Hidden under Splatoon 2's fresh gear and multiplayer madness is an outrageous backstory. Nintendo has done a fantastic job of releasing free content for the games’ online offerings, but their newest DLC is all about the single player struggle and adding some ridiculous plot twists to the colorful franchise.

Splatoon 2’s face is all inky rainbows and cutesy cephalopods. It would be an adorable, idyllic wonderland, if not for the fact that controlling all of those snuggable urchins are real-life humans, who are often bad.

Splatoon 2 is a game about squid-kids waging war with neon ink. It’s not an easy one to explain to grandma. And it takes place in a freaky world that raises a lot of questions—What did squid kids evolve from? How do they get so much ink in those little ink guns? Where are these kids’ parents?

Combining the two best things about Splatoon—its character design and fashion sense—this second series of action figures let you mix and match each little guy’s shoes, shirts and hats. Which leads me to wonder, how the hell did I miss the first series?

Fans of single-player Splatoon should know that a whole lot more of it will be landing on Switch very soon in this summer’s “Octo Expansion.”

Leland Goodman is an artist at Titmouse (Metalocalypse, Avatar’s intro), but she also has a very special side-project: a fashion zine based on Splatoon.

Here’s another friendly reminder to please ink your spawn.

“You’re a rabbit now; you’re a kid now” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, but Splatoon almost went there. Nintendo’s stylish shooter once starred bunnies, and before that, tofu blocks.

Rejoice, Switch fans: Nintendo’s iconic platform brawler is finally confirmed for the portable console. Now that we’ve got the obligatory announcement of of the way, we can proceed to argue about what characters should totally fight one another.

Of course there’ll be Pearl and Marina Amiibo. Figures of Splatoon 2's premier performers were announced at the end of the game’s Koshien event in Japan earlier today, along with a new stage and a pair of Tetra Dualies. Isn’t one of them perfect, and if so, which?

Video game hub worlds are towns and hamlets that the player returns to between gameplay to restock and reflect. In games like Monster Hunter World or Splatoon 2, they offer a sense of security and community that ground the player in the world and make them feel truly at ease.

Nintendo has been keeping up with Splatoon 2's development and as such the game’s new version, 2.2.0, is scheduled to go live on January 16 and address a number of existing problems, including imbalances on its Walleye Warehouse map.

They’re out in April (in Japan only, at least for now), and there are cases based on Breath of the Wild, Splatoon and Animal Crossing.

Splatoon 2’s hub world of Inkopolis is a place to relax, try out new gear, and share awesome art. When the game launched in July, it was a metropolis brimming with positive illustrations. Five months later, it looks like a shitpost disaster town.

While Clam Blitz is very fun, it’s hampered by Splatoon 2's glaring flaws.

Splatoon 2’s lobby is a place to share art and shitposts. While many squid-kids are expressing their allegiance in the upcoming socks versus sweater Splatfest, others are rallying behind a player who says he was banned for the dubious username “Bike Cuck.”

Last night, during a match of Splatoon 2, everyone got fed up with our senseless land war. We all laid down our arms and came together for the one thing that matters most: having a kickass party.

One moment my Squid Girl is sporting the same side tentacle she’s been rocking since Splatoon 2 launched, the next her gorgeous glistening appendage is sliced, chopped and tied off into a pair of wriggling pigtails. Sounds painful, doesn’t it?

Here’s something for Splatoon 2 players to be thankful for this week. The game’s next big update drops on November 23, adding four battle stages, a new Salmon Run stage, four hairstyles, an increased level cap, fresh tunes and more.