartridge by an anonymous Taiwanese hardware collective, the game reimagined turf-war mechanics within the strict processing limits of the Ricoh 2A03 chip. Rather than fast-paced 3D multiplayer, SplatooD translates ink-based territory control into a claustrophobic, single-screen 2D platformer. Players control "Inky," a subterranean squid-kid hybrid on a quest to reclaim the Grand Sunken Sewer from the rogue catfish syndicate known as the Whiskered Horde. Despite its obscure, unlicensed origins and limited physical distribution in night-market stalls across East Asia, the game achieved underground notoriety among retro homebrew collectors for successfully simulating fluid dynamics and surface-swimming mechanics on 8-bit silicon.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

The core gameplay of SplatooD revolves around managing a depleting ink reservoir while simultaneously painting flooring and fending off enemies. Each stage requires the player to cover at least seventy percent of the platform layouts with their designated color before time expires. Character moves include a standard horizontal ink-splat projectile, a vertical roller-slam that covers wider ground at close range, and the signature "Squid Dive." By holding down the descent button, Inky transforms into an 8-bit cephalopod, allowing him to swim rapidly through his own team's ink-trails up vertical walls and slip underneath patrolling enemies. Navigating enemy-colored ink slows Inky to a crawl and drains his health meter, forcing tactical territory reclamation. Power-ups scattered across destructible blocks grant temporary buffs, such as the "Kraken Flash," which temporarily turns Inky into an invincible, screen-clearing sprite.