As Nintendo builds up to Splatoon’s a lot to say about Splatoon at the IGN office. It’s a ton of fun to make a mess with ink. But it’s even more satisfying to examine the aftermath, since the stages look like two-tone Kandinsky paintings. Recently, IGN went hands-on with a few new modes and features. Here’s what we learned.

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Training Grounds

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But What About Amiibo?

Splatoon amiibo gallery 7 IMAGES

The Divide

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Battle Dojo, a 1v1 offline multiplayer versus mode, changes the focus from spraying up territory to popping balloons. These skirmishes unfold in the same arenas as multiplayer Turf Wars. Here, a column of colored rings indicates where a set of inflated targets will spawn. The player with the highest score at the end of five minutes wins. As a way to push for a potential comeback, the point value doubles in the later moments of a match.Rather than simply divide your attention between stationary targets and a mobile opponent, Battle Dojo tosses in special moves as a potential X factor. Unassuming wooden crates contain surprise abilities to dominate your rival, but you have to use them immediately. A representative for Nintendo told us that not all of the special moves seen in multiplayer show up in this mode. In the end, the developers focused on keeping the action balanced between two players. That said, if you zoom out in front of your opponent there is a mercy rule: The first player to score 30 points wins.As far as 1v1 modes go, Battle Dojo feels like a fun alternative, but Turf War and Ranked mode (especially Splat Zones) still offer the best Splatoon multiplayer experience.Nintendo announced Splatoon would support amiibo a few weeks ago, so it wasn’t a huge surprise to find the three new figures present at our demo. One thing to note with the next set of dedicated toys-to-life is the high quality of the figures themselves. That’s right, the Splatoon amiibo might be the best plastic amiibo Nintendo has yet made. Inkling Boy and Girl each boast lots of neat little details, from the smooth, slippery feel of girl’s pigtail tentacles to the tiny plastic canister (with matching ink) mounted on each character’s back. Inkling Squid’s stand is also remarkable, and it’s a far cry from the monstrous yellow brick that kept Smash Series Link standing.In terms of actual in-game application, Splatoon’s amiibo have a charming introduction: An empty amiibo box sits in a corner of Inkopolis, the hub world where players jump between single and multiplayer. Approaching the container and scanning the figures summons one of the three characters onto the pedestal. And each one has a challenge in tow. “What’s kraken, playa?” Inkling Boy says with a smile, before he unveils a list of trials and potential rewards. Certain missions reward you with gold, other hand out exclusive amiibo-only equipment. The special outfits are a cool extra, the trials that reward just money feel like an afterthought.Splatoon’s world has a ton of personality. The Inkling characters each look mischievous, as they cover the arenas with oozing colors and wicked smiles. But Nintendo has gone certain lengths to divide the single/multiplayer modes. And this split comes bundled with a few interesting decisions.The shopkeepers (and their gear) are a big part of the online multiplayer package, for example. But if you’re not connected to the Internet, you cannot buy anything to customize your character. Nintendo appears dedicated to roll out gear over time that provides both a unique look and useful utility. Meanwhile, single player has its own sets of gear, and a separate form of currency called Power Eggs beefs up each one.Producer Hisashi Nogami assures us you’ll still have fun. And the skills you build in campaign still matter. “There isn’t a gear or equipment link between single-player and multiplayer. So, it’s not that you earn money in single player to then spend in multiplayer,” he said. “Instead, the link is more focused on skill. You practice your controls and develop skills in single player and then you can take those with you into multiplayer.The last thing that stood out to us was user customization. Splatoon doesn’t offer custom match types with friends like Smash Bros. Specific user settings for look sensitivity controls can only be adjusted before (or after) a match. So if you’ve set one too high (or too low) you’ll have to jump out in order to make adjustments. It feels slightly backwards for an action shooter released in 2015.These still feel like small issues for a game capable of much grander ambition. Splatoon is fun to play. And it’s rewarding. Whether splattering foes with a roller brush or using it to claim a swath of territory, both actions come bundled with a thorough feeling of accomplishment. This inky new game could be a big win for Wii U, and one that makes the typically harsh world of shooting games approachable.

Jose Otero is an Editor at IGN and host of Nintendo Voice Chat . You can follow him on Twitter