Welcome to my sixth amiibo Review! This time, we're going to review 3 Splatoon amiibo: Inkling Girl, Boy and Squid. We're going to explain what Splatoon is in nutshell, look on how good the overall presentation is, take note on what software support these amiibo and finally determine how difficult they are to obtain at the time of writing the review.
I have an inkling that this is going to be inkredible!
Splatoon in nutshell
Splatoon may at first look like it's a shooter for children, but the gameplay is made for everyone and it isn't totally about decimating people (or splatting as the game's terminology insist). In Turf Wars, the game's main multiplayer mode, you got to cover as much floor as you can with your own ink along with 3 of your teammates, while preventing your opponents from doing the same. Running out of ink, turn into a squid to swim underneath your own ink. Want to sneak around your opponent? Turn into a squid, and then stealthily splat at the dude from behind. Basically, you're a kid, you're a squid, you're a kid, you're a squid, you're a kid, you're a squid, you're a kid, you're a squid NOW!
It also have a fun single-player campaign to boot, so solo gamers can also hone their multiplayer skills, unlock certain weapons and have fun at the same time.
Presentation
Before taking a quick closer look on each Splatoon amiibo, there are a couple of aesthetic aspects I would like to tell.
First off, none of them actually have any stand found in a lot of Super Smash Bros. mainly because that these poses didn't needed to match with those found from the promotional arts. Some of the latter could have a character hovering in the air, which would automatically call for a stand. Since amiibo are much smaller than an average high-quality figure, the stands tend to stick out more in certain unfortunate amiibo. The only Splatoon amiibo that came close to using a bland-looking stand is the Inkling Squid. The latter had their stand improvised accordingly to the character design, while still holding it in a rather subtle method.
Second, the stand's color is dark gray as opposed to jet black found in the Super Smash Bros. amiibo. It doesn't sound like much, but I suppose it fits more with the universe of Splatoon than in Smash Bros. anyway.
With that being said, let's begin with the Inkling Girl and Boy amiibo.
Their prepared stance and smug face conveyed that they're bracing for the upcoming madness. They are both appropriately detailed, from the ink splotch underneath their feet to their rather shiny haircuts when exposed to a source of light. The only niggling issues that I have with them, is that the Inkling Girl had a very noticeable seam at the top of her head, while the Inkling Boy's ink on his Ink Container is a bit opaque when exposed to a more intense lighting.
As for the Inkling Squid, his design by default is obviously more simplistic than the rest of the gang, but this amiibo went further and made it more awesome to look at. As I said earlier, the stand isn't even obtrusive unlike the Super Smash Bros. ones, since they adapted the squid in a way that the stand becomes thematically integrated with it. It also makes the seafood even more dynamic, with the ink splashing out while the squid is Super Jumping to somewhere. If you peek at the right side of, the seams are noticeable, but that isn't where most people will look at.
All in all, these Splatoon amiibo are well-represented. They definitely aren't your typical Fisher-Price toys!
Usefulness
Let's see... The purpose of Splatoon amiibo is to unlock a variety of special challenges depending on which one you used and how many levels you completed on the single-player campaign (referred as The Octo Valley). Yes, the missions do reuse these levels. However, that's not a real kicker. Inkling Girl will have you using nothing else but the Charger weapon, while the Boy one will get you rollin' with Splat Roller. The Inkling Squid will very often have you to race against the clock as a huge Kraken who is invulnerable to damage and can steamroll through enemies, along with the very few challenging limited ink missions. The latter will give you 3 full ink tanks to work with, and you can't refill them even by swimming in your own ink and the level will end if you completely run out of it.
Each amiibo will provide you 20 missions. Complete one mission and you will earn some cash. Clear 4 missions within the same row and you'll receive something good. For one amiibo, you can get an exclusive equipment gear, a weapon that you could already obtain but is re-skinned, and even an additional mini-game for you to play at the Inkopolis's arcade machine or while you wait for an online match to begin.
The amiibo provides a good way to extend play time on the single-player campaign, possibly at least 2 hours. If you like that mode a lot, you should be considering getting these bad boys. Otherwise, it's not a bad idea to skip these amiibo.
The Splatoon amiibo don't have any game that write their memory at the moment, but that could be changed if the Inklings are actually going to be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. We don't know if this is actually happening, but the chances of that occurring are far from being slim. There are a few other games that utilize these amiibo too, but those are about games that would utilize almost every single amiibo in existence. Given that the Splatoon video game is selling very well, one could expect a sequel coming after a few years, making these amiibo potentially viable to have a good cross-compatibility potential in the future.
List of compatible games with Splatoon amiibo:
- Hyrule Warriors : Use her to unlock a weapon of level 3 or below, materials for crafting or even up to 50,000 rupees.
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker : Use her to gain a 1-UP mushroom once per day.
- amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits : Use her to let you play a few "scenes" from NES and SNES titles.
- Yoshi's Woolly World: Unlock a Yoshi design based on the characters.
Accessibility
Both the Inkling Boy and Girl amiibo are a bit difficult to find on both retail and online stores for the MSRP of $12.99 USD, though obtainable if you're willing to check out on more than one store. The Squid one however is a tough cookie when it comes to its availability. For anyone living in America, the only way to get this guy is to purchase a 3-pack Splatoon amiibo for around $34.99 USD. Problem is, you will have to go out of your way to track it down. Elsewhere in the world, the Squid amiibo can be found sold separately and even in a Splatoon bundle, so there's that as your last resort. But even with that, there's no guarantee that you'll get it in a jiffy.
Final verdict
There's only two reasons to own Splatoon amiibo: if you own Splatoon and want to extend the single-player campaign for a few more hours, and/or if you love on how they look. If either of these are your answer, then go ahead and buy them. You won't regret with your choice. Otherwise, you would wish that they were supported by more games. Though, these amiibo aren't easy to find, but they definitely aren't overly difficult to get ahold of them but the Inkling Squid is even rarer.
Recommendation: GET IT!
I have an inkling that this is going to be inkredible!
Splatoon in nutshell
Splatoon may at first look like it's a shooter for children, but the gameplay is made for everyone and it isn't totally about decimating people (or splatting as the game's terminology insist). In Turf Wars, the game's main multiplayer mode, you got to cover as much floor as you can with your own ink along with 3 of your teammates, while preventing your opponents from doing the same. Running out of ink, turn into a squid to swim underneath your own ink. Want to sneak around your opponent? Turn into a squid, and then stealthily splat at the dude from behind. Basically, you're a kid, you're a squid, you're a kid, you're a squid, you're a kid, you're a squid, you're a kid, you're a squid NOW!
It also have a fun single-player campaign to boot, so solo gamers can also hone their multiplayer skills, unlock certain weapons and have fun at the same time.
Presentation
Before taking a quick closer look on each Splatoon amiibo, there are a couple of aesthetic aspects I would like to tell.
First off, none of them actually have any stand found in a lot of Super Smash Bros. mainly because that these poses didn't needed to match with those found from the promotional arts. Some of the latter could have a character hovering in the air, which would automatically call for a stand. Since amiibo are much smaller than an average high-quality figure, the stands tend to stick out more in certain unfortunate amiibo. The only Splatoon amiibo that came close to using a bland-looking stand is the Inkling Squid. The latter had their stand improvised accordingly to the character design, while still holding it in a rather subtle method.
Second, the stand's color is dark gray as opposed to jet black found in the Super Smash Bros. amiibo. It doesn't sound like much, but I suppose it fits more with the universe of Splatoon than in Smash Bros. anyway.
With that being said, let's begin with the Inkling Girl and Boy amiibo.
Their prepared stance and smug face conveyed that they're bracing for the upcoming madness. They are both appropriately detailed, from the ink splotch underneath their feet to their rather shiny haircuts when exposed to a source of light. The only niggling issues that I have with them, is that the Inkling Girl had a very noticeable seam at the top of her head, while the Inkling Boy's ink on his Ink Container is a bit opaque when exposed to a more intense lighting.
As for the Inkling Squid, his design by default is obviously more simplistic than the rest of the gang, but this amiibo went further and made it more awesome to look at. As I said earlier, the stand isn't even obtrusive unlike the Super Smash Bros. ones, since they adapted the squid in a way that the stand becomes thematically integrated with it. It also makes the seafood even more dynamic, with the ink splashing out while the squid is Super Jumping to somewhere. If you peek at the right side of, the seams are noticeable, but that isn't where most people will look at.
All in all, these Splatoon amiibo are well-represented. They definitely aren't your typical Fisher-Price toys!
5/5
Usefulness
Let's see... The purpose of Splatoon amiibo is to unlock a variety of special challenges depending on which one you used and how many levels you completed on the single-player campaign (referred as The Octo Valley). Yes, the missions do reuse these levels. However, that's not a real kicker. Inkling Girl will have you using nothing else but the Charger weapon, while the Boy one will get you rollin' with Splat Roller. The Inkling Squid will very often have you to race against the clock as a huge Kraken who is invulnerable to damage and can steamroll through enemies, along with the very few challenging limited ink missions. The latter will give you 3 full ink tanks to work with, and you can't refill them even by swimming in your own ink and the level will end if you completely run out of it.
Each amiibo will provide you 20 missions. Complete one mission and you will earn some cash. Clear 4 missions within the same row and you'll receive something good. For one amiibo, you can get an exclusive equipment gear, a weapon that you could already obtain but is re-skinned, and even an additional mini-game for you to play at the Inkopolis's arcade machine or while you wait for an online match to begin.
The amiibo provides a good way to extend play time on the single-player campaign, possibly at least 2 hours. If you like that mode a lot, you should be considering getting these bad boys. Otherwise, it's not a bad idea to skip these amiibo.
The Splatoon amiibo don't have any game that write their memory at the moment, but that could be changed if the Inklings are actually going to be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4. We don't know if this is actually happening, but the chances of that occurring are far from being slim. There are a few other games that utilize these amiibo too, but those are about games that would utilize almost every single amiibo in existence. Given that the Splatoon video game is selling very well, one could expect a sequel coming after a few years, making these amiibo potentially viable to have a good cross-compatibility potential in the future.
List of compatible games with Splatoon amiibo:
- Hyrule Warriors : Use her to unlock a weapon of level 3 or below, materials for crafting or even up to 50,000 rupees.
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker : Use her to gain a 1-UP mushroom once per day.
- amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits : Use her to let you play a few "scenes" from NES and SNES titles.
- Yoshi's Woolly World: Unlock a Yoshi design based on the characters.
3/5
Accessibility
Both the Inkling Boy and Girl amiibo are a bit difficult to find on both retail and online stores for the MSRP of $12.99 USD, though obtainable if you're willing to check out on more than one store. The Squid one however is a tough cookie when it comes to its availability. For anyone living in America, the only way to get this guy is to purchase a 3-pack Splatoon amiibo for around $34.99 USD. Problem is, you will have to go out of your way to track it down. Elsewhere in the world, the Squid amiibo can be found sold separately and even in a Splatoon bundle, so there's that as your last resort. But even with that, there's no guarantee that you'll get it in a jiffy.
3/5
Final verdict
There's only two reasons to own Splatoon amiibo: if you own Splatoon and want to extend the single-player campaign for a few more hours, and/or if you love on how they look. If either of these are your answer, then go ahead and buy them. You won't regret with your choice. Otherwise, you would wish that they were supported by more games. Though, these amiibo aren't easy to find, but they definitely aren't overly difficult to get ahold of them but the Inkling Squid is even rarer.
Recommendation: GET IT!
